Russia-Ukraine war – live: Kyiv launches multiple attacks across frontline

Ukraine has launched attacks at a number of points across the frontline with Russian forces – suggesting its long-waited counteroffensive could finally be kicking into gear.

So far though it is unclear whether the srikes represented the start of the long-heralded move against Putin’s invasion, and Ukrainian officials made no mention of any broad, significant new campaign or sidestepped questions on the matter.

Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said the nation’s forces were “shifting to offensive actions” in some areas but sought to play them down as “local attacks”.

On Monday Moscow claimed to have repelled a major Ukrainian offensive in the south of the Donetsk region but the chief of private army Wagner admitted Russian forces had lost ground around Bakhmut further north.

Wagner army captured Bakhmut last month after the longest battle of the war and handed its positions there to regular Russian troops, but Kyiv has since been attacking Russian-held areas to the north and south of the city.

Key Points

• Russia says 250 Ukrainian soldiers killed in thwarted major offensive

• Russia says it repels big attack in Ukraine but Russian mercenary leader says some ground lost

• James Cleverly meets Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv

• We are ready for counteroffensive, Zelensky tells Putin

• Mercenary boss accuses Moscow of trying to kill his troops

Ukraine launches attacks across frontline

20:13 , Sam Rkaina

Ukraine has launched attacks at a number of points across the frontline with Russian forces – suggesting that its long-waited counteroffensive is finally kicking into gear.

Officials in Kyiv were coy about the surge in military action, allowing the fog of war to cloud whether it marked the start of its push to reclaim land that Russia has occupied.

Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said that the nation’s forces were “shifting to offensive actions” in some areas but sought to play them down as “local attacks” – but there is no denying the surge in military activity.

Moscow seemed keen to suggest that it had repelled a “major offensive” at five points across the region of Donetsk.

Although its claims were undermined by other Russian sources and military bloggers, who suggested that Ukrainian forces had made advances around the city of Bakhmut in northern Donetsk and villages in the west of the region.

Ukrainian officials dismissed as fanciful claims from Russia’s Defence Ministry that it had killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops as well as destroyed a number of military vehicles around Donetsk.

Russia releases footage of strikes on Ukraine armoured vehicles

19:21 , Sam Rkaina

Russia’s defence ministry released video of what it said showed several Ukrainian armoured vehicles in a field blowing up after being hit.

Reuters was able to confirm the location of two clips near Velyka Novosilka, a village west of Vuhledar in the southern part of Donetsk province, by the road layout, terrain, trees and other foliage that matched satellite imagery of the area. Reuters could not independently verify the other clips or the date the videos were filmed.

“There is a tough fight going on,” wrote prominent Russian military blogger Semyon Pegov, who blogs under the name War Gonzo, saying Ukrainian forces were attacking in the area.

The defence ministry said Russian forces killed 250 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed 16 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armoured combat vehicles. Reuters was not able to verify the figures.

The daily report from Ukraine’s General Staff said only that there were 29 combat clashes in Donetsk and Luhansk provinces of eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine needs to keep Russia guessing to stay one step ahead of Pinocchio Putin’s propaganda machine

18:33 , Sam Rkaina

Whether or not the attacks on Russian lines in the eastern region of Donetsk end up being seen as the start of Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive, the information war around them is in full swing.

For Russia’s defence ministry, its troops repelled a “major offensive” in Donetsk, killing 250 members of the Ukrainian forces and destroying a number of tanks and armoured vehicles at five points across the region’s frontline.

Moscow was bullish, as it always is – but Russia’s community of military bloggers was more circumspect.

Click here for the full story.

James Cleverly meets Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv

17:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

The meeting in the war-torn nation’s capital came amid signs the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive against the Russian invasion may have started.

In a video posted to Mr Zelensky’s Facebook page, Mr Cleverly is heard saying that the UK “will continue backing you and your country until you are victorious”.

The Ukrainian president thanks the UK for the “big support” it has given his country.

He wrote on Facebook: “During the meeting, we discussed important topical issues: Ukraine‘s expectations from the Nato Summit in Vilnius, promotion of the Ukrainian peace formula and preparation of the global summit on its implementation, as well as the London international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine.

“We are very grateful for the support that the UK has provided and continues to provide to Ukraine.”

Kyiv has long called for Ukraine to be admitted to Nato, but allies are divided about when and how any accession might happen as the war with Russia continues.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak last week said Ukraine‘s “rightful place” is in Nato, at a gathering of European leaders in Moldova ahead of the key meeting of Nato leaders in Lithuania in July.

Sophie Wingate reports:

James Cleverly meets Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv

Ukraine has enough weapons for counter-offensive, says foreign minister

17:01 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine has enough weapons for its counter-offensive against Russia, and the operation will give the country the victory it needs to join NATO, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told Reuters on Monday.

Membership of the military alliance would “probably” only be possible for Ukraine after the end of active hostilities, Kuleba said in an interview in Kyiv.

He did not say whether the counter-offensive had started when asked.

At Normandy D-Day celebrations, echoes of Ukraine's looming fight

16:45 , Eleanor Noyce

While U.S. military officers here caution against too direct a comparison between the 1944 D-Day landings and Ukraine‘s upcoming counteroffensive, the echoes of what Kyiv faces today are a dominant theme of this year’s commemorations of the young U.S. soldiers who died on the Normandy beaches nearly 80 years ago.

For days the villages and towns surrounding Omaha and Utah beaches have held parades, memorial events, flyovers and parachute demonstrations to build up to the annual celebration of D-Day, the launch of Operation Overlord. The June 6, 1944 invasion marked the beginning of the Allies’ massive ground invasion which would eventually lead to Germany’s surrender and the end of World War II in Europe.

The celebration is taking place as Ukraine prepares to launch its own counteroffensive against Russia — an impending fight for which many of those same allied forces have now provided billions of dollars in weapons and training to Kyiv’s soldiers to best prepare them to win.

Tara Copp reports:

At Normandy D-Day celebrations, echoes of Ukraine's looming fight

James Cleverly: ‘Ukraine will win this war and can count on our support'

16:40 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine can count on UK support, James Cleverly said during his second visit to Kyiv.

The Foreign Secretary met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Zelensky and foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss how the UK can continue to best support Ukraine, from the battlefield to banking guarantees, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The visit comes amid preparations for the Ukraine recovery conference in London later in June, which will focus on boosting the nation’s economy.

Mr Cleverly said: “As Ukraine continues its sustained fightback against Russia, I was able to see for myself the true horrors and devastation of what Russia has wreaked on this sovereign state.

“Forcibly deporting children, razing cities like Bakhmut, Izium and Mariupol to the ground and committing atrocities are not the acts of a responsible international state. They are the actions of a hostile regime that is in violation of the UN Charter.

“Ukraine will win this war and can count on our support.”

Downing Street says James Cleverly is visiting Ukraine to underline UK’s ‘unwavering support’

16:36 , Eleanor Noyce

Downing Street has said it will not get into “speculation” about the military state of affairs in Ukraine but said James Cleverly is visiting to underline the UK’s “unwavering support” for the country.

“The Foreign Secretary is visiting ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference which is happening later this month,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“And obviously underlining the UK’s unwavering support.

“He’s had meetings with President Zelensky and the foreign minister as well.”

Russia says it holds back Ukrainian attacks in southern Donetsk region

16:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Monday that it was holding back attacks by Ukrainian forces in the south of the Donetsk region, near the settlements of Novodonetske and Oktyabrske.

“The enemy offensive is successfully being held back by the actions of the units, artillery fire and air strikes of the Eastern Group of Forces,” the ministry said.

Ukraine says Russia still violating terms of Black Sea grain deal

16:17 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine‘s restoration ministry said on Monday Russia had resumed the registration of ships under a deal allowing safe Black Sea grain exports but was violating the terms by not inspecting vessels in the right order.

It said in a statement that Russia had registered two vessels that declared their participation in the deal the same day, adding: “This goes against accepted vessel inspection rules which require that those that are longest-standing are inspected first.”

Russia’s TASS news agency had earlier on Monday reported that ship inspections had resumed.

Kyiv dismisses Russian reports of Ukrainian counteroffensive

15:55 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian reports that Ukraine has begun a counteroffensive are meant to distract attention from losses Russian forces are taking around the eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday.

Moscow said it had thwarted a major Ukrainian assault involving six mechanised and two tank battalions in the south of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region.

In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces were “shifting to offensive actions” in some areas along the front line but dismissed suggestions that this was part of a major operation.

“Why are the Russians actively releasing information about a counteroffensive? Because they need to divert attention from the defeat in the Bakhmut direction,” she wrote.

Russia’s private Wagner militia captured Bakhmut last month after the longest battle of the war and handed its positions there to regular Russian troops.

Since then, Ukraine has continued to attack areas north and south of the city. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that Kyiv’s troops had retaken part of a village near the ruined city.

Maliar said the area around Bakhmut remained the “epicentre” of fighting and that the Ukrainian military was “moving along a fairly wide front”.

Zelensky meets UK foreign secretary in Kyiv, thanks Britain for support

15:35 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met British foreign secretary James Cleverly in Kyiv on Monday, and discussed preparations for a NATO summit and Ukraine‘s formula for ending Russia’s invasion.

“We are very grateful for the support that the UK has provided and continues to provide to Ukraine,” Zelensky said on Telegram under a video showing them meeting.

Zelensky aide labels Russian news reports a ‘separate virtual meta-universe'

15:15 , Eleanor Noyce

A senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned against trusting Russian reports on the fighting in Ukraine.

“Russian news reports have long since become a separate virtual meta-universe,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.

Ukraine has in recent weeks sought to weaken Russian positions but its plans have been shrouded in secrecy as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive.

Ukraine‘s military said earlier on Monday it had no information about a major offensive which Russia said Kyiv had launched at five points along the front line in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

Moscow said on Monday it had thwarted a major Ukrainian assault involving six mechanised and two tank battalions in the south of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region.

“We do not have such information and we do not comment on any kind of fake,” a spokesperson for the Ukrainian armed forces’ general staff said in response to a question from Reuters.

Kremlin: fake Putin address broadcast on Russian radio stations after 'hack'

14:45 , Eleanor Noyce

The Kremlin said a purported radio address by President Vladimir Putin heard on Monday on Russian stations in regions bordering Ukraine was fake and the result of a hack, Russian news agencies reported.

The state-owned news agency RIA said a number of radio stations had carried the hoax address.

“All of these messages are an utter fake,” it cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Independent Russian media reported that the announcement had told residents of the Rostov, Belgorod and Voronezh regions, all of which adjoin Ukraine, that Kyiv’s forces had crossed the border with Russia.

They cited the address as saying, wrongly, that martial law had been declared in border regions and a nationwide military mobilisation had begun for Russia’s war with Ukraine, and that residents should evacuate deeper into Russia.

Kyiv denies sending any troops into Russian territory, and says the sporadic ground incursions that have occurred in the last three months, for which Moscow blames Ukraine, have been the work of Russian partisans.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the Voronezh regional government confirmed that a hack had taken place, and said local radio stations were under the control of law enforcement agencies and local authorities.

Russia is evading sanctions by ‘buying back’ military supplies from India and Myanmar

14:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia could be buying back military supplies previously exported to Myanmar and India, showed customs clearance data assessed in a Nikkei analysis.

The report cited records of Russian repurchases of parts for tanks and missiles exported previously to Myanmar and India, likely in a bid to reimport the components to improve older weapons expected to be used in Ukraine.

From India, Russia’s Machine-Building Design Bureau (NPK KBM) looking after the country’s missile production, purchased six components for night-vision sight for ground-to-air missiles for $150,000 (£120,757) in August and November last year, the report showed.

The order was placed with India’s defence ministry.

Arpan Rai reports:

Russia is evading sanctions by ‘buying back’ military supplies from India and Myanmar

Biden set for critical talks on Ukraine this week with Denmark's Frederiksen, UK's Sunak

13:55 , Eleanor Noyce

President Joe Biden is welcoming Denmark and Britain’s prime ministers this week to Washington for talks that will focus heavily on what lays ahead in the war in Ukraine —including the recently-launched effort to train, and eventually equip, Ukraine with American-made F-16s fighter jets.

Britain and Denmark are playing a pivotal role in the nascent joint international plan that Biden recently endorsed after months of resisting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for U.S. aircraft.

Biden’s separate meetings with the leaders of two key NATO allies — he’ll huddle with Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen on Monday and the UK’s Rishi Sunak on Thursday — come at a crucial period in the 15-month war as Ukraine readies to launch a counteroffensive.

Aamer Madhani reports:

Biden set for critical talks on Ukraine this week with Denmark's Frederiksen, UK's Sunak

US, India agree roadmap for defence industry cooperation

13:37 , Eleanor Noyce

India and the United States have concluded a roadmap for defence industry cooperation for the next few years, the Indian government said on Monday, a move expected to bolster New Delhi’s defence manufacturing ambitions.

Washington is working to deepen ties with India and sees stronger military-to-military and technology ties with the world’s largest democracy as a key counterweight to China’s dominance in the region.

The roadmap was finalised at a meeting between visiting U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The agreement comes weeks before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Washington on 22 June for an official state visit and holds talks with President Joe Biden.

The roadmap is considered significant as Washington maintains strict controls over what domestic military technology can be shared or sold to other countries.

Talks between Singh and Austin had a “particular focus on identifying ways to strengthen industrial cooperation”, the Indian Defence Ministry statement said.

“Both sides will identify opportunities for co-development of new technologies and co-production of existing and new systems and facilitate increased collaboration between defence start-up ecosystems of the two countries,” it said.

“Towards these objectives, they concluded a roadmap for U.S.-India Defence Industrial Cooperation which shall guide the policy direction for the next few years.”

India, the world’s largest arms importer, depends on Russia for nearly half its military supplies, but has also increasingly diversified its sources to buy from the U.S., France and Israel, among others.

Gold miner Polymetal eyes sale of Russian arm after bosses cut ties

13:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Anglo-Russian gold and silver miner Polymetal International could be eyeing up a sale of its Russian subsidiary following the resignation of its top two bosses and being targeted by US sanctions.

The London-listed firm, which primarily operates in Russia, said it is considering “all possible options” regarding divesting the Russian arm.

Shares in the company have dived since President Vladimir Putin led an invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Prior to the war breaking out, shares in the business were trading at around 1,100p. They have since lost more than 80% of their value and are now worth about 180p.

Polymetal’s chief executive, Vitaly Nesis, and chief financial officer, Maxim Nazimok, cut ties with the Russian arm of the business completely, the company said.

Anna Wise has the full story:

Gold miner Polymetal eyes sale of Russian arm after bosses cut ties

Russia says it repels big attack in Ukraine but Russian mercenary leader says some ground lost

13:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Moscow said on Monday it had thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive in the south of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region but Russia’s main mercenary leader said Russian forces had lost ground around Bakhmut further north.

Asked whether the attacks represented the start of Ukraine‘s long-heralded counter-offensive against Russia’s invasion, Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine‘s Security and Defence Council, told Reuters: “The war continues. Until complete victory.”

Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine had attacked on Sunday morning with six mechanised and two tank battalions in southern Donetsk, where Moscow has long suspected Ukraine would seek to drive a wedge through Russian-controlled territory.

“On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction,” the defence ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram at 1.30 a.m Moscow time (22.30 GMT).

“The enemy’s goal was to break through our defences in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front,” it said. “The enemy did not achieve its tasks, it had no success.”

Asked to comment, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said: “We do not have such information and we do not comment on any kind of fake.”

Ukrainian military chaplains complete training with British Army

13:04 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian military chaplains have completed training with the British Army before heading back to the war-ravaged country to give frontline troops a “spiritual umbrella”.

The two-week programme run by the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department (RAChD) saw an initial group of 10 Ukrainians train at a camp in south-west England.

The participants learned how to deliver pastoral care, spiritual support and moral guidance to soldiers on the battlefield.

Lieutenant Dmytro Povorotnyi, a priest from Dnipro in central Ukraine, was one of the officers who took part.

“Once when Russia bombed Dnipro, my granddaughter who is four years old put her toys under the stairs and covered them with an umbrella,” said Lt Povorotnyi, who decided to become a military chaplain after the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

Lauren Shirreff reports:

Ukrainian military chaplains complete training with British Army

Russia says it sees 'no prospects' for further grain deal renewal

12:47 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it saw no prospects for extending the Black Sea grain export deal, which is set to expire in mid-July, Russian news agencies reported.

TASS news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying that it was continuing consultations with the United Nations over the deal, and that ship inspections had resumed.

UK Ministry of Defence issues intelligence update

12:29 , Eleanor Noyce

The UK Ministry of Defence has issued an intelligence update on Ukraine.

A new map - released on Twitter on Monday morning - details the locations of Russian attacks and troops.

“Over the course of May 2023, Russia launched over 300 Iranian Shahed series one way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA-UAVs) against Ukraine: its most intense use of this weapon system to date”, a statement released by the MoD early on Monday morning read.

“Russia is probably launching so many OWA-UAVs in an attempt to force Ukraine to fire stocks of valuable, advanced air defence missiles.

“Russia is unlikely to have been notably successful: Ukraine has neutralised at least 90% of the incoming OWA-UAVs mostly using its older and cheaper air defence weapons and with electronic jamming.

“Russia has also likely been attempting to locate and strike Ukrainian forces well behind the front line. However, Russia remains very ineffective at hitting such dynamic targets at range because of its poor targeting processes.”

‘There are still discussions ongoing’: European Commission comments on possible extension to Ukrainian food import ban

12:17 , Eleanor Noyce

Poland’s agriculture minister has received a draft regulation from the European Commission extending a ban on imports of some Ukrainian food products until 15 September, he said on Monday.

The EU on 2 May set restrictions on sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed within five countries - Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia - to ease the excess supply of the grains within those countries, while allowing transit through them for export elsewhere.

Those restrictions are due to expire on Monday. A European Commission spokesperson said no decision had yet been taken.

“There are still discussions ongoing and we will communicate when there is a decision, which will probably be later today,” the spokesperson said.

The EU liberalised all imports from Ukraine for an initial 12 months from June 2022 to help Kyiv’s efforts to fend off Russia’s invasion. Last month it agreed to extend the tariff suspension for a further year.

The five countries saw a huge rise in imports from Ukraine following the suspension of tariffs.

UK PM says Wallace "widely-respected" when asked about NATO prospects

12:05 , Eleanor Noyce

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the country’s defence minister Ben Wallace was “widely-respected” when asked about his candidacy to lead NATO, adding that the UK had always been a strong contributor to the transatlantic military alliance.

Wallace said in May that he would like to be NATO’s next secretary-general. His current boss, Sunak, told reporters on Monday that conversations about NATO’s next leader were happening amongst world leaders.

“I would say Ben is widely-respected amongst his colleagues around the world, particularly for the role he’s played in Ukraine,” Sunak said.

“Britain has always been a leading contributor to NATO... And we will always continue to be a strong contributor, a participant in NATO.”

Russia says it repelled Ukrainians trying to enter Belgorod region on Sunday

12:01 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Monday that it had repelled a Ukrainian attempt to cross into the Belgorod region in southern Russia on Sunday, Russian news agencies reported.

It said that “more than 10” Ukrainian fighters had been killed by air and artillery strikes, the RIA news agency reported. Reuters was not able to independently verify the account.

A pro-Ukraine group of Russian partisans said on Sunday that it had captured several soldiers during a cross-border raid into the Belgorod region and would hand them over to Ukrainian authorities. The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported fighting in the town of Novaya Tavolzhanka with what he called “Ukrainian saboteurs”.

In pictures: Ukrainian military vehicle hit during combat in Ukraine

11:50 , Eleanor Noyce

These photos taken from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Monday 5 June show a Ukrainian military vehicle being hit during combat in Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Russian military fended off an attempt by Ukraine to launch an attack in the southern part of the Donetsk region on Sunday.

EU Commission says Mercosur trade deal a priority as it seeks new allies

11:40 , Eleanor Noyce

The European Commission said that concluding the Mercosur-EU agreement is a priority, adding that Latin America and Europe should work on reducing “excessive dependency” on third countries, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday.

Brussels is launching a political and economic offensive on Latin America to secure priority access to the region’s resources - especially raw materials - identifying the region as a potential close ally in the face of “increasing geopolitical challenges”, mainly the product of the Ukraine invasion by Russia.

In a communication to be presented on 7 June and seen in advance by Reuters, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell sets out a roadmap for concluding a number of free trade and partnership agreements with Latin American countries as soon as possible, as well as for boosting bilateral relations with Mexico and Brazil.

Ukraine addresses Russian statements regarding major offensive in the east: ‘We do not have such information'

11:19 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine‘s military said on Monday it had no information about a major offensive which Russia said Kyiv had launched at five points along the front line in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

“We do not have such information and we do not comment on any kind of fake,” a spokesperson for the Ukrainian armed forces’ general staff said in response to a question from Reuters.

Belgium investigating whether arms destined to defend Ukraine ended up in Russia fighting

11:12 , Eleanor Noyce

Belgium is investigating whether weapons it sent to help Ukraine defend its territory were used in fighting just over the border following a news report that said equipment produced by a Belgian company turned up around Russia‘s Belgorod region.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned Monday against jumping to any hasty conclusions since shipments over decades and different regions can make arms turn up in unexpected places.

“Defense and information services started a probe to be absolutely sure what happened there,” De Croo told Belgian broadcaster VRT.

The Washington Post published extensive reporting over the weekend saying that arms from some NATO member countries, including the United States, Poland, Czechia and Belgium, had appeared in Belgorod, which borders Ukraine.

Read the full story:

Belgium investigating whether arms destined to defend Ukraine ended up in Russia fighting

Russia’s Prigozhin labels Ukraine’s reclamation of settlement north of Bakhmut a ‘disgrace’

10:59 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had retaken part of the settlement of Berkhivka, north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, calling it a “disgrace”.

Prigozhin’s private Wagner militia captured Bakhmut last month after the longest battle of the war and handed its positions there to regular Russian troops. Ukrainian forces have continued to attack areas close to the city.

“Now part of the settlement of Berkhivka has already been lost, the troops are quietly running away. Disgrace!” Prigozhin said in an audio message published by his press service.

He urged Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, to come to the front to rally the troops.

“Come on, you can do it!” he said. “And if you can’t, you’ll die heroes.”

Prigozhin has waged a public feud with Shoigu and Gerasimov for months, frequently accusing them of failing to provide sufficient ammunition and support for Wagner in the field, and so causing it to suffer needlessly heavy losses.

Ukraine may lose 20% of winter grain yield if poor weather persists

10:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Most of Ukraine‘s winter grain crops are in good condition but grain yields could fall by 20% if current dry and hot weather persists, APK-Inform consultancy quoted agricultural scientists as saying on Monday.

Ukraine is a major grain grower and exporter but its production has fallen sharply since Russia invaded the country in February last year.

Grain output decreased to around 53 million tonnes in 2022 from a record 86 million tonnes in 2021. The government has said that in 2023 the harvest could decline to 44.5 million tonnes.

Winter wheat dominates the Ukrainian winter grain harvest and accounts for 95% of the country’s overall wheat production.

“In general, weather conditions for most of the spring period were sufficiently favourable for growth and development of winter cereal crops,” Ukraine‘s national academy of agricultural science said in a report.

“However, in case of continuation of dry weather in the period of grain filling, especially on the background of high air temperatures... the share of lost yields can be from 15% to 20%,” it said, giving no exact forecast of the harvest.

Scientists noted that crops which were sown very late were particularly at risk.

The Ukrainian agriculture minister told Reuters on Friday that the ministry forecast the 2023 winter grain crop at around 18 million tonnes, or 20% less than in 2022.

Kremlin calls US statement on nuclear arms control 'positive'

10:41 , Eleanor Noyce

The Kremlin said on Monday that a statement by United States national security adviser Jake Sullivan calling for bilateral arms control discussions was “positive”, and that Russia remained open for dialogue.

Sullivan said on Friday that the United States would abide by the nuclear weapons limits set in the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms reduction pact between the two Cold War rivals, until its 2026 expiry if Russia did the same.

President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow’s participation in the treaty in February.

“This is an important and positive statement by Mr Sullivan. Of course, we expect it to be de facto confirmed by steps through diplomatic channels, and then the proposed formats for dialogue can be considered,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Signed by then-U.S. president Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, the New START treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy.

It came into force in 2011 and was extended in 2021 for five more years after Joe Biden took office as U.S. president.

Under the agreement, Moscow and Washington are committed to deploying no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads and a maximum of 700 long-range missiles and bombers.

When operating as intended, the pact allows both U.S. and Russian inspectors to ensure that the other side is complying with the treaty.

Russia's most famous icon handed over from museum to church despite protests

10:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian Orthodox believers celebrated Trinity Sunday with Russia’s most famous icon transferred from a museum to Moscow‘s main cathedral despite the keepers’ vociferous protests.

The Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev, which was kept in Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery since the 1920s, was moved to Christ the Savior Cathedral before the holiday on President Vladimir Putin‘s personal order.

Putin’s abrupt decision to hand over the 15th-century icon to the church came despite a strong opposition from the Tretyakov keepers, who warned that the icon was too fragile to move and requires constant care to avoid a drastic deterioraton in its condition.

Russia's most famous icon handed over from museum to church despite protests

Poland receives draft EU regulation extending ban on Ukrainian food imports

10:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Poland’s agriculture minister has received a draft regulation from the European Commission extending a ban on Ukrainian grain imports until 15 September, he said on Monday.

The EU on 2 May set restrictions until 5 June on imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed to ease the excess supply of the grains in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Those countries had complained that cheaper Ukrainian grain was making domestic production unprofitable and had asked the EU to extend the ban.

“We have received from the EC a draft of a new regulation banning the import of 4 products to the 5 countries,” Robert Telus wrote on Twitter. “The effective date provided for in the draft is 15 September this year.”

“It’s a draft but I hope it will come into force from tomorrow,” he added.

Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed can be sold to any other country in the 27-nation bloc.

The EU had earlier liberalised all imports from Ukraine to help Kyiv’s efforts to fend off Russia’s invasion. The five countries became transit routes for Ukrainian grain that could not be exported through its Black Sea ports because of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for the unconditional removal of all export restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural products at talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Russia's Prigozhin says Ukraine has retaken part of settlement north of Bakhmut

10:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had retaken part of the settlement of Berkhivka, north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, calling it a “disgrace”.

Prigozhin’s private Wagner army captured Bakhmut last month after the longest battle of the war and handed its positions there to regular Russian troops.

Papal envoy heads to Ukraine to 'listen carefully' to possible peace plans

10:10 , Eleanor Noyce

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, tasked by Pope Francis to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine, headed to Kyiv on Monday for a two-day trip to sound out government authorities.

The Vatican announced his visit, which many observers see as an uphill effort, in a short statement. It said the main purpose was “to listen carefully to Ukrainian authorities on the possible ways to reach a just peace and support humanitarian gestures that may help ease tensions”.

It was not clear if Zuppi, who is archbishop of Bologna and head of the Italian Bishops Conference, would meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky met the pope at the Vatican on 13 May and later appeared cool to the prospects of any papal initiative that would put Ukraine on an equal footing with Russia, which invaded its neighbour on 24 Feb 2022.

Zuppi, 67, told reporters last month that he did not foresee a mediation in the strict sense of the word but that he was ready to “do anything” to help ease tensions.

“We can’t watch a war without at least saying that we are close to the victims and seeking in every way possible to alleviate the consequences,” he said.

At the meeting in May, Zelensky asked the pope to back Kyiv’s peace plan, which Zelensky has repeatedly said is not open to negotiation.

Russia claims it thwarted Ukrainian attacks in provinces annexed by Moscow

10:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian officials said their forces thwarted large Ukrainian attacks in two provinces of Ukraine illegally annexed by Moscow. Ukraine did not confirm the attacks, making it unclear whether they marked the start of an anticipated counteroffensive.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a rare early morning video released Monday that its forces pushed back a “large scale” assault Sunday at five points in southern Ukraine’s Donetsk province, one of four regions that President Vladimir Putin claimed as Russian territory last fall but is only partially controlled by Moscow.

“The enemy’s goal was to break through our defenses in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front,” Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. “The enemy did not achieve its tasks. It had no success.”

Konashenkov said 250 Ukrainian personnel were killed, and 16 Ukrainian tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armoured combat vehicles were destroyed.

Susie Blann has more:

Russia claims it thwarted Ukrainian attacks in provinces annexed by Moscow

Saudi Arabia welcomes Venezuelan leader Maduro, reaching out to yet another US foe

09:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Saudi Arabia has welcomed Venzuelan President Nicolas Maduro on an official visit, reaching out to yet another U.S. foe as the oil-rich kingdom engages in a flurry of diplomacy.

Maduro arrived late Sunday in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, where he was greeted by Saudi officials, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Last month, the Saudis welcomed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a close Western ally, to an Arab League summit. But days later, they hosted a senior Russian official who is under Western sanctions.

The Saudis say they are pursuing their own national interests in a world increasingly defined by great power competition. Experts say the diplomatic surge is aimed at shoring up regional stability and improving the kingdom’s image as it seeks international investment for massive development projects.

Read more:

Saudi Arabia welcomes Venezuelan leader Maduro, reaching out to yet another US foe

Belgium investigating whether its weapons were used in Russia, PM says

09:34 , Eleanor Noyce

Belgium will ask Ukraine for clarification on reports that rifles made in Belgium had been used by pro-Ukrainian forces to fight Russian troops inside Russia’s western border, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Monday.

The Washington Post on Saturday reported that anti-Kremlin fighters who launched a cross-border attack from Ukraine into the Russian Belgorod region last month used tactical vehicles originally given to Ukraine by the United States and Poland and carried rifles made in Belgium and the Czech Republic.

“Our defence ministry and its intelligence agencies have started an investigation and are asking for information to determine what has happened exactly,” De Croo said on Belgium’s Radio 1.

“European weapons are delivered to Ukraine under the condition that they are used on Ukrainian territory with the purpose of defending that territory. And we have strict controls in place to see that this is the case,” he said.

De Croo declined to comment on possible consequences if the reports were confirmed.

“We must not get ahead of ourselves here,” the prime minister said. “But we are analysing the situation and we would take this very seriously.”

Poland receives draft EU regulation extending ban on Ukrainian food imports

09:29 , Eleanor Noyce

Poland’s agriculture minister has received a draft regulation from the European Commission extending a ban on Ukrainian grain imports until September 15, he said on Monday.

“We have received from the EC a draft of a new regulation banning the import of 4 products to the 5 countries,” Robert Telus wrote on Twitter. “The effective date provided for in the draft is September 15 this year.”

Russia begins Baltic Sea drills one day after NATO

09:21 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia said on Monday it began holding naval drills in the Baltic Sea, one day after NATO member states kicked off their annual Baltic drills.

On the NATO side, 6,000 personnel, 50 ships and more than 45 aircraft are taking part, with Finland participating for the first time as an alliance member, the United States Navy said.

The Russian military said up to 40 ships and boats, 25 aircraft and around 3,500 personnel will take part in its exercises, which are scheduled to last until June 15.

Moscow also began drills in the Sea of Japan and far eastern Sea of Okhotsk on Monday, which will involve over 60 warships and support vessels from its Pacific Fleet.

He fled Ukraine under the barrel of a gun. Now his invention could turn the tide of Putin’s war

09:15 , Eleanor Noyce

An aerospace engineer and entrepreneur who left the USSR as a child has created “robot” planes that he says could “change the world” and hopes they’ll be used in the war to help his birthplace.

Gene Avakyan knows what it’s like to grow up during times of tension, having been born in Kyiv, Ukraine, before leaving the country when he was just nine years old – fleeing in the middle of the night and made to walk a gauntlet of “soldiers with AK-47s” just to get on a train.

Gene Avakyan knows what it’s like to grow up during times of tension, Robert Waugh writes:

He fled Ukraine under the barrel of a gun. Now his invention could derail Putin’s war

Papal peace envoy Zuppi to visit Kyiv on June 5-6, Vatican says

09:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, tasked by Pope Francis to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine, will visit Kyiv on Monday and Tuesday, the Vatican said in a statement.

“This is an initiative whose main purpose is to listen in depth to the Ukrainian authorities on the possible ways to reach a just peace and support gestures of humanity that may help ease tensions,” it said.

Since the war started in February 2022, Francis and the Vatican have tried to offer themselves as a possible peace brokers, but to date, their efforts have not been successful.

Zuppi hails from the Sant’ Egidio Community, a Rome-based peace and justice group, which in 1992 brokered a deal that ended the civil war in Mozambique that had killed about a million people and displaced about four million.

The pope made him a cardinal in 2019 and he was elected head of the Italian Episcopal Conference last year.

Biden set for critical talks on Ukraine this week with Denmark's Frederiksen, UK's Sunak

08:45 , Eleanor Noyce

President Joe Biden is welcoming Denmark and Britain’s prime ministers this week to Washington for talks that will focus heavily on what lays ahead in the war in Ukraine —including the recently-launched effort to train, and eventually equip, Ukraine with American-made F-16s fighter jets

Britain and Denmark are playing a pivotal role in the nascent joint international plan that Biden recently endorsed after months of resisting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for U.S. aircraft

Biden’s separate meetings with the leaders of two key NATO allies — he’ll huddle with Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen on Monday and the UK’s Rishi Sunak on Thursday — come at a crucial period in the 15-month war as Ukraine readies to launch a counteroffensive. It’s also a moment when the U.S. and Europe are looking to demonstrate to Moscow that the Western-alliance remains strong and focused on cementing a longer-term commitment to Ukraine with no end to the conflict in sight.

Aamer Madhani writes:

Biden set for critical talks on Ukraine this week with Denmark's Frederiksen, UK's Sunak

Two drones fall on highway in Russia's Kaluga region - governor

08:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Two drones fell on a highway in Russia‘s Kaluga region that borders with the Moscow region to its north, with the local governor saying on Monday there was no detonation of explosives.

“The area has been cordoned off,” the governor of the region, Vladislav Shapsha, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Based on the information provided by Shapsha, the drones fell some 280km-300km (174 miles-186 miles) from Moscow.

Last week, Russia said Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow, which Kyiv denied.

Russia’s Baltic Fleet starts naval drills in Baltic Sea

08:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia‘s Baltic Fleet started naval exercises in the Baltic Sea on Monday, the Russian military’s press service said.

Around 3,500 soldiers and up to 40 ships and boats will take part in the drills, which are scheduled to last until June 15, the military said.

US defense secretary discusses upgrading ties with India to counter China

08:16 , Eleanor Noyce

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday discussed upgrading partnership with India, a major arms buyer, as both countries grapple with China’s economic rise and increased belligerence, officials said.

Austin met with India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, with both sides emphasizing technology partnerships including defense, clean energy and space. India is working to promote its domestic defense industry by acquiring technology and reducing reliance on imports, particularly from Russia, its largest supplier of military hardware despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“I’m returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defense Partnership. Together, we’re advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Austin tweeted after his arrival in New Delhi on Sunday.

Ashok Sharma reports:

US defense secretary discusses upgrading ties with India to counter China

Heavy fighting reported in battlefield areas controlled by Russia

07:52 , Arpan Rai

Heavy fighting has been reported this morning by some prominent Russian military bloggers, including Semyon Pegov, who blogs under the name War Gonzo.

Ukrainian forces are attacking near Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region, the military blogger said, adding that “there is a tough fight going on”.

Other Russian military bloggers reported also heavy fighting today morning near Bakhmut, nearby Soledar and Vuhledar in the Donetsk region.

Russia buying back military supplies from Myanmar and India – report

07:21 , Arpan Rai

Russia is likely buying back military supplies previously exported to Myanmar and India, customs clearance data assessed by Nikkei analysis shows.

The report cites records of Russian repurchases of parts for tanks and missiles exported previously to Myanmar and India, likely in a bid to reimport the components to improve older weapons expected to be used in Ukraine.

From India, Russia’s Machine-Building Design Bureau (NPK KBM) looking after the country’s missile production purchased six components for night-vision sight for ground-to-air missiles for $150,000 (£120,757) in August and November last year, the report shows.

The order was placed with the Indian Ministry of Defence.

While Russia likely reimported the parts for repairs, no records have been found of the items being sent back to India this year till March, the report added.

Russia possesses around 5,000 tanks, as per the annual report by the British think tank The International Institute for Strategic Studies in its 2023 edition of “The Military Balance”.

Russia firing Iranian Shaheds to exhaust valuable air defence missiles, says UK MoD

07:02 , Arpan Rai

Russia is likely launching hundreds of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) like Iranian Shahed drones in an attempt to force Ukraine to fire stocks of valuable, advanced air defence missiles, the British defence ministry said today.

In just the month of May, Russia launched over 300 Iranian Shahed series one way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA-UAVs) against Ukraine, marking “its most intense use of this weapon system to date”, the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

It added that Russia is unlikely to have been notably successful. “Ukraine has neutralised at least 90 per cent of the incoming OWA-UAVs mostly using its older and cheaper air defence weapons and with electronic jamming,” the ministry said.

“Russia has also likely been attempting to locate and strike Ukrainian forces well behind the front line. However, Russia remains very ineffective at hitting such dynamic targets at range because of its poor targeting processes,” it added.

Ukrainian troops continue moving forward near Bakhmut, says top commander

06:49 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian forces are advancing near Bakhmut, the commander of Ukraine‘s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said today.

He added that Ukrainian forces were successful in destroying a Russian position near the city.

“We continue moving forward,” Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia publishes video of bombing tanks and military ammunition in Donetsk

06:23 , Arpan Rai

The Russian defence ministry shared grainy aerial footage today of an military offensive in Ukraine’s Donetsk where it claims to have killed 250 soldiers and blown up enemy tanks.

In the 34-second video, a blurry view shows tanks moving in columns across swathes of green fields before being targeted by blasts.

A huge explosion is also seen after an isolated tank is destroyed in the video.

“Footage of the destruction of military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which took part in an attempted offensive in the South-Donetsk direction,” the ministry posted on its official Telegram channel.

The Independent has not verified the authenticity of the video shared by the Russian defence ministry.

Officials in Kyiv have not commented on Russia’s claims of thwarting a major offensive.

Ukrainian president says at least 500 children killed by war

06:00 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia‘s war, now in its 16th month, has killed at least 500 Ukrainian children.

Zelenskyy provided the number hours after rescue workers found the body of a 2-year-old girl who died in one of the latest Russian strikes.

The president said in a statement that “Russian weapons and hatred, which continue to take and destroy the lives of Ukrainian children every day,” killed the hundreds who had perished since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on Feb. 24, 2022.

Ukrainian president says at least 500 children killed by war

Two drones drop on Russian highway, says regional governor

05:58 , Arpan Rai

Two drones fell on a highway in Russia’s Kaluga region today, governor Vladislav Shapsha, said on the Telegram messaging app.

“There was no detonation, the area has been cordoned off,” the governor said. The region borders the Moscow region to its north.

Russia evading sanctions on weapons, says Zelensky

05:33 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of using a network of suppliers to evade international sanctions designed to prevent it from making missiles and other weapons.

The Ukrainian president said unnamed countries and companies were aiding Russia in acquiring military technology, with an emphasis on producing missiles.

“Unfortunately, the terrorist state manages to use the technologies of the world through a network of suppliers, manages to bypass international sanctions,” Mr Zelensky said.

He added that Ukraine was well aware of all of Russia’s efforts to evade sanctions and will seek to ensure that “there are no products of the free world in Russian missiles”.

Energy facility on fire in Russia’s Belgorod after drone attack

05:06 , Arpan Rai

An energy facility was ablaze in Russia’s Belgorod region in the early hours today after a drone attack, the region’s governor said.

“In the Belgorod region, one of the energy facilities is on fire. The preliminary cause of the fire was an explosive device dropped from a drone,” Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram app. “There were no casualties.”

Homecoming on film: Award-winning Mariupol documentary screened for 1st time in Ukraine

05:00 , Joe Middleton

The award-winning film “20 Days in Mariupol” made its premiere in Ukraine on Saturday, seen for the first time by some of the Ukrainian medics and first responders who were chronicled in the documentary about how Russian forces bombed and blasted their way into the southeastern port city last year.

Repeated standing ovations in a packed Kyiv cinema, mixed with tears and hugs, greeted those Ukrainian civil servants who toiled nearly non-stop in and around a Mariupol hospital that was a centerpiece of the film about the city early on in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

For some, the screening served as an unsettling flashback to their own brush with death in the city — a fate inescapable for untold numbers of other victims of Russia’s invasion, including toddlers, infants and expectant mothers whose final moments were caught on video shown in the film.

Homecoming on film: Award-winning Mariupol documentary screened for 1st time in Ukraine

Ukraine war: What we know on day 466

04:25 , Arpan Rai

Heavy battles continue to grind in parts of eastern and southern Ukraine where Russia has been stationed for more than 15 months after it launched a full-scale invasion of the country.

- Russia now controls at least 18 per cent of what is internationally recognised to be Ukrainian territory, and has claimed four regions of Ukraine as Russian territory.

- Russia’s defence ministry said it killed 250 of Ukraine’s forces after attacking them in southern Donetsk with six mechanised and two tank battalions on Sunday. Moscow has long suspected Ukraine would seek to drive a wedge through Russian-controlled territory.

- Ukraine has sought “silence” – an information control on its counteroffensive – ahead of the long-expected counterattack to reclaim territory that Russia has taken control over in the 15-month long war its been waging on its neighbour.

- An energy facility was ablze in Russia’s Belgorod region after a drone attack struck the building in the early hours today, regional governor said.

- Tens of thousands of Russian troops continue digging trenches along a front line which stretches for around 600 miles (1,000km), bracing for a Ukrainian attack which is expected to try to cut Russia’s so-called land bridge to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Russia says 250 Ukrainian soldiers killed in thwarted major offensive

04:02 , Arpan Rai

The Russian defence ministry has said hundreds of Ukrainian troops have been killed after a major battlefield offensive against Russian forces was thwarted in Donetsk region.

“On the morning of 4 June, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction,” the ministry said today.

It added that “the enemy’s goal was to break through our defences in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front” but Ukraine “did not achieve its tasks, it had no success.”

The ministry shared a video claiming to show several Ukrainian armoured vehicles in a field blowing up after being hit.

At least 250 Ukrainian troops were killed, 16 tanks and infantry vehicles were destroyed, and 21 armoured combat vehicles were damaged in the skirmish, the ministry said.

Officials in Kyiv have not commented on the Russian defence ministry’s claims so far.

It in not clear whether the attack represented the start of a long-expected Ukrainian counteroffensive to recapture some of the territory taken by Russian forces after the invasion of February 2022.

He fled Ukraine under the barrel of a gun. Now his invention could turn the tide of Putin’s war

04:00 , Joe Middleton

Gene Avakyan knows what it’s like to grow up during times of tension, Robert Waugh writes.

He fled Ukraine under the barrel of a gun. Now his invention could derail Putin’s war

Ukraine: Rescue workers search rubble of residential building after airstrike kills two-year-old

03:00 , Joe Middleton

Rescue workers have been filmed searching rubble after a deadly airstrike hit a residential area in Ukraine.

A two-year-old girl was killed, and 22 other people injured, when the airstrike landed in Dnipro on June 3, Dnipropetrovsk governor Sergey Lysak said.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the airstrike landed “between two two-storey residential buildings”.

While sharing footage of the rescue efforts, Volodymyr Zelensky said: “There are people under the rubble. All services are working.”

Ukraine: Rescue workers search rubble of building after airstrike kills two-year-old

A US family adopted a six-year-old from Ukraine. Now they say she was an adult dwarf who tried to kill them

02:00 , Joe Middleton

Michael and Kristine Barnett, of Indiana, decided in 2010 to open their home to a disabled six-year-old from Ukraine — or so they thought. What followed was a rapid cascade of suspicion and allegations that led to the demise of their marriage, criminal charges against each of them and an unbelievable tale that questions the innocence of all involved, writes Sheila Flynn.

Six-year-old saved by adoption or murderous adult imposter: Who is Natalia Grace?

Supporters of Russian opposition leader Navalny hold demonstrations to mark his 47th birthday

01:00 , Joe Middleton

Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny voiced hope for better future in Russia as his supporters held pickets and demonstrations to mark his 47th birthday on Sunday

Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court, charges he says were trumped up to punish his work to expose official corruption and organizing anti-Kremlin protests.

He is facing a new trial on extremism charges that could keep him in prison for decades. Kremlin critics view the case as another Russian government attempt to isolate President Vladimir Putin‘s most prominent foe.

Supporters of Russian opposition leader Navalny hold demonstrations to mark his 47th birthday

Ukraine releases cinematic trailer as counter offensive begins

Sunday 4 June 2023 22:18 , Joe Middleton

Inside the penal colonies: A glimpse at life for political prisoners swept up in Russia's crackdowns

Sunday 4 June 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy

When Alexei Navalny turns 47 on Sunday, he’ll wake up in a bare concrete cell with hardly any natural light.

He won’t be able to see or talk to any of his loved ones. Phone calls and visits are banned for those in “punishment isolation” cells, a 2-by-3-meter (6 1/2-by-10-foot) space. Guards usually blast patriotic songs and speeches by President Vladimir Putin at him.

“Guess who is the champion of listening to Putin’s speeches? Who listens to them for hours and falls asleep to them?” Navalny said recently in a typically sardonic social media post via his attorneys from Penal Colony No. 6 in the Vladimir region east of Moscow.

Inside the penal colonies: A glimpse at life for political prisoners swept up in Russia's crackdowns

How Dmitry Medvedev went from being Russia’s president to Vladimir Putin’s attack dog

Sunday 4 June 2023 20:30 , Martha Mchardy

When Dmitry Medvedev gave back the top spot in the Kremlin to Vladimir Putin in 2012, many observers hoped that the more liberal of the two men would continue to use his position to gently steer Russia in the direction of democratic reforms.

What they did not expect was how, a decade on, Medvedev has become Moscow’s primary mouthpiece for nuclear sabre-rattling, as well as death threats to the leaders of Western nations, following his mentor’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A law graduate and then assistant professor at St Petersburg State University in the 1990s, Medvedev entered politics as a consultant to Putin during his time as an official in the St Petersburg city administration, before leading Putin’s first presidential election campaign.

Arpan Rai reports:

How Dmitry Medvedev went from being Russia’s president to Vladimir Putin’s attack dog

ICYMI: Pictures show aftermath of Dnipro missile strike that killed one

Sunday 4 June 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy

Kremlin foe Navalny’s demands in prison: moonshine, a balalaika and a pet kangaroo - all denied

Sunday 4 June 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy

Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny released excerpts of his correspondence with prison administrators Friday, detailing his sarcastic demands for things like a bottle of moonshine, a balalaika and even a kangaroo. His requests were denied.

Responses from prison officials, posted on his social media account apparently by his team, came after he has spent almost 180 days in solitary confinement since last summer at Penal Colony No. 6 in the Vladimir region east of Moscow.

Navalny, 46, is serving a nine-year sentence after being convicted of fraud and contempt of court — charges he says were trumped up for his efforts to expose official corruption and organizing anti-Kremlin protests. He was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

Read the full story:

Kremlin foe Navalny's demands in prison: moonshine, a balalaika and a pet kangaroo -- all denied

ICYMI: Rescue workers search rubble of residential building after airstrike kills two-year-old

Sunday 4 June 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy

Rescue workers have been filmed searching rubble after a deadly airstrike hit a residential area in Ukraine.

A two-year-old girl was killed, and 22 other people injured, when the airstrike landed in Dnipro on June 3, Dnipropetrovsk governor Sergey Lysak said.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the airstrike landed “between two two-storey residential buildings”.

While sharing footage of the rescue efforts, Volodymyr Zelensky said: “There are people under the rubble. All services are working.”

Ukraine: Rescue workers search rubble of building after airstrike kills two-year-old

He fled Ukraine under the barrel of a gun. Now his invention could turn the tide of Putin’s war

Sunday 4 June 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy

An aerospace engineer and entrepreneur who left the USSR as a child has created “robot” planes that he says could “change the world” and hopes they’ll be used in the war to help his birthplace.

Gene Avakyan knows what it’s like to grow up during times of tension, having been born in Kyiv, Ukraine, before leaving the country when he was just nine years old – fleeing in the middle of the night and made to walk a gauntlet of “soldiers with AK-47s” just to get on a train.

Since then, his life has changed dramatically, with the 52-year-old falling in love with aviation and space travel as a teenager, and dedicating his time to developing new technologies in this area.

Robert Waugh reports:

He fled Ukraine under the barrel of a gun. Now his invention could derail Putin’s war

Supporters of Russian opposition leader Navalny hold demonstrations to mark his 47th birthday

Sunday 4 June 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy

Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny voiced hope for better future in Russia as his supporters held pickets and demonstrations to mark his 47th birthday on Sunday

Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court, charges he says were trumped up to punish his work to expose official corruption and organizing anti-Kremlin protests.

He is facing a new trial on extremism charges that could keep him in prison for decades. Kremlin critics view the case as another Russian government attempt to isolate President Vladimir Putin‘s most prominent foe.

Read the full story:

Supporters of Russian opposition leader Navalny hold demonstrations to mark his 47th birthday

Russia's most famous icon handed over from museum to church despite protests

Sunday 4 June 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy

Russian Orthodox believers celebrated Trinity Sunday with Russia’s most famous icon transferred from a museum to Moscow‘s main cathedral despite the keepers’ vociferous protests.

The Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev, which was kept in Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery since the 1920s, was moved to Christ the Savior Cathedral before the holiday on President Vladimir Putin‘s personal order.

Putin’s abrupt decision to hand over the 15th-century icon to the church came despite a strong opposition from the Tretyakov keepers, who warned that the icon was too fragile to move and requires constant care to avoid a drastic deterioraton in its condition.

Read the full story:

Russia's most famous icon handed over from museum to church despite protests

Russian forces repel incursion by Ukrainian saboteurs - Interfax cites ministry

Sunday 4 June 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russian forces used artillery to repel a cross-border incursion by a group of pro-Ukrainian “saboteurs” on Sunday, Interfax news agency reported, citing Russia’s defence ministry.

Earlier, the governor of Belgorod, a Russian region bordering Ukraine, had reported fighting in the border town of Novaya Tavolzhanka.

‘A threat to our children is a threat to all children,’ says Ukrainian first lady

Sunday 4 June 2023 16:54 , Martha Mchardy

Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska visited Kharkiv today to commemorate Ukrainian children killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a written statement she said: “The world must realize, if it hasn’t realized yet: a threat to our children is a threat to all children. Childhood has no borders.

“It is difficult to open monuments to those killed. Especially if these killed are children.

“I remember a photo of a father holding the hand of his son who was killed at a bus stop here in Kharkiv,” she went on.

“Parents hold their children’s hand when they learn to walk. Parents hold their children’s hand when they take them to kindergarten or school for the first time. And the most terrible thing is when parents hold the hands of the children who have been killed.”

It comes as her husband, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said today at least 500 Ukrainian children have died since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while 1,005 have been injured.

Over 19,500 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russian authorities, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Watch: Rescuers search rubble following deadly strike on Dnipro that left one dead

Sunday 4 June 2023 16:45 , Martha Mchardy

Latest pictures from the war in Ukraine

Sunday 4 June 2023 16:14 , Martha Mchardy

Russian governor says he is ready to meet group keeping soldiers captive

Sunday 4 June 2023 15:40 , Martha Mchardy

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Sunday that he was willing to meet a pro-Ukraine group of Russian fighters keeping two Russian soldiers captive.

In a joint statement with the Russian Volunteer Corps, the Freedom of Russia Legion said earlier it was willing to hand over the soldiers in exchange for a meeting with the governor.

“Most likely they killed them, as hard as it is for me to say. But if they are alive, from 5-6 p.m - Shebekino checkpoint. I guarantee safety,” governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Ukraine has previously denied any involvement with the Freedom of Russia Legion.

However, the group has claimed it cooperates with the Ukrainian armed forces and operates under Ukrainian command.

Russian governor says ‘Ukrainian saboteurs’ fighting in border town

Sunday 4 June 2023 15:27 , Martha Mchardy

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Sunday that fighting with a ‘Ukrainian saboteur group’ was taking place in the town of Novaya Tavolzhanka, near the Ukrainian border.

Protests, poisoning and prison: A look at the life of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny

Sunday 4 June 2023 15:05 , Martha Mchardy

In a span of a decade, Alexei Navalny has gone from the Kremlin’s biggest foe to Russia’s most prominent political prisoner.

Already serving two convictions that have landed him in prison for at least nine years, he faces a new trial that could keep him behind for two more decades.

Navalny turns 47 today in prison, where he has been repeatedly locked up in solitary confinement.

A look at Navalny’s life, political activism and the charges he has faced through the years:

Read the full story:

Protests, poisoning and prison: A look at the life of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny

Ukraine’s military urges ‘silence’ ahead of expected counteroffensive

Sunday 4 June 2023 14:22 , Martha Mchardy

The Ukrainian military on Sunday renewed its plea for operational silence around a long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces, the latest in a stream of messages by Kyiv as it prepares for the assault.

Anticipation has mounted around what is expected to be a broad attack by Ukrainian forces to retake Russian-occupied territory in the east and south.

But Ukrainian officials have repeatedly discouraged public speculation over the operation, saying it could help the enemy.

Authorities in recent days have also cracked down on citizens sharing images or footage of air defence systems shooting down Russian missiles.

“Plans love silence. There will be no announcement of the start,” the ministry said in a video posted to official Telegram channels, apparently referring to the counteroffensive.

The sleekly-produced footage featured masked and well-armed front-line troops holding their fingers against their lips, gesturing for silence amid the distant rumble of artillery and gunfire.

It ended with images of soaring F-16 fighter jets - long coveted by Kyiv as it seeks to boost its air defence against Russian missiles and drones.

Kyiv’s Western allies in recent months have provided weapons, armour and ammunition for the counteroffensive, which military experts have said could prove difficult against dug-in Russian forces.

In an interview published on Saturday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was prepared for the operation but avoided making any predictions.

“To be honest, it can go a variety of ways, completely different,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “But we are going to do it, and we are ready.”

Other senior officials, including defence minister Oleksii Reznikov, have similarly sought to tamp down expectations.

In some cases, however, the military has also fed the anticipation. Social media outreach by Kyiv has often been intended to intimidate the Kremlin.

Last week, it posted a flashy video depicting troops preparing for battle and reciting a rousing blessing, which was later aired as a recruiting clip.

Kremlin: Western long-range missiles to Ukraine will fuel 'spiralling tension'

Sunday 4 June 2023 14:19 , Martha Mchardy

The Kremlin said on Sunday that any supply of long-range missiles to Kyiv by France and Germany would lead to a further round of “spiralling tension” in the Ukraine conflict.

Britain last month became the first country to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles.

Ukraine has asked Germany for Taurus cruise missiles, which have a range of 500 km (311 miles), while President Emmanuel Macron has said France will give Ukraine missiles with a range allowing it to carry out its long-anticipated counteroffensive.

“We are already starting to see discussions about deliveries from France and Germany of missiles with a range of 500 km or more,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a reporter from the Rossiya-1 TV channel.

“This is a completely different weapon which will lead to, let’s say, another round of spiralling tension,” he said.

Russia has repeatedly criticised Western countries for supplying Ukraine with weapons and has warned that NATO members have effectively become direct parties to the conflict.

Moscow has made clear it sees such weapons supplied by the West as legitimate targets in what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, now in its 16th month.

Ukraine says it needs more weapons, including long-range missiles, to defend itself against Russian attacks and re-capture its occupied territory.

Peskov also reiterated that Russia would continue its operations in Ukraine until the “job is done... There is no alternative”.

Moscow says it had to act in Ukraine to protect its own security and push back against what it says is a hostile and aggressive West bent on the destruction of Russia.

A US family adopted a six-year-old from Ukraine. Now they say she was an adult dwarf who tried to kill them

Sunday 4 June 2023 14:05 , Martha Mchardy

Michael and Kristine Barnett, of Indiana, decided in 2010 to open their home to a disabled six-year-old from Ukraine — or so they thought. What followed was a rapid cascade of suspicion and allegations that led to the demise of their marriage, criminal charges against each of them and an unbelievable tale that questions the innocence of all involved, writes Sheila Flynn.

Six-year-old saved by adoption or murderous adult imposter: Who is Natalia Grace?

Homecoming on film: Award-winning Mariupol documentary screened for 1st time in Ukraine

Sunday 4 June 2023 13:35 , Martha Mchardy

The award-winning film “20 Days in Mariupol” made its premiere in Ukraine on Saturday, seen for the first time by some of the Ukrainian medics and first responders who were chronicled in the documentary about how Russian forces bombed and blasted their way into the southeastern port city last year.

Repeated standing ovations in a packed Kyiv cinema, mixed with tears and hugs, greeted those Ukrainian civil servants who toiled nearly non-stop in and around a Mariupol hospital that was a centerpiece of the film about the city early on in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

For some, the screening served as an unsettling flashback to their own brush with death in the city — a fate inescapable for untold numbers of other victims of Russia’s invasion, including toddlers, infants and expectant mothers whose final moments were caught on video shown in the film.

Read the full story:

Homecoming on film: Award-winning Mariupol documentary screened for 1st time in Ukraine

Circumstances of death of 2-year-old gril killed by Russian missile strikes in Dnipro revealed

Sunday 4 June 2023 13:02 , Martha Mchardy

The circumstances of the death of a two-year-old girl killed by Russian missile strikes in Dnipro have been revealed.

The city’s governor Serhiy Lysak said the two-year-old, who has been named as Lisa, was at home with her mother when Russian artillery struck the garden of their house.

The girl’s father, who returned home from work to find his house destroyed, “screamed wildly” when he found his wife and daughter under the rubble, the governor said.

“It is difficult to imagine what the girl’s father felt,” he added.

The girl’s mother was taken to intensive care, but the two-year-old died at the scene.

“Generation after generation will hate the aggressor for everything he has done. We will not forgive,” the governor said.

At least 22 people were injured, including five children, after a Russian rocket attack hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Saturday night.

Pro-Ukraine Russian fighters say they have two Russian soldiers captive

Sunday 4 June 2023 12:25 , Martha Mchardy

A group of pro-Ukraine Russian fighters said on Sunday they had taken two Russian soldiers captive amid fighting in Russia’s Belgorod region and offered to exchange them during a personal meeting with the regional governor.

The joint statement by the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps was posted on the former’s Telegram channel.

Ukraine has previously denied any involvement with the Freedom of Russia Legion.

However, the group has claimed it cooperates with the Ukrainian armed forces and operates under Ukrainian command.

The claims have not been independently verified.

‘Paranoid’ Russian officials outlaw blue and yellow colours in public, says UK Ministry of Defence

Sunday 4 June 2023 12:19 , Martha Mchardy

“Paranoid” Russian officials have effectively outlawed the wearing of blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in public, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.

In an intelligence update posted on Twitter, the UK defence ministry said some Russian officials have outlawed the colours because they “might evidence discreet support for Ukraine.”

The ministry said the clampdown “highlights uncertainty within a paranoid Russian officialdom of what is and is deemed permissible within an increasingly totalitarian system.”

“Some local Russian security officials are likely interpreting Russia’s draconian wartime legislation to mean that public display of blue and yellow items is outlawed because it might evidence discreet support for Ukraine,” the update said.

In May, a care home worker was reportedly arrested after wearing a blue and yellow jacket to work, the Ministiry of Defence said.

Meanwhile, in recent days, Russian National Guard troops arrested a 22 year old man in Volkhov near St Petersburg for displaying what was eventually determined to be the blue and yellow flag of Russia’s own Aerospace Forces.

The Ministry of Defence said Russia’s ultra-nationalist, pro-war Liberal Democratic party, whose own branding features yellow on a blue background, had criticised the arrests.

At least 500 children killed during war, says Zelensky

Sunday 4 June 2023 12:03 , Martha Mchardy

At least 500 Ukrainian children have died since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, president Zelensky has said.

The president said in a statement that “Russian weapons and hatred, which continue to take and destroy the lives of Ukrainian children every day”, killed the hundreds who had perished since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022.

“Many of them could have become famous scholars, artists, sports champions, contributing to Ukraine’s history,” he said.

Mr Zelensky said it was impossible to establish the exact number of children who were casualties due to the ongoing hostilities and because some areas are under Russian occupation.

“We must hold out and win this war!” the Ukrainian president said. “All of Ukraine, all our people, all our children, must be free from the Russian terror.”

Rescuers found the two-year-old’s body early on Sunday while combing through the rubble of an apartment building in the suburbs of the central city of Dnipro.

The regional governor, Serhiy Lysak, said five children were among 22 people injured by Saturday’s attack, which damaged two residential buildings.

Russia says Ukraine shelled market area in town of Shebekino

Sunday 4 June 2023 11:59 , Martha Mchardy

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces shelled a market area in the town of Shebekino, about 7 km (4 miles) from the Ukrainian border, but that no one was injured.

He said the shelling had caused fires to break out near the town’s market, a private area and a grain depot.

The reports have not been independently verified.

“Emergency services are on the scene,” governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Russian forces 'may not hold on to Bakhmut,' says military analyst

Sunday 4 June 2023 11:56 , Martha Mchardy

Vladimir Putin’s troops “may not hold on to Bakhmut,” a military analyst has said.

Michael Kofman of the Center for Naval Analyses, a U.S. research group, said Russian forces will “find it difficult to defend” Bakhmut now Wagner mercenary fighters are withdrawing from the city.

“And so they may not hold on to Bakhmut, and the whole thing may have ended up being for nothing for them down the line,” he told the War on the Rocks podcast in an interview on Tuesday.

Russian forces declared victory in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month after a nine-month battle with Ukrainian forces.

However, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar has warned that “the battle for the Bakhmut area hasn’t stopped,” she said. “It is ongoing, just taking different forms.”

Maliar said artillery shelling still goes on in Bakhmut at levels similar to those at the height of the battle to take the city.

It comes as Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his men would withdraw from the city, after a dispute with the Kremlin over a lack of ammunition received from Putin’s government, and a loss of over 20,000 of his men.

They will be replaced by Russian forces.

Russia had envisioned the capture of Bakhmut as partial fulfilment of its ambition to seize control of the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland. Now, its forces have been compelled to regroup, rotate fighters and rearm just to hold the city.

Watch: Rescuers search rubble following deadly strike on Dnipro

Sunday 4 June 2023 11:30 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine minister in ‘disbelief’ at closed Kyiv bomb shelters

Sunday 4 June 2023 11:15 , Martha Mchardy

A senior Ukrainian government official expressed “disbelief” on Sunday after learning that nearly half of Kyiv bomb shelters inspected during an initial audit were closed or unfit for use.

President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered an inspection of all Ukrainian shelters on Friday, a day after three people were killed in Kyiv when they were unable to access one during a Russian air strike.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s minister of strategic industries, said that out of 1,078 shelters examined on the first day, 359 were unprepared and another 122 locked, while 597 were found to be usable.

“I greeted with disbelief that fact that half were open and considered ready,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

“Yesterday, when we selectively checked the shelters in the Obolon district with our mayor, the absolute majority of the shelters were closed.”

Kamyshin said the inspections, taking place with the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine now in its 17th month, would continue.

Russia has stepped up regular attacks on Kyiv since early May, especially at night, in what officials say is an attempt to damage morale ahead of a long-expected Ukrainian counteroffensive to reclaim Russian-occupied territory.

Thursday’s deaths caused a public outcry and a promise of a harsh response by Zelensky, which appeared aimed at Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, who has clashed with the president before.

Klitschko acknowledged at a local committee meeting on Friday that he bore some responsibility but said others were also to blame, particularly allies of the president who had been appointed to lead the city’s districts.

In pictures: Aftermath of Dnipro air strikes as girl, 2, dies and 22 injured

Sunday 4 June 2023 11:00 , Martha Mchardy

Three dead and seven injured after shelling in Donetsk

Sunday 4 June 2023 10:34 , Martha Mchardy

Three people have died and seven were injured after shelling in the Donetsk region on Saturday night.

One person died and seven were wounded after attacks in Hirnyk, a town south of Kharkiv, Sky News reported, citing the Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Meanwhile, a further two people died In Horlivskyi near the city of Donetsk, the governor is reported to have added.

Fears rise for civilian safety as Ukraine investigates locked air-raid shelters

Sunday 4 June 2023 10:30 , Martha Mchardy

Concerns around civilian safety spiked in Ukraine on Saturday, as officials announced that an inspection had found nearly a quarter of the country’s air-raid shelters locked or unusable, just days after a woman in Kyiv allegedly died waiting outside a shuttered shelter during a Russian missile barrage.

The Ukrainian interior ministry said through its press service Saturday that of the “over 4,800” shelters it had inspected, 252 were locked and a further 893 “unfit for use.”

That same day, the Kyiv regional prosecutor’s office reported that four people were detained in a criminal probe into the 33-year-old’s death on Thursday outside the locked shelter. The prosecutor’s office said that one person, a security guard who had failed to unlock the doors, remained under arrest, while three others, including a local official, had been put under house arrest.

Susie Blann reports:

Fears rise for civilian safety as Ukraine investigates locked air-raid shelters