Britain’s Ministry of Defense on Friday issued a map of how it assesses the situation on the ground in Ukraine, a tweet showed.

— Karen Gilchrist

Russian President Vladimir Putin told African leaders Friday that Moscow was boosting food supplies to the region and was interested in developing military cooperation with it, according to Reuters.

That comes a day after the president announced during a Russia-Africa summit that Moscow would supply some free grain shipments to certain African nations.

Putin also said Moscow respected and was carefully studying calls for a peace agreement made Thursday by the head of the African Union, President Azali Assoumani.

— Karen Gilchrist

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Friday that the war in Ukraine will “almost certainly” compound food insecurity across Africa for at least the next two years.

Russia last week withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which had allowed for the safe, global shipment of grain from Ukraine.

The ministry added that the number of African heads of state attending the Russia-Africa summit, which is currently being held in St. Petersburg, was down to 17 from 43 last year.

— Karen Gilchrist

President Vladimir Putin on Friday lauded Russia’s “militant friendship” with North Korea and vowed to further develop political, economic and security ties with the isolated nation, state media reported.

In a letter shared by Russian delegates during their visit to Pyongyang, Putin said it was especially important to enrich the countries’ tradition of “friendship, good neighborliness and mutual assistance” in the face of present threats.

“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s firm support to the special military operation against Ukraine and its solidarity with Russia on key international issues highlight our common interests and determination to counter the policy of the Western group which hinders the establishment of the truly multipolarized and just world order,” the letter read, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The letter was shared as Russian and Chinese delegates joined North Korea in celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, Pyongyang’s so-called Victory Day.

— Karen Gilchrist

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday posted a video showing Ukrainian soldiers saying they have “liberated the village” of Staromaiorske, located east of Zaporizhzhia city.

In comments accompanying the video, shared on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, Zelenskyy said: “Our South! Our guys! Glory to Ukraine!”

The village is close to the front line of the Ukrainian counteroffensive near the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

— Karen Gilchrist

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said on Twitter that his office has documented 498 cases where children have died due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Kostin added that his office has also recorded more than 19,000 forced deportations.

In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, for the alleged deportation of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.

— Amanda Macias

An unclassified assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence outlines China’s financial support for Russia during the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

The Biden administration previously warned Beijing to not support Moscow as the U.S. and its Western allies coordinate global sanctions for Russia’s ongoing war.

The unclassified report, which was released by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is available here.

— Amanda Macias