Ukraine Russia war – latest: ‘We are preparing for nuclear explosion at Zaporizhzhia,’ MP warns

Ukraine is “preparing for a nuclear explosion” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a Ukrainian MP has said.

Kira Rudik said that Ukrainian authorities are “worried” about the potential for a nuclear explosion.

It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned that a “serious threat” remains at the plant, claiming Russia was “technically ready” to provoke a localised explosion at the facility.

Nuclear experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia plant since Russia seized control of the facility last March.

However, Moscow has dismissed suggestions it plans to attack or sabotage the power plant.

Both sides have accused each other of shelling near the plant.

Rudik told Sky News: “I still cannot process that in the 21st century this is what is happening. We are preparing for a nuclear explosion and the whole world is watching and there is nothing that can be done.”

She added it is “unprecedented” that Russia is not allowing UN officials into specific areas of the plant to carry out checks.

Key Points

• Ukraine war having ‘corrosive’ effect on Vladimir Putin’s leadership, CIA director

• CIA director called Kremlin to say that US had no role in Wagner mutiny

• Putin’s forces being pushed back ‘in all directions’

• Russian general Sergei Surovikin arrested after Wagner rebellion - report

• ‘Countdown has begun’ for end of Putin, claims Volodymyr Zelensky aide

• One injured as Kyiv attacked for first time in 12 days

Ukraine reports incremental gains in heavy fighting

07:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine said on Monday its forces had gained some ground along eastern and southern fronts in the past week in heavy fighting with Russian troops, reclaiming 37.4 square kilometres (14.4 square miles) of territory.

Ukrainian forces were advancing in the Bakhmut direction, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said, adding that Russian forces were attacking in the Lyman, Avdiivka and Mariinka directions in the Donetsk region.

“Heavy fighting is going on there now,” Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine had reclaimed nine square kilometres over the past week along the eastern front “as a result of improving the operational (tactical) position and aligning the front line”, Maliar said.

In the south, Ukraine has regained 28.4 kilometres of territory, bringing the total area of re-captured territory along that front to 158.4 kilometres, Maliar added.

Over the weekend, Russia said its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near villages ringing Bakhmut and in areas further south, particularly near the hilltop town of Vuhledar. They also reported success in containing Ukrainian troops in the northeast.

Reuters could not confirm any of the battlefield accounts.

Russian defence minister says Ukraine operation unaffected by mutiny

11:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The brief mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group last month did not affect Russia‘s “special military operation” in Ukraine, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday.

In his first comments about the mutiny, whose leader Yevgeny Prigozhin wanted the minister dismissed, Shoigu said that plans to destabilise Russia had failed because of troops’ loyalty.

Moscow says 700,000 children from Ukraine conflict zones now in Russia

10:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has brought some 700,000 children from the conflict zones in Ukraine into Russian territory, Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee in the Federation Council, Russia‘s upper house of parliament, said late on Sunday.

“In recent years, 700,000 children have found refuge with us, fleeing the bombing and shelling from the conflict areas in Ukraine,” Karasin wrote on his Telegram messaging channel.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion on its western neighbour Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow says its progranme of bring children from Ukraine into Russian territory is to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.

However, Ukraine says many children have been illegally deported and the United States says thousands of children have been forcibly removed from their homes.

Most of the movement of people and children occurred in the first few months of the war and before Ukraine started its major counter offensive to regain occupied territories in the east and south in late August.

In July 2022, the United States estimated that Russia “forcibly deported” 260,000 children, while Ukraine‘s Ministry of Integration of Occupied Territories, says 19,492 Ukrainian children are currently considered illegally deported.

One quarter of Ukrainians remain forced from their homes

10:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The UK ministry of defence said in today’s update:

“On 29 June 2023, Ukrainian authorities reported that, under emergency legislation, 139,000 citizens have been evacuated from the combat zones in the Ukrainian controlled areas of the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions since July 2022.

“This is just one part of Ukraine’s ongoing broader crisis of displacement. The UN estimates 6.3 million Ukrainians remain refugees, and over five million internally displaced.

“With a pre-war population of 44 million, a quarter of Ukrainians remain forced from their homes as a result of Russia’s invasion.”

Putin's comment on funding Wagner shows link to Ukraine -prosecutor

10:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent comments about payments to the Wagner group was “like direct evidence” that Wagner’s mercenaries were an illegal arm of the Russian army in the war, Ukraine‘s top prosecutor told Reuters this week.

Putin said last week that Wagner and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had received almost $2 billion from Russia in the past year.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin made the comments in The Hague where he was attending the opening of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression on Monday.

Kostin said his office had identified Prigozhin as a suspect during investigations this year and that Wagner fighters were responsible for some of the most serious war crimes since the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion.

While Russia attempts to distinguish between Wagner forces and its military, Putin’s comments last week about state budget spending on Wagner was “like direct evidence that they are not only de facto, but probably, illegally, also are part of the Russian army.” The use of mercenaries by states in armed conflict is banned under the Geneva Conventions.

Among more than 93,000 incidents of potential war crimes Kostin’s office was investigating were many atrocities Wagner forces committed, Kostin said.

They are “among the most severe crimes against our civilians and our prisoners of war,” Kostin said.

The Wagner Group poses a threat not only to Ukraine, but to peace and security in many countries, including in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, he said.

Kostin appealed to allies, including the U.S. and Britain, to classify Wagner as a terrorist organisation so it can be prosecuted and its assets frozen.

“Prigozhin is already a suspect in criminal proceedings in Ukraine, but the main thing is to stop the activity of such groups,” he said.

Russia’s Medvedev says standoff with West to last decades

09:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia‘s former president, has warned that Moscow’s confrontation with the West will last decades and that its conflict with Ukraine could become permanent.

Medvedev, once seen in the West as a liberal moderniser, has emerged as one of Russia‘s most outspoken hawks since Moscow launched what it called a “special military operation” in Ukraine last year.

Now deputy head of the Security Council, his views reflect some of the thinking at the Kremlin’s top level, according to Russian officials.

In an article for the government’s Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper, he said tensions between Russia and the West were “much worse” than during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis when the world teetered on the edge of a nuclear conflagration.

A nuclear war was “quite probable” but was unlikely to have any winners, said Medvedev, who has repeatedly said Western support for Ukraine increases the chances of nuclear conflict.

He cited sharp differences over Ukraine, the direction of humankind, and the way the world order was structured.

“One thing that politicians of all stripes do not like to admit: such an Apocalypse is not only possible, but also quite probable,” wrote Medvedev.

Why are Russian and Belarusian players allowed back at Wimbledon?

09:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian and Belarusian players will return to Wimbledon as neutrals this year after the All England Club lifted its ban on players from both countries competing in the Championships.

Wimbledon was the only one of the four grand slam tournaments to ban players from Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but was criticised by the men’s and women’s professional tours for doing so.

In response, Wimbledon was stripped of its ranking points and the Lawn Tennis Association was hit by a fine after the ban on Russian and Belarusian players was extended to the summer’s other grass-court events in Britain.

But in March this year, the All England Club announced it had reversed its decision ahead of this year’s Wimbledon to allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete, as long as they agreed to several strict conditions.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Why are Russian and Belarusian players allowed back at Wimbledon?

Putin to meet Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi in first virtual summit since Wagner mutiny

09:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

President Vladimir Putin will participate this week in his first multilateral summit since an armed rebellion rattled Russia, as part of a rare international grouping in which his country still enjoys support.

Leaders will convene virtually on Tuesday for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security grouping founded by Russia and China to counter Western alliances from East Asia to the Indian Ocean.

This year’s event is hosted by India, which became a member in 2017. It’s the latest avenue for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to showcase the country’s growing global clout.

Putin to meet Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi in first summit since Wagner mutiny

Centre to prosecute Ukraine invasion to open in The Hague

09:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Law enforcement officials on Monday open an international centre for the prosecution of the crime of aggression, the first step toward building cases against individuals behind Russia‘s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities are reviewing more than 93,000 reports of war crimes and have indicted 207 suspects via domestic courts. High-level perpetrators are expected to be tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The new International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA), also in The Hague, will work alongside the ICC, the world’s permanent war crimes court, and will fill a legal gap for that specific crime.

The ICC, which in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, has the jurisdiction to prosecute alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Ukraine, but due to legal constraints not the crime of aggression.

The new centre will collect evidence for possible cases against Russian military and political leaders responsible for the war, Ukraine‘s top prosecutor, Andriy Kostin, said in an interview ahead of the opening.

“The aim is, of course, to build the case ... for future suspects in this tribunal,” Kostin told Reuters. “We need experts, we need forensics, we need additional information, including intelligence information, in order for this case to be strong, because we all know that the crime of aggression is the leadership crime.”

Russia says it thwarted attempt on life of Moscow-backed Crimea head

08:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s FSB security service said on Monday it had thwarted an assassination attempt on Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of Crimea, the Interfax news agency reported.

The FSB said it had detained a Russian man who had been hired and trained by Ukraine‘s security services to kill Aksyonov by blowing up his car.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Russia annexed Crimea, where it bases its Black Sea Fleet, from Ukraine in 2014.

Ukrainian resident uses war debris to reconstruct home after liberation

08:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Ukrainian resident is reconstructing his home using war debris after it was destroyed.

Igor Knyazev is from Dovhenke, a village around 20km (12 miles) from Izium where mass graves were found after Russian forces withdrew last year.

The father-of-three fled after Russia’s invasion, but has now returned to try and rebuild his life after Kharkiv was de-occupied in September 2022.

Not a single building has remained intact following the fighting.

Knyazev, with his father and friends, have been using leftover crates from “Grad” rockets to build the walls of his house.

Ukrainian resident uses war debris to reconstruct home after liberation

EU considers Russian bank concession to safeguard Black Sea grain deal - FT

07:46 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The European Union is considering a proposal to allow a Russian bank under sanctions to carve-out a subsidiary that would reconnect to the global financial network, as a sop to Moscow, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

This will be aimed at safeguarding the Black Sea grain deal that allows Ukraine to export food to global markets, FT said.

The plan, which was proposed by Moscow through negotiations brokered by the UN, would allow the bank to create a subsidiary to handle payments related to grain exports, FT said, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The new entity would be permitted to use the global Swift financial messaging system, which was closed to the largest Russian banks following the Ukraine invasion last year. (

Second world war British fighter jets discovered in Ukraine

07:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Officials in Ukraine have unearthed the remains of eight British Hurricane fighter planes which can be traced back to the second world war.

Oleks Shtan, a former airline pilot who is leading the excavation, told the BBC: “It is very rare to find this aircraft in Ukraine.

“It’s very important for our aviation history because no lend-lease aircraft have been found here before.”

The aircraft was found in a forest south of Kyiv and was sent to the Soviet Union by Britain during the Second World War in 1941.

Putin to attend first summit with China and India since the Wagner insurrection

07:12 , Arpan Rai

Russian president Vladimir Putin will participate this week in his first multilateral summit since the failed armed rebellion rattled Russia.Mr Putin, alongside leaders from China and India, will convene virtually tomorrow for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The SCO is a security grouping founded by Russia and China to counter Western alliances from East Asia to the Indian Ocean.This year’s event is hosted by India, which became a member in 2017.

“This SCO meeting is really one of the few opportunities globally that Putin will have to project strength and credibility,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute.

Wagner’s exit does not mean new mobilisation, says Russian politician

06:20 , Arpan Rai

The Wagner Group’s departure from Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine does not impact Russia’s combat potential, Russian lawmaker and Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov – who chairs the lower house of parliament’s defence committee – said today.

He added that the regular Russian army has been able to repel Ukraine’s new offensive without the support of Wagner’s fighters, reported the TASS news agency.

“No new wave of mobilisation will be required,” General Kartapolov said.

Ukraine writer Victoria Amelina dies after Kramatorsk restaurant attack

05:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian writer and war crimes researcher Victoria Amelina has died after succumbing to her injuries from the missile attack on a Ukrainian pizzeria in Kramatorsk.

The 37-year-old, among the dozens struck in the Russian missile attack, was admitted to a hospital in Dnipro on Tuesday. The doctors “did everything they could to save her life but unfortunately the wound was fatal,” writers’ association PEN Ukraine said in a statement.

“It is with great pain that we inform you that the heart of the writer Victoria Amelina stopped beating on 1 July,” the association said.

“In the last days of Victoria’s life, her family and friends were by her side.”

The death toll in the attack has now risen to 13 after the award-winning writer’s death.

She was dining with a team of Colombian journalists and writers in the city’s Ria lounge when the attack took place. The attack was carried out by S-300 missiles, Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier.

More than 60 civilians were injured in the attack, which has been called a war crime by human rights groups.

Several hundred Russians killed over weekend, says Ukrainian general

04:54 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian general Oleksander Tarnavskiy said his country’s forces were “systematically destroying the enemy” and reported the deaths of several hundred Russian soldiers over the last 24 hours.

General Tarnavskiy is handling the offensive and counteroffensive actions on Ukraine’s southern front.

Ukraine‘s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhniy, has also reported steady, if slow, advances in the campaign.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has also called the progress limited but says the drive is “not a Hollywood movie” with expectations of instant success.

Ukraine seeing Russian attacks in east but progress in south: ‘Things are hot'

04:39 , Arpan Rai

The fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces is mostly flaring in Ukraine’s east and south, where the deputy defence minister reported fierce clashes.

“Everywhere things are hot” in the east, with Russian forces advancing near the beleaguered cities of Avdiivka and Maryinka in Donetsk region, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said.

“In addition, the enemy has started an attack in the Svatove area,” she said, referring to a region of northeastern Ukraine where Russian forces have been active.

“Fierce fighting is taking place...The situation is quite complicated.”

The minister reported “partial success” south of Bakhmut, taken in late May by Russian forces after many months of battles.

On the southern front, where Ukrainian forces have recaptured several villages, the minister said there had been “gradual advances” in two areas.

“Our troops are facing intense enemy resistance, remote mining and the redeployment of enemy reserves, but are tirelessly creating the conditions for the fastest possible advance,” she wrote on Telegram.

700,000 children from Ukraine conflict zones now in Russia, says Moscow

03:56 , Arpan Rai

Russia has brought some 700,000 children from the conflict zones in Ukraine into Russian territory, a top Russian official said.

“In recent years, 700,000 children have found refuge with us, fleeing the bombing and shelling from the conflict areas in Ukraine,” Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee in the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, said yesterday.

Moscow claims its programme of bring children from Ukraine into Russian territory is to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone but officials in the Volodymyr Zelensky administration have alleged illegal deportation of tens of thousands of children.

UN investigators have said that Russia’s forced deportation of Ukrainian children to areas under its control amounts to a war crime.

Most of the movement of people and children occurred in the first few months of the war and before Ukraine started its major counteroffensive to regain occupied territories in the east and south.

Watch: Rescuers dig through rubble after deadly strike hits Ukraine school

03:00 , Martha Mchardy

Satellite photos and reports suggest Belarus building army camp for Wagner fighters

02:00 , Martha Mchardy

Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press on Saturday showed what appeared to be a newly built military-style camp in Belarus, with statements from a Belarusian guerrilla group and officials suggesting it may be used to house fighters from the Wagner mercenary group.

The images provided by Planet Labs PLC suggest that dozens of tents have been erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 230 kilometers (142 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. A satellite photo taken on Jun. 15 shows no sign of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible in a later image, dated Jun. 30.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after Minsk helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection by the mercenary group. The abortive revolt saw Wagner troops capture a military headquarters in southern Russia and march hundreds of kilometers (miles) towards Moscow, seemingly unimpeded.

Read the full story:

Satellite photos, reports suggest Belarus building army camp for Wagner fighters

Watch: Ukrainian resident uses war debris to reconstruct home after liberation

01:00 , Martha Mchardy

A Ukrainian resident is reconstructing his home using war debris after it was destroyed.

Igor Knyazev is from Dovhenke, a village around 20km (12 miles) from Izium where mass graves were found after Russian forces withdrew last year.

The father-of-three fled after Russia’s invasion, but has now returned to try and rebuild his life after Kharkiv was de-occupied in September 2022.

Not a single building has remained intact following the fighting.

Knyazev, with his father and friends, have been using leftover crates from “Grad” rockets to build the walls of his house.

Holly Patrick reports:

Ukrainian resident uses war debris to reconstruct home after liberation

ICYMI: Russia reducing military presence and personnel at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, says Ukraine

Monday 3 July 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russia is reducing its presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has claimed, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of plotting a “terrorist attack” at the facility.

The number of military patrols around the site of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and in the nearby city of Enerhodar have gradually been decreasing, according to the Main Directorate of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence (GUR). Meanwhile, personnel remaining at the plant – which is occupied by Moscow’s forces – have been told to blame Ukraine “in case of any emergency situations”, says Kyiv.

“According to the latest data, the occupation contingent is gradually leaving the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” GUR said on the Telegram messaging app.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Russia reducing military presence at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, says Ukraine

Biden's upcoming European trip is meant to boost NATO against Russia as the war in Ukraine drags on

Sunday 2 July 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy

President Joe Biden will head to Europe at week’s end for a three-country trip intended to bolster the international coalition against Russian aggression as the war in Ukraine extends well into its second year.

The main focus of Biden’s five-day visit will be the annual NATO summit, held this year in Vilnius, Lithuania. Also planned are stops in Helsinki, Finland, to commemorate the Nordic country’s entrance into the 31-nation military alliance in April, and Britain, the White House announced Sunday.

Biden will begin his trip next Sunday in London, meeting with King Charles III. The president did not attend Charles’s coronation in May, sending first lady Jill Biden to represent the United States. In June, Biden hosted British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the White House, where the two leaders pledged continued cooperation in defending Ukraine.

Read the full story:

Biden's upcoming European trip is meant to boost NATO against Russia as the war in Ukraine drags on

Today in pictures

Sunday 2 July 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

In pictures: Funeral held for Ukrainian serviceman killed in Zaporizhzhia region

Sunday 2 July 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russian ex-arms dealer exchanged for US basketballer is running for far-right party

Sunday 2 July 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy

A Russian arms dealer freed last December in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been chosen as the candidate of a far-right party for a seat in a Russian regional legislature, state news agency RIA reported on Sunday.

Viktor Bout, once dubbed “the merchant of death” by the United States, served 10 years of a 25-year sentence in U.S. prisons on arms dealing charges until his release in the prisoner exchange with Griner, an Olympic gold medallist.

RIA cited an official in Russia’s ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)’s local organisation as saying that Bout had been nominated as a candidate for the legislative assembly of the Ulyanovsk region in central Russia.

Bout was arrested by U.S. agents during a sting in Thailand in 2008. The U.S. Department of Justice described him as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers who had sold weapons across the globe to terrorists and America’s enemies for decades. Bout always denied the charges.

Griner was sentenced in 2022 to nine years in a penal colony for possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil - which is banned in Russia - after a judicial process labelled a sham by Washington. Griner has since resumed her sports career.

Bout publicly joined the LDPR following his return to Russia. Despite its name, the LDPR holds far-right, ultra-nationalist views and strongly supports President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The LDPR has previously provided a home to Andrei Lugovoi, who is wanted in Britain for the 2006 murder of ex-KGB officer and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko. Lugovoi has served as an LDPR member of Russia’s national parliament since 2007.

Russia launches first drone strike on Kyiv in 12 days

Sunday 2 July 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy

After a relative lull, Russia launched a drone attack early Sunday on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, officials said. It was the first such attack of the war in 12 days.

All of the Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones were detected and shot down, according to Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv city administration. In addition to the city itself, the surrounding Kyiv region was targeted. Kyiv regional Gov. Ruslan Kravchenko reported that one person was wounded by falling debris from a destroyed drone.

Officials in the Ukrainian capital didn’t provide an exact number of drones that attacked the city. But Ukraine’s air force said that across the country, eight Shaheds and three Kalibr cruise missiles were launched by the Russians.

Read the full story:

Russia launches first drone strike on Kyiv in 12 days

Watch: Ukrainian Resident Uses War Debris To Reconstruct Home After Liberation

Sunday 2 July 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy

Zelensky pays tribute to Navy servicemen as he visits Odesa

Sunday 2 July 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has paid tribute to those serving in the navy on Ukrainian Navy Day from Odesa, in a video posted on Twitter.

‘I thank every warrior of the Ukrainian Navy – all sailors, all marines, all commanders of our Navy, artillerymen, naval aviators, drone operators, I thank the warriors of the river flotilla, river divisions. I thank you all!,” he wrote.

Papal envoy says Moscow visit focused on humanitarian issues, not peace plan

Sunday 2 July 2023 16:30 , Martha Mchardy

Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi said on Sunday his mission to Moscow on the Ukraine war was focused on humanitarian issues and had not involved any discussions of a peace plan.

Pope Francis had in May asked Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops’ conference, to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine.

Zuppi met one of president Vladimir Putin’s advisers, Yuri Ushakov, and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, in Moscow this week. Earlier in June, he also visited Kyiv for talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky.

All the meetings “were important, especially in humanitarian aspects, which are what we have focused on. There is not a peace plan, not a mediation”, Zuppi told state broadcaster RAI.

“There is a big aspiration that the violence will end and that human life can be preserved, starting with the protection of the little ones”, he said, adding he would meet with Pope Francis in coming days to discuss the outcome of the meetings he had held.

Speaking to a religious delegation from the Patriarch of Constantinople on Friday, Pope Francis said there was no apparent end in sight to the war in Ukraine as his peace envoy wrapped up three days of talks in Moscow.

On the same day, a Vatican statement said the visit was “aimed at identifying humanitarian initiatives, which could open roads to peace”.

Francis has called repeatedly for an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has destroyed Ukrainian villages and towns, caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people, and driven millions more from their homes.

During his Sunday blessing, Francis called on pilgrims to keep praying for peace, “even during summer time and especially for Ukrainian people”.

‘We are preparing for nuclear explosion at Zaporizhzhia,’ MP warns

Sunday 2 July 2023 15:55 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine is “preparing for a nuclear explosion” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a Ukrainian MP has said.

Kira Rudik said that Ukrainian authorities are “worried” about the potential for a nuclear explosion.

It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned that a “serious threat” remains at the plant, claiming Russia was “technically ready” to provoke a localised explosion at the facility.

Nuclear experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia plant since Russia seized control of the facility last March.

However, Moscow has dismissed suggestions it plans to attack or sabotage the power plant.

Both sides have accused each other of shelling near the plant.

Rudik told Sky News: “I still cannot process that in the 21st century this is what is happening. We are preparing for a nuclear explosion and the whole world is watching and there is nothing that can be done.”

She added it is “unprecedented” that Russia is not allowing UN officials into specific areas of the plant to carry out checks.

Ukrainian military intelligence previously claimed Russian troops had mined the facility, and that Russian personnel are “gradually leaving the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant”.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said its experts have “so far found no visible indications of mines or other explosives currently planted” at the plant.

The US is considering providing cluster munitions to Ukraine, says America's top military officer

Sunday 2 July 2023 15:30 , Martha Mchardy

The United States is considering providing cluster munitions to Ukraine, the top American military officer said Friday.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. has been thinking about providing the munitions “for a long time.” He noted that Russian troops are using them on the battlefield in Ukraine and that Ukrainian forces have received cluster bombs from other allies and have deployed the arms.

Milley said at the National Press Club that discussions are continuing. “The Ukrainians have asked for it, other European countries have provided some of that, the Russians are using it,” Milley said. “There’s a decision making process ongoing.”

Read the full story:

The US is considering providing cluster munitions to Ukraine, says America's top military officer

ICYMI: Russia reducing military presence and personnel at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, says Ukraine

Sunday 2 July 2023 14:30 , Martha Mchardy

Russia is reducing its presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has claimed, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of plotting a “terrorist attack” at the facility.

The number of military patrols around the site of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and in the nearby city of Enerhodar have gradually been decreasing, according to the Main Directorate of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence (GUR). Meanwhile, personnel remaining at the plant – which is occupied by Moscow’s forces – have been told to blame Ukraine “in case of any emergency situations”, says Kyiv.

“According to the latest data, the occupation contingent is gradually leaving the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” GUR said on the Telegram messaging app.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Russia reducing military presence at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, says Ukraine

British World War 2 fighter planes discovered near Kyiv

Sunday 2 July 2023 14:21 , Martha Mchardy

The remains of eight British World War 2 fighter planes have been discovered in Ukraine, according to a report.

The Hurricane fighter planes were found buried in woodland south of Kyiv, the BBC reported.

Britain sent the planes to the Soviet Union after the invasion by Nazi Germany in 1941, as part of a package of allied military support for the USSR.

Aviation experts said it is the first time the remains of so many Hurricanes have been found in Ukraine, explaining such a find is “very rare”.

The site is now being excavated by staff from the National Aviation Museum of Ukraine, with plans to reassemble the aircraft and put them on display.

Head of research at the National Aviation Museum of Ukraine Valerii Romanenko told the BBC the planes “are a symbol of British assistance” to Ukraine.

“The UK is one of the largest suppliers of military equipment to our country now,” Romanenko continued.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK has supplied the country with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, as well as 14 Challenger 2 tanks and hundreds of attack drones and air defence missiles.

Kyiv was part of the USSR until 1991.

Russian tank destroyed in Bakhmut

Sunday 2 July 2023 14:02 , Martha Mchardy

Drone footage shows smoke rising from a Russian tank after it was destroyed by Ukrainian forces in Northwest Bakhmut on Friday.

ICYMI: Sánchez visits Kyiv on the day Spain starts EU presidency to underline bloc's support for Ukraine

Sunday 2 July 2023 13:30 , Martha Mchardy

Prime minister Pedro Sánchez started Spain‘s six-month presidency of the European Union with a lightning visit to Kyiv on Saturday to underline the bloc’s support of Ukraine in the face of the invasion by Russia.

Sánchez arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train from Poland.

Zelensky announced the visit Thursday in an address to European leaders gathered for a summit in Brussels. He highlighted the symbolism of the visit and the importance of the next six months for Europe. He added that it was the moment to begin negotiations for Ukraine’s entry into the EU.

Speaking Friday in Brussels, Sánchez said, “The war in Ukraine will be one of the great priorities of our presidency, with the focus being on guaranteeing the unity (on the issue) among all member states.”

Ciarn Giles reports:

Sánchez visits Kyiv on the day Spain starts EU presidency to underline bloc's support for Ukraine

13-year-old boy among 4 wounded in Kherson shelling

Sunday 2 July 2023 13:28 , Martha Mchardy

A 13-year-old boy was wounded in overnight shelling of Ukraine’s partially occupied southern Kherson province, said Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, spokesman for the Ukrainian administration of the province.

The child was wounded when the Russian army shelled the village of Mylove on the banks of the Dnieper River in the Beryslav district, Mr Tolokonnikov said.

“The child was hospitalised, there is no threat to his life,” Mr Tolokonnikov added.

Shelling of the Kherson province continued on Sunday morning, wounding four people in the regional capital, Kherson.

The regional prosecutor’s office said that a residential area of the city was targeted by Russian troops operating in the Russia-occupied part of the Kherson province.

“At least four citizens were wounded, two of them due to a targeted strike on a high-rise building,” the office wrote on Telegram.

Memorial to victims of executions and attacks by Russian troops opens in Kyiv region

Sunday 2 July 2023 12:30 , Martha Mchardy

A memorial with the names of 501 identified in Bucha, Kyiv region, has opened.

People were seen visiting the memorial to the victims of executions and attacks on individual civilians by Russian troops.

Russian troops entered Ukrainian territory in February 2022, starting a conflict that has provoked destruction and a humanitarian crisis.

Latest pictures of drone attack on Kyiv

Sunday 2 July 2023 12:16 , Martha Mchardy

Latest pictures from the frontline

Sunday 2 July 2023 11:30 , Martha Mchardy

Prigozhin-controlled Russian media group shuts amid mutiny fallout

Sunday 2 July 2023 10:34 , Martha Mchardy

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s media holding group is to shut down, the director of one of its outlets said, highlighting the mercenary chief’s worsening fortunes a week after the collapse of a brief mutiny staged by his Wagner Group fighters.

Under a deal that halted the mutiny, Prigozhin, a former ally of President Vladimir Putin, was allowed to go into exile in Belarus and his men given the choice of joining him, being integrated into Russia’s armed forces or returning home.

Patriot Media, whose most prominent outlet was the RIA FAN news site, had taken a strongly nationalist, pro-Kremlin editorial line, while also providing positive coverage of Prigozhin and his Wagner Group.

“I am announcing our decision to close down and to leave the country’s information space,” RIA FAN director Yevgeny Zubarev said in a video clip posted late on Saturday on the holding’s social media accounts.

Zubarev gave no reason for the decision.

Why are Russian and Belarusian players allowed back at Wimbledon?

Sunday 2 July 2023 10:30 , Martha Mchardy

Russian and Belarusian players will return to Wimbledon as neutrals this year after the All England Club lifted its ban on players from both countries competing in the Championships.

Wimbledon was the only one of the four grand slam tournaments to ban players from Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but was criticised by the men’s and women’s professional tours for doing so.

In response, Wimbledon was stripped of its ranking points and the Lawn Tennis Association was hit by a fine after the ban on Russian and Belarusian players was extended to the summer’s other grass-court events in Britain.

But in March this year, the All England Club announced it had reversed its decision ahead of this year’s Wimbledon to allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete, as long as they agreed to several strict conditions.

Jamie Braidwood reports:

Why are Russian and Belarusian players allowed back at Wimbledon?

Poland to bolster security forces on border with Belarus amid concerns over Wagner group

Sunday 2 July 2023 10:11 , Martha Mchardy

Poland will send 500 police officers to its border with Belarus, minister of interior Mariusz Kaminski said on Sunday.

“Due to the tense situation on the border with Belarus I have decided to bolster our forces with 500 Polish police officers from preventive and counter-terrorism units,” he wrote on Twitter.

It comes amid concerns over the presence of the Wagner group in Belarus after Russian president Vladimir Putin offered troops the choice of relocating to Belarus.

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was exiled to Belarus last week after an attempted coup.

Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, confirmed the mercenary leader had reached Belarus.

Russia’s FSB security service dropped charges against participants in the Wagner group’s failed insurrection as part of a deal negotiated by the Belarusian dictator and Vladimir Putin that involved the warlord moving to Belarus.

Around 8,000 Wagner troops are believed to already be in Belarus, according to Poalnd’s deputy prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

ICYMI: Why Ukraine can’t use Putin’s crisis to make quick gains in the war

Sunday 2 July 2023 09:30 , Martha Mchardy

Askold Krushelnycky reports from Kharkiv, where he speaks to members of Ukraine’s army about Kyiv’s counteroffensive to reclaim its land from Moscow. Facing mines and constant shelling, gains are slow – and hard-earned.

Ukraine’s push to smash Russian defences: ‘Small advances have colossal meaning’

Russia cancels premier international airshow due to ‘security concerns'

Sunday 2 July 2023 09:18 , Martha Mchardy

Russia has cancelled its 2023 Maks international airshow due to “genuine security concerns” amid recent uncrewed aerial vehicle attacks inside Russia, the UK Ministry of Defence said.

In an intelligence update posted on Twitter, the ministry said Russia has cancelled its “premier international airshow” which takes place every other year near Moscow and showcases Russia’s civil and military aerospace sectors.

The airshow has become “key to securing export customers,” the update said.

As well as security concerns, the Ministry of Defence also said it is “highly likely” organisers of the airshow were “aware of the potential for reputational damage if fewer international delegations attended.”

“The war has been exceptionally challenging for Russia’s aerospace community. The sector is struggling under international sanctions; highly trained specialists are being encouraged to serve as infantry in the Roscosmos space agency’s own militia,” the update continued.

“Meanwhile, Commander in Chief of the Aerospace Forces, General Sergei Surovikin, has not been seen in public since the abortive mutiny by Wagner Group, for whom he served as point of contact with the Russian Ministry of Defence.”

One injured as Kyiv attacked for first time in 12 days

Sunday 2 July 2023 08:27 , Martha Mchardy

Three private houses were damaged as a result of falling drone debris in the Kyiv region, injuring one person, the military head of the region, Ruslan Kravchenko, said on his Facebook page.

It comes as Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region after a 12-day break.

The country’s air force said that the attack included eight Iranian-made Shahed drones and three cruise missiles which were shot down by Ukraine’s air defence system.

Kyiv shoots down Russian drones after first aerial attack in 12 days

Sunday 2 July 2023 07:30 , Shweta Sharma

Ukrainian air defence system thwarted attacks by Russian drones, in first aerial attack on capital after 12 days, Kyiv officials said.

Russian drones launched an overnight attack in the early hours of the morning, sending the sirens buzzing over the capital.

“Another enemy attack on Kyiv,” Serhiy Popko, a colonel general who heads Kyiv’s military administration, said in a post on the Telegram channel. “At this moment, there is no information about possible casualties or damage.”

According to initial information, Russia attacked the city with Iranian-made Shahed drones.

No information on casualties or damages has been made available yet, Mr Popko said.

Lavrov responds to fears of Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Sunday 2 July 2023 07:00 , Shweta Sharma

Sergey Lavrov rejected the Ukrainian statement that Russia was planning an attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Russian forces control, calling it as “pure lies”.

“They say that we will blow ourselves up at a nuclear facility - well, is it necessary to comment on it: it’s just pure lies,” Mr Lavrov said.

The foreign minister added Ukraine had confected other such “tragedies” and was “playing with fire”.

Yesterday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said there was a “serious threat” at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as Moscow was “technically ready” to provoke a localized explosion at the facility.

“There is a serious threat because Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station, which could lead to a (radiation) release,” Mr Zelensky told a news conference alongside visiting Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez.

Russia’s right-wing and ultra-nationalist party working to ban travel to ‘unfriendly countries'

Sunday 2 July 2023 06:30 , Shweta Sharma

The ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) is working on a bill that would temporarily ban the travel of close relatives of high-ranking officials to “unfriendly countries”, the RIA state news agency reported.

Russia considers all countries that have hit it with sanctions over its military campaign in Ukraine to be “unfriendly”.

Citing a member of the Russian Duma, Sergei Karginov, RIA reported that restrictions may also affect, among others, law enforcement officers, judges, top managers of state corporations, and the board of directors of the Central Bank.

“Now, when Russia is forced to confront a group of Western countries led by the United States that provoked a conflict in Ukraine, such journeys ... are not only inadmissible but also dangerous,” RIA cited Mr Karginov as saying.

It was not immediately clear when the LDPR would bring the bill for consideration by the Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament.

Rescuers dig through rubble after deadly strike hits Ukraine school

Sunday 2 July 2023 06:00 , Shweta Sharma

Rescue workers rushed to a school in Donetsk, Ukraine, to find survivors and clear debris after Russian forces hit the building on Friday.

The strike hit a primary school in the village of Serhiivka, killing two people including a teacher and injuring six others, according to the Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office.

Around 12 people were in the educational facility when it was struck, the general prosecutor said.

One person has been recovered from the rubble, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said on Friday afternoon.

Ukraine war having ‘corrosive’ effect on Vladimir Putin’s leadership, CIA director

Sunday 2 July 2023 05:30 , Shweta Sharma

Russia’s war is having “a corrosive effect” on the leadership of Vladimir Putin, said US Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns in the UK.

Referring to the mutiny by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mr Burns said: “It is striking that Prigozhin preceded his actions with a scathing indictment of the Kremlin’s mendacious rationale for the invasion of Ukraine and of the Russian military leadership’s conduct of the war.”

The former US ambassador to Moscow was delivering a lecture to Britain’s Ditchley Foundation in Oxfordshire, England.

“The impact of those words and those actions will play out for some time - a vivid reminder of the corrosive effect of Putin’s war on his own society and his own regime,” he said.

“Disaffection with the war will continue to gnaw away at the Russian leadership,” Mr Burns said.

He said it has also opened up opportunities for CIA, suggesting their role of recruiting human agents in providing intelligence to the agency.

“That disaffection creates a once in a generation opportunity for us at CIA,” he said.

“We are not letting it go to waste,” he said as audience members laughed. “We are very much open for business.”

He cast the Wagner mutiny as an “armed challenge to the Russian state” but said it was an “internal Russian affair in which the United States has had and will have no part”.

Russia is emerging stronger after Wagner rebellion, Lavrov says slamming West

Sunday 2 July 2023 05:00 , Shweta Sharma

Russia is emerging stronger and more resilient and concerns over its national interests are not needed, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said, slamming West on doubts over stability in Moscow after the Wagner mutiny.

“If anyone in the West has any doubts, then that’s your problem,” Mr Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow.

“Thank you for your concerns about our national interests, but there is no need.”

“Russia has always emerged more resilient and stronger after any difficulties - and it is hard to call it anything more than difficulties,” he added

He said the process has already begun.

Asked about the prospect of peace in Ukraine, he said it was West’s strategy to temporarily freeze the conflict to allow it to build up Ukraine’s military.

“It is a schizophrenic situation: they say everything will end with talks but first Russia must be defeated,” he said.

Ukraine commander blasts lack of arms for offensive

Sunday 2 July 2023 04:20 , Matt Drake

Valery Zaluzhny said the lack of fighter jets and weapons is hampering the country's counteroffensive.

In an interview with the Washington Post, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Ukraine is still awaiting F-16 fighters promised by the West.

He said: "I do not need 120 planes. I’m not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number would be enough.

"They are needed. Because there is no other way. Because the enemy is using a different generation of aviation."

Russia launches drone attack on Kyiv after 12 days hiatus

Sunday 2 July 2023 03:53 , Shweta Sharma

Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv after a hiatus of 12 days, a Ukrainian military official said today.

“Another enemy attack on Kyiv,” Serhiy Popko, a colonel general who heads Kyiv’s military administration, said in a post on the Telegram channel. “At this moment, there is no information about possible casualties or damage.”

The Ukrainian air defence systems preliminarily destroyed all targets on their approach, said the official.

Loud blasts resembling the sound of air defence systems hitting targets were heard by Reuters. There was no immediate information about the scale of the attack.

Kyiv, its region and a number of central and eastern Ukraine‘s regions were under air raid alerts for about an hour after 2 am local time

'Once in a generation' opportunity to recruit spies

Sunday 2 July 2023 03:20 , Matt Drake

CIA director William Burns said disaffection in Russia was creating an opportunity to recruit spies.

He said: "Disaffection with the war will continue to gnaw away at the Russian leadership beneath the steady diet of state propaganda and practised repression.

"That disaffection creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us at the CIA - at our core a human intelligence service. We're not letting it go to waste."

Wagner Group logo removed

Sunday 2 July 2023 02:20 , Matt Drake

Logos for the mercenary group have been removed from the PMC Wagner Centre in St Petersburg.

The centre is associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group's leader.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko confirmed Prigozhin was in Belarus later this week.

At least three civilians killed from Russian shelling

Sunday 2 July 2023 01:21 , Associated Press

More civilian casualties from Russian shelling have been reported in Ukraine‘s east and south, officials said.

It comes as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez began a visit to Kyiv in a show of continuing support from Madrid and the European Union for Ukraine‘s fight to dislodge invading Russian forces from its territory.

In an address to Ukraine‘s parliament that received several standing ovations, Mr Sanchez said: “We’ll be with you as long as it takes.”

On the day Spain took over the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU on Saturday, he added: “I am here to express the firm determination of the European (Union) and Europe against the illegal and unjustified Russian aggression to Ukraine.”

Regional officials said at least three civilians were killed and at least 17 more hurt by Russian shelling on Friday and overnight.

Three people died and 10 more suffered wounds on Friday in the frontline eastern Donetsk region, where fierce battles are raging, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Saturday.

The Ukrainian General Staff said fierce clashes continued in three areas in Donetsk where it said Russia has massed troops and tried to advance.

Zelensky says Russia is ‘technically ready’ to spark localized explosion at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Sunday 2 July 2023 00:20 , Holly Bancroft

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is “technically ready” to provoke a localized explosion at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Mr Zelensky said that a “serious threat” remained at the Russian-occupied site, citing Ukrainian intelligence as the source of his information.

“There is a serious threat because Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station, which could lead to a (radiation) release,” Zelenskiy told a joint news conference in Kyiv with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

He gave no further details. Ukrainian military intelligence has previously said Russian troops had mined the plant.

Kyrylo Budanov, director of the GUR, has alleged that the Kremlin had planted explosives at four of the plant’s six power units and cooling system.

The GUR reportedly said that Ukrainian staff working for the company that had been managing the nuclear site were advised to leave by Wednesday.

Mystery surrounds fate of Russia’s ‘General Armageddon’ in wake of Wagner mutiny

Saturday 1 July 2023 23:14 , Sam Rkaina

Russia‘s most senior generals have dropped out of public view after the failed mutiny by the Wagner mercenaries – with speculation swirling in Moscow that at least one of them has been detained.

That man is General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syrian conflict, who is deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.

Armed forces chief of staff, General Valery Gerasimov, has also not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny on Saturday when mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded Mr Gerasimov be handed over. Nor has he been mentioned in a defence ministry press release since 9 June.

Click here for the full story.

Ukraine’s push to smash Russian defences on the battlefield:

Saturday 1 July 2023 22:15 , Sam Rkaina

The mutiny by the Wagner mercenaries over the weekend raised hopes that the turmoil in Russia would dramatically propel Ukraine’s offensive to recapture territory occupied by Moscow.

The rebellion humiliated Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and rattled his regime as forces marched on Moscow, before turning around after a last-minute deal, meaning the Kremlin did not have to redeploy troops from Ukraine to tackle the insurgency.

Ukraine is mounting attacks in a number of areas along the 965km (600 miles) frontline, but that progress will not be easy. A Ukrainian colonel told The Independent his country’s forces have to deal with multiple lines of defence constructed by the Russians in the build-up to the long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The colonel said that Ukraine’s main attack – where they commit tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery and advanced rocket systems supplied by Western allies – would only come after the defensive lines had been eradicated.

Click here for the full story.

The key players in last weekend’s armed rebellion in Russia: 4.Sergei Surovikin

Saturday 1 July 2023 21:15 , Sam Rkaina

The 56-year-old Surovikin, who has longtime links to Prigozhin, was nicknamed “General Armageddon” by Western media for his brutal tactics leading Russian forces in Syria.

In Ukraine, he was credited with shoring up Russian defenses after the retreat from broad areas last fall amid a swift counteroffensive by Kyiv. While Prigozhin assailed top military leaders, he repeatedly praised Surovikin and suggested naming him to replace Gerasimov.

Surovikin hasn’t been seen since the rebellion began when he posted a video urging an end to it, and he is believed to be detained.

The key players in last weekend’s armed rebellion in Russia: 3.Valery Gerasimov

Saturday 1 July 2023 20:15 , Sam Rkaina

A career soldier, the 67-year-old Gerasimov became Russia’s chief of the General Staff in 2012. He began his military service as a tank platoon commander in 1977, rising steadily through the Soviet and then Russian ranks.

He was praised for boosting the armed forces’ capabilities and oversaw the deployment of more mobile and combat-ready forces. Some Russian military bloggers held Gerasimov responsible for blunders in Ukraine, but Putin in January put him directly in charge of all forces there.

Since last weekend’s rebellion, Gerasimov hasn’t been seen in public.

The key players in last weekend’s armed rebellion in Russia: 2. Sergei Shoigu

Saturday 1 July 2023 19:15 , Sam Rkaina

The 68-year-old defense minister is the longest-serving member of Putin’s Cabinet. He began his government career under Russia’s first president, Boris Yeltsin, serving as the minister for emergency situations since 1994.

After becoming defense minister in 2012, Shoigu presided over bolstering military arsenals and expanding the number of volunteer contract soldiers. He helped engineer Russia’s military intervention in Syria that shored up President Bashar Assad’s rule and the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

After Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Shoigu faced criticism for military setbacks, including a botched attempt to capture Kyiv early on and a chaotic retreat from broad areas in the east and south amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Some commentators also blamed him for failing to contain the armed rebellion last weekend soon enough.

The key players in last weekend’s armed rebellion in Russia: 1. Yevgeny Prigozhin

Saturday 1 July 2023 18:15 , Sam Rkaina

Prigozhin, 62, owed his position and his fortune to links with President Vladimir Putin.

The former convict who became a St. Petersburg restaurateur was dubbed “Putin’s chef” for lucrative Kremlin catering contracts. He expanded into other areas and founded the Wagner Group — a private military contractor that was active in Syria and several African countries.

The Kremlin relied on Wagner to help shore up its forces in Ukraine after the regular military suffered humiliating setbacks there.

Wagner spearheaded attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and captured it after a long and bloody battle, during which Prigozhin complained of not enough Defense Ministry support.

Prigozhin launched his rebellion after the Defense Ministry demanded that all private contractors come under its authority by July 1, a move that would make him lose control over Wagner. He declared a “march of justice” to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov.