Civilians in "annexed" southern Kherson region started to flee to Russia amid Ukrainian advances and evacuees were expected to begin arriving there on Friday; a Russian-installed official suggested residents should leave for safety, a sign of Moscow's weakening hold on territory it claims to have annexed.

* A Russian region adjoining Ukraine said it was preparing to receive refugeesfrom the Russian-held part of Kherson.

FIGHTING

* Ukraine's armed forces have re-taken more than 600 settlements in the past month, including 75 in the strategic Kherson region, the government said.

* Governor of a Russian border region accused Ukraine of shelling an apartment block but a Kyiv official said a stray Russian missile was to blame - one of a series of apparent strikes on Russian towns.

* Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv. A five-storey residential building was hit, the two upper floors completely destroyed, the mayor said.

* Three drone attacked the small town of Makariv, west of the capital Kyiv, with officials saying critical infrastructure facilities were hit by Iran-made drones.

* Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.

* NATO said it will closely monitor an expected Russian nuclear exercise but will not be cowed into dropping support for Ukraine.

* Zelenskiy accused the International Committee of the Red Cross of inaction in upholding the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war and urged it to undertake a mission to Olenivka - a notorious camp in eastern Ukraine.

DIPLOMACY

* Kremlin spokesperson Peskov was quoted as saying in Izvestia newspaper that the goals of Russia's "special military operation" could be achieved through negotiations.

ECONOMY

* Russia has submitted concerns to the United Nations about an agreement on Black Sea grain exports, and is prepared to reject renewing a deal next month unless its demands are addressed, Russia's U.N. ambassador in Geneva told Reuters.

* Russian President Putin courted Turkish President Erdogan with a plan to pump more Russian gas via Turkey that would turn it into a new supply "hub", bidding to preserve Russia's energy leverage over Europe.

Reuters