Ukraine war – live: Russia says Kyiv’s ‘terrorist’ drone attack on Moscow thwarted

The Russian Defence Ministry has said it intercepted and destroyed two Ukraine-launched drones in Moscow in the early hours today, amid reports that their fragments were found two km (1.2 miles) from the ministry’s building.

The ministry accused Ukraine of a “terrorist attack” but said there were no casualties. Two non-residential buildings were also struck, said Sergei Sobyanin, mayor of Moscow.

Officials closed all traffic on Komsomolsky and Likhachev Avenues in Moscow’s south where a high-rise office building was struck, according to state news reports.

Kyiv has not confirmed the Russian reports on the drone attacks. It does not claim responsibility for operations on Russian soil, stating that the foreign invading nation is not its target.

This comes just hours after at least one person was killed after a Russian missile struck Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa as it severely damaged an Orthodox cathedral in the city centre – a Unesco world heritage site. Another 20 were injured in the attack on the civilian infrastructure.

Key Points

• Russia says Ukraine drone attack on Moscow thwarted

• Zelensky says counteroffensive about to 'gain pace'

• Putin gives chilling warning to Poland as Moscow ready to defend Belarus

• Ukraine using US cluster bombs ‘effectively,’ White House says

• Video shows first confirmed use of US clusterbombs by Ukraine

• Russia restricts movements of British diplomats in response to 'hostile actions'

• Ukraine 'attempts drone strike in Crimea', Russia claims

Russian schoolchildren to be taught about combat drones

09:56 , Chris Stevenson

In there latest intelligence briefing, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has flagged that Russian schoolchildren will be taught the basics of operating combat drones – including ways to counter Ukrainian uncrewed drones. The lessons will be joined by assault rifle training, hand grenade skills and combat first aid. They'll come under a revised "Basics of Life Safety syllabus" for year 10 and 11 students, the ministry said, citing an announcement by Russian senator Artem Sheikin. The lessons will begin in September.The military says the renewed push on military skills for children is largely an effort to "cultivate a culture of militarised patriotism" instead of created "genuine capability".

Russian attacks aim to fully block Ukrainian grain exports - Odesa governor

12:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The governor of Ukraine‘s Odesa region said on Monday Russia was trying to completely block exports of Ukrainian grain to global markets after the latest in a series of Russian air attacks struck grain infrastructure on the Danube River.

“Russia is trying to fully block the export of our grain and make the world starve,” governor Oleh Kiper told Ukrainian television.

Crimea hit by drone attack

11:01 , Chris Stevenson

A drone attack has hit an ammunition depot in Crimea and forced a halt in traffic on a major motorway and a railway crossing the Black Sea peninsula that was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.

The Moscow-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said the authorities also ordered the evacuation of several villages within a three-mile radius of the depot that was hit.

Ukraine forces advance

10:18 , Chris Stevenson

The Ukrainian military has retaken more than 4.6 square miles (12 square km) of territory in the south of the country over the last week, its deputy defence minister has said.

To give you a sense of scale, that is more than 2,000 football pitches.

The latest advances means Ukraine has recaptured more than 192 square km in the southern sector since its counteroffensive started last month, Hanna Maliar said.

In the east, the main focus of fighting continues to be around Bakhmut – a city that has seen some of the war's fiercest battles.

Ukraine accused of launching drone attack on Moscow

09:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine has been accused of launching a drone attack on Moscow - while Russia launched new strikes on port infrastructure in southern Ukraine.

Sergei Sobyanin, mayor of the Russian capital, said no one was hurt when the drones hit two non-residential buildings.

Russia‘s defence ministry claimed the military jammed both drones, forcing them to crash.

One fell on the Komsomolsky motorway near the centre of Moscow, close to the main defence ministry building, Russian media reported.

Another hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting its upper floors.

Ukrainian authorities did not immediately claim responsibility for the strike, which was the second drone attack on Moscow this month.

In the previous attack, on July 4, the Russian military said four of the five drones were downed by air defences on the outskirts of Moscow and the fifth was jammed by electronic warfare means and forced down.

The raid prompted authorities to temporarily restrict flights at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport and divert flights to two other Moscow airports.

Russia says Ukraine fired 17 drones at Crimea

09:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that Ukraine tried to attack Crimea overnight using 17 drones, but that the attack was foiled and that there were no casualties.

It said eleven of the drones crashed into the Black Sea after being repressed by anti-drone equipment, three fell on Crimean territory and three were destroyed by air-defences.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the report.

Why Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s ports matter for us all

08:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

First Moscow ended a pivotal deal allowing Ukraine to export grain, now it is repeatedly attacking the country’s ports, writes Bel Trew. The consequences will be felt from the poorest in Egypt to kitchens across Britain:

When Russia hits Ukraine’s farmers, it lashes out at the world.

This has been the resounding message I’ve heard over the last year of Moscow’s invasion by Ukrainian farmers from Donbas to Dnipro.

Most recently that warning was relayed near the southern city of Nikopol. “We are just one farm, there are thousands like us,” Vitaly, 29, told me in a crumbling field. “If we cannot produce food, there will be a problem for the world,” he added.

Why the Russian attacks on Ukraine’s ports matter for us all | Bel Trew

Russian teaching drone combat operations to school kids – UK MoD

07:51 , Arpan Rai

All Russian school children are to be taught the basics of operating combat drones, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said today.

The ministry cited Russian senator Artem Sheikin’s announcement that the lessons will include how to conduct terrain reconnaissance and ways to counter enemy uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).

“The UAV lessons join assault rifle training, hand grenade skills and combat first aid in the revised ‘Basics of Life Safety’ syllabus for year 10 and 11 students, due to be mandated from 1 September 2023,” it added.

The British MoD said Russia’s “renewed emphasis on military induction for children is largely an effort to cultivate a culture of militarised patriotism rather than develop genuine capability”.

“However, the addition of UAV skills does highlight how Russia has identified the use of tactical UAVs in Ukraine as an enduring component of contemporary war,” the ministry said.

Russia's FSB says traces of explosives found on foreign grain ship

07:45 , Arpan Rai

Traces of explosives have been found on a ship travelling from Turkey to the port of Rostov-on-Don in Russia to pick up grain, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said today.

It claimed that the ship had been docked in the Ukrainian port of Kiliia in May, and that it may have been used to deliver explosives to Ukraine.

The FSB, Russia’s security agency, said the ship had changed its name while in the Turkish port of Tuzla earlier this month and replaced its crew, which had consisted of 12 Ukrainian nationals.

“These circumstances may indicate the possibility of using the foreign civilian ship to deliver explosives to the territory of Ukraine,” it said.

While it did not name the vessel, the FSB Said it had been inspected in the Kerch Strait and was banned from continuing its journey, after which it left Russian waters.

The charges come one week after Russia pulled out of an agreement that had enabled Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports, with ships undergoing security inspections.

Four injured as Russian attack on Odesa destroys grains depot, says Ukraine

06:58 , Arpan Rai

At least four employees were injured in a Russian overnight drone attack on the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa which destroyed a grains depot, Ukraine’s southern military command said today.

Based on preliminary information, three drones were destroyed in the attacks, the command said.

Russian ammunition depot hit in drone attack in Crimea, says official

06:39 , Arpan Rai

An ammunition depot was struck in a Ukrainian drone attack on Dzhankoi in Crimea early today, with Russian air defence forces intercepting or suppressing 11 drones over the area, a Russian-installed official said.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of the Crimean Peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, also said that a residential building was damaged in the area.

It was not immediately clear whether the ammunition depot was directly hit by a drone or if it was damaged by falling drone debris.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has been saying in recent months that destroying Russia’s military infrastructure helps Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

The Russian military air base near Dzhankoi has been a sensitive target in the continuing war as Ukrainian officials have long said the city and surrounding areas have been turned into Moscow’s largest military base in Crimea.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the alleged attack.

Ukraine confirms Crimea drone strike

06:28 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian military seemed to confirm it had launched the drone strike, after it claimed that it had destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses in the Krasnohvardiiske region of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the bridge linking Crimea to Russia was a legitimate target as it was used by Moscow “to feed the war with ammunition.”

Russia blames Ukraine for drone ‘terrorist attack’

05:35 , Arpan Rai

The Russian Defence Ministry has accused Ukraine of launching a “terrorist attack” after Moscow’s air defence intercepted and destroyed two drones in the early hours today.

Fragments of the drone, likely shot down in the thwarting attempt, were found 2km (1.2 miles) away from the Russian defence ministry building, the state news agencies reported.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel that two non-residential buildings were struck during the attack, which happened around 4am (0100 GMT).

It was unclear whether the drones hit the buildings when they were downed, or whether they deliberately targeted the buildings.

Drone fragments found near Russia's defence ministry building

03:58 , Arpan Rai

Fragments of a drone were found in central Moscow today, some 2km (1.2 miles) away from the defence ministry’s main building, Russian emergency services said.

Komsomolsky Avenue from the centre of Moscow towards the outskirts of the city was closed, said RIA news agency, citing Moscow’s Department of Transport.

At least two loud explosions were heard by witnesses before the drone fragments were found, according to the reports.

No casualties have been reported so far, the emergency services said.

Residents of several districts in Moscow’s southwest and south reported the sounds of explosions, according to the messages on Russia’s FSB-linked Telegram channels.

Russia says Ukraine drone attack on Moscow thwarted

03:49 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s air-defence forces thwarted a Ukraine drone attack on Moscow early early today, Russia’s defence ministry said.

Two drones were intercepted and destroyed in a non-residential area, officials said earlier.

The drones struck two non-residential buildings in Moscow at around 4am (0100 GMT), Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.

“There was no serious damage or injuries,” he said.

NATO-Ukraine Council will meet on Wednesday, says Zelenskiy

03:30 , Nick Ferris

The NATO-Ukraine Council is set to meet on wedneday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Sunday.

It is expected that Black Sea security will be top of the agenda, following Russia’s with withdrawal from a year-old deal overseeing grain exports from Ukrainian ports, and the recent bombing of Odesa.

The meeting was first requested by Zelenskiy in a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday.

Zelenskiy said on Sunday the meeting was among several events Ukraine was preparing for in the coming week that would strengthen the country’s defense.

He said new support packages were being prepared, which will include more air defense, artillery, and long-range weapons.

Meloni: Italy ready to assist with the Transfiguration Cathedral rebuild

02:30 , Nick Ferris

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that Italy is ready to assist Ukraine with the reconstruction of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa.

In a statement, Meloni said: “The attacks on Odesa, the deaths of innocent people, and the destruction of the Transfiguration Cathedral deeply sadden us.

“Italy, with its unique experience in restoration in the world, is ready to join the reconstruction of the cathedral and other treasures of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.”

Right-wing Prime Minister Meloni has emerged as a staunch supporter of Kyiv, despite some of her conservative coalition allies previously maintaining close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine says Odesa cathedral has been “destroyed twice”: By Putin and Stalin

01:30 , Nick Ferris

Odesa’s Transfiguration Cathedral has now been “destroyed twice,” said Ukraine‘s defence ministry: By Russian President Vladimir Putin and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

The original early 19th-century cathedral was demolished in 1936 as part of Stalin’s anti-religious campaigns, and rebuilt when Ukraine gained independence from Moscow in 1991.

The most recent attack has seen parts of the building were destroyed, with floors covered in rubble and chunks were ripped off the cathedral’s ornate walls.

Russia has attacked Odesa with missiles and drones several times since it withdrew on Monday from a year-old deal that had allowed for safe exports of Ukraine‘s grain from Black Sea ports.

Odesa’s ports were the departure point for grain leaving Ukraine in the Turkey and UN-brokered agreement.

ICYMI: Blinken says Ukraine has taken back 50% of territory that Russia seized

Monday 24 July 2023 00:30 , Nick Ferris

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said Ukraine has taken back about 50% of the territory that Russia seized, although Kyiv’s counteroffensive will extend several months.

“It’s already taken back about 50% of what was initially seized,” Blinken said in an interview to CNN on Sunday.

“These are still relatively early days of the counteroffensive. It is tough,” he said, adding: “It will not play out over the next week or two. We’re still looking I think at several months.”

Ukraine has recaptured some villages in the south and territory around the ruined city of Bakhmut in the east, but has not had a major breakthrough against heavily defended Russian lines.

When asked if Ukraine will get U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, Blinken said he believed it would. “And the important focus is on making sure that when they do, they’re properly trained, they’re able to maintain the planes, and use them in a smart way.”

New video: The outdoor service held at the Transfiguration Cathedral following today’s bombing

Sunday 23 July 2023 23:30 , Nick Ferris

New video footage is circulating on social media of an outdoor service held at the Transfiguration Cathedral, after it was bombed in the early hours of Sunday.

Crowds of people are seen to light candles in front of the cracked edifice of the bombed-out cathedral.

Archdeacon Andrii Palchuk held the service after volunteers helped put out fires and clear rubble inside.

The congregation gathered outside in front of a sacred icon that had “miraculously survived”, Palchuk said.

Sunday 23 July 2023 22:30 , Nick Ferris

Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy has called for more air defence systems, following the latest attack on Odesa.

“Ukraine needs a full-fledged sky shield – this is the only way to defeat Russian missile terror”, the Ukrainian president said in a Tweet.

“Thanks to the help of our partners and the air defense systems provided to Ukraine, our defenders of the sky have saved thousands of lives.

“But we need more air defense systems for our entire territory, for all our cities and communities.”

Putin’s troops unleash missile strikes on Odesa as Orthodox cathedral damaged

Sunday 23 July 2023 21:30 , Nick Ferris

At least one person was killed and 22 others wounded in early morning missile strikes on the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa, according to officials.

Four children were among those wounded, while blasts also severely damaged 25 landmarks across the city, including the historic Transfiguration Cathedral.

Read our latest report on what has happened in Ukraine today below.

Putin’s troops unleash missile strikes on Odesa as Orthodox cathedral damaged

UK ambassador to Ukraine says there are no military installations in central Odesa

Sunday 23 July 2023 20:30 , Nick Ferris

The UK’s ambassador to Ukraine has said that there are no military installations in central Odesa, after the city’s Transfiguration Cathedral was damaged by Russian air strikes on Sunday morning.

“This is just a beautiful Ukrainian city, a Unesco World Heritage Site, whose ports export vital food products around the world,” said ambassador Melinda Simmons, reported the BBC.

According to UNESCO, the site represents “an outstanding example of intercultural exchanges and the growth of multicultural and multi-ethnic Eastern European cities of the 19th century.”

The site includes theatres, religious buildings, schools, private palaces, tenement houses and commercial buildings, mostly deigned by Italian architects.

UNESCO will “fields a mission” to assess Odesa cathedral damage in the coming days

Sunday 23 July 2023 19:30 , Nick Ferris

UNESCO has said it will “field a mission to Odesa to conduct a preliminary assessment of damages” in the coming days, following early morning missile strikes that severely damaged the city’s cathedral.

In response to Russia’s most recent strikes on the Ukrainian Port City, the UN body in charge of world heritage sites said: “UNESCO is deeply dismayed and condemns in the strongest terms the brazen attack carried out by the Russian forces, which hit several cultural sites in the city center of Odesa, home to the World Heritage property ‘The Historic Centre of Odesa’.”

“The attack took the lives of at least two people, according to preliminary reports, and damaged a number of significant cultural sites, including the Transfiguration Cathedral, the first and foremost Orthodox church in Odesa founded in 1794.”

Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-General, added: “This outrageous destruction marks an escalation of violence against cultural heritage of Ukraine.

“I strongly condemn this attack against culture, and I urge the Russian Federation to take meaningful action to comply with its obligations under international law”.

This historic centre of Odesa has been designated a World Heritage in Danger site since January 2023.

Unilever says it will let Russia employees be conscripted

Sunday 23 July 2023 18:28 , Nick Ferris

Consumer goods giant Unilever has said it will allow Russian employees to be conscripted if they are called up.

Unlike many other multinationals, the British manufacturer has argued that it is “not straightforward” to abandon its business, arguing that it would then be “appropriated and then operated” by the Russian state.

Now, in a letter to campaign group B4Ukraine, which campaigns for companies to end operations in Russia, Unilever said it “absolutely condemns the war in Ukraine as a brutal, senseless act by the Russian state”.

But it added that it was: “aware of the law requiring any company operating in Russia to permit the conscription of employees should they be called”.

It added: “We always comply with all the laws of the countries we operate in”.

B4Ukraine criticised Unilever on Twitter, ironically commenting: “The maker of Dove, Persil, and Domestos, @Unilever, which prides itself on its “social purpose”, has confirmed in a letter to B4Ukraine that it would allow its 3,000 Russian workers to be conscripted to fight against Ukraine.”

Ukraine needs 'full-fledged sky shield', says Zelensky

Sunday 23 July 2023 16:56 , Martha Mchardy

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called for more air defence systems “for our entire territory, for all our cities and communities”.

“Ukraine needs a full-fledged sky shield – this is the only way to defeat Russian missile terror,” he tweeted.

Pictures show damage caused to Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa after missile strike

Sunday 23 July 2023 16:47 , Martha Mchardy

Latest pictures from the frontline in Donetsk

Sunday 23 July 2023 16:20 , Martha Mchardy

‘We are controlling what is happening with Wagner,’ says Belarusian president

Sunday 23 July 2023 16:01 , Martha Mchardy

Russian president Vladimir Putin and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko were meeting on Sunday in St Petersburg, two days after Moscow warned Poland that any aggression against its neighbour and ally Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Mr Putin announced at the start of the meeting that talks would also take place on Monday, and declared that Kyiv’s counter-offensive had failed.

Mr Lukashenko said that Wagner troops, who launched joint drills with the Belarusian military on Thursday, almost a month after their short-lived rebellion against Moscow, wanted to go west “on an excursion to Warsaw, to Rzeszow” in Poland, but that Belarus would not allow them to relocate.

“I am keeping them in central Belarus, like we agreed. ... We are controlling what is happening” with Wagner, he said.

A deal was struck after a failed mutiny by Wagner troops aginst president Putin, under which the mercenaries would move to Belarus in return for charges against them relating to the uprising being dropped.

Mr Putin said the fighters could either leave for Belarus, come under the command of the defence ministry or go back to their families.

Blinken says Ukraine has taken back 50% of territory that Russia seized

Sunday 23 July 2023 15:07 , Martha Mchardy

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said Ukraine has taken back about 50% of the territory that Russia seized, although Kyiv’s counteroffensive will extend several months.

“It’s already taken back about 50% of what was initially seized,” Blinken said in an interview to CNN on Sunday.

“These are still relatively early days of the counteroffensive. It is tough,” he said, adding: “It will not play out over the next week or two. We’re still looking I think at several months.”

Local residents join clean-up effort after missile strike destroys Orthodox cathedral in Odesa

Sunday 23 July 2023 14:59 , Martha Mchardy

Local residents have joined in with the clean-up effort after a missile attack destroyed an Orthodox cathedral in Odesa, killing one and injuring many more.

One of the women who came to help with the cleanup said she loved the Transfiguration Cathedral “for its tranquility and grace.”

“When you enter this church, you feel like you’re beyond the world,” said Liudmyla, who only gave her first name.

“I have a feeling that God, to protect apartments, took this pain, this explosion upon himself.”

Anna Fetchenko, who came to Odesa for a volunteer meeting, also pitched in to clear the debris.

“I wanted to go to the seaside, but last night was so frightening that I cried for the first time in 2023,” she said.

“This is our Ukrainian heritage, and now it’s taken away from us.”

Later on Sunday, Archdeacon Andrii Palchuk urged people to gather in front of the destroyed part of the cathedral for an outdoor service and to pray in front of a sacred icon that “miraculously survived.”

“We will pray that it protects us from the Russians,” he said.

The cathedral belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has been accused of links to Russia. The church has insisted that it’s loyal to Ukraine, has denounced the Russian invasion from the start and has even declared its independence from Moscow.

But Ukrainian security agencies have claimed that some in the Ukrainian church have maintained close ties with Moscow. They’ve raided numerous holy sites of the church and later posted photos of rubles, Russian passports and leaflets with messages from the Moscow patriarch as proof that some church officials have been loyal to Russia.

Odesa’s historic center was designated an endangered World Heritage Site by UNESCO earlier this year despite Russian opposition.

Historic cathedral badly damaged after Russian missile strike in Odesa

Sunday 23 July 2023 14:30 , Martha Mchardy

The historical Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, Ukraine has been badly damaged by Russian strikes, the city council said.

Footage shows debris scattered across the floor of the site after missiles hit the port city overnight, which killed at least one person and injured 19 more.

Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko visited the damaged cathedral on Sunday 23 July and shared a video calling for more protection.

“Again Russia used all types of missiles to destroy our city,” he said.

“I address the world, Odesa needs more protection.”

The cathedral was founded in 1794.

Historic cathedral badly damaged after Russian missile strike in Odesa

ICYMI: Ukrainian drone blasts munitions depot in Crimea, as Zelensky says counteroffensive about to ‘gain pace’

Sunday 23 July 2023 14:00 , Martha Mchardy

A Ukrainian attack drone blasted a Russian ammunition depot in central Crimea on Saturday, sparking a major explosion.

Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that there have been no immediate reports of casualties, but that authorities were evacuating civilians within a five-kilometre radius.

The Ukrainian military seemed to confirm it had launched the drone strike, after it claimed that it had destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses in the Krasnohvardiiske region of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Nick Ferris reports:

Ukrainian drone blasts munitions depot in Crimea

Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s fuel margins have more than doubled since start of Ukraine war

Sunday 23 July 2023 13:30 , Martha Mchardy

Supermarkets have more than doubled their margins on fuel since the start of the war in Ukraine, new analysis suggests.

The RAC said Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s were making an average of around 4.7p per litre on fuel sales when the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

The motoring services company found this had increased to around 10p per litre, leading to higher pump prices.

Supermarket fuel margins were 2.3p per litre in 2016.

Neil Lancefield reports:

Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s fuel profits have doubled since Ukraine war

In pictures: Putin welcomes Belarusian president Lukashenko

Sunday 23 July 2023 12:57 , Martha Mchardy

Watch: Residential buildings damaged after Russian missile attack on Odesa

Sunday 23 July 2023 12:30 , Martha Mchardy

Watch: Historic cathedral left in ruins after Russian strike in Odesa

Sunday 23 July 2023 11:55 , Martha Mchardy

Russia denies attacking Odesa cathedral as one killed

Sunday 23 July 2023 11:25 , Martha Mchardy

Russia has denied it carried out an attack on the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, and has blamed Ukraine for the damage.

The Russian Defence Ministry said Ukraine’s statement that the cathedral was damaged by a high-precision weapon “does not correspond to reality”.

Russia said it targeted facilities that “were preparing terrorist acts against the Russian Federation” - and were “located at a safe distance from the Transfiguration Cathedral”.

“The information disseminated by the Kyiv regime about the defeat as a result of the use of high-precision weapons of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Odesa is not true,” a statement read.

A later statement said: “The planning of strikes with precision weapons against military and terrorist infrastructure facilities of the Kyiv regime is carried out on the basis of information carefully checked and confirmed through several channels, knowingly excluding the civilian facilities, as well as cultural and historical heritage sites.

“According to footage of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa published by local residents, the most probable cause of its destruction was the fall of a Ukrainian anti-aircraft guided missile, as a result of the incompetent actions of the operators of air defence systems, which the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) deliberately places in residential areas, including Odesa.”

At least one person was killed and 22 others were wounded, including four children, in the attack in the early hours on Sunday.

Wagner fighter 'didn't have a clue' what was happening during attempted mutiny

Sunday 23 July 2023 11:11 , Martha Mchardy

A member of the Wagner mercenary group said he “didn’t have a clue” what was going on during the attempted mutiny in Rostov-on-Don against president Putin.

Gleb, not his real name, was a junior commander during the mutiny. He said he learned about the true nature of events on Telegram.

“We learned what was happening from Telegram, just like you did,” he told the BBC.

The Wagner fighter said he was with his unit in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region when he got a call from a commander acting on orders from the mercenary group’s now-exiled boss Yevgeny Prigozhin to join a column of Wagner fighters leaving Ukraine.

He claimed he was told it was a “full deployment.”

He said no one was told where the column was heading - and he was surprised when he realised they were moving away from the frontline.

Gleb said Wagner troops did not encounter any resistance as they crossed the Russian border into the Rostov region

“I didn’t see any border guards,” he said.

Putin hosts Lukashenko, says Ukraine counter-offensive has failed

Sunday 23 July 2023 10:45 , Martha Mchardy

Russian president Vladimir Putin said Ukraine’s counteroffensive “has failed” as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St Petersburg on Sunday.

“There is no counteroffensive,” Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying.

Putin replied: “It exists, but it has failed.”

Ukraine began its long-anticipated counter-offensive last month but has so far made only small gains against well entrenched Russian forces who control more than a sixth of its territory after nearly 17 months of war.

U.S. general Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday the Ukrainian drive was “far from a failure” but would be long, hard and bloody.

A Telegram channel linked to Lukashenko quoted him as saying in a jocular tone that fighters of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group who are now training Belarus’s army were keen to push across the border into NATO member Poland.

“The Wagner guys have started to stress us - they want to go west. ‘Let’s go on a trip to Warsaw and Rzeszow’,” he was quoted as saying. There was no indication that Lukashenko was seriously entertaining that idea.

Poland is moving extra troops towards the border with Belarus in response to the arrival of Wagner forces who relocated there after a short-lived mutiny in Russia last month.

Russia will ‘feel retaliation’ after Odesa missile strike, says Zelensky

Sunday 23 July 2023 10:29 , Martha Mchardy

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Russia that Ukraine will retaliate after a missile strike by Russia killed one and injured at least 19 others in Odesa.

In a tweet, president Zelensky said: “Missiles against peaceful cities, against residential buildings, a cathedral... There can be no excuse for Russian evil. As always, this evil will lose. And there will definitely be a retaliation to Russian terrorists for Odesa. They will feel this retaliation.

“All those who suffered from this latest terrorist attack are being provided with assistance.

“I am grateful to everyone who is helping people and to everyone who is with Odesa in their thoughts and emotions. We will get through this. We will restore peace. And for this, we must defeat the Russian evil.”

In pictures: landmark Orthodox cathedral destroyed in Russian airstrikes on Odesa

Sunday 23 July 2023 10:01 , Martha Mchardy

Residents refuse to leave destroyed apartments after Odesa air strike

Sunday 23 July 2023 09:27 , Martha Mchardy

Russia struck the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa again, local officials said, keeping up a barrage of attacks that has damaged critical port infrastructure in southern Ukraine in the past week.

At least one person was killed and 22 others were wounded in the attack in the early hours on Sunday.

Six residential buildings, including apartment buildings, were destroyed by the strikes, regional governor Oleh Kiper said, as well as the historic Transfiguration Cathedral, a landmark Orthodox cathedral in the city.

Svitlana Molcharova, 85, was rescued by emergency service workers.

But after she received first medical aid, she refused to leave her destroyed apartment.

“I will stay here,” she said to the emergency service worker who advised her to leave.

“I woke up when the ceiling started to fall on me. I rushed into the corridor,” said Ivan Kovalenko, 19, another resident of the building.

He came to Odesa having fled the city of Mykolaiv in search of a safer place to live after his house was destroyed.

“That’s how I lost my home in Mykolaiv, and here, I lost my rented apartment.”

In his home, the ceiling partially collapsed, the balcony came off the side of the building, and all the windows were blown out.

The Transfiguration Cathedral, one of the most important and largest Orthodox Cathedrals in Odesa, was severely damaged.

“The destruction is enormous, half of the cathedral is now roofless,” said Archdeacon Andrii Palchuk, as cathedral workers brought documents and valuable items out of the severely building, the floor of which was inundated with water used by firefighters to extinguish the fire.

Mr Palchuk said the damage was caused by a direct hit from a Russian missile that penetrated the building down to the basement and caused significant damage. Two people who were inside at the time of the strike were wounded.

“But with God’s help, we will restore it,” he said, bursting into tears.

After the fires were put out, volunteers donned hard hats, shovels and brooms at the cathedral to begin removing rubble, combing through to salvage any church artifacts — under the watchful gaze of the saints whose paintings remained intact.Local officials said that the icon of the patroness of the city had been retrieved from under the rubble.

Ukraine losing 'very many' special soldiers clearing mines by hand

Sunday 23 July 2023 08:45 , Vishwam Sankaran

Specialised soldiers called sappers have been removing mines by hand and clearing the paths for Ukraine’s troops.

These teams of manual deminers, who typically use handheld metal detectors to locate and remove mines, are reportedly at great danger amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive to push back occupying Russian forces.

The Washington Post reported that over months of stalemate along the front lines, Russia has built up heavily mined defences.

“They prepared very well…Every square inch is mined. They plant mines on approaches to their positions and blow them when they retreat,” a frontline Ukrainian soldier told Kyiv Post.

“Nobody expected the whole terrain to be mined, so we’ve been banging our heads against the minefields, moving at a snail’s pace. We really lose very many sappers. They always go ahead of the troops,” he added.

Russia's attack on Odesa kills one

Sunday 23 July 2023 08:29 , Martha Mchardy

A Russian air attack on Ukraine’s Odesa city early on Sunday killed one, injured 22 and badly damaged a Russian-linked Orthodox cathedral, with officials saying they retrieved the icon of the patroness of the port city from under the rubble. “Odesa: another night attack of the monsters,” Oleh Kiper, governor of southern Ukraine’s Odesa region, said on the Telegram messaging app.

One person was killed and 22 injured, including four children, in the missile attacks that also destroyed six houses and apartment buildings. Fourteen people were hospitalised, he said.

Russia has been pounding Odesa and other Ukrainian food export facilities nearly daily over the past week after it withdrew from a U.N.-brokered sea corridor agreement that allowed for the safe shipment of Ukrainian grain.

Odesa’s military administration said that the Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), was severely damaged. “The Kasperovska icon of the Mother of God, who is the patroness of Odesa, was retrieved from under the rubble,” the administration said on its Telegram channel.

Russians fought alongside corpse of comrade 'decomposing for weeks' – report

Sunday 23 July 2023 08:10 , Vishwam Sankaran

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, several reports have pointed out that Moscow is hiding the true death toll among Russian forces.

Earlier reports have suggested that Russian troops were leaving behind the bodies of some their dead comrades.

In one case, reported by The Times, a Ukrainian soldier said Russians were forced to fight alongside the corpse of their dead comrade for weeks.

Russia's logistics 'suffering' due to counteroffensive, Ukraine says

Sunday 23 July 2023 07:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Ukraine’s counteroffensive strategy to target Russian logistics well within its occupied territories has successfully undermined the capabilities of Vladimir Putin’s forces, Kyiv said.

The strategy has complicated Russia’s plans by striking ammunition supplies deep in occupied territory, according to a statement by the Southern Operational Command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk.

“Now the Russians’ logistics are suffering,” Ms Humeniuk said.

The Institute for the Study of War wrote in a report yesterday that Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s ammunition concentrations are causing logistical issues for the Russian military.

Citing Mr Humeniuk, the report noted that there is decreased Russian shelling in Kherson Oblast, suggesting Russian forces are experiencing “shell hunger” in the area.

Russian war reporter's death sparks outrage against Ukraine's clusterbomb use

Sunday 23 July 2023 07:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

The death of a Russian war reporter yesterday has prompted outrage from Moscow over Ukraine’s use of cluster munitions.

These bombs have been banned in over 100 countries as they rain shrapnel over a wide area and the unexploded ones, in particular, can stay behind for years, posing a risk to civilians.

“Those responsible for the brutal reprisal against a Russian journalist will inevitably suffer well-deserved punishment. The entire measure of responsibility will be shared by those who supplied cluster munitions to their Kyiv protégés,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Drone attack in Crimea prompts evacuation

Sunday 23 July 2023 06:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Authorities evacuated a 5km radius in Crimea after a drone attack on an ammunition depot.

Road traffic was also suspended on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia after Ukraine destroyed an oil depot and Russian army warehouses in what Kyiv called “temporarily occupied” district of Oktiabrske in central Crimea.

The region’s Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said the drone attack caused an ammunition depot to explode, adding that there were no deaths reported.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the bridge linking Crimea to Russia was a legitimate target as was a military supply route for Moscow.

“This is the route used to feed the war with ammunition and this is being done on a daily basis,” he said.

Belarusian president arrives in St Petersburg to meet with Putin

Sunday 23 July 2023 06:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has arrived in St Petersburg to meet with Vladimir Putin, just days after the Russian president warned that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Mr Putin’s staunch words came as Poland decided to move its military units closer to its border with Belarus earlier this week in response to the arrival of Russia’s Wagner Group forces to Belarus.

Since Russia full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Moscow and Minsk have maintained their strong ties, holding multiple joint military exercises, and Mr Lukashenko allowing Russia to use Belarus as a base for Russian nuclear weapons.

The Kremlin said Mr Lukashenko would talk to the Russian president about further development of the two countries’ “strategic partnership” in his recent visit, according to Reuters.

Unesco condemns Russian attacks on world heritage site

Sunday 23 July 2023 05:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Unesco has issued a statement condemning Russian missile attacks that damaged Odesa’s historic city centre.

Russia’s missile and drone attacks in Odesa damaged several museums including the Odesa Archaeological Museum and the Odesa Maritime Museum.

Missile attacks by Russian forces also destroyed Odesa’s historic Transfiguration Cathedral.

“Once again, Unesco calls for a cessation of attacks against cultural property protected by widely ratified international normative instruments. This war represents an ever-increasing threat to Ukrainian culture,” the UN body said.

Ukraine's allies shifting focus from donating weapons to fixing them – report

Sunday 23 July 2023 05:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

The West’s support for Ukraine’s war efforts is shifting from donating more weapons to repairing and maintaining ones already provided, a shift in strategy likely due to a perception that the war could grind on for months to come.

“We’re setting up repair facilities in Europe, we’re translating training and repair manuals, we have to do much more together, so there’s going to be more of a focus on that,” Pentagon’s acquisition and sustainment chief William LaPlante told Politico.

Some of The West’s donated war equipment such as the US-made Bradley fighting vehicles and German tanks have been either damaged or destroyed over the duration of the war in Ukraine.

And Ukraine’s counteroffensive has also met with a hurdle as forces are finding it harder to penetrate areas covered by mines.

Repairing and fixing armoured vehicles for Ukrainian soldiers to navigate these minefields is seen as a priority, according to Politico.

Area of Ukraine size of Florida dotted with mines – report

Sunday 23 July 2023 04:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Land mines placed by Russian forces across Ukraine currently pose one of the most daunting challenges for Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

Ukraine is currently the most mined country in the world with mines dotting the country across an area roughly the size of Florida, the Washington Post reported.

These mines pose strategic challenges for Ukrainian troops fighting to push back occupying Russian forces, and data from the Ukrainian government and mine clearance organisations suggests these mines may last for generations to come.

“The sheer quantity of ordnance in Ukraine is just unprecedented in the last 30 years. There’s nothing like it,” Greg Crowther, the director of programs for the NGO Mines Advisory Group told The Post.

Polish deputy foreign minister recalls Russian ambassador following territorial ambitions allegations

Sunday 23 July 2023 04:00 , Nick Ferris

The Polish deputy foreign minister, Pawel Jablonski, held a “very brief” meeting with the country’s Russian ambassador in Warsaw on Saturday, following allegations that Poland harbours territorial ambitions in Ukraine and Belarus.

“The frontiers between countries are absolutely untouchable and Poland is opposed to any kind of revision thereof,” Jablonski said.

Meanwhile, Russian ambassador Sergei Andreev spoke of discord at the meeting to Russian state-owned Tass media.

“The meeting went as expected. The Deputy Foreign Minister Jablonski presented the complaints of the Polish side over the things that the Russian President said about Poland during the Security Council meeting yesterday”, he said.

“We registered a complete lack of mutual understanding and completely different approaches to both issues of today’s politics and issues of history”.

Sunday 23 July 2023 03:15 , Nick Ferris

NATO and Ukraine will discuss security in the Black Sea next week at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the NATO said on Saturday.

NATO spokesperson Oanu Lungescu said the NATO-Ukraine Council, set up at this month’s alliance summit, would discuss the situation following Russia’s withdrawal from the year-old deal overseeing grain exports from Ukrainian ports.

Zelenskiy said he had requested the meeting in a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Lungescu said the two men discussed Russia’s pullout from the deal and its “continued attempts to weaponise food, which are affecting millions of vulnerable people around the world”.

The meeting, she said, would take place at the level of ambassadors. The council’s inaugural meeting, at NATO’s summit in Vilnius, was attended by heads of state or government.

Earlier on Saturday, Zelenskiy confirmed via Twitter that unblocking the Black Sea grain corridor was “a priority”.

ICYMI: Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s fuel margins have more than doubled since start of Ukraine war

Sunday 23 July 2023 02:30 , Nick Ferris

Supermarkets have more than doubled their margins on fuel since the start of the war in Ukraine, new analysis suggests.

The RAC said Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s were making an average of around 4.7p per litre on fuel sales when the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

The motoring services company found this had increased to around 10p per litre, leading to higher pump prices.

Supermarket fuel margins were 2.3p per litre in 2016.

Read more here:

Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s fuel profits have doubled since Ukraine war

Nato and Ukraine to discussion operation of a corridor for grain exports next week

Sunday 23 July 2023 01:27 , Holly Bancroft

Nato and Ukraine are to discuss security in the Black Sea next week, particularly the operation of a corridor for grain exports, at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Western alliance said on Saturday.

Nato spokesperson Oanu Lungescu said the Nato-Ukraine Council, set up at this month’s alliance summit, would discuss the situation following Russia’s withdrawal from the year-old deal overseeing grain exports from Ukrainian ports.

Zelenskiy said he had requested the meeting in a telephone conversation with Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Lungescu said the two men discussed Russia’s pullout from the deal and its “continued attempts to weaponise food, which are affecting millions of vulnerable people around the world”.

The meeting, she said, would take place at the level of ambassadors. The council’s inaugural meeting, at Nato’s summit in Vilnius, was attended by heads of state or government.

ICYMI: Drone attack on Crimea ammunition depot prompts evacuation, Moscow-installed governor says

Sunday 23 July 2023 00:43 , Holly Bancroft

A drone attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea prompted authorities to evacuate a 5-km (3-mile) radius and briefly suspend road traffic on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia, the region’s Moscow-installed governor said on Saturday.

Ukraine said its army had destroyed an oil depot and Russian army warehouses in what it called the “temporarily occupied” district of Oktiabrske in central Crimea.

The attack caused an ammunition depot to explode, said Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov, adding there was no reported damage or casualties. Footage shared by state media showed a thick cloud of grey smoke at the site.

Aksyonov later said that all rail traffic in the affected area, temporarily disrupted, was back to normal operation.

Russian news agencies quoted the Health Ministry as saying 12 people required medical assistance and four were taken to hospital.

Russia seized and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion of the country.

The brief halting of traffic on the Crimean Bridge, about 180 km (110 miles) to the east of the drone incident, came five days after explosions there killed two people and damaged a section of roadway - the second major attack on the bridge since the start of the war.

The 19 km (12 mile) road and rail bridge is a vital logistics link for Russian forces, and is also heavily used by Russian tourists who flock to Crimea in summer.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the bridge was a legitimate target because it was a military supply route for Russia.

“This is the route used to feed the war with ammunition and this is being done on a daily basis,” he said.

Russia is on high alert for incidents at the bridge, and an official Telegram channel tells people not to panic in the event of an alarm.

In a further sign of security concerns in Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to Aksyonov, warned people not to post images of critical infrastructure on the internet.

He urged people who knew the authors of such posts to report them to the interior ministry or the FSB security service.

“Remember that a video posted on the web of military or other critical facilities is work for the enemy,” he said

Poland says tanks maintenance hub damaged in Ukraine conflict

Saturday 22 July 2023 23:40 , Holly Bancroft

Poland said on Saturday that a maintenance hub for tanks damaged in Ukraine during the conflict with Russia had begun operating in its southern city of Gliwice.

Poland, one of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s biggest allies since Russia’s invasion last year, had been negotiating with Germany to create a joint workshop for Leopard tanks, but no common position has been announced.

“The maintenance hub in Gliwice has started operating! The first two Leopards have already arrived from Ukraine to the Bumar plant,” Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter.

It was not immediately clear if that hub was the mooted joint initiative with Germany.

Russian special forces kill gun man who broke into private house near Moscow

Saturday 22 July 2023 22:30 , Nick Ferris

Russian security forces have killed a heavily-armed gunman on Saturday who had broken into a private house in the suburbs of Moscow.

The gunman was spotted by guards after he had broken into an unoccupied house in an elite village in the Istra region, about 30 miles west of Moscow.

He held them at gunpoint, but they managed to escape, according to Russian media.

For several hours the authorities negotiated with the gunman, who was in combat fatigues and had a Kalashnikov rifle.

The man claimed he came from the front lines in Ukraine and was driven by God to march on the Kremlin, the seat of the government in Moscow.

He refused to surrender, fired at the special forces and was killed when they stormed the house, Russia’s National Guard said.

The attacker reportedly had several automatic weapons and hand grenades, according to AP.

Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein identified the man as Vyacheslav Chernenko, 35, a resident of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. It was not clear if he had indeed fought in Ukraine as he claimed.

Ukrainian drone blasts munitions depot in Crimea, as Zelensky says counteroffensive about to ‘gain pace’

Saturday 22 July 2023 21:37 , Holly Bancroft

A Ukrainian attack drone blasted a Russian ammunition depot in central Crimea on Saturday, sparking a major explosion.

Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that there have been no immediate reports of casualties, but that authorities were evacuating civilians within a five-kilometre radius.

The Ukrainian military seemed to confirm it had launched the drone strike, after it claimed that it had destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses in the Krasnohvardiiske region of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Local news channels posted videos showing plumes of smoke above settlements, as explosions rumble in the background.

The drone attack comes just as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the country’s counteroffensive to push back Russian forces in occupied Ukraine is set to “gain pace.”

Read the full story here:

Ukrainian drone blasts munitions depot in Crimea

Ukraine has the initiative on the frontlines - according to defence official

Saturday 22 July 2023 20:15 , Nick Ferris

Ukraine's deputy defence minister Volodymyr Gavrilov said that Ukraine now has the initiative.

Speaking on Telegram, he said: "It is important that we progress every day. Somewhere by 100 meters, somewhere - by a kilometre.

"Every day... we gnaw away the first and second lines of defence where Russia was able to build something.

"It is clear that people sitting in warm rooms, watching the internet and television, would like things to happen faster, but the reality is that you have to take into account what is happening on the ground."

Ukraine shoots down 14 Russian drones - according to reports

Saturday 22 July 2023 19:45 , Matt Drake

Five Russian combat drones and nine reconnaissance drones were shot down over the past 24 hours.

Euromaiden Press also added that Ukraine conducted 25 airstrikes on Russian positions on July 21.

Pictured: Funeral for Ukrainian serviceman killed in Donbas

Saturday 22 July 2023 19:15 , Matt Drake

Ukrainian servicemen are seen carrying a their national flag for serviceman Bohdan Kobylianskyi who was killed in Donbas, during the funeral ceremony in Dusaniv.

Other mourners were seen carrying photographs and his mother cried inconsolably.

At least four killed at Moscow mall after hot water pipe bursts

Saturday 22 July 2023 18:45 , Matt Drake

At least four people were killed and several others injured on Saturday after a hot water pipe burst at a shopping mall in western Moscow, the city’s mayor said.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some of those injured had suffered burns, and that emergency services were working on the scene.

Video footage showed flooding throughout the building and steam flowing out of a doorway.

The mall, known as Vremena Goda (The Seasons), opened in 2007 and houses over 150 stores.

“We are providing medical assistance to all the victims,” Sobyanin said.

Ukrainian President Zelensky spoken with Nato chief about 'further actions' about NATO integration

Saturday 22 July 2023 18:15 , Matt Drake

The President tweeted that he has spoken to NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg about “further actions regarding the integration of Ukraine into Nato”.

"We shared assessments of the current situation in the Black Sea and the risks it poses for global food security.

"We also identified with Mr Stoltenberg the priority and future steps necessary for unblocking and sustainable operation of the Black Sea grain corridor," he said.

Chilean president: Russia broke the law

Saturday 22 July 2023 17:45 , Matt Drake

The president of Chile Gabriel Boric spoke to the BBC about the Russian invasion.

He said that Russia broke international law when it invaded Ukraine, adding: "Russia invaded a free country and wants to take part of its territory and that violates international law.

"We should defend international law because now it's Ukraine tomorrow it could be us, or anyone."

Pictured: Russian territorial defence unit train near Crimea

Saturday 22 July 2023 17:15 , Matt Drake

Pictures have emerged showing the Russian territorial defence female unit holing drills in Yevpatoriya.

They can be seen training at a firing ground.

Also spotted on their uniforms are "Zs" which the Russian Ministry of Defence saidd was an abbreviation "for victory" and V stood for "power of truth".

Pictured: Local residents evacuating following drone attack

Saturday 22 July 2023 16:45 , Matt Drake

Residents of the small town of Oktyabr'skoye near Simferopol can be seen carrying their belongings.

They were forced to evacuate after a Ukrainian drone attack blew up an ammunition depot.

Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of the territory that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, said in a Telegram post that there were no immediate reports of casualties but that authorities were evacuating civilians within a three-radius of the blast site.The Ukrainian military appeared to confirm it had launched the drone strike, claiming through its press service that it had destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses in the Krasnohvardiiske area, although without specifying what weapons were used.

German photographer and several others injured in Russian cluster bomb attack

Saturday 22 July 2023 15:40 , Matt Drake

A German photographer working for German newspaper Deutsche Welle in Donetskreportedly wounded in Russian cluster bomb attack

Also, a Ukrainian officer is said to have been killed while several others were reportedly left seriously injured.

Journalist's death prompts Russian outrage over Ukraine's alleged use of cluster bombs

Saturday 22 July 2023 15:21 , Matt Drake

A Russian war reporter was killed and three were wounded on Saturday in what Moscow alleged was a Ukrainian attack using cluster munitions, prompting outrage from politicians.

The defence ministry said the wounded journalists were evacuated from the battlefield after coming under fire in Ukraine‘s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. It said Rostislav Zhuravlev, who worked for state news agency RIA, died while being transferred.

The ministry did not provide evidence that Ukraine had used cluster munitions in the incident, and Reuters was not able to verify the assertion.

Ukraine received cluster bombs from the United States this month, but it has pledged to use them only to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers.

Russian strikes kill at least 8 civilians as fierce fighting continues in Ukraine's south and east

Saturday 22 July 2023 14:45 , Matt Drake

Russian attacks on 11 regions across Ukraine overnight killed at least eight civilians and wounded others, authorities said Saturday, as fierce fighting continues in Ukraine’s attempts to dislodge Russian forces from territory they have occupied.

The regional prosecutor’s office in the eastern Donetsk region said that at least four people, including a married couple, were killed as Russian forces on Friday night shelled the settlement of Niu-York, south of the city of Bakhmut — the site of the war’s longest and bloodiest battle until it fell to Moscow in May. Three other Niu-York residents were hospitalized.

Also on Saturday morning, Ukraine’s interior ministry said that two civilians died as Russian forces Friday struck Kostiantynivka, a city in the Donetsk region, from multiple rocket launchers. In a post on its official Telegram channel, the ministry said that another civilian was wounded in the same attack, which also destroyed 20 private homes, cars and a gas pipeline.

Two people were also killed near the northern city of Chernihiv, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Russian border, as Russian cruise missiles destroyed the local cultural center and damaged apartment blocks, the regional military administration reported on Saturday morning. It did not specify the exact time of the attack, saying only it took place within the previous 24 hours.

Three civilians were wounded as Russian troops overnight shelled a town neighboring the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, local Gov. Serhiy Lysak reported Saturday.

Russian strikes kill at least 8 civilians as fierce fighting continues in Ukraine's south and east

Ukraine apparently takes responsibility for explosion in Crimea

Saturday 22 July 2023 14:15 , Matt Drake

Today there were reports of a drone strike against a weapons depot.

But now the Ukrainian military appeared to confirm it launched the drone strike.

It claimed it destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses.