Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin unleashes aerial strikes, killing at least 6

Russian forces fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa and shelled the eastern Donetsk region early Wednesday, killing at least six people, regional Ukrainian officials said.

Russian forces have recently stepped up aerial strikes in their nearly 16-month war, a Ukrainian military spokesman said.

It comes as Ukraine claims to have made advances in the face of “extremely fierce” fighting during its counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin’s forces, and has suggested Russia is losing a “staggering” 900 troops a day.

As the lower house of Russia’s parliament gave its initial backing to plans to enable Moscow to enlist suspected or convicted criminals to bolster its army in Ukraine, Kyiv’s deputy defence minister claimed advances of several hundred metres near Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia.

The claimed advances – which contrast with Russian claims to have repelled attacks – preface a critical Nato meeting this week where Kyiv will urge the West to greenlight delivery of fighter jets, with senior Kyiv official Yuriy Sak telling The Independent that if “had we had F-16s, by now the situation would have been different”.

Key Points

• Recruiting criminals for Vladimir Putin’s forces backed by Moscow parliament

• Ukraine claims advances against Moscow’s troops in ‘extremely fierce’ fighting

• Russia losing 900 soldiers a day during counteroffensive, claims Kyiv

• Civilians killed in Russian cruise missile attack on Odesa, Ukraine official says

• Russian tactical nukes ‘three times bigger’ than Hiroshima and Nagasaki ‘arriving in Belarus'

• Moscow deploying elite air units to support troops facing Ukraine’s counteroffensive

• Putin says he will use depleted uranium in response to US weapons, if necessary

Dead Russian soldiers line road into liberated Ukrainian village

05:50 , Arpan Rai

The road into the liberated Ukrainian village of Storozheve, recaptured from Russian forces last week, is lined with the corpses of Russian soldiers and burnt-out armoured vehicles, reported Reuters.

Some corpses of the dead Russian soldiers remain on the dusty ground beside the husks of their vehicles when Reuters journalists reached the village yesterday. Others were found dumped crumpled in the grass and fields nearby where they died.

“Three days ago we liberated the village of Storozheve. You can see for yourselves how it was achieved. You can see the destroyed hardware. Glory to Ukraine,” a Ukrainian soldier who gave his name only as Artem told Reuters in Storozheve.

The grim landscape bears witness to the ferocity of fighting as Ukrainian troops recaptured Storozheve – which had been held by Russia since March last year – and several other villages in the past few days as part of a counteroffensive in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Too soon to assess agriculture losses from Ukraine dam breach in Russian-controlled areas - Russian deputy PM

08:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A senior Russian official said on Thursday it was too soon to assess agricultural losses in Russian-controlled areas from the breaching of Ukraine‘s Kakhovka dam, state news agency TASS said.

The dam burst flooded huge areas of Kherson region, one of four that Russia claimed last year as its own territory after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“Unfortunately, we cannot yet estimate the total amount of losses for agriculture. We need all the water to drain. And then we will be able to understand which farmers have suffered this damage and to what extent,” TASS quoted Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko as saying.

Russian forces control about 18% of the territory of Ukraine, one of the world’s leading grain producers. A majority of countries at the United Nations General Assembly have rejected the annexations as illegal.

TASS quoted Abramchenko as saying the flood would not affect Russia‘s crop forecasts overall.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of blowing up the dam in the early hours of June 6.

Kakhovka dam breach will not affect Russian crop forecasts -TASS

07:46 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The breach of the Kakhovka dam will not affect Russia‘s crop forecasts, state-owned news agency TASS cited Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko as saying on Thursday.

Belarus receives nuclear bombs ‘three times size of Hiroshima bomb’ from Russia

07:39 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Belarus has started taking the delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, president Alexander Lukashenko announced, claiming that some of these were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Mr Lukashenko said that “the bombs are three times more powerful than those (dropped on) Hiroshima and Nagasaki”, adding to his previous statement that he didn’t simply ask Mr Putin for the weapons, but “demanded” them.

The Vladimir Putin ally was speaking to the Russian state TV channel Rossiya-1 on a road in a forest clearing with military vehicles and a storage facility visible in the background seen around him.

Belarus receives nuclear bombs ‘three times size of Hiroshima bomb’ from Russia

Norway, Denmark to donate 9,000 rounds of artillery to Ukraine

07:15 , Arpan Rai

Norway and Denmark have agreed to donate an additional 9,000 rounds of artillery to Ukraine, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement today.

Norway will provide the shells, while Denmark will donate fuses and propellant charges, the Norwegian ministry said.

Wagner chief’s rhetoric amid contract feud ‘evolving into defiance’

07:07 , Arpan Rai

The Russian mercenary Wagner group chief’s rhetoric is “evolving into defiance” as he continues to lock horns with the Kremlin over the contract signing controversy, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Earlier this month, the Russian defence ministry demanded that members of “volunteers formations” such as Wagner Group sign contracts directly with the MoD. The move was explicitly endorsed by president Vladimir Putin on television on Tuesday this week.

“For several months, Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin has been aiming vitriolic criticism at the MoD hierarchy but deferred to Putin’s authority,” the British ministry said in its intelligence update today.

It added that despite Putin’s comments, a day later Prigozhin said that, “none of Wagner’s fighters are ready to go down the path of shame again. That’s why they will not sign the contracts”.

“Prigozhin’s rhetoric is evolving into defiance of broader sections of the Russian establishment. 01 July 2023, the deadline for the volunteers to sign contracts, is likely to be a key way-point in the feud,” the British MoD said.

Japan in talks to provide artillery shells to help Ukraine via US – report

06:37 , Arpan Rai

Japan is in talks to provide artillery shells to the United States to bolster stocks for Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

It added that the Asian ally is considering supplying 155-mm artillery shells under a 2016 agreement to share ammunition as part of its long-standing security alliance with the US, the paper added, citing people familiar with the matter.

Mapped: The damage caused by Ukraine’s devastated dam

05:03 , Arpan Rai

War-torn Ukraine is reeling from the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, which saw its reservoir burst causing chaos for miles around.

The catastrophe on Tuesday 6 June forced thousands of residents of nearby towns and villages to evacuate their homes as the floodwater barrelled towards them and left some climbing onto rooftops or into trees to escape the raging torrents.

The water in the reservoir feeds a wide area of southern Ukrainian farmland, including the annexed peninsula of Crimea, as well as providing all-important cooling water to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, lying nearby as indicated on the map below.

Mapped: The damage caused by Ukraine’s devastated dam

Russia losing nine times more troops in Bakhmut, says Ukraine

04:42 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces are losing almost nine times more soldiers than Ukraine, the war-hit country’s deputy defence minister said on Telegram, adding that during the offensive, the Ukrainian army has suffered many times less losses compared to the “invaders”.

In Khortytsia, the Bakhmut direction, “the enemy has 8.73 times more dead, almost nine times five times”, she said on Telegram last night, sharing the data for the past week.

On the other heavy fighting axis in the war along "Tavriya" towards Zaporizhia and Berdyansk directions, Russia’s casualties were “5.3 times more than ours”, the deputy defence minister said.

“I want to remind you that during a war, neither side publishes accurate data on their losses, because this can be used by the enemy to predict the enemy’s future actions on the battlefield,” Ms Malyar said.

Chechen leader says top commander Adam Delimkhanov ‘alive and well’

03:56 , Arpan Rai

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov denied reports of the killing of one of his senior commanders in fighting in Ukraine, who he said was found alive and well.

Delimkhanov was “alive and well and not even wounded”, Kadyrov said on Telegram. He has led Chechnya since 2007 and is a close ally of Vladimir Putin.

Initial reports by Russia’s Zvezda television channel cited the parliamentary press service as saying Delimkhanov had been wounded in Ukraine. It followed rumours on Ukrainian social media channels that the Chechen commander had been killed in an artillery strike in southern Ukraine.

The commander, Adam Delimkhanov, heads the Chechen division of the Russian national guard and is also a member of Russia’s parliament. He is widely seen as the Caucasian region’s second most senior official after Kadyrov himself.

Kadyrov added that he had known Delimkhanov was uninjured from the start of what he called “a fake information attack”, but had remained silent in order to embarrass Ukrainian media outlets that reported on the commander’s alleged injury.

In a later posting on Telegram, Kadyrov mocked the Ukrainian media reports about Delimkhanov for “brazen lies about his elimination”.

Kadyrov said he had been “temporarily” unable to communicate with Delimkhanov while he was in Ukraine.Delimkhanov, who has an active social media presence with over half a million followers on Telegram, has not commented so far.

ICYMI: Residential building in Zelensky’s hometown engulfed by flames after deadly strike

02:40 , Joe Middleton

NATO leader says Ukrainians are making progress and advancing against Russian forces

01:40 , Joe Middleton

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told President Joe Biden at an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday that Ukrainians are “making progress” with their counteroffensive, which could bolster their position when there’s an opportunity to reach a diplomatic end to the war with Russia.

“The support that we are providing together for Ukraine is now making a difference on the battlefield as we speak,” Stoltenberg said. “Because the offensive has launched, and the Ukrainians are making progress, making advances.”

He added, “It’s still early days, but what we do know is that the more land that Ukrainians are able to liberate, the stronger hand they will have at the negotiating table.”

NATO leader says Ukrainians are making progress and advancing against Russian forces

Thursday 15 June 2023 00:40 , Joe Middleton

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to grab more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin’s readiness for peace talks.

Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago.

Here is a quick look at some of Putin’s key statements:

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks

Fires rage in Ukrainian city of Odesa after Russian missile attack

Wednesday 14 June 2023 23:40 , Joe Middleton

110 million people forcibly displaced as Sudan, Ukraine wars add to world refugee crisis, UN says

Wednesday 14 June 2023 22:40 , Joe Middleton

Some 110 million people have had to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution, or human rights violations, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says. The war in Sudan, which has displaced nearly 2 million people since April, is but the latest in a long list of crises that has led to the record-breaking figure.

“It’s quite an indictment on the state of our world,” Filippo Grandi, who leads the U.N. refugee agency, told reporters in Geneva ahead of the publication Wednesday of UNHCR‘s Global Trends Report for 2022.

Last year alone, an additional 19 million people were forcibly displaced including more than 11 million who fled Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in what became the fastest and largest displacement of people since World War II.

110 million people forcibly displaced as Sudan, Ukraine wars add to world refugee crisis, UN says

Saxophonist plays on rooftops of flooded Kherson homes after Nova Kakhovka dam attack

Wednesday 14 June 2023 22:01 , Joe Middleton

Watch: ICRC gives update on Ukraine dam collapse and prisoners of war

Wednesday 14 June 2023 21:40 , Joe Middleton

Watch as the International Committee of the Red Cross holds a briefing on the Ukraine dam situation and the organisation’s visits to prisoners of war.

The Nova Kakhova dam, which was under Russian control, was breached on the morning of 6 June, with water surging through it and causing extensive flooding in Kherson - prompting the evacuation of thousands of people.

Damage to the area can be seen from space, with huge areas of land submerged in water.

As of Tuesday, 13 June, the death toll from flooding in two Russian-controlled towns in southern Ukraine has risen to 17 in the wake of the dam’s collapse, a Russian-installed official in Kherson said.

Watch: ICRC gives update on Ukraine dam collapse and prisoners of war

Russian court sends an associate of Kremlin foe Navalny to prison for 7 1/2 years

Wednesday 14 June 2023 20:40 , Joe Middleton

A court in Russia on Wednesday convicted an associate of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on extremism charges and sentenced her to 7 1/2 years in prison, the latest step in a yearslong crackdown by the Kremlin on opposition activists.

Lilia Chanysheva, who used to head Navalny’s office in the Russian region of Bashkortostan, was found guilty of calling for extremism, forming an extremist group and founding an organization that violates rights. The charges against Chanysheva, who was arrested in November 2021, stem from a court ruling earlier that year that designated Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his regional offices as extremist organizations.

In addition to the prison sentence, Chanysheva was fined 400,000 rubles (about $4,700). Her trial was conducted behind closed doors and she has maintained her innocence, rejecting the charges as politically motivated.

Russian court sends an associate of Kremlin foe Navalny to prison for 7 1/2 years

Erdogan says no change in Turkey's stance on Sweden's NATO membership

Wednesday 14 June 2023 19:40 , Joe Middleton

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that NATO should not bet on his country approving Sweden‘s application to join the Western military alliance before a July summit because the Nordic nation has not fully addressed his security concerns.

Sweden and Finland applied for membership together following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Finland became NATO’s 31st member in April after the Turkish parliament ratified its request, but Turkey has held off approving Sweden’s bid.

NATO wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time the leaders of member nations meet for a summit in Lithuania‘s capital on July 11-12. Speaking to journalists on his way back from a state visit to Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Erdogan said Turkey’s attitude to the accession was not “positive.”

Erdogan says no change in Turkey's stance on Sweden's NATO membership

Russia steps up aerial strikes on Ukraine – killing at least 6

Wednesday 14 June 2023 18:51 , Joe Middleton

Russian forces have fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa and shelled the eastern Donetsk region killing at least six people and damaging dozens of homes

Moscow has recently stepped up aerial strikes in their nearly 16-month war. Kyiv’s armed forces, meanwhile, have reported limited gains in the early stages of a counteroffensive to take back the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine‘s territory that is under Russian control.

The grinding Ukrainian advance is pressing slowly ahead, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, said. Western analysts and military officials say the effort to dislodge entrenched, powerfully armed and large numbers of Russian troops could take years.

Russia steps up aerial strikes on Ukraine – killing at least 6

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

Wednesday 14 June 2023 18:40 , Joe Middleton

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.

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

Even ‘very successful’ counteroffensive could need to be repeated next year, warns UK minister

Wednesday 14 June 2023 17:40 , Andy Gregory

Even a “very successful” Ukrainian counteroffensive may need to be repeated next year, a British defence minister has said, as he warned against expectations of a “decisive victory”.

Opening a general debate on global military operations, James Heappey told the Commons “there isn’t really an update to give” on Ukraine but “a word of caution, instead”, adding: “These are very early stages of a very complex plan, a necessarily complex plan, given the scale of the challenge that they have.

“It will take a number of weeks until anybody can make any credible assessment over the success of the offensive. But it is under way, that much is clear.

“I think it is clear that there have been some early gains for the Ukrainians, that in some parts of the Russian line the regiments are performing incredibly and are holding their ground, but in many other parts of the line there is evidence of abandonment and mutiny.

“That should not in any way, I think, encourage us to believe that this is some war movie that all ends with a sort of wonderful, glorious victory, decisive victory, at the very end.”

He went on: “That that may happen, it’s perfectly possible that it will, the Ukrainians have shown time and time again that they are brilliant at exceeding what normal military laws should expect, but it is also very possible that a very successful counteroffensive still brings with it the requirement to go again next year.

“It matters enormously to our Ukrainian friends, just as much as it is important that Putin hears that the international donor community is ready to rearm, retrain and go again next year, and the year after, and the year after.”

Germany to purchase six air defence systems for Luftwaffe

Wednesday 14 June 2023 17:14 , Andy Gregory

Germany will purchase six Iris-T air defence systems for its air force at cost of some €950m (£812m), a member of the budget committee has told Reuters after politicians approved the deal.

Boasting a range of some 25 miles and a 360 degree view, the Iris-T system is one of the most coveted weapons which Berlin has supplied to Ukraine, which has deployed the units to shoot down cruise missiles and aircraft including Iranian-made Shahed drones.

The Luftwaffe is due to take delivery of the first unit in 2024. Berlin has bought two Iris-T units built by Diehl for Ukraine and pledged to send another two to Kyiv, but has not yet equipped its own forces with the systems.

Erdogan warns Nato not to expect approval of Sweden’s application bid in time for July summit

Wednesday 14 June 2023 16:30 , Andy Gregory

Nato should not bet on Turkey approving Sweden’s application to join the military alliance before a July summit, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, accusing the Nordic nation of failing to fully address his security concerns.

Despite finally relenting to allow Finland’s simultaneous bid several months ago, Ankara still refuses to grant Stockholm permission to join the bloc, accusing Sweden of being too lenient towards groups Turkey claims pose a threat to its security.

Speaking to journalists on his way back from a state visit to Azerbaijan on Tuesday – as senior officials from Nato, Turkey, Sweden and Finland met in Ankara – Mr Erdogan said Turkey’s attitude to the accession was not “positive.”

Mr Erdogan said the Turkish delegation at the meeting “will give this message: ‘This is our president’s opinion, don’t expect anything different at [the upcoming Nato summit in] Vilnius.”

Russia’s Duma gives initial backing for convicts to enlist against Ukraine

Wednesday 14 June 2023 15:40 , Andy Gregory

The lower house of Russia’s parliament has given its initial backing to plans allowing Moscow’s defence ministry to sign contracts with suspected or convicted criminals to fight in Ukraine.

Under the proposed changes, a contract could be concluded with someone being investigated for committing a crime, who is having their case heard in court or after they have been convicted but before the verdict takes legal effect, according to the database of the State Duma, Russia’s lower house.

People convicted of sexual crimes, treason, terrorism or extremism would not be able to sign up. Those who do sign up would be exempt from criminal liability upon completion of their contract or if they receive awards for their combat prowess.

The new changes being examined by the Duma do not cover recruitment of people already serving their sentences and the Defence Ministry has not commented.

Chechen leader Kadyrov insists reports his second-in-command is wounded are ‘fake'

Wednesday 14 June 2023 15:37 , Andy Gregory

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has dismissed reports that one of his senior commanders had been killed or wounded in Ukraine, insisting that he was in fact “alive and well”.

The commander, Adam Delimkhanov, leads the Chechen division of the Russian national guard and is also a member of Russia’s parliament, and is widely viewed as the Caucasian region’s second most senior official after Mr Kadyrov, who is a close ally of Vladimir Putin.

Mr Kadyrov claimed to have known that Mr Delimkhanov was uninjured from the start of what he called “a fake information attack”, and to have remained silent in order to embarrass Ukrainian media outlets which reported on the commander’s alleged injury.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s Zvezda television channel cited the parliamentary press service as saying that Mr Delimkhanov had been wounded in Ukraine, with the Kremlin expressing “worry” over the reports.

Mr Delimkhanov, who has an active social media presence, with over half a million followers on Telegram, did not comment.

‘Another hostage in prison’: Navalny associate jailed for more than 7 years by Russian court

Wednesday 14 June 2023 14:50 , AP

An associate of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison on “extremism” charges – the latest verdict in a crackdown on dissent by the Kremlin as it wages war in Ukraine, reports Dasha Litvinova.

Lilia Chanysheva who used to head Navalny's office in the Russian region of Bashkortostan, was found guilty of calling for extremism, forming an extremist group and founding an organization that violates rights.

Navalny aide Lyubov Sobol called it a political verdict, saying President Vladimir Putin had "put one more hostage in a penal colony". Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said Chanysheva had been punished for fighting for the future of her country.

Navalny associate jailed by Russian court: ‘Another hostage in prison’

Fire ‘breaks out at Russian power station'

Wednesday 14 June 2023 14:23 , Andy Gregory

A fire has broken out at the Novocherkassk power station in Russia's southern Rostov region, close to the border with Ukraine, RIA has reported.

The Russian state-owned news agency did not say what had caused the blaze.

Russian ‘goodwill’ over Black Sea grain deal cannot last forever, Kremlin says

Wednesday 14 June 2023 13:54 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s “goodwill” over renewing the Black Sea grain deal cannot last forever, the Kremlin has warned.

The remarks come a day after Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow could withdraw from the vital grain deal, accusing the West of cheating Moscow by not implementing the promises it has made to ensure Russian agricultural goods reach world markets.

The Russian president will discuss the Black Sea grain deal with African leaders on Saturday, the Interfax news agency reported.

Kremlin expresses concern over reports Chechen military leader wounded in Ukraine

Wednesday 14 June 2023 13:22 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has expressed concern over media reports that a senior Chechen commander has been wounded in Ukraine.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry's TV channel reported that Adam Delimkhanov, head of Chechnya's national guard, had been wounded in Ukraine.

The ministry said it was awaiting clarification about what had really happened.

Kyiv claims advances against Putin’s forces in ‘fierce fighting’

Wednesday 14 June 2023 12:49 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has made incremental advances in the face of “extremely fierce” fighting during its counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin’s forces on Wednesday, the country’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar has claimed.

Describing Kyiv’s actions as having had “partial success”, Ms Maliar said that over the past day Ukrainian troops had advanced 200-500 metres in various areas near the small eastern city of Bakhmut, and 300-350 metres in the direction of Zaporizhzhia.

“Our troops are moving in the face of extremely fierce fighting, and air and artillery superiority of the enemy,” Ms Maliar said.

She reported continuing fighting near the village of Makarivka in the direction of the southern port city of Berdyansk, and said battles were raging in the areas of Novodanylivka and Novopokrovsk in the Mariupol direction.

Russia’s defence ministry, meanwhile, claimed to have repelled Kyiv’s advances on the south Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk fronts, claiming that Ukrainian forces had suffered heavy losses in men and equipment.

Senior Nato officials meet in Turkey to discuss Sweden’s membership bid

Wednesday 14 June 2023 12:37 , Andy Gregory

Senior Nato officials from Sweden, Finland and Turkey met in Ankara on Wednesday, according to local reports, as the alliance pushes Turkey to ratify Stockholm’s application to join the military bloc.

While both Nordic countries applied to join Nato in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has held off approving Sweden’s bid, after finally relenting to permit Helsinki to join the alliance, enabling Finland to become Nato’s 31st member in April.

Turkey’s government accuses Sweden of being too lenient toward terror organisations that Ankara says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish groups and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt. A series of separate demonstrations in Stockholm, including a protest by an anti-Islam activist who burned the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy, also angered Turkish officials.

The officials meeting a Turkey’s presidential palace on Wednesday were scheduled to discuss the steps Finland and Sweden have taken as part of a memorandum they signed with Turkey last year to address Ankara’s security concerns, broadcaster HaberTurk reported.

Nato wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time the alliance’s leaders hold a summit in Lithuania next month, with US secretary of state Antony Blinken saying after a meeting with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday that it was “time to welcome Sweden”.

Sweden has amended its constitution and strengthened its anti-terror laws since it applied to join Nato last May, while Stockholm also agreed this week to extradite a Turkish citizen who was convicted on drug charges in Turkey in 2013.

Sweden hopes to identify Nord Stream culprits by autumn, lead investigator says

Wednesday 14 June 2023 11:58 , Andy Gregory

Sweden hopes to determine by autumn who was behind the Nord Stream gas pipeline sabotage, the prosecutor leading the country’s investigation has said.

The blasts in the Baltic Sea last September occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark, and while both countries say the explosions were deliberate, they have yet to single out who was responsible.

Mats Ljungqvist, the prosecutor leading Sweden’s probe, told Swedish Radio he had met the German prosecutor and that they were working together but declined to give further details.

“I hope that we at least this autumn will be able to make a decision regarding indictments, at least that is the ambition as things stand now,” Mr Ljungqvist told the public service broadcaster. “I think, actually, in time, it will be brought to light [who carried out the sabotage].”

Germany has confirmed its investigators raided a ship in January that may have been used to transport the explosives used to blow up the pipelines. German media reported the boat could have been used by a small Ukrainian or pro-Ukrainian group.

Mr Ljungqvist, who told Reuters in April that the main scenario was that a state or a state-backed group was behind the attack, said to SR this week: “I think that hypothesis has been strengthened during the course of the investigation.”

Germany’s Scholz to unveil major new national security strategy

Wednesday 14 June 2023 11:21 , Andy Gregory

Germany is set to unveil its first comprehensive national security strategy in Berlin today, in a push to address what it views as growing military, economic and social threats to the country.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and four of his top ministers are due to present the new strategy, which has been months in the making and is seen as a centerpiece of his three-party governing coalition.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has heightened anxiety in Germany about the preparedness of its own armed forces, prompting Mr Scholz to announce a “turning point” on military spending.

Resilience against cyberattacks and the dangers posed by climate change will also be part of the new security strategy.

Watch live: Red Cross briefs media on Ukraine dam situation and visits to prisoners of war

Wednesday 14 June 2023 10:39 , Andy Gregory

Our video team has published a live stream as the International Committee of the Red Cross holds a briefing on the Ukraine dam situation and the organisation's visits to prisoners of war, which you can watch here:

UN nuclear chief delays Zaporizhzhia power plant visit over safety concerns

Wednesday 14 June 2023 09:58 , Andy Gregory

UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi has delayed a planned trip to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant until it is safer to travel, a senior Ukrainian official has said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) boss had been expected to visit the facility on Wednesday following talks in Kyiv, but a diplomatic source said the visit would be delayed by “some hours”.

Russian news agency Interfax quoted a Russian-installed local official as saying Mr Grossi would visit the plant on Thursday.

“He’s waiting to be able to travel safely,” said the senior Ukrainian government official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The official did not say when Mr Grossi would arrive at the plant, which is relatively close to areas subject to reported heavy fighting since Ukraine’s counteroffensive began.

Mr Grossi has said he is “very concerned” that the nuclear plant could be caught in the military push, after the UN agency warned it needed access to a site near plant to check water levels after the nearby reservoir lost much of its water because of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam downstream.

Nord Stream blasts leave ‘no constraints’ for Russia to destroy enemies’ undersea cables, says Medvedev

Wednesday 14 June 2023 09:38 , Andy Gregory

There is no reason for Moscow not to destroy its enemies’ undersea communications cables given purported Western “complicity” in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has claimed.

While it is still unclear exactly who is responsible for the blasts last September, The Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal have each reported that the CIA knew of a Ukrainian plot to attack the pipelines – for which president Volodymyr Zelensky has denied any responsibility.

“If we proceed from the proven complicity of Western countries in blowing up the Nord Streams, then we have no constraints – even moral – left to prevent us from destroying the ocean floor cable communications of our enemies,” said Mr Medvedev, an ally of president Vladimir Putin.

Sub-sea cables which criss-cross the world’s oceans have become the arteries of global communications, with their importance having made them the focus of growing geopolitical competition.

Russia deploying elite air units to support troops facing Ukraine's counteroffensive

Wednesday 14 June 2023 07:26 , Arpan Rai

The elite Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) are likely helping Putin’s regular ground troops, especially in southern Ukraine, to resist increased Ukrainian offensive operations, the British Ministry of Defence has claimed.

It noted an uptick in Russian tactical combat air sorties, especially over southern Ukraine, in the past two weeks.

“This has almost certainly been in response to reports of increased Ukrainian offensive operations, as the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) attempt to support ground troops with airstrikes,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

It added that despite the uptick, “VKS’s daily sortie rate remains much lower than the peak of up to 300 daily missions early in the war”.

“Since the start of the invasion, the south of Ukraine has often been more permissible for Russian air operations compared to other sectors of the front,” the ministry said.

On the battlefield over the last year, the VKS has increased its use of air-to-surface weapons, such as glide bombs, which allow attack aircraft to remain well away from their targets, it said.

Belarus taking delivery of Russian tactical nukes 'three times bigger than Hiroshima and Nagasaki’, announces president

Wednesday 14 June 2023 07:02 , Arpan Rai

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has said his country has started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, some of which he said were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

“We have missiles and bombs that we have received from Russia,” Lukashenko said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 Russian state TV channel which was posted on the Belarusian Belta state news agency’s Telegram channel.

“The bombs are three times more powerful than those (dropped on) Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” he said.

This is the first such deployment of warheads by Moscow – shorter-range less powerful nuclear weapons that could potentially be used on the battlefield – outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The move is being watched closely by the United States and its allies as well as by China, which has repeatedly cautioned against the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war.

Russia blames Ukrainian forces for shell Nova Kakhovka

Wednesday 14 June 2023 06:32 , Arpan Rai

At least one person was injured in shelling of a residential area in the city of Nova Kakhovka, the city’s Russia-installed administration said today.

The administration also said that shelling of the nearby village of Plodovoye disrupted power supply there.

Officials in Kyiv have not issued a response on the allegations.

The region saw widespread destruction last week after the Kakhovka dam was destroyed, flooding swathes of land and forcing thousands to flee in one of the biggest industrial disasters in Europe for decades.

Three killed in Russian cruise missile attack on Odesa – official

Wednesday 14 June 2023 06:08 , Arpan Rai

At least three people were killed and 13 were injured after Russian missiles struck civilian buildings in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa overnight, the war-hit nation’s military said early this morning.

Russia fired four cruise missiles on the city, the South command of Ukraine‘s Armed Forces said. Initially, the military said two missiles were destroyed before hitting their targets.

“As a result of air combat and blast waves, a business centre, an educational institution, a residential complex, food establishments and shops in the city centre were damaged,” the South command said on the Telegram app.

The three people killed were working at a retail chain’s warehouse when a missile hit, setting it ablaze, the military added. Seven people were wounded there.

“Sifting through the debris continues,” the military said. “There may be people under.”

A video and photographs of the attacked site by Odesa military administration spokesperson Serhiy Bratchuk showed a multi-storey building bombed out by the missile, with parts of walls and windows blown to shards.

Firefighters were also seen at the spot battling against flames in what appeared be a warehouse.

In pictures: Ukrainian troops fire from Bakhmut frontline

Wednesday 14 June 2023 05:48 , Arpan Rai

How Putin has mixed threats of new offensive in Ukraine with peace talk offer

Wednesday 14 June 2023 05:23 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin has sprinkled threats of a new Russian offensive to capture Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin’s readiness for peace talks this week as the war marked a new stage of targeted counteroffensive from Kyiv.

Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago.

In one assertion, the Russian president claimed that Ukraine has suffered “catastrophic” losses in its counteroffensive but then, he also spoke of the circumstance under which the war would conclude.

The Russian leader said ending the hostilities in Ukraine depends on the United States. He argued that the fighting would end immediately if the US and Nato stop providing Ukraine with weapons.

Here is a quick look at some of Mr Putin’s key statements:

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks

110 million people forcibly displaced as Sudan, Ukraine wars add to world refugee crisis, UN says

Wednesday 14 June 2023 05:14 , Arpan Rai

Around 110 million people have had to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution, or human rights violations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said.

The war in Sudan, which has displaced nearly 2 million people since April, is but the latest in a long list of crises that has led to the record-breaking figure.

Last year alone, an additional 19 million people were forcibly displaced including more than 11 million who fled Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in what became the fastest and largest displacement of people since the Second World War.

“It’s quite an indictment on the state of our world,” Filippo Grandi, who leads the UN refugee agency, told reporters in Geneva ahead of the publication of UNHCR‘s Global Trends Report for 2022 today.

Read the full story here:

110 million people forcibly displaced as Sudan, Ukraine wars add to world refugee crisis, UN says

New US military aid to Ukraine pushes Washington deeper into war, warns Russia

Wednesday 14 June 2023 04:28 , Arpan Rai

The new US military aid package for Ukraine pushes the US deeper into the “abyss” of the conflict, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov warned today.

“The United States is getting deeper and deeper into the abyss of the Ukrainian crisis,” Mr Antonov was quoted as saying in a post on the embassy’s Telegram channel.

“Apparently, the strategists from the United States somehow do not understand that no amount of weapons, whatever involvement of mercenaries, will be able to turn the tide in the course of (Russia’s) special military operation.”

The package worth $325m (£257m), which includes munitions for air defence systems, ammunition and vehicles, comes as Ukraine is shaping its long-expected counteroffensive.

In the past week, Ukrainian forces lost some tanks and armoured vehicles provided by Western allies while making small territorial gains.

Russia losing 900 soldiers a day during counteroffensive, Ukrainian officials claim

Wednesday 14 June 2023 03:40 , Arpan Rai

Russia is losing a “staggering” 900 soldiers a day, Ukrainian officials have claimed, urging the West to greenlight delivery of fighter jets for its counteroffensive at a Nato meeting this week.

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, indicated the long-awaited counteroffensive was making headway, reporting that Ukrainian forces had taken back seven villages opening 90sqkm of land in the last week alone.

However, she said the advance was hard as Russian forces had superior air support and were showering their troops with intense artillery fire.

Bel Trew reports:

Russia losing 900 soldiers a day during counteroffensive, Ukrainian officials claim

Latest pictures from Ukraine

Wednesday 14 June 2023 03:00 , Martha Mchardy

UK firms operating in Russia ‘complicit in war crimes’ against Ukraine, says MP

Wednesday 14 June 2023 02:00 , Martha Mchardy

UK businesses continuing to operate in Russia are “complicit in the war crimes” committed against the Ukrainian people, MPs have heard.

Labour former minister Sir Chris Bryant told the Commons about the Russian government introducing a new law last year, requiring all businesses, including foreign ones, operating in the Russian Federation to “assist in the war in Ukraine”.

Sir Chris urged the Government to make it “absolutely clear” that all British businesses should “completely and utterly desist from business in Russia immediately”.

Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said there has been a “positive attitude” from British businesses and a “willingness to take financial pain immediately in order to step away” from Russian markets and activity.

The Rhondda MP said: “The Russian government introduced a new law last year which requires all businesses, including foreign businesses that have any footprint in the Russian Federation, to assist in the war in Ukraine.

“That means any British businesses who are still doing business now in Russia are complicit in the war crimes that Russia is perpetrating against the Ukrainian people.

“Would the minister now make it absolutely clear that all British businesses should completely and utterly desist from business in Russia immediately?”

Martina Bet reports:

UK firms operating in Russia ‘complicit in war crimes’ against Ukraine, says MP

NATO leader says Ukrainians are making progress and advancing against Russian forces

Wednesday 14 June 2023 01:00 , Martha Mchardy

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told President Joe Biden at an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday that Ukrainians are “making progress” with their counteroffensive, which could bolster their position when there’s an opportunity to reach a diplomatic end to the war with Russia.

“The support that we are providing together for Ukraine is now making a difference on the battlefield as we speak,” Stoltenberg said. “Because the offensive has launched, and the Ukrainians are making progress, making advances.”

He added, “It’s still early days, but what we do know is that the more land that Ukrainians are able to liberate, the stronger hand they will have at the negotiating table.”

Biden said NATO has grown more unified during the Ukraine war and “we’re going to be building on that momentum” when the alliance holds its annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12.

Read the full story:

NATO leader says Ukrainians are making progress and advancing against Russian forces

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

Wednesday 14 June 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy

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.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

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