Russia's intensifies attack on Ukrainian Cities

(Reuters) - Russia hurled missiles at cities across Ukraine as people slept on Friday, killing at least 25 civilians in the first large-scale air strikes in nearly two months, as Kyiv said it was nearly ready to launch a huge assault to retake occupied land.

FIGHTING

* A fuel tank was ablaze in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol in what appeared to be a drone strike, the Moscow-installed governor said on Saturday.

* Ukraine said at least 23 civilians were killed in central town of Uman and two in the southeastern city of Dnipro. Victims included several children.

* Russia's private Wagner militia, which is leading the assault on Bakhmut in Ukraine and has been active in Africa, could soon cease to exist, founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in video remarks to a blogger that were released on Friday. It was not immediately clear how serious Prigozhin was being.

* Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

DIPLOMACY/POLITICS

* The United States is "deeply disappointed" by Russia's rejection of a U.S. embassy request to visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in prison, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

* Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree giving people in parts of Ukraine under Moscow's control a path to Russian citizenship. He also increased the maximum sentence for treason in Russia to life in jail

* Putin said Russia must act quickly to counter the West's "economic aggression" and will expand ties with countries in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America.

* Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, sanctioned by the West and dubbed the "Butcher of Mariupol" by the EU, has been removed as deputy defence minister, reports said.

* A United Nations committee said it was deeply concerned about human rights violations by Russian forces and private military companies in Ukraine, including enforced disappearances, torture, rape and extrajudicial executions.

* South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Friday it was necessary to ensure Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not succeed and that Seoul was considering its options when it came to lethal aid to Kyiv.

ECONOMICS

* The European Commission said it had reached a deal in principle to allow the transit of Ukrainian grain to resume through five European Union countries that had imposed restrictions.

* A new Russian decree exempts contracts with "friendly" countries and companies from a ban on Russian oil sales imposed in response to price caps.

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(Compiled by Reuters editors)