It is day 630 of the war in Ukraine.

Anna Politkovskaya’s children have condemned the pardoning of a man jailed for their mother’s killing.

A man was killed in a major Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Nikopol.

A senior Ukrainian official has confirmed that the country’s armed forces have established foothold on left bank of Dnipro.

Family of Anna Politkovskaya condemns pardon of man jailed for her killing

The children of the murdered Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Vera and Ilya, issued a joint statement alongside the editors of Novaya Gazeta on Tuesday condemning the news that one of the men jailed in connection with her murder had been granted an early release from jail.

Sergey Khadzhikurbanov, who was supposed to be serving a 20-year sentence, was freed from jail late last year having agreed to fight in Ukraine, according to a Telegram channel Baza.

“Neither the victims nor the editors were told about the killer’s pardon. Just as they aren’t told anything about the hunt for the remaining killers – and above all, the person who ordered the murder”, the statement said, adding that this was: “Because they are not looking. Because they are protecting them”.

“For us, this ‘pardon’ is not an act of redemption and repentance on the murderer’s part. It is a monstrous fact of injustice and arbitrariness, an insult to the memory of a person killed for their beliefs and for carrying out their professional duty.”

One killed in Russian strike on Ukrainian city of Nikopol

A major Russian strike on the city of Nikopol in central Ukraine’s Dnipro region on Tuesday left one person dead and another injured, Dnipro Governor Yevhen Yevtushenko said on Tuesday night.

Yevtushenko said Russian forces had launched 11 drone and conventional artillery strikes on residential areas of the city in the course of Tuesday, destroying four multi-storey residential buildings, homes, cars and a power line.

Ukraine confirms its forces have gained foothold on Dnipro’s left bank

In a speech to the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington DC on Tuesday, Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, confirmed that Ukrainian forces had managed to cross the Dnipro River and establish a bridgehead on Russian-occupied territory.

“Against all odds, Ukraine’s Defence Forces have gained a foothold on the left bank of the Dnipro,” Yermak told assembled analysts and researchers, adding: “Our counteroffensive is developing. We know how to achieve victory.”

Yermak’s positive assessment of the situation comes amid signs of flagging US commitment to its continued military and financial support for Ukraine, and two weeks after Armed Forces of Ukraine Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi caused consternation in Kyiv when he told The Economist that the war had reached a stalemate.