Russia-Ukraine war live: Wagner ‘banned from Putin’s war’ as Prigozhin snubs Kremlin contracts

Mutinous Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was told his mercenaries would no longer be fighting in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine after he snubbed Russian defence ministry contracts for his fighters, a senior Moscow politician has said.

Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, chair of the Russian Duma’s defence committee, claimed that, as a result of this, Mr Prigozhin then committed treason with his shortlived mutiny last weekend, driven by his “exorbitant ambitions” and greed.

While Mr Prigozhin is now in Belarus after an 11th-hour deal brokered by president Alexander Lukashenko, Moscow is still reeling from his armed rebellion – as rumours swirl that former Ukraine war commander Sergei Surovikin has been arrested for having advance knowledge of the mutiny.

Doing little to douse the flames of speculation, the Kremlin admitted on Thursday that it did not know Mr Surovikin’s whereabouts, and failed to say that the so-called “General Armageddon” retained the trust of Mr Putin, instead diverting questions about him to a tight-lipped defence ministry.

Key Points

• Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘was told Wagner would no longer be fighting in Ukraine'

• Russian general Sergei Surovikin arrested after Wagner rebellion - report

• Death toll rises to 12 in Ukraine's Kramatorsk after Russian strike

• Vladimir Putin ‘fears martyring Prigozhin and will seek to shatter his support’

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

• Prigozhin to be investigated after being paid $2bn in a year, says Putin

Wagner still in Ukraine after pulling out and mutiny debacle, says Pentagon

04:38 , Arpan Rai

Pentagon has said Russian mercenary Wagner Group is operating in Ukraine despite pulling out of the war-hit nation and claiming to hand over control to Russian defence ministry fighters last month.

“...on Wagner Group and its disposition, what I would tell you is, right now, we continue to see some elements of the Wagner Group in Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine,” Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said.

He was answering a question in press briefing on a new home for Wagner Group in southern Belarus as per the satellite image from a former military base.

“As it relates to Belarus, I don’t have any updates to provide on that front. I’ve seen the press reports that you’re talking about. Clearly, that’s something that we’ll continue to keep an eye on,” he said.

The official added that in terms of the future of Wagner Group, it’s a question “best addressed by Russia”.

“That's really a question best addressed by Russia, which of course, as you know, funds the Wagner Group, and how they will be employed going throughout the rest of this, this conflict and – and elsewhere around the world, since, you know, as your colleague highlighted earlier, they also conduct operations in Africa, as well as Syria. So that's something that we'll continue to keep an eye on. It's just too early to tell right now,” he said.

Trump says aborted mutiny ‘somewhat weakened’ Putin

03:59 , Arpan Rai

Former US president Donald Trump said his ally Vladimir Putin was “somewhat weakened” by an aborted mutiny and that now is the time for the United States to try to broker a negotiated peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.

“You could say that he’s (Putin) still there, he’s still strong, but he certainly has been I would say somewhat weakened at least in the minds of a lot of people,” he said.

“I want people to stop dying over this ridiculous war,” Mr Trump, a long-time admirer of the Russian president, said.

The Republican leader did not rule out conceding of territory to Russia, which it has captured in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, by Kyiv, adding that the continuing war needs a negotiator.

Mr Trump and Mr Putin were allies during his tenure at the White House.

Everything would be “subject to negotiation”, if he were president, Mr Trump said, but added that Ukrainians who have waged a vigorous fight to defend their land have “earned a lot of credit.”

“I think they would be entitled to keep much of what they’ve earned and I think that Russia likewise would agree to that. You need the right mediator, or negotiator, and we don’t have that right now,” he said.

Ukraine holds drills in Zaporizhzhia to prepare for radiation leaks from Russian-held nuclear plant

03:00 , Joe Middleton

Dressed in white and yellow protective suits and armed with devices to detect radiation levels, Ukrainian emergency workers took part in a drill Thursday to prepare for a potential risk of radiation leakage from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Dozens of civilians joined the drill on the outskirts of the city of Zaporizhzhia, located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.

In a tent set up to provide first aid, emergency workers practiced hosing people down with soap and going through the motions of administering treatment to individuals who play-acted victims from possible radiation-affected areas.

Ukraine holds drills in Zaporizhzhia to prepare for radiation leaks from Russian-held nuclear plant

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

02:00 , Joe Middleton

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’

Mary Dejevsky - In the wake of mutiny, Putin’s weakened but far from finished

01:00 , Joe Middleton

After a dramatic weekend, Putin is back in the Kremlin, doing staged walkabouts and wants the world to know that he is in charge, writes Mary Dejevsky. Whilst it’s tempting to conclude his days are numbered, it’s important to resist the spin

In the wake of mutiny, Putin’s weakened but far from finished | Mary Dejevsky

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

Thursday 29 June 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton

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.

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

Prigozhin face masks on sale in St Petersburg

Thursday 29 June 2023 23:00 , Sam Rkaina

The Wagner fighters - who have spearheaded some of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine - were cheered enthusiastically by residents in Rostov-on-Don on Saturday when they briefly took control of the southern Russian city. President Vladimir Putin described their actions as “treason” and “a stab in the back”.

People have also been purchasing other regalia, such as keyrings, on Wildberries’ rival Ozon.

“Very beautiful and original keyring,” wrote one five-star reviewer. “In memory of all those in Wagner’s ranks who died.”

Large numbers of Wagner fighters - including many former convicts granted their freedom in exchange for serving in Ukraine - have been killed on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Wildberries and Ozon declined to comment on Thursday on the surge in merchandise prices.

Elsewhere, Prigozhin face masks were on sale in St Petersburg, alongside those of Putin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and jailed opposition politician Alexey Navalny.

Under Saturday’s deal that ended the mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group were allowed to join their leader Prigozhin in exile in Belarus, to be integrated into Russia’s regular armed forces or to return to their families.

Prices for Wagner merch surge after mutiny

Thursday 29 June 2023 22:00 , Sam Rkaina

Online prices for merchandise bearing the insignia of Russia’s Wagner group - a human skull against a black and red backdrop - have shot up since its abortive armed mutiny, with buyers posting five-star reviews and support for the mercenaries.

Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin sent an armed convoy on a 1,200-km (750-mile) charge towards Moscow in protest over what he said was the incompetence and corruption of Russia’s military leadership. A deal brokered by the leader of Belarus abruptly halted the mutiny late on Saturday.

E-commerce leader Wildberries’ weekly price breakdowns showed how costs have risen. A patch depicting the skull that can be sewn onto clothes fetched 525 roubles ($6) in the period June 25-29, up sharply from 294 roubles during June 18-25.

“Due to the situation in the country, the purchase was spontaneous,” wrote one buyer, Tatiana.

Prices for a black T-shirt emblazoned with a picture of a Wagner fighter holding a violin jumped this week to 1,650 roubles from 1,236 roubles.

On a review of a Wagner flag on Wildberries, one buyer, Vladimir, said: “The Wagner Private Military Company is the best. Good luck to you guys. The flag is excellent.”

Questions over whether Zelensky will attend Nato summit

Thursday 29 June 2023 21:00 , Sam Rkaina

Ukraine believes its fight against Russia’s invasion demonstrates it is worthy of NATO admission and has also shown it is already a key part of transatlantic security.

One of the subplots in the summit’s run-up is whether Zelensky will attend.

The Ukrainian leader has said he sees “no point” in going to the summit if Kyiv is not given a “signal” at the meeting. His chief of staff said this week that Zelensky would decide on the eve of the summit whether or not to go.

His absence would overshadow any show of Western unity at the summit. The West has poured in vast amounts of military and financial assistance to help Ukraine hold its own against Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion.

But not turning up would also deprive Kyiv’s leadership of valuable face time with the leaders of Ukraine’s staunchest backers.

The final outcomes of major summits are typically the product of long-running negotiations and are often finalised shortly before the summit formally begins.

“If there is no result at the Vilnius summit, he doesn’t have reason and time to go,” said Zhovkva.

Asked what the threshold was for Zelensky to attend, Zhovkva cited a speech to parliament in which the Ukrainian leader spoke of the importance of courage in today’s world.

“The president will not travel ... to the summit if the leaders will tend to or will show a deficit of courage, while Ukraine with all its courage, will and strength and high morale is fighting against Russian aggression,” he said.

Zhovkva pointed to the cases of Finland and Sweden who applied for membership last year. Finland has already since become a member.

“When Finland and Sweden submitted an application for membership last year, immediately in June last year the allies responded to the application ... inviting them to membership with NATO,” he said.

Asked how close Ukraine was to receiving an invitation now, he said: “We are closer than we were half a year ago. And still some time is left; much time is left in reality...”

Ukraine wants invite to join Nato

Thursday 29 June 2023 20:00 , Sam Rkaina

Ukraine wants to receive an invitation to begin the process of joining NATO at the military alliance’s summit next month, and President Volodymyr Zelensky will not attend if leaders do not show “courage”, a presidential aide said on Thursday.

Chief diplomatic adviser Ihor Zhovkva told Reuters that Kyiv wanted the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius to deliver a response to the application for NATO membership that Ukraine filed on Sept. 30 last year. “This application is now on the tables of the leaders of NATO allies.

The Vilnius summit would be a very good start to respond to this application. And by respond, we mean invitation for membership, which is only the first stage,” he said.

Kyiv’s allies are divided over how fast Ukraine should join NATO and some Western governments are wary of any move that might take the alliance closer to war with Russia.

In an interview in the heavily guarded president’s office in the Ukrainian capital, the Zelensky aide said Kyiv recognised it cannot join the 31-member bloc while Russia is waging war on Ukraine.

“What we are asking for is to start the procedure,” he said, banging the table at one point to drive his point home.

Mary Dejevsky - In the wake of mutiny, Putin’s weakened but far from finished

Thursday 29 June 2023 19:00 , Sam Rkaina

After a dramatic weekend, Putin is back in the Kremlin, doing staged walkabouts and wants the world to know that he is in charge, writes Mary Dejevsky. Whilst it’s tempting to conclude his days are numbered, it’s important to resist the spin.

If the minute-by-minute dramas of last weekend in Russia seem both a long way away and a long time ago, that is because a great many people want you to think that, or want you to see it in a new light. I can hardly remember a single episode in recent years that has passed so quickly from reality to myth – and competing myths at that.

But first, what is the actual situation in terms of politics and power now that the immediate dust has settled? Vladimir Putin is back in the Kremlin and wants you to know that he is in charge; that his authority is intact, and that he remains determined to run Russia and continue the war against Ukraine.

Click here for Mary’s full view.

Russian ambassador rules out Swiss-mediated peace talks

Thursday 29 June 2023 17:56 , Andy Gregory

Russia could not accept any Swiss-hosted peace summit on Ukraine after it joined European Union sanctions against Moscow, the Kremlin’s ambassador has said, claiming that Switzerland had lost its reputation for neutrality.

Earlier this month, Volodymyr Zelensky had suggested in a speech to the Swiss parliament that the country could act as a mediator.

But in an interview with Le Temps newspaper, Sergei Garmonin said Russia would not accept that Switzerland, which traditionally has served as a location for high-level talks between feuding powers, host such a summit.

“Swiss representation and mediation are out of the question,” Mr Garmonin said. “Switzerland has unfortunately lost its status as a neutral state and can no longer act as a mediator or as a representative of interests.”

Ukraine ‘ready for challenges’ posed by Russia after Zaporizhzhia drill

Thursday 29 June 2023 17:29 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine is “ready for the challenges” Russia posed, its deputy energy minister has said, as Kyiv conducted nuclear disaster drills near the Zaporizhiza power plant – where it claims Russia may be planning a “terrorist” attack involving the release of radiation.

Yuriy Malashko, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region that includes the plant, said the drills in Zaporizhzhia city and the district around it were intended to coordinate the response of all services to an “emergency situation” at the plant.

Footage broadcast by Reuters showed rescuers in yellow and white protective gear and gas masks, using dosimeters to check passenger cars and trucks for radiation levels and then cleaning wheels before vehicles underwent additional decontamination at specialised washing points. A man on a stretcher was brought into a medical tent as sirens blared.

“Of course, it is scary. I fear for my family, my child, What do we do? It is very scary,” Tetyana, 45, told the news agency of the threat of a real disaster as rescuers checked her for radiation in the drill.

Officials and civil defence forces worked on scenarios that might follow a nuclear disaster, and on how to inform and evacuate the population.

“We have assumed the worst scenario, in which the contamination zone will be bigger than 50 kilometres. This would mean four regions would be affected,” Yurii Vlasenko, a deputy energy minister, said, adding that the results of the drill were good and Ukraine was “ready for the challenges” Russia posed.

Nato members closing in on compromise on Ukrainian accession, says US ambassador

Thursday 29 June 2023 17:04 , Andy Gregory

Nato members are closing in on a compromise on Ukraine’s membership aspirations which may set out how Kyiv could join the military alliance, Washington’s ambassador has said.

Ukraine has been pressing Nato to declare at a summit in Vilnius next month that Kyiv will join the alliance soon after Russia’s war comes to an end and to set out a roadmap to membership.

The US diplomat, Julianne Smith, said she was confident Nato would agree on a text that went beyond a declaration in Bucharest from 2008, which said Ukraine would join the alliance but did not say when or how.

“Most of us feel confident that we are going to be able to come to an agreement that will reflect where we are and that the Ukrainians will believe and feel is something above and beyond restating Bucharest,” Ms Smith told reporters.

Ms Smith said the text on Ukraine, intended to be issued as part of a communique at the Vilnius summit, was still under negotiation and she declined to share precise language. But asked if it could address the question of how Ukraine would join the alliance, she replied: “It could, yes. I think that’s possible.”

Ms Smith said the text could be agreed before the summit, to which Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited.

Nato should consider allowing Ukraine to skip key membership requirement, says Ben Wallace

Thursday 29 June 2023 16:45 , Andy Gregory

Nato should look at allowing Ukraine to bypass a major requirement for joining the alliance, Britain’s defence minister Ben Wallace has said.

Any move to ditch or circumvent the Membership Action Plan (MAP) as part of its pathway to joining the alliance – which is designed to help candidates meet certain political, economic and military criteria – could speed up Kyiv’s accession.

“I think we should absolutely look at skipping the Membership Action Plan,” Mr Wallace said at a joint press conference alongside his Canadian counterpart in London.

“But of course, we have to put some realism in this space that there are 31 members of Nato now and, you know, we have to all move together.”

Mr Wallace said he could not guarantee agreement on that step ahead of next month’s Nato summit in Lithuania, but said it could be possible to remove other barriers to their membership.

Visiting Ukraine ‘steels my resolve to do my part’, says Pence

Thursday 29 June 2023 16:22 , Andy Gregory

Visiting Ukraine “steels my resolve to do my part”, US presidential hopeful Mike Pence has said, as he became the first Republican candidate to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky.

The former vice president has been a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin and full-throated supporter of Ukraine, as he challenges his former boss Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, who has declined to say that he wants Ukraine to win the war, instead calling for a negotiated solution.

Mr Pence currently trails Mr Trump by over 30 points in most polls among Republican primary voters, who will chose next year's candidate.

Prigozhin mutiny will have visible ‘aftershocks’, say Western leaders

Thursday 29 June 2023 16:07 , Andy Gregory

Yegnevy Prigozhin’s shortlived mutiny has shown “deep cracks” in Vladimir Putin’s regime and will cause visible “aftershocks”, Western leaders have claimed, as they gathered for a meeting in Brussels.

“The mutiny we saw at the weekend demonstrates that there are cracks and divisions within the Russian system. At the same time, it is important to underline that these are internal Russian matters,” said Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg on arrival at the summit.

EU leaders agreed. “This showed deep cracks in Putin’s system. This mutiny of last weekend will also have aftershocks that we will see,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania insisted it was all the more reason to take a robust posture toward Vladimir Putin.

“Some colleagues sometimes say that a strong Putin is less dangerous than a weak Putin. I don’t agree with that. We have to move forward and be decisive, because now is a crucial moment of history,” he said.

Mike Pence meets with Zelensky in Kyiv, report claims

Thursday 29 June 2023 15:37 , Andy Gregory

Former US vice president Mike Pence has met with Volodymyr Zelensky in a visit to Kyiv, NBC News reports.

Mr Pence formally launched his US presidential campaign earlier this month, in doing so taking on his old boss Donald Trump, after their relationship came to a bitter end during the 6 January riots at the Capitol building in Washington.

Two civilians killed in Russian shelling of Kherson refuge point, authorities say

Thursday 29 June 2023 14:49 , Andy Gregory

Two people have been killed and two others wounded in Russian shelling of a refuge for civilians known as an invincibility point in the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine on Thursday, the regional governor said.

“Two local people were killed and two more are in hospital in moderate condition,” governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.

Satellite images of Belarus military base chime with reports of new facilities for Wagner

Thursday 29 June 2023 14:30 , Andy Gregory

Satellite images of a military base southeast of the Belarus capital Minsk appear to show new facilities have been set up in recent days – suggesting that a base for Wagner is being swiftly constructed.

Russian outlets have reported that Wagner could set up a new base at a vacant military facility near the town of Asipovichi, about 50 miles from Minsk.

Images captured by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel 2 satellites on Tuesday show rows of long structures in the nearby village of Tsel, in a field which had appeared empty just a fortnight prior.

EU security assurances would be in addition to military support, says Dutch PM

Thursday 29 June 2023 14:09 , Andy Gregory

The European Union still needs to decide the shape and form of the security assurances it wishes to give Ukraine, Dutch premier Mark Rutte has said, as he arrived at today’s meeting in Brussels.

“This European track would be additional [to military support],” Mr Rutte said.

“We will have to discuss how far it goes, and if it would be lethal or non-lethal support. And we have to take into account that several EU countries are not a member of Nato.”

Neutral EU states object to security assurances for Ukraine, says Austrian chancellor

Thursday 29 June 2023 13:48 , Andy Gregory

EU countries with a neutral foreign policy object to giving Ukraine outright security assurances, Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer has said, ahead of a meeting with EU leaders in Brussels.

“For us as neutral states it is clear we can’t give security guarantees like that. Austria, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus have made it clear they have objections,” Mr Nehammer told reporters.

“The role of the neutral states needs to be explicitly taken into account. We will certainly discuss this and we will find formulations that will be acceptable for us as well.”

BRICS summit to go ahead in South Africa despite Putin arrest warrant

Thursday 29 June 2023 13:29 , Andy Gregory

South Africa has announced it will host the BRICS bloc summit in August as planned, amid speculation that it may move to China so that Vladimir Putin can attend in a nation not obliged to arrest him on war crimes accusations.

South Africa has a duty as a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest Mr Putin if he attends the talks between the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China, due to an arrest warrant over the deportation of children from Ukraine – which he denies.

Just 12 days after president Cyril Ramaphosa met with Mr Putin in Moscow, South Africa’s international relations department has now confirmed the summit will go ahead in South Africa from 22 to 24 August.

A spokesperson for the international relations department declined to comment to Reuters on whether or not Mr Putin will attend, with the department’s minister revealing on Tuesday that the Russian president had not yet replied to an invitation sent prior to the ICC’s charges in March.

Chinese president Xi Jinping, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are all said to be planning to attend.

British satirical newspaper takes aim at Putin-Prigozhin tensions

Thursday 29 June 2023 13:11 , Andy Gregory

Seizing the chance for a rare moment of levity in coverage of Ukraine, British fortnightly Private Eye has taken aim at the aborted coup by “Putin’s chef”, Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Satirising an oft-used picture of Mr Prigozhin serving Mr Putin dinner, the magazine shows the Wagner chief serving up “coup of the day”, as the president complains of terrible “feud”.

Russia claims generals killed in Kramatorsk strike which ‘left four children dead'

Thursday 29 June 2023 12:55 , Andy Gregory

Russia claims to have killed two Ukrainian generals and 50 military officers in the attack on a Kramatorsk restaurant, which Kyiv authorities said had killed 12 people, including four children, two of them 14-year-old twin sisters.

Officials initially blamed the strike on an S-300 missile, a surface-to-air weapon that Russia’s forces have repurposed for loosely targeted strikes on cities, but the National Police later said Iskander short-range ballistic missiles were used – raising the prospect of a war crime under the principle of proportionality.

Kramatorsk is a front-line city which houses the Ukrainian army's regional headquarters. The pizza restaurant was frequented by journalists, aid workers and soldiers, as well as locals.

At least 61 people were wounded in the attack, which also damaged 18 multi-story buildings, 65 houses, five schools, two kindergartens, a shopping center, an administrative building and a recreational building, according to the regional governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko.

Despite these reports, Russia’s defence ministry sought to claim on Thursday that two Ukrainian generals and up to 50 Ukrainian military officers had been killed in the strike, insisting that a temporary Ukrainian army command post had been hit in Kramatorsk.

Top EU diplomat suggests long-term Ukraine Defence Fund

Thursday 29 June 2023 12:29 , Andy Gregory

The European Union needs to consider turning the European Peace Facility that has been used to fund weapons for Kyiv into a more permanent tool to arm the country in the long term, the EU’s foreign policy chief has suggested.

“We talk about security commitments. From my side, it means military support for Ukraine has to have a long haul ... during the war and after the war,” Josep Borrell told reporters as he arrived for an EU summit in Brussels.

“So the European Peace Facility for Ukraine maybe has to become a Ukraine Defence Fund – the training has to continue, the modernisation of the army has to continue.”

Prigozhin told Wagner will no longer fight in Ukraine, Russian MP claims

Thursday 29 June 2023 12:11 , Andy Gregory

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been told that he will be deprived of financing if his mercenaries do not sign contracts with the defence ministry, state news agencies have cited a senior parliamentarian as saying.

Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, an influential politician who chairs the lower house of parliament's defence committee, said Mr Prigozhin had refused to sign the contracts and was subsequently told that his mercenaries would no longer fight in Ukraine, Tass reported.

Ukraine conducting nuclear disaster drills near Zaporizhzhia plant, says regional governor

Thursday 29 June 2023 11:54 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has started nuclear disaster response drills in the vicinity of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, regional officials said, where Kyiv has accused Moscow of planning a “terrorist” attack – which the Kremlin denies.

Yuriy Malashko, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region which includes the plant, which is Europe’s largest, said the drills had begun in the city of Zaporizhzhia and the district around it.

Similar exercises started in the neighbouring Kherson region, Kherson region governor Oleksander Prokudin said.

“The purpose of the event is to coordinate the actions of all services in case of a real threat of an emergency situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” he said Telegram, urging residents to remain calm.

Mr Prokudin said various officials and civil defence forces were working jointly on scenarios that might follow a nuclear disaster, and on how to inform and evacuate the population. Authorities were testing alert systems.

Kremlin says it does not know whereabouts of ‘General Armageddon'

Thursday 29 June 2023 11:25 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has declined to answer questions about General Sergei Surovikin, who is claimed in reports to have been arrested for having knowledge of Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s weekend rebellion.

The former commander in Ukraine, nicknamed General Armageddon for his wanton tactics during the Syrian war, has been absent from view since Saturday, when he appeared in a video appealing to Mr Prigozhin to halt his mutiny.

He had looked exhausted in that video and it was unclear if he was speaking under duress. There have since been unconfirmed reports that he is being questioned by the security services.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions about Surovikin to the defence ministry, which has so far not made any statement about him.

Asked if Mr Surovikin still had Vladimir Putin’s trust, Mr Peskov said that, as commander-in-chief of Russia’s armed forces, Mr Putin worked with the defence minister and the chief of the general staff.

Mr Peskov said he did not have information about Mr Prigozhin’s whereabouts at the present time.

Strong support for Putin remains among Russians, Kremlin insists

Thursday 29 June 2023 11:06 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has insisted that there is continued strong support among Russians for its war in Ukraine and for Vladimir Putin.

Asked by reporters about a survey suggesting there was an equal number of people who supported negotiations to end the 16-month military operation in Ukraine and those who favoured continuing the conflict, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “The data we have show something quite different - dominant support for the special military operation and for the president.”

“The main thing for Russians is achieving the goals before us which were formulated by the president,” he added.

Full report: Russia ‘arrests General Armageddon’ over knowledge of Wagner mutiny

Thursday 29 June 2023 10:35 , Andy Gregory

A top Russian general has reportedly been arrested for having knowledge of Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s weekend rebellion.

General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syrian conflict, has been missing since Saturday when Wagner’s troops launched an armed revolt.

The 56-year-old second-in-command of the Russian armed forces is said to be under interrogation. “Apparently, he [Surovikin] chose Prigozhin’s side during the uprising” and they have gotten ahold of him,” the Moscow Times quoted a source as saying.

My colleague Alisha Rahaman Sarkar has the full report:

Russia ‘arrests General Armageddon’ over knowledge of Wagner mutiny

Aircraft shot down by Wagner ‘played key role in orchestrating’ Russian troops in Ukraine, says UK

Thursday 29 June 2023 10:24 , Andy Gregory

A “command and control” aircraft reportedly shot down by Wagner during its aborted mutiny “played a key role in orchestrating Russian forces” in Ukraine and will “undermine” Moscow’s ability to coordinate its troops, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has claimed.

In its latest update, the ministry said: “On 24 June, air defence forces of the Wagner private military company reportedly shot down Russian military helicopters and an Ilyushin Il-22M airborne command post aircraft.

“The Il-22M is part of a relatively small fleet of up to 12 aircraft, heavily utilised for both airborne command and control, and radio relay tasks. These special mission aircraft have played a key role in orchestrating Russian forces in their war against Ukraine.

“As high value assets they have operated within the safety of Russian airspace, far beyond the range of Ukrainian air defence systems.

“The loss of this aircraft is likely to have a negative impact on Russian air and land operations. In the short term the psychological shock of losing a large number of aircrew in this manner will almost certainly damage morale within the Russian Aerospace Force.

“In the longer term, there is a possibility that current tasking levels may have to be reduced to safely manage the remaining fleet. This will likely undermine Russia's ability to command and coordinate its forces, particularly during periods of high tempo operations.”

Kyiv advancing ‘slowly but surely’ on frontlines as Russia ‘bringing in best reserves'

Thursday 29 June 2023 10:03 , Andy Gregory

Kyiv’s forces are advancing “slowly but surely” on the front lines in Ukraine’s east and southeast – and around Bakhmut – senior military officials have said.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief General Valery Zaluzhniy told top US general Mark Milley that his forces had “succeeded in seizing the strategic initiative”, and told him about weapons and demining equipment required by Kyiv’s forces.

“Ukraine’s defence forces are proceeding with their offensive action and we have made advances. The enemy is offering strong resistance, while sustaining considerable losses,” Zaluzhniy wrote on Telegram.

Defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov told the Financial Times that the liberation of a group of villages was “not the main event” in the offensive.

His deputy Hanna Maliar noted advances towards the occupied cities of Berdiansk and Mariupol, telling a national broadcaster: “Every day, there is an advance. Yes, the advances are slow, but they are sure.”

She cited the recapture this week of the village of Rivnopol in the southeast, saying “mopping up operations were complete” and that the army was now well dug in – with the Russian military now diverting forces to both Bakhmut and the southern front.

“They are redirected their paratroops and assault brigades to both the south and the east,” she said. “They are bringing in their best reserves now.”

Watch: Footage shows of scale destruction after Russian strike on Kramatorsk restaurant

Thursday 29 June 2023 09:45 , Andy Gregory

Kramatorsk death toll rises to 12

Thursday 29 June 2023 09:22 , Andy Gregory

Rescuers have pulled another body from the ruins of a restaurant in Kramatorsk, taking to 12 the death toll following a Russian missile strike, Ukraine’s emergency services said.

Three children were among the dead, while 60 more people were wounded, the authorities said.

EU shouldn’t ‘lower the bar’ to accommodate Ukraine, says Danish finance minister

Thursday 29 June 2023 08:54 , Andy Gregory

Denmark supports EU membership for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the western Balkans but “geopolitical circumstances” did not justify skating over governance reforms, finance minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has said.

The EU risks “importing instability” if it relaxes its standards on democracy and corruption to hasten the accession of Ukraine and other candidate countries, Mr Rasmussen told the Financial Times.

Asked about Ukraine’s membership in the EU, Mr Rasmussen said that EU shouldn’t “lower the bar” but instead help Ukraine with investments and assistance to help it align with the bloc’s standards, the FT reported.

Although Ukraine met two of seven conditions to launch the EU membership process, an EU official familiar with the bloc’s recommendations to Ukraine told Reuters that some key judicial reforms were needed.

In 2019, the European Commission proposed changes to the system for letting new countries into the EU to give existing members more say, after countries including France and Denmark objected to the expansion of the EU to include six countries in the Balkans.

Mr Rasmussen said Denmark had reversed its position and was even open to internal EU reform, including more majority voting, to accommodate new members.

Papal envoy to meet Patriarch Kirill in Moscow, say reports

Thursday 29 June 2023 08:27 , Andy Gregory

Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, will meet in Moscow on Thursday, the state-backed RIA news agency reported.

It comes a day after Mr Zuppi discussed humanitarian issues with Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser, according to the Kremlin.

EU leaders to debate Russia mutiny today

Thursday 29 June 2023 08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

EU leaders will debate today the repercussions of the aborted mutiny in Russia as they pledge further support for Ukraine in its war against Moscow’s invasion.

At a summit in Brussels, the leaders will also talk with Nato boss Jens Stoltenberg and discuss what role the EU could play in Western commitments to bolster Ukraine’s security.

Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas said the leaders were certain to discuss Saturday’s dramatic abandoned mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group, even though it is not on the agenda of the summit or mentioned in drafts of its written conclusions.

“It will definitely come up,” she told reporters in Brussels on the eve of the two-day summit.

The West should not be swayed and continue to support Ukraine and bolster its own defences, Ms Kallas said.

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council of EU leaders, struck a similar note.“

Ever more in these circumstances, we will reassert our commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through sustainable financial and military assistance,” he wrote in a letter inviting leaders to the summit.

Footage shows aftermath of Russian strike on Kramatorsk restaurant

Thursday 29 June 2023 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Residents in Ukraine’s eastern city of Kramatorsk are dealing with the aftermath of a Russian missile attack on a crowded pizza restaurant.

Footage shows the destruction on the streets of the city, which are covered in debris following the deadly attack on Tuesday evening.

The strike killed at least nine people, including three children, authorities said Wednesday, as rescue workers continued searching in the destroyed building’s rubble.

Another 56 people were injured, the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

Footage shows scale of destruction after Russian strike on Kramatorsk restaurant

US sanctions gold companies suspected of supporting Wagner mercenaries

Thursday 29 June 2023 07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The US moved on Tuesday to punish companies accused of doing business with the infamous Russian mercenary army known as the Wagner Group, following the group’s insurrection attempt within Russia’s borders.

The move is not thought to be specifically related to the coup, however, instead being a response to Wagner’s participation in some of the bloodiest fighting taking place within Ukraine, where Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion last year.

A statement from the Treasury Department faulted companies in Africa and the Middle East for participating in a gold-selling scheme in violation of US sanctions to fund the Wagner Group’s ongoing activities. One executive at Wagner, Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, was also slapped with individual sanctions on his financial dealings.

John Bowden has more.