Ukraine-Russia war – live: Investigations reveal how Putin most likely blew up Kakhovka dam

Two new investigations add to the body of evidence suggesting Russia was responsible for the destruction of the Soviet-era New Kahkovka dam in Ukraine earlier this month.

A team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine’s prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings on Friday it was “highly likely” the collapse in Ukraine’s Kherson region was caused by explosives planted by Russians.

And an investigation published by the New York Times described the destruction of the dam – which was controlled by Russia at the time – as an “inside job”.

Meanwhile on Sunday morning Ukraine’s military said it had destroyed a “very significant” Russian ammunition depot in the Kherson region.

And Russia’s defence minister has admitted that his military is suffering a shortage of tanks. Sergei Shoigu called for more tanks to be manufactured "to meet the needs of Russian forces" in Ukraine, with Kyiv having launched a counteroffensive involving Western tanks and weapons.

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, said on Saturday that Kyiv’s forces were making progress – or having “registered tactical successes” as she put it – in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

Key Points

• Multiple investigations point to Russia blowing up Kakhovka dam

• ‘Significant’ Russian ammunition depot destroyed in Kherson

• Explosions heard in Kyiv as African delegation visits Ukraine

• Ukrainian troops face ‘desperate resistance’ from Russians

• Putin’s forces accused of abducting 150 Ukrainian children from Luhansk

Russia rejects UN help as death toll from breached Kakhovka dam rises

04:34 , Arpan Rai

Russia has rejected an offer from the United Nations to help affected residents in the flooding after the Nova Kakhovka dam breach, officials said.

The UN urged Russia to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law. “Aid cannot be denied to people who need it,” Denise Brown, UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said in a statement.

Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since early days of its invasion in 2022.

The death toll from flooding in the region has risen to 52, with Russian officials saying 35 people had died in Moscow-controlled areas and Ukraine‘s interior ministry saying 17 had died and 31 were missing. More than 11,000 have been evacuated on both sides.

A team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine‘s prosecutors in their investigation said it was “highly likely” the dam’s collapse was caused by explosives planted by Russians.

Wagner’s 32,000 prison fighters return to Russia from Ukraine

03:57 , Arpan Rai

Around 32,000 prisoners recruited by Russian mercenary group Wagner have returned to Russia.

These thousands of prisoners have returned to Russia after their contracts with the mercenary group expired, said its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Prigozhin added that the prisoners whose Wagner contracts expired had committed 83 crimes after they returned to Russia. He claimed that this crime rate is less than for other former convicts.

In pictures: Rally in support of Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Kyiv

03:00 , Martha Mchardy

Putin and South African president meet for talks

02:00 , Martha Mchardy

At talks in St Petersburg on Saturday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa presented Putin with a 10-point peace initiative from seven African countries and told him the time had come for Russia and Ukraine to start negotiations to end the war.

Putin responded by rattling off a string of familiar accusations denied by Ukraine and the West and saying it was Kyiv, not Moscow, that was refusing to talk. He thanked Ramaphosa for his “noble mission”.

Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying Putin had shown interest in the plan but it would be “difficult to realise”.

In Kyiv the previous day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had told the African delegation - the first since the start of the war to hold separate face-to-face talks with both leaders on their peace initiative - that allowing negotiations now would just “freeze the war” and the suffering of the Ukrainian people.

The vast gulf between the two sides was further underlined when Putin used a flagship economic forum on Friday to slur Zelenskiy personally and to restate the objectives of “demilitarising” and “denazifying” Ukraine that he set out on day one of the war, and which Kyiv and the West reject as a false pretext for invasion.

However, Ramaphosa sought to cast the trip to Ukraine and Russia in a positive light, tweeting on Sunday that the “Africa Peace Initiative has been impactful and its ultimate success will be measured on the objective, which is stopping the war”.

He said the Africans would keep talking to both Putin and Zelenskiy and would brief U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on their efforts so far.

ICYMI: Ukrainians rescued from Russian-held flood zones in Kherson

01:00 , Martha Mchardy

ICYMI: Death toll rises from flooding after Ukraine dam breach

00:00 , Martha Mchardy

The death toll from flooding following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has risen to 16 in Ukraine, Kyiv officials said, while Russian officials said 29 people have died in territories that Moscow controls.

The breaching of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across a large swath of land in southern Ukraine and in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine, destroying farmland and cutting off supplies to civilians.

More than 3,600 people have been evacuated from the flooded areas in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, while 31 people were still missing and some 1,300 houses remained flooded, Ukraine’s interior ministry said on its Telegram channel late on Saturday.

Andrei Alekseyenko, chairman of the Russian-installed administration in the Moscow-occupied parts of the Kherson region, said on the Telegram messaging app the death toll had risen to 29 people.

Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since early days of its invasion in 2022.

A team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine’s prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings on Friday it was “highly likely” the collapse in Ukraine’s Kherson region was caused by explosives planted by Russians. The Kremlin accuses Kyiv of sabotaging the hydroelectric dam, which held a reservoir the size of the U.S. Great Salt Lake, to cut off a key source of water for Crimea and distract attention from a “faltering” counter-offensive against Russian forces.

Russia had means, motive and opportunity to destroy Ukraine dam, drone photos and information show

23:19 , William Mata

Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to bring down a Ukrainian dam that collapsed earlier this month while under Russian control, according to exclusive drone photos and information obtained by The Associated Press.

Images taken from above the Kakhovka Dam and shared with the AP appear to show an explosive-laden car atop the structure, and two officials said Russian troops were stationed in a crucial area inside the dam where the Ukrainians say the explosion that destroyed it was centered.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The dam’s destruction led to deadly flooding, endangered crops in the world’s breadbasket, threatened drinking water supplies for thousands and unleashed an environmental catastrophe.

Ukrainian commanders say it also scuppered some of their plans to take Russian positions in a counteroffensive that is now in its early stages.

Putin shows off what he claims is ‘draft peace agreement’ with Ukraine - that they ‘refused to sign’

23:00 , Martha Mchardy

A new clip has emerged of Vladimir Putin showing African leaders what he claims to be a ‘draft peace agreement’ with Ukraine.

The Russian president claimed that Ukraine had allegedly ‘refused to sign it’ so it was ‘thrown into the rubbish heap of history’.

“This draft of the treaty was initialed by the leader of the negotiation group from Kyiv. He put his signature. There it exists,” he told the room, holding up the document.

“Where are the guarantees that they will not renounce any other agreements in the future?”

Kyiv has not commented on the footage.

Sophie Thompson reports:

Putin shows off what he claims is ‘draft peace agreement’ with Ukraine

Russia reports fierce fighting as African peace mission leaves empty-handed

22:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russia reported fierce fighting on Sunday on three sections of the front line in Ukraine, a day after hosting an African peace mission that failed to spark enthusiasm from either Moscow or Kyiv.

A Russian-installed official said Ukraine had recaptured Piatykhatky, a village in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and were entrenching themselves there while coming under fire from Russian artillery.

“The enemy’s ‘wave-like’ offensives yielded results, despite enormous losses,” the official, Vladimir Rogov, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia’s defence ministry made no mention of Piatykhatky in its daily update, in which it said its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks in three sections of the 1,000 km (600 mile) front line. A separate statement from Russia’s Vostok group of forces said Ukraine had failed to take the settlement.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Ukraine said to have recaptured village in Zaporizhzhia

21:51 , William Mata / Mark Trevelyan

Ukraine is said to have recaptured its first village in several days – as fierce fighting continues across the frontline.

A Russian-installed official said Ukraine had recaptured Piatykhatky, a village in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and were entrenching themselves there while coming under fire from Russian artillery.

"The enemy's 'wave-like' offensives yielded results, despite enormous losses," the official, Vladimir Rogov, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Read Mark Trevelyan’s full story here.

UN says Russia so far declining aid access after Ukraine dam burst

21:32 , Reuters

The United Nations said on Sunday that Russia has "so far declined our request to access the areas under its temporary military control" after the Kakhovka Dam burst on June 6, unleashing floodwaters and cutting off supplies to civilians.

“The UN will continue to engage to seek the necessary access. We urge the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law," U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, said in a statement. "Aid cannot be denied to people who need it.”

Ukraine's Zelenskiy: 'very effective' repelling of assaults near Avdiivka in east

21:12 , Reuters

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday praised Ukrainian forces for their “very effective” repelling of enemy assaults near Avdiivka, one of the focal points of fighting in the east.

“The Avdiivka sector is very effective in repelling assaults,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

The head of the military administration in Avdiivka, a mining town shattered by months of fighting, told national television that Ukrainian forces had advanced about one km (two-thirds of a mile) around the town over the past two weeks.

In his remarks, Mr Zelensky also said the Tavria, or southern front, was “the most brutal” and expressed gratitude to soldiers fighting there and elsewhere. Ukrainian military officials have noted progress in advances of troops on the southern front.

Latest pictures from Donetsk front line

21:00 , Martha Mchardy

ICYMI: Rishi Sunak calls on private firms to step up support to boost economic recovery for Ukraine

20:00 , Martha Mchardy

Rishi Sunak will call on businesses and investors to “match Ukraine’s bravery on the battlefield” by stepping up support for the country’s economic recovery.

The prime minister will urge the private sector to “help the country rebuild and recover” in an effort to create a “financially stronger, technologically advanced Ukraine”.

Mr Sunak will address more than 1,000 foreign dignitaries from 61 states at the Ukraine Recovery Conference next week – the largest international conference to be hosted by the UK this year.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Rishi Sunak calls on private firms to step up support for Ukraine

Voices: People say Ukraine will never recover. They’re wrong

19:00 , Martha Mchardy

From Bakhmut to Mariupol entire cityscapes have been devastated. But history also tells us that a durable peace is much likelier where planning for recovery begins early, writes Patrick Watt, chief executive of Christian Aid.

People say Ukraine will never recover. This is how we prove them wrong | Patrick Watt

Both sides suffer heavy casualties as Ukraine strikes back against Russia, UK assessment says

18:36 , AP

Russia and Ukraine are suffering high numbers of military casualties as Ukraine fights to dislodge the Kremlin’s forces from occupied areas in the early stages of its counteroffensive, British officials said Sunday.

Russian losses are probably at their highest level since the peak of the battle for Bakhmut in March, UK military officials said in their regular assessment.

According to British intelligence, the most intense fighting has centered on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province, around Bakhmut and further west in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province.

While the update reported that Ukraine was on the offensive in these areas and had “made small advances,” it said that Russian forces were conducting “relatively effective defensive operations” in Ukraine’s south.

The Ukrainian military said in a regular update Sunday morning that over the previous 24 hours Russia had carried out 43 airstrikes, four missile strikes and 51 attacks from multiple rocket launchers.

According to the statement by the General Staff, Russia continues to concentrate its efforts on offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east, focusing attacks around Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and Lyman in Donetsk province, with 26 combat clashes taking place.

Both sides suffer heavy casualties as Ukraine strikes back against Russia, UK assessment says

18:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russia and Ukraine are suffering high numbers of military casualties as Ukraine fights to dislodge the Kremlin’s forces from occupied areas in the early stages of its counteroffensive, British officials said Sunday.

Russian losses are probably at their highest level since the peak of the battle for Bakhmut in March, U.K. military officials said in their regular assessment.

According to British intelligence, the most intense fighting has centered on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province, around Bakhmut and further west in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province. While the update reported that Ukraine was on the offensive in these areas and had “made small advances,” it said that Russian forces were conducting “relatively effective defensive operations” in Ukraine’s south.

Read the full story:

Both sides suffer heavy casualties as Ukraine strikes back against Russia, UK assessment says

Watch: Putin holds up 'draft peace agreement' with Ukraine

17:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russia says it repels Ukrainian attacks on three sections of front line

16:00 , Tara Cobham

Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had repelled a series of Ukrainian attacks across three sections of the front line, where it said Ukraine was pressing most actively in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The battlefield reports could not be independently verified.

The statement did not mention the settlement of Piatykhatky in Zaporizhzhia region, which a Russian-installed official said earlier had been taken by Ukraine.

Watch: Putin claims to show off ‘draft peace agreement’ with Ukraine

15:00 , Tara Cobham

A new clip has emerged of Vladimir Putin showing African leaders what he claims to be a ‘draft peace agreement’ with Ukraine.

The Russian president claimed that Ukraine had allegedly ‘refused to sign it’ so it was ‘thrown into the rubbish heap of history’.

“This draft of the treaty was initialed by the leader of the negotiation group from Kyiv. He put his signature. There it exists,” he told the room, holding up the document.

“Where are the guarantees that they will not renounce any other agreements in the future?”

Kyiv has not commented on the footage.

Putin shows off what he claims is ‘draft peace agreement’ with Ukraine

Europe to accelerate arms shipments to Ukraine - EU industry chief

14:00 , Tara Cobham

The European Union is speeding up arms deliveries to Ukraine in support of the country's counter offensive against Russian forces, EU industry chief Thierry Breton said on Sunday in an interview with the French daily Le Parisien.

"We are going to step up our efforts to deliver arms and ammunition-- this is a war of high intensity in which they play a crucial role," Breton said, citing a pledge to supply a million high-calibre weapons over the next 12 months.

"We are preparing for the war to last several more months, or even longer," he added.

Ukraine launched a counteroffensive earlier this month to retake territory from Russian forces, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last Thursday urged Kyiv's allies to "dig deep" to provide more arms and ammunition.

Putin’s forces ‘abandon’ village as it's reportedly recaptured by Kyiv

12:28 , Martha Mchardy

Vladimir Putin’s forces “have abandoned” the village of Piatykhatky on the Zaporizhzhia front after it was reportedly recaptured by Kyiv, according to Russian military blogger War Gonzo.

It is Ukraine’s first village gain for nearly a week and marks a significant escalation of Ukraine’s counter-offensive which was launched earlier this month.

The military blogger suggested Ukraine has concentrated large reserves and “heavy armoured vehicles” in the area, which is the most direct route to Crimea.

Russian-installed official Vladimir Rogov claimed on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had taken the settlement of Piatykhatky and were entrenching themselves there while coming under fire from Russian artillery.

However, he said heavy fighting continues in the area. The reports have not been independently verified.

Russia claims it is inflicting heavy losses on Kyiv’s forces and president Putin said last week that Ukraine had “no chance” of success in the counter-offensive.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said last week it had regained control of about 100 square km (38 square miles) of territory in just over a week, recapturing a string of villages in Donetsk region to the east.

Death toll rises from flooding after Ukraine dam breach

12:20 , Tara Cobham

The death toll from flooding following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has risen to 16 in Ukraine, Kyiv officials said, while Russian officials said 29 people have died in territories that Moscow controls.

The breaching of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across a large swath of land in southern Ukraine and in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine, destroying farmland and cutting off supplies to civilians.

More than 3,600 people have been evacuated from the flooded areas in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, while 31 people were still missing and some 1,300 houses remained flooded, Ukraine's interior ministry said on its Telegram channel late on Saturday.

Andrei Alekseyenko, chairman of the Russian-installed administration in the Moscow-occupied parts of the Kherson region, said on the Telegram messaging app the death toll had risen to 29 people.

Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since early days of its invasion in 2022.

A team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine's prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings on Friday it was "highly likely" the collapse in Ukraine's Kherson region was caused by explosives planted by Russians. The Kremlin accuses Kyiv of sabotaging the hydroelectric dam, which held a reservoir the size of the U.S. Great Salt Lake, to cut off a key source of water for Crimea and distract attention from a "faltering" counter-offensive against Russian forces.

Ukrainian counteroffensive on four sections of front on Saturday - ISW

11:20 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine continued its counteroffensive on at least four sections of the front on Saturday, according to the Institute of War (ISW).

Putin lectures African leaders seeking peace in Ukraine

10:20 , Tara Cobham

Russian President Vladimir Putin interrupted opening remarks by African leaders seeking peace in the Ukraine conflict to deliver a list of reasons – including his tried-and-tested tactic of blaming the West – as to why he claims many of their proposals are misguided.

Mr Putin first welcomed the presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt's prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda to the 18th-century Konstantinovsky Palace on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. He stressed Russia's commitment to the continent. But after presentations from the Comoran, Senegalese and South African leaders, he stepped in to challenge the assumptions of the plan before the round of comments from all the representatives could go any further.

Kevin Liffey reports:

Putin lectures African leaders seeking peace in Ukraine – as they say war must end

Prigozhin ‘disinterested in subordinating Wagner to Russian Defence Ministry' - ISW

09:20 , Tara Cobham

Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin has continued to show disinterest in formally subordinating the private military company to the Russian Defence Ministry, according to the Institute of War (ISW).

It said his behaviour suggests he is unlikely to do so unless such a move would give him more political power in Russia.

Prigozhin “sarcastically criticised” the Russian Defence Ministry’s efforts at formalisation on Saturday, added the policy research organisation, having previously signalled he was on board with the order for volunteer formations to sign formal contracts by 1 July.

Sunak calls on private firms to step up support for Ukraine economic recovery

08:20 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak will call on businesses and investors to “match Ukraine’s bravery on the battlefield” by stepping up support for the country’s economic recovery.

The prime minister will urge the private sector to “help the country rebuild and recover” in an effort to create a “financially stronger, technologically advanced Ukraine”.

Mr Sunak will address more than 1,000 foreign dignitaries from 61 states at the Ukraine Recovery Conference next week – the largest international conference to be hosted by the UK this year.

The audience will also contain business chiefs and global investors.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Rishi Sunak calls on private firms to step up support for Ukraine

‘Significant’ Russian ammunition depot destroyed in Kherson

07:00 , Adam Withnall

The Ukrainian military says it has destroyed a “significant” ammunition depot near the Russian-occupied port city of Henichesk in the southern region of Kherson.

Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, said on Sunday: “Our armed forces dealt a good blow in the morning - and a very loud one - in the village of Rykove, Henichesk district, in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region.

“There was a very significant ammunition depot. It was destroyed.”

Ukrainian media posted videos showing a vast plume of smoke rising far on the horizon with sounds of blasts.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the information, and there was no immediate comment from Russia on the alleged attack.

Rykove is about 20km (12 miles) from Henichesk, a port city along the Sea of Azov in southern Ukraine, which has been occupied by Kremlin forces since the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Evidence clearly points to Russia blowing up Kahkovka dam, investigations find

06:28 , Adam Withnall

Multiple investigations published late last week added to the body of evidence suggesting Russia was responsible for the destruction of the Soviet-era New Kahkovka dam in Ukraine earlier this month.

The dam’s destruction unleashed a torrent of water flooding a large stretch of the Kherson region, with officials warning it could lead to water shortages and other long-term impacts for decades to come.

Russia has denied blowing up the dam and blamed it on Ukrainian forces, while Kyiv said it believed Moscow ordered the dam’s destruction in order to slow down its long-awaited military counteroffensive.

Now, a team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine’s prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings on Friday it was “highly likely” the collapse in Ukraine’s Kherson region was caused by explosives planted by Russians.

And an investigation published by the New York Times described the destruction of the dam – which was controlled by Russia at the time – as an “inside job”.

The Times investigation cited engineers and explosive experts, analysing available videos, photographs and satellite imagery of the dam, to conclude that “the evidence clearly suggests the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia”.

It described the dam as virtually indestructible from external forces such as shelling, instead saying that evidence suggests an explosive charge in a passageway running through the dam’s concrete base was detonated, destroying the structure.

The Times cited engineers as saying only a full examination of the dam after the water drains from it could conclusively establish the sequence of events leading to its destruction.

“Erosion from water cascading through the gates could have led to a failure if the dam were poorly designed, or the concrete was substandard, but engineers called that unlikely,” the newspaper said.

Little to show for ‘peace plan’ meeting between Putin and African leaders

05:21 , Adam Withnall

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin met a group of leaders of African countries yesterday, after they travelled to Ukraine and Russia on a self-styled “peace mission”, but the meeting ended with no visible progress.

The seven African leaders – presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt’s prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda – first visited Ukraine on Friday and met with president Volodymyr Zelensky as they discussed efforts to end the nearly 16-month-old war.

The African leaders then travelled to St Petersburg on Saturday to meet Mr Putin, who was attending Russia’s showpiece international economic forum.

Details about the delegation’s proposals were thin.

Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said after the three-hour meeting that the Africans’ peace plan consisted of 10 elements, but “was not formulated on paper”.

“The peace initiative proposed by African countries is very difficult to implement, difficult to compare positions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

But “President Putin has shown interest in considering it”.

“He spoke about our position. Not all provisions can be correlated with the main elements of our position, but this does not mean that we do not need to continue working,” Mr Peskov said.

Sunak to ask businesses to back Ukraine

04:51 , Stuti Mishra

British prime minister Rishi Sunak will ask entrepreneurs and businesses to step up investment in Ukraine at a conference next week to help it rebuild after Russia’s invasion.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will make a virtual appearance at the two-day event which starts in London on Wednesday, organisers said.

“Ukraine’s bravery on the battlefield must be matched by the vision of the private sector to help the country rebuild and recover,” Mr Sunak will say, according to the text of his speech released by his office yesterday

“A financially stronger, technologically advanced Ukraine will bolster its ability to drive Russia back behind its borders,” Mr Sunak will tell dignitaries and company bosses at the Ukraine Recovery Conference, according to the statement.

Blinken arrives in China with Ukraine war on the agenda

04:30 , Stuti Mishra

US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing this morning on a high-stakes diplomatic mission to try to cool high US-China tensions that have set many around the world on edge.

The list of disagreements and potential conflict points is long: ranging from trade with Taiwan, human rights conditions in China to Hong Kong, as well as the Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Mr Blinken was to begin two days of talks with senior Chinese officials in the afternoon. He is the highest-level American official to visit China since president Joe Biden took office and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years.

The trip comes after he postponed plans to visit in February after the shootdown of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the US.

Mr Blinken plans to meet with Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang on Sunday, top diplomat Wang Yi, and possibly president Xi Jinping on Monday, according to US officials.

Shortly before leaving, Mr Blinken emphasised the importance of the US and China establishing and maintaining better lines of communication. The US wants to make sure "that the competition we have with China doesn't veer into conflict" due to avoidable misunderstandings, he told reporters.

Biden and Xi had made commitments to improve communications "precisely so that we can make sure we are communicating as clearly as possible to avoid possible misunderstandings and miscommunications," Mr Blinken said Friday.

Putin lectures African leaders seeking peace in Ukraine – as they tell him war must end

04:00 , Natalie Crockett

Russian President Vladimir Putin interrupted opening remarks by African leaders seeking peace in the Ukraine conflict to deliver a list of reasons – including his tried-and-tested tactic of blaming the West – as to why he claims many of their proposals are misguided.

Mr Putin first welcomed the presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt’s prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda to the 18th-century Konstantinovsky Palace on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. He stressed Russia‘s commitment to the continent. But after presentations from the Comoran, Senegalese and South African leaders, he stepped in to challenge the assumptions of the plan before the round of comments from all the representatives could go any further.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told Mr Putin: “The war cannot go on forever. All wars have to be settled and come to an end at some stage,” he said. “And we are here to communicate a very clear message that we would like this war to be ended.”

Read the full story here:

Putin lectures African leaders seeking peace in Ukraine – as they say war must end

From Friday: How significant is the reported recapture of the first Ukrainian villages from Russia?

03:00 , William Mata

Ukraine has celebrated the first territorial gains of its long-trailed counteroffensive against the invading Russian forces.

Unverified photographs and video appearing on Sunday and on Monday morning showed Ukrainian soldiers holding their country’s blue and yellow flag aloft in triumph in the eastern villages of Storozheve, Blahodatne, Neskuchne and Makarivka in Donetsk, suggesting they had been recaptured from occupying enemy troops.

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar posted one of the photos from Storozheve and thanked the 35th Separate Brigade of Marines for liberating it.

Read the full story by Joe Sommerlad here.

From Friday: Putin touts Russian economy, says Ukraine's president is 'shame to Jewish people'

02:00 , AP

President Vladimir Putin on Friday touted Russia's prospects at the country's main international economic forum despite heavy international sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.

Western officials and investors steered clear of this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that for decades has been Russia’s premier event for attracting foreign capital and is sometimes likened to the Davos World Economic Forum.

Read the full story from Friday here.

Words of encouragement

01:00 , William Mata

Ukraine’s ministry of defence has tweeted some messages of support to its troops as the conflict rages on.

“When the sun goes down, "they" come to destroy our cities and kill our people,” read one message. “Our mission begins at each sunset. We must protect our people.”

President Zelensky earlier said: “Thanks to every soldier! To everyone who fights with the enemy, rescues our soldiers after wounds, trains our soldiers, and supplies everything necessary for the Ukrainian defence!”

'Every position retaken from the occupiers’

Sunday 18 June 2023 00:00 , William Mata

Ukraine’s president has tweeted to say his nation has retaken every position that had been captured.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his soldiers in a report that could not be verified by the Independent.

“Our forces are new and new arguments for the world that Ukraine can, can win,” Mr Zelensky tweeted at 11.50am British time.

Pictures of the day - Satuday, June 17

Saturday 17 June 2023 23:00 , William Mata

Match Ukraine’s bravery in war by stepping up support, PM to tell private sector

Saturday 17 June 2023 22:30 , Nina Lloyd, PA

Rishi Sunak will use a summit in London to call on investors and businesses to match Ukraine’s “bravery on the battlefield” by stepping up support for the country’s economic recovery.

The Prime Minister is set to say the private sector must use its vision to “embrace rapid innovation” that can be used to make the nation “financially stronger” and “technologically advanced”, No 10 said.

More than 1,000 foreign dignitaries from 61 states along with business chiefs and global investors will join Mr Sunak at the Ukraine Recovery Conference next week – the largest international conference the UK will host this year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend virtually and both European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are also expected to speak in the opening session.

Mr Sunak is expected to make the case for greater innovation targeted at the country, which was becoming a major player in the global IT industry prior to the Russian invasion.

What are Storm Shadow cruise missiles and what other weapons has the UK sent to Ukraine?

Saturday 17 June 2023 22:00 , Chris Stevenson

Britain has been a key ally of Ukraine since fighting broke out with Russia and the offer of Storm Shadow cruise missiles was the latest gifting.

A statement from the ministry of defence said: “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, bilateral military assistance has been stepped up, with many allies for the first time supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine.”

Get up to speed here on Storm Shadow cruise missiles and what else the UK has given to Ukraine.

'Why Ukraine should be encouraged by Putin’s bluster over its counteroffensive’

Saturday 17 June 2023 21:00 , William Mata

An opinion piece from yesterday.

The president and his military chiefs have sought to claim extreme Ukrainian troop losses, writes James Nixey.

He says that it is a sure sign that things were not going well for the Kremlin.

Read the full piece here.

Putin interrupts African leaders

Saturday 17 June 2023 20:30 , Chris Stevenson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has interrupted opening remarks by African leaders seeking to mediate in the Ukraine conflict to deliver a list of reasons why he believed many of their proposals were misguided.

Mr Putin first welcomed leaders from Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Uganda, Congo Republic, Comoros and South Africa to the 18th-century Konstantinovsky Palace on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, stressing Russia's commitment to the continent.

But after presentations from the Comoran, Senegalese and South African leaders, he stepped in to challenge the assumptions of the plan before the round of comments from all the representatives could go any further.

Mr Putin reiterated his position that Ukraine and the West had started the conflict long before Russia sent its armed forces over the border in February last year.

African leaders speak to Putin in Russia

Saturday 17 June 2023 20:07 , Chris Stevenson

A delegation of African leaders seeking to mediate in the Ukraine conflict told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that it was time to negotiate an end to fighting, which they said was harming the entire world.

The delegation, which includes presidents from Senegal, South Africa, Zambia, and Comoros, as well as the prime minister of Egypt, travelled to Kyiv on Friday, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The African leaders are seeking agreement on a series of "confidence building measures" even as Ukraine last week began a counteroffensive to push back Russian forces from Ukrainian territory they occupy.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa laid out the 10 points of the African initiative, after Comoros President Azali Assoumani, current chairman of the African Union, told Putin: "We've come here to listen to you, and through you the Russian people, and encourage you to enter negotiations with Ukraine in order to put an end to the difficult ordeal.

"We gave ourselves this mission because, as Africans, unfortunately, we have had to manage numerous conflicts, and it's through dialogue and negotiations that we have succeeded at resolving them."

From earlier: African leaders visit Russia to discuss their peace plan with Putin, after Ukraine trip

Saturday 17 June 2023 19:00 , William Mata / Jamey Keaten

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Saturday is set to host a group of African leaders who traveled to Russia on a self-styled “peace mission” after their trip to Ukraine.

Seven African leaders — presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt’s prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda — visited Ukraine on Friday to try to help end their nearly 16-month-old war.

The African leaders traveled to St Petersburg Saturday to meet with Putin who attended a business forum in Russia's second-largest city.

Jamey Keaten has the full story here.

Show of US-Poland unity with Ukraine tensions brewing

Saturday 17 June 2023 18:00 , William Mata / Vanessa Gera

The United States ambassador’s decision to march in the Warsaw Pride parade has shown the country’s support in wake of the Ukraine-Russia tension.

Mark Brzezinski said marched with more than 30 other members of the U.S. Embassy and alongsides representatives from Canada, Austria and other Western countries in the Equality Parade.

The participation of the US ambassador sent a clear message to the government of Poland, a NATO member on the alliance's eastern flank where the United States has increased its military presence since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

Poland has for decades considered Washington its key guarantor of security, but the importance of US protection has only grown with the war playing out across its border in Ukraine.

Vanessa Gera has the full story here.

Why Russia’s attempts to get round oil sanctions risk ecological disaster

Saturday 17 June 2023 16:45 , William Mata / Shweta Sharma

Russia is taking increasingly drastic and hazardous measures in order to maintain its oil trade amid sanctions over the Ukraine war, bringing a much greater risk of a spill.

Shweta Sharma has the full story here.

‘The he last time Russia was involved in a major oil spill in the Arctic it triggered one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in recent history. When a storage tank collapsed due to melting permafrost near Norilsk, it spilled some 21,000 tonnes of oil into the vulnerable Arctic ecosystem, contaminating a 350 sq km area and turning the bright turqoise waters of Siberia’s Ambarnaya river into red sludge.’

Ramaphosa in Saint Petersburg

Saturday 17 June 2023 15:45 , Chris Stevenson

South Africa’s president has arrived in Saint Petersburg, Russia, as part of an an African delegation pushing for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s arrival in the country “follows constructive discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky,” the South African presidency said.

"This conflict is affecting Africa negatively," South African Mr Ramaphosa said at a news conference alongside Mr Zelensky and four other African leaders after talks on Friday.

Russian missile strike

Saturday 17 June 2023 15:16 , Chris Stevenson

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov revised the death toll from a Russian missile strike on a small Ukrainian village in the east to two people on Saturday.

Mr Synehubov initially said on the Telegram messaging app that four people were killed as a Russian anti-tank guided missile hit a car driving towards the village of Huriyv Kozachok which is near the border with Russia.

Later he gave provided an update, saying that two volunteers - a 42-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman were killed.

Ukraine liberated many villages and towns in the Kharkiv region last autumn but since then the Russian military has frequently shelled the area.

Nato’s future

Saturday 17 June 2023 14:55 , Chris Stevenson

Jens Stoltenberg is expected to be asked to remain as Nato secretary-general for another year, according to a source familiar with the discussions and a US official, as the alliance has struggled to decide on a replacement ahead of a mid-July summit in Lithuania.

Mr Stoltenberg's term has already been prolonged three times and he is due to step down in September after nine years as secretary-general of the military alliance.

The Norwegian has broad support among the alliance and continues to be an effective leader, the source, who requested anonymity, told Reuters.

"The [Biden] administration is coming around (to) the idea of Stoltenberg staying on for another year," said the U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

"It doesn't look like there is consensus at the moment within the alliance on his replacement."

Zelensky has invited African leaders to global peace summit

Saturday 17 June 2023 14:29 , Chris Stevenson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he has invited African leaders to take part in a global peace summit where “Ukraine will be heard all over the world”.

He said on social media: “Today was a long day, with many events, and a lot of news. Long discussions... The Peace Formula, security issues, our joint capabilities to protect the principles and goals of the UN Charter, to protect nations from aggression.

“I called on the leaders and states of Africa to participate in the Global Peace Summit we are preparing. Ukraine will be heard all over the world, and we will involve the whole world in the implementation of the Peace Formula.”

How significant is reported recapture of first Ukrainian villages from Russia?

Saturday 17 June 2023 14:00 , Chris Stevenson

Ukraine has celebrated the first territorial gains of its long-trailed counteroffensive against the invading Russian forces.

Unverified photographs and video appearing on Sunday and on Monday morning showed Ukrainian soldiers holding their country’s blue and yellow flag aloft in triumph in the eastern villages of Storozheve, Blahodatne, Neskuchne and Makarivka in Donetsk, suggesting they had been recaptured from occupying enemy troops.

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar posted one of the photos from Storozheve and thanked the 35th Separate Brigade of Marines for liberating it.

She has since said that Ukraine has won back three more villages in Zaporizhzhia – Lobkove, Levadne and Novodarivk – and advanced 250 metres near Bakhmut, 200 metres on the Toretsk front in east Ukraine and at least 500 metres closer to the port city of Berdyansk.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

How significant is the reported recapture of the first Ukrainian villages?

Russian tank supply

Saturday 17 June 2023 13:40 , Chris Stevenson

Russia’s forces are suffering a shortage of tanks, the nations’s defence minister has admitted, during a visit a military factory in western Siberia.

Sergei Shoigu has called for more tanks to be manufactured "to meet the needs of Russian forces" in Ukraine, with Kyiv having launched a counteroffensive involving Western tanks and weapons.

Mr Shoigu said there was a need "to maintain the increased production of tanks" and better security features in armored vehicles, the Defense Ministry said in a statement about the visit.

Russian missile kills two in Ukraine's Kharkiv region -governor

Saturday 17 June 2023 13:17 , Martha Mchardy

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov revised the death toll from a Russian missile strike on a small Ukrainian village in the east to two people on Saturday.

Synehubov initially said on the Telegram messaging app that four people were killed as a Russian anti-tank guided missile hit a car driving towards the village of Huriyv Kozachok which is near the border with Russia.

Later he gave provided an update, saying that two volunteers - a 42-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman were killed.

Ukraine liberated many villages and towns in the Kharkiv region last autumn but since then the Russian military has frequently shelled the area, destroying critical infrastructure and injuring and killing residents.

RECAP: Damage wrought by destruction of Kakhovka Dam in pictures

Saturday 17 June 2023 12:30 , Tara Cobham

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Saturday 17 June 2023 11:30 , Tara Cobham

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.

Thomas Kingsley and Joe Sommerlad report:

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

Ukrainians rescued from Russian-held flood zones in Kherson

Saturday 17 June 2023 10:39 , Martha Mchardy

Watch the dramatic moment Ukrainian civilians are rescued from flood-affected areas of of the Russian-occupied eastern bank.

Rescue boats shuttling volunteers and officials darted across from Ukrainian-held areas on the west bank to evacuate desperate civilians stuck on rooftops.

Drone footage obtained by AP shows severe flooding from the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June, along the lower Dnieper River in Kherson.

Russia and Ukraine both accuse each other of destroying the dam.

Ukrainians rescued from Russian-held flood zones in Kherson

Jewish Confederation of Ukraine responds to Putin’s comment Zelensky is ‘not Jewish'

Saturday 17 June 2023 10:30 , Tara Cobham

The Jewish Confederation of Ukraine has responded to Vladimir Putin's comment that Volodymyr Zelensky is “not Jewish”, describing the Ukrainian President as a “hero”.

"Zelensky is a hero not only of the Jewish people but also of the entire political Ukrainian nation, which, of course, includes Jews," the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine said.

On Friday, Putin claimed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that the Ukrainian President is "not Jewish" and a "disgrace to the Jewish people" despite his Jewish roots.

“My Jewish friends say that Zelenskyy is not a Jew, but a shame to the Jewish people,” Putin said.

Kremlin links granting accreditations to Western media with their ‘behaviour’

Saturday 17 June 2023 10:18 , Martha Mchardy

Russia will take into account the “behaviour” of Western media and attitudes to Russian reporters abroad when deciding whether to accredit their journalists for major forums in Russia, the state-owned TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Saturday.

Journalists from countries that Russia calls “unfriendly” did not get accreditation for the ongoing St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Asked whether Moscow will allow Western journalists to attend forums in Russia in the future, Peskov said: “Let’s see what the regime will be, how they (foreign media) will behave.”

Peskov added that the issue of giving accreditations would also depend on how Russian journalists were treated in “unfriendly” countries. Moscow uses that label for states which imposed sanctions over what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

“Everything will depend on the attitude towards our journalists in foreign - unfriendly - countries,” TASS cited Kremlin spokesman as saying.

“Business as usual will no longer happen. We will be ready to receive them (Western journalists), but we will not tolerate such treatment of our journalists abroad.”

Russia repels Ukrainian attack on Druzhba oil pipeline facility - governor

Saturday 17 June 2023 09:48 , Martha Mchardy

Russian air defence units repelled a Ukrainian attack overnight on a pumping station on the Druzhba oil pipeline in the Bryansk region adjoining Ukraine, the region’s governor said on Saturday.

Three Ukrainian military drones were destroyed in the attack in the Novozybkov district, Alexander Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.

Drone attacks inside Russia have been increasing in recent weeks, frequently targeting energy facilities. Russia blames Ukraine although Kyiv does not publicly acknowledge responsibility for them.

The southern branch of the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline crosses Ukraine and, despite the conflict there, continues to supply crude oil to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Ukrainians leaving UK as can't get housing, volunteer made MBE says

Saturday 17 June 2023 09:30 , Tara Cobham

Some Ukrainians who fled to the UK are having to leave the country because they cannot find housing, a volunteer made an MBE has said.

Alice Good, 55, from Northumberland, said she is “honoured and overwhelmed” to be recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours for setting up Sunflower Sisters, a support group for families arriving in the country from Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia last February.

Ms Good, who came up with the idea after seeing a picture of a mother with a child the same age as her daughter, said 14,000 refugees have been housed by her group.

She has called on the Government to step in as families come to the end of their sponsorship arrangements and try to find their own private rented accommodation.

Ted Hennessey reports:

Ukrainians leaving UK because they cannot get housing, volunteer made MBE says

Rescuers ferrying Ukrainians out of Russian-occupied flood zones

Saturday 17 June 2023 08:30 , Tara Cobham

Massive flooding from the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6 has devastated towns along the lower Dnieper River in the Kherson region, a front line in the war. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of causing the breach.

In the chaotic early days of flooding, Ukrainian rescue workers in private boats provided a lifeline to desperate civilians trapped in flooded areas of the Russian-occupied eastern bank — that is, if the rescue missions could brave the drones and Russian snipers.

The boats have carried volunteers and plainclothes servicemen, shuttling across from Ukrainian-held areas on the western bank to evacuate people stuck on rooftops, in attics and elsewhere.

Now, that window is closing. As floodwaters recede, rescuers are increasingly cut off by putrid mud. And more Russian soldiers are returning, reasserting control.

Accounts of Russian assistance vary among survivors, but many evacuees and residents accuse Russian authorities of doing little or nothing to help displaced residents. Some civilians said evacuees were sometimes forced to present Russian passports if they wanted to leave.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment about actions by authorities in the Russian-occupied flood zone.

The AP spoke with 10 families rescued from the eastern bank, as well as with rescue workers, officials and victims injured on the rescue missions.

"The Russian Federation provided nothing. No aid, no evacuation. They abandoned people alone to deal with the disaster," said Yulia Valhe, evacuated from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. "I have my friends who stayed there, people I know who need help. At the moment I can't do anything except to say to them, 'Hold on."'

At least 150 people have been rescued by Ukraine from Russian-controlled areas in the risky evacuation operations, said government spokesperson Oleksandr Tolokonnikov. It is a small fraction compared to the nearly 2,750 people rescued from flooded regions controlled by Ukraine.

A local organization Helping to Leave, which helps Ukrainians living under Russian occupation to escape, said it received requests from 3,000 people in the occupied zone, said Dina Urich, who heads the organization's evacuation department.

Why Russia’s attempts to get round oil sanctions risk ecological disaster

Saturday 17 June 2023 07:30 , Stuti Mishra

The last time Russia was involved in a major oil spill in the Arctic it triggered one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in recent history.

Three years later, the waters of the Ambarnaya are still red and the impacts of the incident are expected to last for decades.

Now, experts and environmentalists fear that the way Russia is responding to Western oil sanctions over the Ukraine war is creating the perfect set of circumstances for another major spill, and that another disaster is overdue.

Shweta Sharma reports:

Why Russia’s attempts to get round oil sanctions risk ecological disaster

Biggest missile attack on Kyiv in weeks ‘sends message to Africa’

Saturday 17 June 2023 07:00 , Stuti Mishra

A missile attack took place in Kyiv on Friday just as African leaders began a visit to Ukraine where Volodymyr Zelensky proposed the idea of a Ukraine-Africa summit.

The attack reportedly forced the delegation of African leaders to take cover in a bomb shelter while several houses in the outskirts of Kyiv were destroyed.

Reacting to the attack, Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign affairs minister, said: "Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace.

"Putin 'builds confidence' by launching the largest missile attack on Kyiv in weeks, exactly amid the visit of African leaders to our capital."

ICYMI: Nato chief appears likely to stay on as allies struggle to find a replacement for him

Saturday 17 June 2023 06:30 , Stuti Mishra

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg seems increasingly likely to have his term at the helm of the world’s biggest security organization extended yet again, as members struggle to agree on another candidate to replace him.

Mr Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, has been Nato’s top civilian official since 2014. His term was due to expire last year but was extended for a second time to keep a steady hand at the helm after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

President Joe Biden and his Nato counterparts are due to choose a successor when they meet for a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11-12 July.

No candidate has been proposed publicly, and leaders usually decide by consensus on who should be appointed.

Read more:

NATO chief appears likely to stay on as allies struggle to find a replacement for him

Putin calls Zelenskyy a 'disgrace' to Jews

Saturday 17 June 2023 06:01 , Stuti Mishra

In his speech on Friday, Vladimir Putin vehemently defended Russia's move to send troops into Ukraine and repeated his claims that the Ukrainian government is a neo-Nazi regime, despite president Volodymyr Zelensky's Jewish roots.

“My Jewish friends say that Zelensky is not a Jew, but a shame to the Jewish people,” Mr Putin said.

Here are key takeaways his speech on Friday:

Putin touts Russian economy, says Ukraine's president is 'shame to Jewish people'

Ukraine’s defence minister thanks Nato after Brussels meet

Saturday 17 June 2023 05:22 , Stuti Mishra

Ukraine’s defense minister Oleksii Reznikov thanked Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg and US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin on Twitter following a meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

“Secretary Austin, thank you for your leadership in coordinating this exceptional meeting of heads of defence. Secretary General Stoltenberg, thank you for your hospitality at Nato headquarters and for your dedication to making the world safer,” Mr Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

The Nato defence ministers discussed additional support for Ukraine as well as the upcoming summit in Lithuania next month.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky applied for Nato membership in September.

Ukraine advancing in the south, says military chiefs

Saturday 17 June 2023 04:40 , Stuti Mishra

Ukrainian forces are advancing in southern sectors of their counteroffensive against the Russian occupation, Ukrainian military officials said.

Deputy Ukrainian defence minister Hanna Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app that troops were "engaged in active moves to advance in several directions at once.

"Practically in all sectors where our units are attacking in the south, they have registered tactical successes," Ms Maliar said.

"They are gradually moving forward. At the moment, the advance is up to 2 km (1.3 miles) in each direction."

In Ukraine's east, Ms Maliar said Russia forces were trying to dislodge Ukrainian forces from established positions.

Wagner chief’s furious rants risk making an enemy of Putin in feud with Russia’s defence ministry

Saturday 17 June 2023 04:00 , Eleanor Noyce

It has been claimed by those familiar with the game of thrones in the Kremlin that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s vitriolic aggression towards the Russian military high command could not have taken place without the sanction of Vladimir Putin.

Even if Putin had just tolerated, rather than encouraged, the Wagner mercenary boss in the feud, then that indulgence seems to be over for the time being. Russia’s president has backed defence minister Sergei Shoigu’s directive that Prigozhin’s mercenaries must sign contracts with the army.

Kim Sengupta writes:

Wagner chief risks making an enemy of Putin in feud with Russia’s Defence Ministry

Petty squabbles and strategic differences threaten to undermine Nato’s united front over Ukraine

Saturday 17 June 2023 03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

At a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels, Nato’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said that it is a “critical time” for the war in Ukraine as Kyiv begins its counteroffensive. The same could be said of the alliance itself as it seeks eastward expansion and plots its global role.

The Western military alliance that has been strengthened by the united front put in support of Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion – but now finds itself facing a series of challenges sparked by a war that could fray that unity.

Turkey is holding out over giving Sweden membership, while any pathway for Kyiv to join the alliance is still to be mapped out, writes Borzou Daragahi:

Analysis: Petty squabbles threaten to undermine Nato’s united front over Ukraine

ICYMI: On Ukraine-Russia trip, South African leader’s delegation stuck at Polish airport over arms permits

Saturday 17 June 2023 01:45 , Eleanor Noyce

A delegation of security officials, diplomats and journalists accompanying the South African president to Ukraine and Russia was stranded on a separately chartered plane at Warsaw’s airport for more than 24 hours. Polish authorities said on Friday that the problem was over permissions for firearms.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is among a group of African leaders visiting Kyiv and Moscow on a mission to encourage a resolution to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

According to the Poland Border Guard agency, Ramaphosa’s security detail did not have permission for the weapons they were carrying, which resulted in a standoff. The president’s office described the incident as “very unfortunate and deeply regrettable” but said his security was not compromised.

“Members of the delegation had weapons which they did not have permission to bring, but they could leave the plane themselves,” the Polish agency tweeted Friday.

Mogomotsi Magome reports:

On Ukraine-Russia trip, South African leader's delegation stuck at Polish airport over arms permits

Analysis: Ukraine’s ‘D-Day’ offensive is going to need all the help it can get

Saturday 17 June 2023 00:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive has had so much hype, it even has its own cinematic promotional trailer. Against the backdrop of video game music, Ukrainian soldiers shout “I am going to destroy the enemies of our homeland!”

“Our decisive offensive!” they add, as tanks roar across the screen. And that phrase is a carefully chosen one.

The operation, full details of which remain a closely guarded secret, has been nicknamed Ukraine’s D-Day (in reference to the Second World War operation that, coincidentally, also took place in the month of June).

Both Kyiv and Moscow have reported fierce fighting at points across the vast frontline, writes Bel Trew. But given Russia has had 12 months to fortify its defensive positions, Ukraine needs support to deliver its ‘decisive offensive’:

Ukraine’s ‘D-Day’ offensive is going to need all the help it can get | Bel Trew

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Friday 16 June 2023 23:45 , 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

Ukraine’s Zelensky: every recaptured metre of land of utmost importance

Friday 16 June 2023 22:45 , Eleanor Noyce

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that every metre of Ukrainian territory recaptured from Russian occupying forces was “of the utmost importance” in Ukraine‘s current counter-offensive against Russian forces.

“Our movement forward is the most critical thing,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address after meeting top military commanders.

“Every soldier, every new step we take, every metre of Ukrainian land freed from the enemy is of utmost importance.”

How was a 21-year-old gamer able to leak a mountain of major Pentagon secrets?

Friday 16 June 2023 21:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Handcuffed and with his legs in shackles, Jack Douglas Teixeira glanced nervously around a crowded Boston courtroom during his first court appearance in April.

The 21-year-old Massachusetts National Guard airman whispered “yes” when informed of his rights as a criminal defendant, according to CNN, showing no hint of the swagger of his online persona OG.

As the hearing concluded, a man in the public gallery shouted: “Love you, Jack.” Without looking back, Teixeira replied: “You too, Dad”.

Barely three years into his military career, Jack Teixeira allegedly exposed his country’s most sensitive intelligence gathering operations. Now the Pentagon is being forced into a reckoning on who should have access to America’s secrets. Bevan Hurley reports:

How was 21-year-old gamer Jack Teixeira able to leak a mountain of Pentagon secrets?

Why Ukraine should be encouraged by Putin’s bluster over its counteroffensive

Friday 16 June 2023 21:15 , Eleanor Noyce

For years there has been a joke-cum-truism, well-articulated by the Twitter parodist ‘Darth Putin’, that you should “never believe anything unless the Kremlin officially denies it”. It’s a tried and tested rule of thumb. There is even an inversely proportional relationship between the speed of the Kremlin denial and the refutation’s distance from the truth. Immediate repudiation multiplied by Kremlin’s anger level equals lie.

So when President Vladimir Putin claimed to his propagandists (sometimes erroneously called Russian war correspondents) at a meeting this week that Ukraine was suffering ten times the losses of Russia in the former’s counteroffensive, this was surely a sign that things were not going well for the Kremlin.

The president and his military chiefs have sought to claim extreme Ukrainian troop losses, writes James Nixey – a sure sign that things were not going well for the Kremlin:

Analysis: Why Ukraine should be encouraged by Putin’s bluster over its offensive

US Energy Dept got two ransom requests from Cl0p in data breach

Friday 16 June 2023 21:10 , Eleanor Noyce

The U.S. Department of Energy got ransom requests from the Russia-linked extortion group Cl0p at both its nuclear waste facility and the scientific education facilities that were recently hit in a global hacking campaign, a spokesperson said on Friday.

The DOE contractor Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the New Mexico-based facility for disposal of defense-related radioactive nuclear waste, were hit in the attack, which was first reported on Thursday.