Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia, Ukraine release contradictory information on fight in Mariupol

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict as Mariupol, a key port on the Azov Sea in eastern Ukraine, has witnessed the worst violence in the war so far. The following are the latest developments:

Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that 1,026 Ukrainian servicemen of Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade had surrendered in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, following an offensive carried out by Russia's armed forces and the militia units of Donetsk.

A total of 162 officers and 47 servicewomen were among those who surrendered, and 151 wounded Ukrainian soldiers received immediate medical treatment, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said during his daily briefing.

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Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Oleksiy Arestovych said Wednesday that the 36th Marine Brigade had broken fighting lines and joined the Azov Battalion in the besieged city of Mariupol.

"In general, the city's defense system has grown and strengthened," Arestovych wrote on Facebook.

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The Ukrainian authorities are working to restore the automobile connection between Kiev and the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, Deputy Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said Wednesday.

Work is underway to build temporary passages for automobile transport near the two key bridges destroyed in the Chernihiv region, Tymoshenko wrote on Telegram.

Efforts to clean up the Kiev-Chernihiv highway from landmines and other explosives are also underway, he said.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia will aim to increase the consumption of Russian oil, gas and coal on the domestic market, and increase the supply of energy resources to other parts of the world.

"The refusal of a number of Western countries to cooperate normally" and their partial ban on Russian energy resources have already affected millions of Europeans, further provoking an energy crisis and unprecedented inflation, Putin said during a meeting on the development of the Russian Arctic zone.

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Russia's gross domestic product contraction at the end of 2022 would surpass 10 percent and inflation could reach 20 percent, said Aleksei Kudrin, head of the country's Accounts Chamber, Russia's TASS news agency reported Wednesday.

He told reporters that Russia's economy will need at least two years to readjust if sanctions remain at their current level, according to TASS.

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The 27 European Union member states have agreed to send another 500 million euros (540 million U.S. dollars) in military aid to Ukraine, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Wednesday.

Borrell said the EU Council had adopted two assistance measures under the European Peace Facility that will allow the EU to further support the capabilities and resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

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U.S.-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine were engaged in developing components of biological weapons, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.

"It is impossible not to mention the activities conducted by the United States and its allies near the Russian borders," Medvedev said at a government meeting.