Ukraine Russia war – live: Putin says Wagner chief Prigozhin rejected offer to join his army

Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin rejected an offer to his troops in Ukraine to serve as a unit in the Russian army, president Vladimir Putin claimed.

While “many nodded” when he made his proposal, Mr Prigozhin rejected the idea, responding that “the boys won’t agree with such a decision”, he added.

“All of them could have gathered in one place and continued to serve,” the Russian president told Kommersant newspaper.

“And nothing would have changed for them. They would have been led by the same person who had been their real commander all along.”

During the revolt that lasted less than 24 hours, Mr Prigozhin’s mercenaries quickly swept through the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and captured the military headquarters there without firing a shot, before driving to within about 200km (125 miles) of Moscow.

Mr Prigozhin described the move as a “march of justice” to oust the military leaders, who demanded that Wagner sign contracts with the defence ministry by 1 July.

Meanwhile, France is stated to join Britain in supplying Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, a move that allows Ukrainian forces to hit Russian troops and supplies deep behind front lines.

Key Points

• Russia's Wagner fighters are training soldiers in Belarus - ministry

• Putin offered Wagner the chance to keep fighting under ‘Grey Hair’ commander

• Senior Russian general says he was fired after accusing defence ministry of treachery

• Senior Russian general killed in airstrike with British Storm Shadow missile

• Russian spy chief spoke to CIA boss about ‘what to do with Ukraine’

Ukrainian courts find over 50 Russians guilty of war crimes

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ukrainian courts have found at least 53 Russian nationals guilty of war crimes, the country’s prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said.

He said 200 suspects in such crimes have already been charged, and the evidence has been submitted to the court.“Over 300 people have been identified and become suspects.

These are not only identified potential Russian criminals but there is evidence that confirms that these people committed a particular crime,” the prosecutor said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

“Some may say that this is not much. When I talk to international partners, they are surprised,” he added.

Wagner fighters arrive in Belarus in ‘several hundreds’

05:56 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

A large convoy carrying fighters from the Wagner private army was spotted entering Belarus from Russia yesterday, Ukrainian and Polish officials said.

“Wagner is in Belarus,” Andriy Demchenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian border agency, said in a statement. He said the movement of “separate groups” from Russia had been observed in Belarus.

The Belarusian defence ministry released a video on Friday, showing what it said were Wagner fighters instructing Belarusian soldiers at a military range near the town of Osipovichi.

Poland’s deputy minister coordinator of special services, Stanislaw Zaryn, said Warsaw also has confirmation of Wagner fighters’ presence in Belarus.“There may be several hundred of them at the moment,” he tweeted.

The independent monitoring group Belaruski Hajun, which tracks the movements of armed forces in Belarus, said at least 60 trucks, buses and other large vehicles crossed into the eastern European country accompanied by Belarusian police.

The convoy headed toward a military base outside Osipovichi, a town 230km north of the Ukrainian border.

Russian forces repelled Ukraine attack on Crimea - report

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Russia’s air defence forces and fleet in the Black Sea were engaged in repelling Ukrainian drone attacks over the Crimean port of Sevastopol this morning, a Moscow-installed official said.

The attacks were over the harbour of Sevastopol and the city’s Balaklava and Khersones districts, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said.

There were no immediate details of the scale of the attack or any damage from the attacks on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Image of Wagner boss in pants leaked online

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Less than a month after leaving the Kremlin quaking as his Wagner mercenaries marched on Moscow, leaked photographs of Yevgeny Prigozhin in his underwear in a tent have been leaked online amid an ongoing campaign to discredit the exiled mutineer.

As Vladimir Putin – whose grip on power is perceived by many to have been severely weakened by the popular mercenary boss’s armed rebellion – sought to insist that Wagner had never actually existed, images showing a dishevelled-looking Mr Prigozhin in a state of semi-nudity appeared on Telegram.

In the latest bizarre twist of the saga, the president insisted to the Kommersant newspaper on Friday that the private military company “simply doesn't exist” as a legal entity under Russian law – while his emboldened ally Alexander Lukashenko claimed that some of the exiled mercenaries were now training Belarus’s military.

Andy Gregory reports.

Yevgeny Prigozhin: Man who led Putin mutiny pictured in pants in tent during exile

Ben Wallace says Ukraine remarks were ‘misrepresented’

03:56 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Defence secretary Ben Wallace has pledged his support for Ukraine after suggesting the invaded country should show “gratitude” for the military support it has been given.

Mr Wallace, who revealed in The Sunday Times he plans to resign at the next Cabinet reshuffle and stand down as an MP at the next election, tweeted a lengthy thread in Ukrainian to clarify his comments.

He had made the remark after Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky branded it “absurd” for Nato to insist there were still conditions for his nation to meet before it can gain membership once the war with Russia is over.

Mr Wallace tweeted: “My comments about how best to support Ukraine caused a lot of interest and were somewhat misrepresented.”

More here.

Ben Wallace says Ukraine remarks were ‘misrepresented’

Ukraine denies involvement in Russian journalist plot

01:30 , Nick Ferris

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said in televised remarks that Russia was living in a “constructed mythology”, after Ukraine was blamed for an alleged plot to kill two Russian jorunalists.

A Moscow court on Saturday issued criminal charges against seven people “motivated by national hatred” to kill two prominent Russian journalists in a Ukrainian-backed plot, Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency said.

Asked about the case in an interview, Podolyak played down its significance, saying the journalists “do not play any important role” in the war, nor in the loss of Russia’s positions on the world stage.

ICYMI: Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia's war matters to the world

01:00 , Nick Ferris

Agreements that the United Nations and Turkey brokered with Ukraine and Russia to allow food and fertilizer to get from the warring nations to parts of the world where millions are going hungry have eased concerns over global food security. But they face increasing risks.

Moscow has ramped up its rhetoric, saying it may not extend the deal that expires Monday unless its demands are met, including ensuring its own agricultural shipments don’t face hurdles.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative has allowed 32.8 million metric tons (36.2 million tons) of food to be exported from Ukraine since last August, more than half to developing countries, including those getting relief from the World Food Program.

Courtney Bonell reports:

Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia's war matters to the world

Agreements that the United Nations and Turkey brokered with Ukraine and Russia to allow food and fertilizer to get from the warring nations to parts of the world where millions are going hungry have eased concerns over global food security.

Ben Wallace clarifies “Amazon for weapons” comment

00:30 , Nick Ferris

In a series of Tweets written in Ukrainian, UK defence secretary Ben Wallace has clarified comments he made earlier this week that the UK is not an “Amazon for weapons”.

“I said that Ukraine sometimes needs to realize that in many countries and in some parliaments there is not such strong support as in Great Britain,” he wrote.

“It was a comment not about governments, but more about citizens and members of parliaments.”

He continued: “I will personally continue to support Ukraine on its path for as long as it takes, but national parliaments often have competing needs and Ukraine and the UK must continue to encourage this strong support, with facts and friendship”.

Read more about the original story below:

Ben Wallace accused of ‘scolding’ Ukraine over weapons demand

Ukraine criticises Bulgaria’s president over his remarks that Kyiv is to blame for Russia’s ongoing war

00:01 , Nick Ferris

The Ukrainian embassy in Sofia said in a statement on Saturday that Kyiv was doing all it can for peace, after President of Bulgaria said on Friday that “Ukraine insists on fighting this war”.

He added that “it should also be clear that the bill is paid by the whole of Europe”.

The embassy added that blaming Ukraine for the war ““is one of the most common supporting theses of Russian propaganda and hybrid warfare in Europe”.

President Radev is known to harbour pro-Russian views. In October last year, when nine Eastern European countries expressed their support for Ukraine joining NATO, Radev refused to join them.

ICYMI: US support for Ukraine emerges as key dividing line between GOP 2024 hopefuls

23:30 , Nick Ferris

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February of 2022. A year-and-a-half later, the fate of the brutal conflict is still top of mind in Washington.

Joe Biden recently embarked on a high-profile visit to Europe for a Nato summit, where he opined on the future of the alliance and Ukraine’s potential place in it. This shift may even have reached the GOP, which took something of an isolationist turn under Donald Trump.

However, these days, the Ukraine war seems to be a central topic once again.

That renewed focus was on full display on Friday at an event hosted by Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News anchor.

Ariana Baio and Josh Marcus report:

While Mike Pence strongly backs continuing US support for Ukraine’s defence, many of his Republican rivals for the White House feel differently.

South Korea promises $150m in aid to Ukraine this year

22:42 , Nick Ferris

During a surprise visit to Ukraine on Saturday, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea promised $150m in humanitarian aid in 2023, an increase of $50m on last year.

South Korea has a longstanding policy of not supplying weapons to active conflict zones. But the president also promised equipment including helmets and bullet-proof vests.

Yoon toured Bucha and Irpin, a pair of small cities near Kyiv where bodies of civilians were found in the streets and mass graves after Russian troops retreated from the capital region last year.

He laid flowers at a monument to the country’s war dead.

ICYMI: How the Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be

21:00 , Nick Ferris

The recent NATO had its uses for Zelensky - but these were marred by the Ukrainian President having his efforts to join the bloc frustrated, writes Mary Dejevsky.

Read Mary’s full piece here:

The Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be | Mary Dejevsky

Russia issues criminal charges against seven people caught up in an alleged Ukrainian-backed plot

20:08 , Nick Ferris

Seven people have been accused by Russia of plotting to kill two prominent journalists in an alleged Ukrainian-backed plot.

Five minors and two adults were arrested under the charges, reported Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the most recent arrests. Ukraine has usually in the past has denied involvement in assassinations of pro-war figures inside Russia.

Two prominent pro-war Russian figures, journalist Darya Dugina and military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, have been killed in bomb attacks inside Russia in the past year.

Russia blamed their killings on Ukraine, while Kyiv denied that and portrayed them as evidence of Russian infighting.

ICYMI: Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting, former US commander claims

18:41 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s top mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin has probably been murdered after leading a failed rebellion against the Kremlin regime, a former senior US military leader has suggested.

Prigozhin, the Wagner Group chief, ordered his soldiers to march on Moscow last month amid an ongoing feud with Russia’s top military brass about its strategy in the Ukraine war.

“I personally don’t think he is, and if he is, he’s in a prison somewhere,” Robert Abrams, a retired general, told ABC News when asked if he thought the warlord was alive.

Full report:

‘Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting’

Zelensky ‘doesn’t understand’ Ben Wallace’s complaints about Ukraine’s ‘gratitude’

17:41 , Matt Mathers

Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Ben Wallace after he said Ukraine should show more “gratitude” for Western support.

Speaking at the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Ukrainian president said that Kyiv has always been “grateful” to the United Kingdom, its prime ministers and the British public.

“The people in the United Kingdom have always supported Ukraine, we are grateful for this,” Mr Zelensky said.

“I don’t know how else we should be grateful... how else should I express my words of gratitude?”

Mr Zelensky also said that the UK and Ukraine have “wonderful relations”. Oliver Browning reports:

Zelensky ‘doesn’t understand’ Wallace’s complaints about Ukraine’s lack of gratitude

UK defence secretary ‘considers stepping down’

16:41 , Matt Mathers

Ben Wallace believes his time as defence secretary is coming to an end and is mulling whether to quit the government in the autumn, it has been reported.

Mr Wallace has been in post since July 2019 but is said to be considering his future as Rishi Sunak plans a cabinet reshuffle following the summer recess.

It comes just days after Mr Wallace was criticsed for suggesting that Ukraine was treating its Western allies like “Amazon” over Kyiv’s requests for further military aid, comments Mr Sunak distanced himself from.

Full report:

Tories’ favourite cabinet minister ‘considers stepping down’

Ukraine on bring of major breakthrough - Estonia

15:41 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine is on the brink of a major breakthrough in its counteroffensive against Russia after destroying Kremlin command posts and making gains near Bakhmut, an Estonian intelligence chief has said.

“All this shows that Ukrainians are close to greater success,” Margo Grosberg, of the Estonian Defence Forces, told local broadcaster ERR.

He added that the Ukrainian army is close enough to fire its artillery on Bakhmut and wrest balc control the roads leading in and out of the eastern city.

Man who lead Putin mutiny pictured in pants in tent during exile

15:13 , Matt Mathers

Less than a month after leaving the Kremlin quaking as his Wagner mercenaries marched on Moscow, leaked photographs of Yevgeny Prigozhin in his underwear in a tent have been leaked online amid an ongoing campaign to discredit the exiled mutineer.

As Vladimir Putin – whose grip on power is perceived by many to have been severely weakened by the popular mercenary boss’s armed rebellion – sought to insist that Wagner had never actually existed, images showing a dishevelled-looking Mr Prigozhin in a state of semi-nudity appeared on Telegram.

Andy Gregory reports:

Yevgeny Prigozhin: Man who lead Putin mutiny pictured in pants in tent during exile

Putin discusses grain deal, BRICs summit with South Africa’s Ramaphosa

14:38 , Matt Mathers

Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone call with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa in which they discussed the Black Sea grain deal, due to expire on Monday, and a summit in South Africa next month, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

Putin’s possible attendance at the BRICS summit is delicate for both countries because of an arrest warrant issued against him in March by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which accused him of the war crime of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia.

The warrant means member states of the ICC - of which South Africa is one - are obliged to arrest him if he sets foot on their territory. Russia said at the time that the warrant was "outrageous" and legally void because Russia is not an ICC member.

The Kremlin has yet to say publicly if Putin intends to attend the summit. In Saturday’s statement it said Ramaphosa had briefed Putin about preparations for the event, but did not give details of their exchange.

Russia’s FSB thwarts attempts to kill two prominent journalists - Ifax

13:52 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s FSB security service said on Saturday it had thwarted alleged Ukrainian-backed plots to kill two prominent Russian journalists, Interfax news agency reported.

The FSB said it had detained an unspecified number of people on Friday who it said had carried out reconnaissance near the homes and workplaces of Margarita Simonyan and Ksenia Sobchak.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which in the past has denied involvement in assassinations of pro-war figures inside Russia.

ICYMI: India’s Modi and France’s Macron agree on defense ties but stand apart on Ukraine

13:00 , Matt Mathers

India is close to buying new French warplanes and submarines and played a starring role in France’s Bastille Day celebrations Friday. But for all the camaraderie on display this week between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, their two countries remain sometimes-awkward allies.

Macron skirted around concerns about threats to rights and freedoms under Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.

Modi called for peace efforts in Ukraine to end Russia’s war and resulting grain shortages, and India has increased imports of sanctioned Russian oil; Macron’s France is boosting weapons supplies to Ukraine for its counteroffensive.

Full report:

India's Modi and France's Macron agree on defense ties but stand apart on Ukraine

The Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be

12:38 , Matt Mathers

The Ukraine president found his efforts to join the bloc frustrated, writes Mary Dejevsky. But the event did have its uses.

Read Mary’s full piece here:

The Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be | Mary Dejevsky

US support for Ukraine emerges as key dividing line between GOP 2024 hopefuls in Tucker Carlson-hosted forum

11:53 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February of 2022. A year-and-a-half later, the fate of the brutal conflict is still top of mind in Washington and beyond.

Joe Biden recently embarked on a high-profile visit to Europe for a Nato summit, where he opined on the future of the alliance and Ukraine’s potential place in it. This shift may even have reached the GOP, which took something of an isolationist turn under Donald Trump.

However, these days, the Ukraine war seems to be a central topic once again.

That renewed focus was on full display on Friday at an event hosted by Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News anchor.

Ariana Baio and Josh Marcus report:

Support for US-Ukraine alliance divides 2024 GOP hopefuls at Tucker Carlson forum

Ukraine shoots down 10 Russian drones - Kyiv

11:01 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian forces have downed 10 Russian drones across the country on Friday and overnight, the air force said.

In a Telegram post, the Ukrainian air force added that Moscow had fired six Iranian-made Shahed drones at Ukraine’s south and east during the night, four of which were shot down.

It did not immediately give details of any casualties or damage.

In southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia province, where Ukraine has been engaged in a counter-offensive to take back occupied territory, there were 45 air and artillery attacks between Friday and Saturday, governor Yurii Malashka said.

Russian forces shelled neighbouring Kherson province 70 times over the same period, using mortars, artillery, drones, tanks, aviation and multiple rocket launchers, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Saturday.

No civilians were wounded, he added.

Russian shelling over the past day killed one civilian in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Saturday.

Ukrainian forces have been pressing their counter-offensive in the area, inching their way from Velyka Novosilka down towards the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol. File photo:

Large Wagner convoy arrives in Belarus village - report

10:39 , Matt Mathers

A large convoy of Wagner Group vehicles has arrived in Belarus, according to military monitoring group ‘Belarusian Gayun’.

Some 60 vehicles, including large trucks and buses, were seen moving northwest to a camp in the village of Tsel.

“A combination of factors indicates that this is a convoy of the Wagner PMCs [private military company], which entered Belarus from the Russian Federation at night in the Krichev area,” it said.

It comes following the Wagner Group’s failed rebellion last month. Warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner boss, ordered his troops to march on Moscow but later rowed back on the move, saying he wanted to avoid “blood shed”.

Russian president Vladimir Putin reported said Prigozhin and his troops could move to Belarus after dropping criminal charges against them.

Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia's war matters to the world

10:07 , Matt Mathers

Agreements that the United Nations and Turkey brokered with Ukraine and Russia to allow food and fertilizer to get from the warring nations to parts of the world where millions are going hungry have eased concerns over global food security. But they face increasing risks.

Moscow has ramped up its rhetoric, saying it may not extend the deal that expires Monday unless its demands are met, including ensuring its own agricultural shipments don’t face hurdles.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative has allowed 32.8 million metric tons (36.2 million tons) of food to be exported from Ukraine since last August, more than half to developing countries, including those getting relief from the World Food Program.

Courtney Bonell reports:

Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia's war matters to the world

South Korea president to meet Zelensky

09:23 , Matt Mathers

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was visiting Ukraine on Saturday for talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky, the South Korean presidential office said.

The surprise trip came after Yoon attended a NATO summit in Lithuania and visited Poland this week, where he expressed solidarity with Ukraine and explored ways to support its fight against Russia’s invasion.

Yoon visited the site of mass killings in Bucha near the capital Kyiv, before visiting Irpin, a residential area that received large-scale missile attacks.

He was expected to hold a summit with Zelenskiy afterward, his office said.

Putin sacks top commander for criticising strategy as army divisions grow

09:00 , Matt Mathers

A top Russian commander appears to have been sacked for voicing concerns about the Kremlin’s war strategy in a sign of growing divisions between officers on the front line and the country’s military leadership.

The 58th Combined Arms Army’s general-major Ivan Popov was dismissed after a leaked video showed him delivering a blistering attack on the Russian military leadership, whom he accused of “hitting us from the rear, viciously beheading the Army at the most difficult and intense moment”.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the “comments draw attention to serious disaffection many officers likely harbour towards the senior military leadership.”

Missing Russian general with links to Wagner boss is ‘resting’ says official

08:30 , Matt Mathers

A top Russian official has addressed the whereabouts of a senior general who has not been seen in public since the Wagner mutiny.

Andrei Kartapolov, head of the state Duma defence committee, said that general Sergei Surovikin is “resting” and “not available right now”.

Laura Sharman reports:

Missing Russian general with links to Wagner boss is ‘resting’ says official

UK accuses Russia of ‘cynical brinkmanship’ over Ukraine grain deal threat

08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The UK has accused Russia of “cynical brinkmanship” over threats to collapse a deal that allows Ukraine grain to be exported to countries at risk of famine.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative is a deal negotiated with Kyiv and Moscow by Turkey and the UN in July 2022 to ease a global food crisis, allowing agricultural produce from the wartorn nation’s southern ports to be shipped out without fear of attack.

It came with a separate agreement with Russia to facilitate shipments of its food and fertiliser, which have been exempted from Western sanctions regimes applied since the invasion started more than 500 days ago.

More here.

UK accuses Russia of ‘cynical brinkmanship’ over Ukraine grain deal threat

Putin says Wagner Group has no legal basis and therefore simply doesn’t exist

07:32 , Matt Mathers

Russian president Vladimir Putin said that the Wagner private military company “simply doesn’t exist” as a legal entity, in comments adding to the series of often bizarre twists that have followed the group’s abortive revolt last month – the most serious threat to Putin’s 23-year rule amid the war in Ukraine.

“There is no law on private military organizations. It simply doesn’t exist,” Mr Putin told a Russian newspaper late Thursday, referring to the Wagner group.

Full report:

Putin says Wagner Group has no legal basis and therefore simply doesn’t exist

Why are Russian and Belarusian players allowed back at Wimbledon?

07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

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 has more.

Why are Russian and Belarusian players allowed back at Wimbledon?

India’s Modi and France’s Macron stand apart on Ukraine

07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

India is close to buying new French warplanes and submarines and played a starring role in France’s Bastille Day celebrations Friday.

But for all the camaraderie on display this week between Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and French president Emmanuel Macron, their two countries remain sometimes-awkward allies.

Macron skirted around concerns about threats to rights and freedoms under Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.

Modi called for peace efforts in Ukraine to end Russia’s war and resulting grain shortages, and India has increased imports of sanctioned Russian oil; Macron’s France is boosting weapons supplies to Ukraine for its counteroffensive.

More here.

India's Modi and France's Macron agree on defense ties but stand apart on Ukraine

Russian forces struck Sumy Oblast 110 times in a day

06:35 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Russian forces shelled Sumy Oblast in northeast Ukraine over 110 times on 14 July, the military administration said.

The Russian military fired on the communities of Bilopillia, Esman, Khotin, Krasnopillia, Hlukhiv, Druzhbiv, Seredyna-Buda, and Novoslobidske.No casualties were reported from the shelling.

The Russian mortar attacks damaged three residential buildings in Seredyna-Buda, while two private houses were damaged in Novoslobidske.

Risk of Russia launching nuclear weapons not high, says Zelensky’s aide

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, said the risk of Russia using nuclear weapons to stop the counteroffensive is not high at the moment, according to Kyiv Independent.

Mr Yermak’s remark comes a day after US president Joe Biden said there was no real possibility of Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said Kremlin would see the potential provision of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as a “nuclear threat”.

05:25 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin rejected an offer to his troops in Ukraine to serve as a unit in the Russian army, president Vladimir Putin claimed.

While “many nodded” when he made his proposal, Mr Prigozhin rejected the idea, responding that “the boys won’t agree with such a decision”, he added.

“All of them could have gathered in one place and continued to serve,” the Russian president told Kommersant newspaper.

“And nothing would have changed for them. They would have been led by the same person who had been their real commander all along.”

More here.

Putin says Wagner Group has no legal basis and therefore simply doesn’t exist

Germany to provide $19bn in arms support to Ukraine

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Germany will supply Ukraine with around $19bn (£14.5bn) in military assistance by 2027, chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday.

The chancellor said the calculations begin from 2022, when Russia launched its unprovoked war in Ukraine.

According to a government document published earlier this week, investment included £1.72bn in 2022, some £4.6bn this year and another £9bn until 2027.

Biden adds 3,000 reservists to presence in Europe amid Ukraine war

04:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

US president Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing the Pentagon to tap an additional 3,000 military reservists to support the US mission in Europe to bolster Nato amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The additional troops will join the estimated 100,000 US service members already on the European continent.

“These authorities will enable the department to better support and sustain its enhanced presence and level of operations,” Lt Gen Douglas Sims told Military.com of the move.

Josh Marcus has more.

Biden signs order adding 3,000 reservists to presence in Europe amid Ukraine war

Putin says Wagner group has no legal basis so doesn’t exist

04:00 , Jane Dalton

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Wagner private military company “simply doesn’t exist” as a legal entity, another in a series of bizarre twists that have followed the group’s abortive revolt last month:

Putin says Russian mercenary group has no legal basis so 'doesn't exist'

Russian antiwar activist allowed into Serbia after hold-up

03:00 , Jane Dalton

Serbian authorities have allowed into the country a Russian antiwar activist who was previously denied entry and had spent more than one day at Belgrade airport.

Peter Nikitin, a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin, said he believed Moscow was behind his ordeal:

Russian antiwar activist allowed into Serbia after spending more than a day at the Belgrade airport

Man jailed for Russian plot to wreck foreign arms supplies to Kyiv

02:00 , Jane Dalton

A Ukrainian court has jailed a man for 10 years after finding him guilty of plotting with Russia to blow up transport infrastructure to disrupt foreign arms supplies, Ukraine‘s domestic security agency says.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) did not identify the man but said he had fought with Russia-backed militant groups in eastern Ukraine before and since Moscow’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.

The SBU said it had detained the man in February before he had been able to carry out his mission.

After fighting against Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine, he was told by Russian military intelligence to blow up two infrastructure objects, it said.

It did not identify the intended targets but said they were in the Rivne region in western Ukraine, where there are several important road and railway links with Poland.

The routes used to transport Western military aid are kept secret in Ukraine, but equipment is often seen passing through eastern Poland.

Opinion: Nato summit was not the triumph Zelensky hoped

Saturday 15 July 2023 00:55 , Jane Dalton

The Ukrainian president was furious at the summit’s communique. But secret communications may be happening between some in the US and the Kremlin.

And Nato is co-opting the G7 to provide security guarantees and other assistance for Ukraine, raising hopes that the war can be contained, writes Mary Dejevsky:

The Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be | Mary Dejevsky

South Africa tells Putin to stay away from summit

Friday 14 July 2023 23:50 , Jane Dalton

Russian president Vladimir Putin wants to attend an economic summit in South Africa next month, but the country is desperately trying to persuade him to stay away to avoid the legal and diplomatic fallout over his international arrest warrant, according to the deputy president:

Putin wants to attend an August summit. Host country South Africa doesn't want to have to arrest him

Protesters call for release of PoWs

Friday 14 July 2023 22:45 , Jane Dalton

People chanted slogans during a rally in Kyiv to demand the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were taken captive by Russian forces in the Mariupol region of Ukraine.

Thousands of Ukrainians were killed during Russia’s siege of the city, and soldiers at the Azovstal steel works held out for weeks before being forced to surrender.

In pictures: Wagner fighters train Belarusian soldiers

Friday 14 July 2023 21:44 , Jane Dalton

Grain exports deal goes to wire

Friday 14 July 2023 20:45 , Jane Dalton

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is still waiting for a response from Vladimir Putin on a proposal to extend a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain beyond Monday, a UN spokesperson has said.

Guterres wrote to Putin on Tuesday asking him to extend the deal in return for connecting a subsidiary of Russia’s Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the international payment system SWIFT, sources said.

The last ship travelling under the deal is loading its cargo at Ukraines Odesa port.

Russia has not agreed to register any new ships since 27 June, and the initiative will expire on Monday if Moscow does not agree to extend it.

Moscow has threatened to quit the deal, brokered last year, saying its demands to improve its own grain and fertiliser exports have not been met.

Zelensky says Russia is “ doing everything they can to stop our soldiers”

Friday 14 July 2023 19:40 , Sam Rkaina

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukrainians must understand that Russia was deploying all possible resources to stop Kyiv’s forces from advancing in the east and south of the country.

“We must all understand very clearly, as clearly as possible, that Russian forces in our southern and eastern lands are doing everything they can in order to stop our soldiers,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address after chairing a meeting with top commanders.

“And every thousand metres we advance, every success of every combat brigade deserves our gratitude.”

Lavrov “aggressively” rejected call to withdraw troops from Ukraine

Friday 14 July 2023 18:45 , Sam Rkaina

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said separately Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov had “aggressively” rejected a call to withdraw troops from Ukraine.

Lavrov said earlier this week the war would not end until the West “gives up its plans to preserve its domination”, including its “obsessive desire” to defeat Russia strategically.

He had no plans to contact U.S. counterparts while in Jakarta, according to his spokesperson, Maria Zakharova.

But Lavrov did meet top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi. The two sides would “strengthen strategic communication and coordination”, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

No sign of Russian intent to change tack on Ukraine war, Blinken says

Friday 14 July 2023 17:50 , Sam Rkaina

Russia shows no sign of changing direction in its war on Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, as foreign ministers from two dozen countries met in Indonesia’s capital for Southeast Asia’s annual security-focused gathering.

Top diplomats from China, the United States and Russia were among those who travelled to Jakarta for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), where broad-based agendas are typically hijacked by geopolitical flare-ups.

Speaking to reporters after the talks concluded, Blinken said there was no indication that Russia was willing to engage in meaningful diplomacy on the war, which Moscow calls a “special military operation” launched in February 2022 to “denazify” its neighbour.

“I didn’t hear anything from Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov that suggested any change in direction when it comes to what Russia is doing in Ukraine,” Blinken said, adding that Russia was focused on blaming the United States for the world’s problems.

Accused Russian intelligence operative extradited to US from Estonia

Friday 14 July 2023 16:52 , Sam Rkaina

An alleged Russian intelligence operative accused by the United States of smuggling U.S.-origin electronics and ammunition to Russia to help its war against Ukraine was extradited from Estonia, federal prosecutors said on Friday.

The defendant Vadim Konoschenok is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Brooklyn later on Friday.

Prosecutors are requesting he be detained pending trial, calling him an irremediable flight risk.

Kremlin: Russia has made no statements on Black Sea grain deal extension

Friday 14 July 2023 15:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has not made any statements on the extension of the Black Sea grain deal, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Earlier, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he was in agreement with Russia‘s President Vladimir Putin that the deal, which allows the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, should be extended.

Some media construed Erdogan’s comments as suggesting that a deal had been reached to extend the deal, which expires on Monday. Russia has said it will only agree to extend the deal if its own conditions on its implementation are met

Evan Gershkovich fell in love with Russia. He now faces 20 years in prison for espionage

Friday 14 July 2023 15:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Evan Gershkovich appeared tense as he paced back and forth inside a glass cage in the Moscow City Court on 22 June, Bevan Hurley writes.

Gershkovich, 31, had been arrested and detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia, nearly three months earlier on 29 March on suspicion of espionage while on assignment for The Wall Street Journal.

Wearing a black T-shirt and light blue jeans, Gershkovich was briefly paraded before cameras inside the courtroom box known as an “aquarium”, a relic of Soviet show trials.

After the media was ushered out, he chatted to his parents in the public gallery while waiting for a judge to rule on an appeal challenging his pre-trial detention, according to an Associated Press report.

Evan Gershkovich fell in love with Russia. He faces 20 years in prison for espionage

Zelensky tweet on Nato so infuriated US officials they reconsidered policy, report says

Friday 14 July 2023 15:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s obvious impatience over Nato’s slow-moving decision-making process has reportedly irritated US officials enough that they reconsidered Ukraine’s invitation to join the alliance.

For months, Mr Zelensky has appealed to Nato leaders hoping they would accept his country’s application to join the alliance as they fight off Russian troops.

But Nato countries have been reluctant – not wanting to rock the boat too much with Russia during the middle of the war.

Then, after Nato countries failed to deliver a specific timeline to Mr Zelensky on Nato membership before the summit this week, Mr Zelensky’s frustration resulted in a more aggressive approach in the form of a tweet.

Zelensky’s Nato tweet infuriated US officials so much they reconsidered, report says

Some Wagner fighters have been in Belarus since at least Tuesday - sources close to fighters

Friday 14 July 2023 14:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Some fighters from Russia‘s Wagner mercenary group are now in Belarus and have been there since at least Tuesday, two sources close to the fighters told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

Russia says stray mine drifting on shipping route in northwestern Black Sea - Interfax

Friday 14 July 2023 14:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s Black Sea fleet warned on Friday that a stray mine was drifting “uncontrollably” on a shipping route in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the Interfax news agency reported.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the report.

Russia's Wagner fighters are training soldiers in Belarus - ministry

Friday 14 July 2023 13:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Fighters from Russia‘s Wagner mercenary group are training soldiers in Belarus, the Belarusian defence ministry said on Friday.

The ministry released a video showing Wagner fighters instructing Belarusian soldiers at a military range near the town of Osipovichi, about 90 km (56 miles) southeast of the capital Minsk.

“Wagner fighters acted as instructors in a number of military disciplines,” the Belarusian defence ministry said.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko helped broker a deal to end a brief armed mutiny by Wagner on June 23-24, when the group took control of the southern Russian city of Rostov and marched towards Moscow, shooting down a number of military helicopters and killing their pilots.

Under the deal, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin stood down his mercenaries and agreed to move to Belarus in exchange for Russia dropping mutiny charges.

Russia's Lavrov 'aggressively' rejected call for troop withdrawal from Ukraine - EU's Borrell

Friday 14 July 2023 13:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded aggressively to a request during the ASEAN Regional Forum to withdraw troops from Ukraine, calling it part of a Western conspiracy, the European Union foreign policy chief said on Friday.

Josep Borrell was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the forum in Jakarta.

Ukraine receives cluster munitions, pledges limited use

Friday 14 July 2023 12:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine has received cluster bombs from the United States, munitions banned in more than 100 countries, but has pledged to only use them to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers.

Valeryi Shershen, a spokesman for the Tavria, or southern, military district on Thursday confirmed an announcement by his commander that the weapons had arrived a week after the United States said it would send them as part of an $800-million security package.

The Pentagon also announced their arrival.

Moscow has denounced their shipment. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu warned on Thursday that Russia could resort to deploying similar weaponry if faced with their use.

Ukrainian officials say their deployment is justified in view of Russia‘s mining of vast tracts of land it has seized.

“They will not be used on Russian territory...They will be used only in areas where Russian military forces are concentrated in order to break through enemy defences.”

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting, former US commander claims

Friday 14 July 2023 12:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia’s top mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin has probably been murdered after leading a failed rebellion against the Kremlin regime, a former senior US military leader has suggested.

Prigozhin, the Wagner Group chief, ordered his soldiers to march on Moscow last month amid an ongoing feud with Russia’s top military brass about its strategy in the Ukraine war.

“I personally don’t think he is, and if he is, he’s in a prison somewhere,” Robert Abrams, a retired general, told ABC News when asked if he thought the warlord was alive.

‘Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting’

Russian general says he has been fired for telling truth about dire situation on Ukraine frontlines

Friday 14 July 2023 12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian general says he has been dismissed as a commander after telling the military leadership about the dire situation on the frontline in Ukraine – a sign of mounting tensions in the country’s military in the wake of the Wagner mercenary group’s mutiny.

Major General Ivan Popov, the commander of the 58th Army fighting in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, which is a focal point in the Ukrainian counteroffensive, said in an audio statement to his troops that he was dismissed after a meeting with the top military brass in what he described as a “treacherous” stab in the back to the Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

Maj Gen Popov said that the military leadership was angered by his frank talk about the challenges faced by his forces.

“The top officers apparently saw me as a source of threat and rapidly issued an order to get rid of me, which was signed by the defence minister in just one day,” he said. “The Ukrainian military has failed to break through our army’s defenses, but the top commander hit us in the rear, treacherously and cowardly beheading the army at this most difficult moment.”

Russian general ‘fired for telling truth about dire situation on Ukraine frontlines’

Who is the veteran mercenary that Putin proposed command Wagner?

Friday 14 July 2023 11:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had proposed to Wagner Group fighters that a senior mercenary known as “Sedoi”, which means “grey hair” in Russian, command them instead of Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Who is he?

* “Sedoi” is the nom de guerre of Andrei Troshev, a senior Wagner commander, according to European Union sanctions documents, French official documents, sources with knowledge of the matter and Russian media reports. France’s Treasury describes Troshev’s call sign as “Siedoy”.

His associates include Dmitry Utkin, a former GRU military intelligence special forces officer and a founder of Wagner, the EU said.

Pro-Wagner channels on Telegram have repeatedly said Troshev is known by the call sign “Sedoi” and that he is one of Wagner’s most senior commanders.

The Kommersant newspaper quoted Putin as saying that “Sedoi” had been the real commander of Wagner.

* The EU described him as the “executive director (chief of staff) of the Wagner Group” in its 2021 document which also says he was a founding member of the group.

“Andrei Troshev is directly involved in the military operations of the Wagner Group in Syria,” the EU said.

“He was particularly involved in the area of Deir al-Zor. As such, he provides a crucial contribution to (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad’s war effort and therefore supports and benefits from the Syrian regime.” Britain also described him in its Syria sanctions documents as the chief executive of Wagner.

* Troshev was born in Leningrad, the Soviet-era name for St Petersburg, on April 5, 1962, according to Russian sources. Western sanctions documents list his date of birth as April 5, 1953. It is unclear why.

Kremlin says Wagner's legal status needs reviewing

Friday 14 July 2023 11:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Friday that the status of the private Wagner mercenary group needed to be “considered”, a day after President Vladimir Putin said the group had no legal basis.

Putin told a reporter from Kommersant newspaper on Thursday that Wagner, which staged a brief armed mutiny last month, “does not exist” in a legal sense because there is no law in Russia relating to private military companies.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the status of companies such as Wagner was “rather complicated” and needed to be studied.

Asked if new legislation was likely on the status of private military companies, he said: “This question will at least be under consideration.”

Wagner has waged the fiercest battles of the Ukraine war for Russia but uncertainty has surrounded its fate and that of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin since last month’s mutiny, when it seized control of a southern city and advanced towards Moscow.

The defence ministry said this week that Wagner was completing the transfer of its weapons to the regular army under the accord with the Kremlin that brought the mutiny to an end.

Putin told Kommersant

he had offered Wagner mercenaries the opportunity to keep fighting for Russia during a meeting held five days after the mutiny but suggested Prigozhin be moved aside in favour of a different commander.

Under the terms of the agreement ending the June 23-24 mutiny, Prigozhin was meant to go into exile in Belarus, a close ally of Russia. However, he has not been seen in public since June 24 and his current whereabouts are unknown

Poland will respond in kind if Russia closes consulate, PM says

Friday 14 July 2023 10:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Poland will respond in kind if Russia closes down its diplomatic missions, the Polish prime minister said on Friday, after Moscow said it had decided to close Warsaw’s consulate in Smolensk.

The war in Ukraine has brought relations between Warsaw and Moscow to new lows. Poland accuses Russia of trying to destabilise the country with disinformation campaigns and espionage, while Moscow has hit out at what it sees as Warsaw’s hostile rhetoric.

“We regularly receive information about aggressive diplomatic actions from Russia,” Mateusz Morawiecki told a press conference. “If in the end it comes to it that Russia starts to liquidate our offices we will respond in kind.”

Interfax news agency said Russia took the decision to close the consulate due to what it called Poland’s “anti-Russian actions”.

The consulate in Smolensk holds a special significance for Poland as it is charged with looking after two sites of national rememberance - the cemetery complex in Katyn and the site of the 2010 Smolensk air disaster.

Polish officers were murdered by Soviet forces in the Katyn forest in western Russia in 1940.

In 2010, President Lech Kaczynski and 95 other people including top politicians and military officers were killed when their plane crashed in thick fog in Smolensk as they travelled to mark the anniversary of the Katyn killings.

Russia's Lavrov has no plans to contact U.S. side during Indonesia meeting, spokeswoman says

Friday 14 July 2023 09:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has no plans for contacts with U.S. officials during his current visit to Indonesia, his spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are both in Jakarta for the ASEAN Regional Forum, a security gathering.

Poland will respond in kind if Russia closes consulates, says PM

Friday 14 July 2023 09:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Poland will respond in kind if Russia closes down its diplomatic missions, the Polish prime minister said on Friday, in response to reports that Moscow had decided to close the Polish consulate in Smolensk.

“We regularly receive information about aggressive diplomatic actions from Russia“, Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference. “If in the end it comes to it that Russia starts to liquidate our offices we will respond in kind.”

Putin offered Wagner the chance to keep fighting under ‘Grey Hair’ commander

Friday 14 July 2023 09:03 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin offered Wagner soldiers the chance to continue fighting, but under a different commander- known by his nom de guerre, ‘Sedoi’ or ‘Grey Hair’.

“Sedoi” is a highly decorated veteran of Russia‘s wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya. He is from St Petersburg, Putin’s home town, and has been pictured with the president.

The Russian president made the offer last month, according to Russian newspaper Kommersant, days after the attempted mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

“All of them could have gathered in one place and continued to serve,” Kommersant quoted Putin as saying.

“And nothing would have changed for them. They would have been led by the same person who had been their real commander all that time.”

Putin said that many of the commanders had nodded their heads at his suggestion but Prigozhin, who was sitting at the front, did not see this, Kommersant said.

“‘No, the boys won’t agree with such a decision’,” Putin quoted Prigozhin as saying.

Russia launches overnight drone attack on Ukrainian president's hometown

Friday 14 July 2023 08:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A 56-year-old man was injured in an overnight Russian drone strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s hometown, the central city of Kryvyi Rih, the regional governor said on Friday.

The attack damaged a number of buildings in Kryvyi Rih but Ukraine‘s air force said 16 of the 17 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones launched by Russia overnight had been shot down in southern and eastern areas of the country.

Falling debris damaged a municipal enterprise, two residential buildings and a transport company in Kryvyi Rih, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on the Telegram messaging app.

City mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said windows had been blown out in apartment blocks and private houses, hospitals and schools.

The drone launches were the latest in a series of attacks in which the capital Kyiv came under attack on three successive nights this week. Russia did not comment on the attacks, and denies deliberately targeting civilians.

Wagner’s attempted mutiny may have impacted Russia’s choices for Navy Day fleet review

Friday 14 July 2023 08:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The UK ministry of defence said there is a “realistic possibility” Wagner’s attempted mutiny has impacted Russia’s decision to not include nuclear-powered submarines in their Navy Day fleet review.

The update said: “On 12 July 2023, Russian state media reported that nuclear-powered submarines of Russia’s Northern Fleet will not be taking part in the main Navy Day fleet review in St Petersburg on 30 July 2023.

“Since the current Navy Day format was established in 2017, this would be the first year that no nuclear-powered submarines have been involved. The change is likely primarily due to allow for maintenance and to retain availability for operations and training.

“There is also a realistic possibility that internal security concerns since Wagner Group’s attempted mutiny have contributed to the decision.”

Prigozhin 'disagreed' with offer for Wagner fighters to keep serving, Putin claims

Friday 14 July 2023 07:20 , Namita Singh

Yevgeny Prigozhin disagreed with Vladimir Putin’s plan for giving fighters of the Wagner group the opportunity to remain serving together in Russia after their revolt, reported Russian daily Kommersant, citing the Russian president.

“Prigozhin ... said after listening: ‘No, the boys won’t agree with such a decision,” Kommersant quoted Mr Putin as saying.

Wagner fighters played a key role in the Russian army’s advance into eastern Ukraine and were the driving force in the capture in May of the city of Bakhmut after months of battles.

But Mr Prigozhin constantly accused the military of failing to back his men and Wagner fighters unhappy with the defence ministry’s conduct of the war took control of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on 23 June and began moving towards Moscow.

They halted their advance the next day after being offered a deal under which they could resettle in Belarus, along with Mr Prigozhin. Any notion of pressing charges against Mr Prigozhin was dropped.

Mr Putin told the newspaper there was no possibility of Wagner remaining in its current form.

“Wagner does not exist,” Mr Putin told Kommersant. “There is no law on private military organisations. It just doesn’t exist.”

Wagner forces not engaged in Ukraine in any significant way – Pentagon

Friday 14 July 2023 07:00 , Namita Singh

The Wagner mercenary group is not participating in military operations in Ukraine in any significant way, the Pentagon said on Thursday, more than two weeks after the group staged a brief armed mutiny in Russia.

“At this stage, we do not see Wagner forces participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine,” said Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder.

Wagner fighters had waged some of the fiercest and bloodiest battles during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But in the wake of the 23-24 June revolt, fighters were given the option of going into exile, joining Russia’s regular forces or going home.

On Wednesday, Russia’s defense ministry said Wagner was completing its handover of weapons to Russia’s regular armed forces.

Russian deputy foreign minister discussed grain deal with Turkish UK officials

Friday 14 July 2023 06:40 , Namita Singh

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Vershinin discussed a Black Sea grain deal with his Turkish counterpart Burak Akcapar in a phone call on Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

According to the ministry, the conversation was initiated by Turkey and “special attention was paid to the implementation of the ‘Black Sea initiative’ on the export of Ukrainian food”.

Also on Wednesday, Vershinin held a phone call with top UN trade official Rebeca Grynspan.

“The sides exchanged views on the implementation of the Istanbul Package Agreements of 22 July 2022 in the context of global food security challenges.”

Thousands of Ukraine civilians are being held in Russian prisons. Russia plans to build many more

Friday 14 July 2023 06:20 , Namita Singh

The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers.

Many were forced to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms that could make them a target, and a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws.

Nearby, in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, other Ukrainian civilians dug mass graves into the frozen ground for fellow prisoners who had not survived. One man who refused to dig was shot on the spot — yet another body for the grave.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being detained across Russia and the Ukrainian territories it occupies, in centers ranging from brand-new wings in Russian prisons to clammy basements. Most have no status under Russian law.

And Russia is planning to hold possibly thousands more. A Russian government document obtained by The Associated Press dating to January outlined plans to create 25 new prison colonies and six other detention centers in occupied Ukraine by 2026.

In addition, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a decree in May allowing Russia to send people from territories with martial law, which includes all of occupied Ukraine, to those without, such as Russia.

This makes it easier to deport Ukrainians who resist Russian occupation deep into Russia indefinitely, which has happened in multiple cases documented by the AP.

Putin tells newspaper he offered Wagner fighters chance to keep serving

Friday 14 July 2023 06:00 , Namita Singh

Russian president Vladimir Putin offered mercenary fighters with the Wagner group the opportunity to remain serving together in Russia after their revolt, he said in an interview published late on Thursday.

Mr Putin, interviewed by the Russian daily Kommersant, said this was one of several offers he made at a meeting with around three dozen fighters and their founder Yevgeny Prigozhin late last month, five days after Wagner staged the abortive revolt against Russia’s military hierarchy.

Under the offer, the fighters would stay under their current commander, who the newspaper identified only by his call sign of “Grey Hair.”

Mr Putin also said it was up to Russia’s government and parliament to work out a legal framework for private military formations.Kommersant said Mr Putin spoke of meeting 35 Wagner fighters and Mr Prigozhin in the Kremlin and offering them options for the future, including remaining under their commander of 16 months.

“All of them could have gathered in one place and continued their service,” Kommersant quoted the president as saying. “And nothing would have changed. They would have been led by the same person who had been their real commander all that time.”

As Mr Putin is the army’s commander-in-chief, he seemed to be implying that they would remain within the Russian military, although he did not say that explicitly.

“Many of then nodded when I said this,” Kommersant quoted Mr Putin as saying.

Ukraine receives cluster munitions, pledges limited use

Friday 14 July 2023 05:40 , Namita Singh

Ukraine has received cluster bombs from the United States, munitions banned in more than 100 countries, but has pledged to only use them to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers.

Valeryi Shershen, a spokesperson for the Tavria, or southern, military district on Thursday confirmed an announcement by his commander that the weapons had arrived a week after the United States said it would send them as part of an $800m security package.

The Pentagon also announced their arrival.

Moscow has denounced their shipment. Defence minister Sergei Shoigu warned on Thursday that Russia could resort to deploying similar weaponry if faced with their use.

Cluster munitions typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode pose a danger for decades.

Each side has accused the other of using cluster bombs in the conflict launched by Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Human Rights Watch says both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions. Russia, Ukraine and the US have not signed up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons.

Evan Gershkovich fell in love with Russia. He now faces 20 years in prison for espionage

Friday 14 July 2023 05:20 , Namita Singh

Diplomatic efforts to free the detained Wall Street Journal reporter are intensifying, Bevan Hurley reports.

Evan Gershkovich fell in love with Russia. He faces 20 years in prison for espionage

UK accuses Russia of ‘cynical brinkmanship’ over Ukraine grain deal threat

Friday 14 July 2023 05:00 , Namita Singh

The UK has accused Russia of “cynical brinkmanship” over threats to collapse a deal that allows Ukraine grain to be exported to countries at risk of famine.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative is a deal negotiated with Kyiv and Moscow by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 to ease a global food crisis, allowing agricultural produce from the wartorn nation’s southern ports to be shipped out without fear of attack.

It came with a separate agreement with Russia to facilitate shipments of its food and fertiliser, which have been exempted from Western sanctions regimes applied since the invasion started more than 500 days ago.

Report:

UK accuses Russia of ‘cynical brinkmanship’ over Ukraine grain deal threat

What to know about the harrowing Ukraine war doc ‘20 Days in Mariupol’

Friday 14 July 2023 04:40 , Namita Singh

Theatregoers in select cities will soon be able to watch “20 Days in Mariupol,” the visceral documentary on Russia‘s early assault on the Ukrainian city.

The 94-minute film is a joint production by hte Associated Press and PBS “Frontline” and has been met with critical acclaim and an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov directed the movie from 30 hours of footage he and other AP journalists shot in Mariupol in the opening days of the war.

Chernov and AP colleagues Evgeniy Maloletka, a photographer, and producer Vasilisa Stepanenko were the last international journalists in the city before escaping.

Report:

What to know about the harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol'

Zelensky tweet on Nato so infuriated US officials they reconsidered policy, report says

Friday 14 July 2023 04:20 , Namita Singh

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s obvious impatience over Nato’s slow-moving decision-making process has reportedly irritated US officials enough that they reconsidered Ukraine’s invitation to join the alliance.

For months, Mr Zelensky has appealed to Nato leaders hoping they would accept his country’s application to join the alliance as they fight off Russian troops.

But Nato countries have been reluctant – not wanting to rock the boat too much with Russia during the middle of the war.

Then, after Nato countries failed to deliver a specific timeline to Mr Zelensky on Nato membership before the summit this week, Mr Zelensky’s frustration resulted in a more aggressive approach in the form of a tweet.

What followed next? Ariana Baio reports:

Zelensky’s Nato tweet infuriated US officials so much they reconsidered, report says

Biden signs executive order adding 3,000 reservists to US presence in Europe amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

Friday 14 July 2023 04:00 , Namita Singh

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Thursday allowing the Pentagon to tap an additional 3,000 military reservists to support the US mission in Europe to bolster Nato amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The additional troops will join the estimated 100,000 US service members already on the European continent.

“These authorities will enable the department to better support and sustain its enhanced presence and level of operations,” Lt Gen Douglas Sims told Military.com of the move.

More in this report:

Biden signs order adding 3,000 reservists to presence in Europe amid Ukraine war

Ukraine’s greatest weapon isn’t on the battlefield

Friday 14 July 2023 03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

In welcoming fresh pledges of more weapons, ammunition and the long-term security commitments made by members of the G7, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared – at least publicly – a happier figure on the second day of Nato’s summit in Lithuania than he did on the first.

On Tuesday, he had angrily denounced the “absurd” delays to his nation being given a timetable for the Nato membership it craves and then was left frustrated when the communique from the alliance said that Kyiv could join “when allies agree and conditions are met” – without laying out what those conditions were.

A flash of anger over delays to Nato membership gave way to a more conciliatory tone from Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit in Lithuania, writes Chris Stevenson. But don’t expect him to back down on pushing Western allies for more help – his nation’s survival depends on it:

Ukraine’s greatest weapon isn’t on the battlefield

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Friday 14 July 2023 02:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.

Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russia’s neighbour needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified”, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putin’s warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.

Read more:

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

How significant are the reported territorial advances made by Ukrainian forces so far?

Friday 14 July 2023 01:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine has reported regaining further ground from invading Russian forces along the eastern and southern fronts in early July as its counteroffensive continues, following on from the liberation of a number of frontline villages in June.

Offering an update from the frontlines on Monday 10 July, the Ukrainian military said its troops have so far retaken more than 65 square miles on the southern front and 9.26 square miles around the eastern city of Bakhmut since the counteroffensive effort commenced.

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said that heavy fighting raged in two areas of the southeast.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

How significant are the reported territorial advances made by Ukraine so far?

Starmer tells Sunak Labour’s support for Nato ‘unshakeable’ during Commons clash

Friday 14 July 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce

Sir Keir Starmer insisted Labour’s commitment to Nato is “unshakeable” as he clashed with Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons.

The Labour leader described the alliance as a “cornerstone of British security” in a week that saw Conservative MPs posting social media attacks on his party’s defence policy.

Prime Minister Mr Sunak was heckled by Opposition MPs as he claimed Sir Keir’s statement showed a “newfound affection” for Nato, with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle repeatedly having to intervene to calm tempers.

Richard Wheeler has the full story:

Starmer tells Sunak Labour’s support for Nato ‘unshakeable’ during Commons clash

Tanaiste dismisses idea of Irish stop-off for US cluster bombs for Ukraine

Thursday 13 July 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ireland’s deputy premier has said the issue of an Irish airport being used as a stop-off to transport cluster bombs from the US to Ukraine “doesn’t arise”.

Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Micheal Martin said that Ireland remains opposed to cluster munitions, pointing out that it was a lead nation in the establishment of a global 2008 convention banning the weapons.

His comments come after the controversial decision by the US to provide Kyiv with cluster munitions; US president Joe Biden has defended the “difficult” decision to send the weapons to Ukraine to help in battling against an invasion by Russia.

Read the full story:

Tanaiste dismisses idea of Irish stop-off for US cluster bombs for Ukraine

France's parliament approves big boost in military spending, spurred by Ukraine war

Thursday 13 July 2023 22:00 , Eleanor Noyce

France’s parliament on Thursday approved a multi-billion-euro boost to military spending through the rest of this decade, spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine and fast-growing global threats.

President Emmanuel Macron pushed for the bigger budget, which would spend 413 billion euros ($450 billion), the most significant spending hike in half a century. The money would modernize France’s nuclear arsenal, augment intelligence spending and develop more remote-controlled weapons.

He has argued the boost was needed to ensure “our freedom, our security, our prosperity, our place in the world.” The defense minister has compared it to France’s push in the 1960s to develop nuclear weapons, making the country one of the world’s bigger military powers.

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France's parliament approves big boost in military spending, spurred by Ukraine war

The Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be

Thursday 13 July 2023 21:00 , Eleanor Noyce

When they met for their summit in Vilnius this week, Nato leaders appeared to have just one item left on their agenda – how, when, and even whether to admit Ukraine.

Advance discussions had ensured that before anyone even arrived in Lithuania, the US had agreed to supply F-16 warplanes to Turkey, Turkey had lifted its block on Sweden’s membership, and everyone had agreed to keep the current secretary general for another year. Ukraine would be front and central, and President Zelensky was there in person, with his wife, to claim the honours.

The Ukraine president found his efforts to join the bloc frustrated, writes Mary Dejevsky. But the event did have its uses:

The Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be | Mary Dejevsky

Russian deputy foreign minister discussed grain deal with Turkish, U.N. officials

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:57 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin discussed a Black Sea grain deal with his Turkish counterpart Burak Akcapar in a phone call on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

According to the ministry, the conversation was initiated by Turkey and “special attention was paid to the implementation of the ‘Black Sea initiative’ on the export of Ukrainian food”.

Also on Wednesday, Vershinin held a phone call with top U.N. trade official Rebeca Grynspan.

“The sides exchanged views on the implementation of the Istanbul Package Agreements of 22 July 2022 in the context of global food security challenges.”

Wagner forces not engaged in Ukraine in any significant way - Pentagon

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:48 , Eleanor Noyce

The Wagner mercenary group is not participating in military operations in Ukraine in any significant way, the Pentagon said on Thursday, more than two weeks after the group staged a brief armed mutiny in Russia.

“At this stage, we do not see Wagner forces participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine,” said Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder.

Wagner fighters had waged some of the fiercest and bloodiest battles during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But in the wake of the 23-24 June revolt, fighters were given the option of going into exile, joining Russia’s regular forces or going home. On Wednesday, Russia’s defense ministry said Wagner was completing its handover of weapons to Russia’s regular armed forces.

What we know about the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:30 , Eleanor Noyce

American journalist Evan Gershkovich, a 31-year-old reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has been arrested and detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The son of Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union who grew up speaking Russian at home in Princeton, New Jersey, Gershkovich graduated from the prestigious Bowdoin College in Maine before embarking on a career in the media, firstly at The New York Times, then The Moscow Times and then Agence France-Presse before joining WSJ, where he began covering Russian affairs just a month before the invasion of Ukraine last year.

The Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s top security agency and successor organisation to the KGB, claimed that Gershkovich had been caught collecting information on “the activities of one of the enterprises of the military defence complex”.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

What we know about arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia

EU's von der Leyen urges Putin to prolong grain deal

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:05 , Eleanor Noyce

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to prolong a deal allowing the Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, saying the consequence of not doing so would be global food insecurity.

The ball was now in Russia’s court with the whole world watching, von der Leyen told a press conference.

Round-up: Stories from Thursday

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:00 , William Mata

Here is your 8pm round-up of today’s events from Ukraine and Russia

Russian general says he has been fired for telling truth about dire situation on Ukraine frontlines

A voice message from Major General Ivan Popov – a commander in southern Ukraine – exposes the rising tension in the military in the aftermath of the Wagner mutiny.

Jailed Alexei Navalny ‘forced to listen to Putin speech for 100 days in a row’

Kremlin critic says he was told he has to listen to the speech for ‘education reasons’

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting

Kremlin claims warlord Prigozhin met with president after failed rebellion but Robert Abrams, a retired US general, is doubtful we’ll ever see proof of talks

Ukraine now has US-supplied cluster munitions, Pentagon says

Thursday 13 July 2023 19:58 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine has received U.S. cluster munitions, a senior Pentagon official said on Thursday.

The U.S. announced on 7 July it would send Kyiv cluster munitions as part of an $800-million security package intended to ensure Russian forces that invaded Ukraine nearly 17 months ago cannot halt a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Zelenksy Nato tweet ‘roiled’ White House, The Washington Post reports

Thursday 13 July 2023 19:56 , Eleanor Noyce

Earlier this week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said it is “absurd” that no timeframe has been set for Ukraine to join Nato following confirmation the UK is pushing for long-term military support to be pledged for Kyiv.

Now, The Washington Post has revealed that the challenge he issued to Nato leaders “roiled” the White House to such an extent that U.S officials tasked with the process “considered scaling back the invitation” for Ukraine to join.

The Ukrainian president said “uncertainty is weakness” as he criticised Nato leaders for failing to agree a pathway for his war-torn country to accede to the defensive alliance.

Mr Zelensky said the delay was providing Russia with the “motivation to continue its terror.”

Top US sanctions architect to lead Treasury’s financial crimes team - Yellen

Thursday 13 July 2023 19:30 , William Mata

Andrea Gacki, a veteran US Treasury official who helped design Washington’s Russia sanctions strategy, has been appointed director of the department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday.

Gacki, who has headed the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) since 2019, “guided the office through major world events, including most recently, its role countering Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war against Ukraine,” Yellen said in a statement.

Yellen did not say when Gacki would assume her new role as FinCEN director.

FinCEN is responsible for cracking down on cybercrime, moneylaundering and sanctions evasion, among other areas.

NATO summit results in brief: Mixed news for Ukraine, hope for Sweden and a response to Russia

Thursday 13 July 2023 19:00 , William Mata

US President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts wrapped up a two-day summit Wednesday with pledges of long-term support for Ukraine but no offer of the country’s protection under the alliance’s security umbrella.

Results from the meeting in Lithuania, a nation on NATO’s eastern flank that borders Russia, were mixed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky was grateful for the pledges of more arms and ammunition but disappointed that his country has no clear time frame for joining the world’s biggest security alliance.

Here is the full story.

Putin: foreign-made tanks are 'priority target' for Russian forces in Ukraine

Thursday 13 July 2023 18:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Western supplies of weapons to Ukraine would change nothing on the battlefield but only further escalate the conflict, adding that foreign-made tanks were a “priority target” for Moscow’s forces.

Putin, in comments to state television made after a NATO summit in which Ukraine won a promise of eventual membership, also reaffirmed his stance that such a move would threaten Russia’s own security and escalate global tensions further.

“The supply of new weapons will only aggravate the situation... and will further fuel the conflict,” Putin said.

Asked about France’s decision to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles which can travel 250 km (155 miles), Putin said: “Yes, they cause damage, but nothing critical happens in the war zone with their use.”

Putin added that foreign-made tanks were “a priority target for our guys”.

Western countries have supplied billions of dollars worth of arms to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the country on Feb. 24, 2022, in what Putin calls a “special military operation” to “denazify” the country.

At a summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius this week, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine should be able to join the military alliance at some point in the future but stopped short of offering Kyiv an immediate invitation.

G7 countries also unveiled an international framework for the long-term security of Ukraine to boost its defences against Russia and deter Moscow from future aggression.

In his first public response to the moves, Putin reiterated Moscow’s strong opposition to Ukraine ever joining NATO, saying this would threaten Russia’s own strategic interests.

“This will not increase the security of Ukraine itself. And in general it will make the world much more vulnerable,” he said.

Any country has the right to improve its security, he added, but not at another country’s expense.

EU bank unveils new fund worth 400 million euros to help rebuild Ukraine

Thursday 13 July 2023 18:40 , Eleanor Noyce

The European Union’s lending arm on Thursday unveiled a new fund worth 400 million euros ($447 mln) to spend on rebuilding Ukraine before the bloc’s longer-term reconstruction plan kicks in.

Sixteen of the EU’s 27 countries said they would chip in to the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) Ukraine Trust Fund, which will provide grants and loans, as well as offering guarantees to Ukrainian banks and businesses.

France and Italy led with contributions worth 100 million euros each to the fund, which a deputy head of the EIB said could go towards repairing large infrastructure, providing financing to small and medium enterprises or public services.

“As the EU, we are financing the resilience of Ukraine,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwinska. “We provide financing to build the resilience of the society and the economy.”

Czerwinska, who is in the running to next head the EIB, said the bank last year disbursed 1.7 billion euros in Ukraine including on schools, hospitals, social housing and kindergartens, as well as urban transport.

She added the bank would top up the new fund with an additional 100 million euros for technical assistance to help Ukraine use the money effectively - something more developed and richer EU countries struggle with in peacetime.

Biden sarcastically swipes at reporter questioning Zelensky on Ukraine joining Nato

Thursday 13 July 2023 18:30 , William Mata

Joe Biden took a sarcastic swipe at journalists on Wednesday (12 July), when Volodymyr Zelensky was asked “how soon after the war” he would like Ukraine to join Nato.

“An hour and 20 minutes,” the US president said, jumping in to answer the question.

“You guys ask really insightful questions,” he then added, taking a swipe at the press.

Mr Biden’s response drew a smile from Mr Zelensky, who was sitting next to him as the pair attended the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The incident came amid claims that the president is known to privately lose his temper and launch into expletive-filled rants toward his staffers.

ICYMI: Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Ben Wallace after he said Ukraine should show more “gratitude” for Western support

Thursday 13 July 2023 18:00 , William Mata

Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Ben Wallace after he said Ukraine should show more “gratitude” for Western support.

Speaking at the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Ukrainian president said that Kyiv has always been “grateful” to the United Kingdom, its prime ministers and the British public.

“The people in the United Kingdom have always supported Ukraine, we are grateful for this,” Mr Zelensky said.

“I don’t know how else we should be grateful... how else should I express my words of gratitude?”

Mr Zelensky also said that the UK and Ukraine have “wonderful relations”.

Kremlin says no final decision on withdrawing from grain deal - RIA

Thursday 13 July 2023 17:58 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia has not decided whether it will withdraw from a deal allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain and fertiliser through the Black sea, RIA Novosti news agency quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia could withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal until other sides fulfil their promises.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website