Kalashnikov machine gun maker to produce 'kamikaze' drones

Kalashnikov, the Russian manufacturer of the world’s most widely used assault rifle, is to start new production of "kamikaze" drones, the company has announced.

Russia began to use Iranian-made Shahed drones after Ukraine’s success with Western, Israeli and Turkish uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the opening months of the war in Ukraine, and has been looking to boost its own production. The so-called loitering munition, or "kamikaze" drones, have become central to the conflict.

Russia’s biggest producer of automatic weapons and guided artillery said that “Kalashnikov is starting new production” of UAVs, in a statement published on Friday.

The company’s president Alan Lushnikov said: “In 2024, we will be able to increase by several times the number of UAVs produced in our traditional niche – loitering munitions and reconnaissance drones."

03:01 PM

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02:55 PM

Investigators find evidence that could link Nord Stream sabotage to Ukraine, German media reports

Investigators looking into the explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia have evidence that could link the attack to Ukraine, German media has reported.

Metadata from the emails used to rent a sailboat suspected to have been used in the attack tie them to Ukraine, according to Spiegel weekly. The president of the presumed shell company through which the yacht was hired also lives in Kyiv, according to broadcasters NDR and WDR, daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and international media partners.

German investigators also identified a Ukrainian man in his mid-twenties with ties to the military who they believe may have been part of the team of six who manned the yacht.

The links to Ukraine correspond with assessments by multiple intelligence services, according to Spiegel, as agencies work to examine whether the attack could have been carried out by an independent Ukrainian commando group or if a government-backed unit was more likely.

A false flag operation by Russia has not been completely ruled out..

02:39 PM

At least two dead and 23 wounded in Dnipro medical clinic attack

At least two are dead and 23 are wounded, including two children, after a Russian missile struck a medical clinic in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, in an attack described by President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "crime against humanity".

Regional governor of Dnipropetrovsk, Serhii Lysak, said on Telegram that a 69-year-old man who was “simply passing by” was killed when a rocket struck the medical clinic, and the body of a man was later hauled out of the rubble of a veterinary clinic building. Two boys, aged three and six, were among those wounded.

The Ukrainian president wrote on Twitter: “Only an evil state can fight against clinics. There can be no military purpose in this. It is pure [Russian] terror.”

Russia’s defence ministry has said in a statement that forces conducted a rocket strike on Ukrainian ammunitions depots and “all targets were hit”, state news agency RIA reported.

02:26 PM

Ukraine war caused 'fastest refugee crisis since World War II', says UK defence ministry

Around 11.8 million people have been displaced as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in the “fastest refugee crisis since World War II,” the UK Ministry of Defence has said.

The ministry wrote on Twitter: “Due to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas, more than 11 million people have been displaced.

“Despite the Kremlin’s sustained lie that they would not attack civilians or their infrastructure.”

02:15 PM

Pictured: Dnipro clinic in flames following missile strike

02:01 PM

US diplomats in Russia summoned over remarks by White House adviser

Russia’s foreign ministry summoned senior US diplomats to protest against remarks by a White House national security adviser whom it accused of “effectively endorsing strikes” on Crimea.

Jake Sullivan was asked in a CNN interview on Sunday whether Ukraine should have weapons which reached Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and he replied: “Yes. We have not placed limitations on Ukraine being able to strike on its territory within its internationally recognised borders.

"What we have said is that we will not enable Ukraine with US systems, Western systems, to attack Russia. And we believe Crimea is Ukraine."

The Russian foreign ministry said: "It is time for Washington to learn that any form of aggression against Russia will continue to be met with the strongest possible response."

The foreign ministry did not specify which comments in particular from the White House national security adviser that it objected to.

01:46 PM

Germany asked China to use influence on Russia to help end war in Ukraine during envoy visit

Germany called on China to use its influence on Russia to help end the war in Ukraine during a visit by Chinese special envoy Li Hui to Berlin this week.

A German foreign ministry spokesman said that Mr Li had held an “intensive discussion” with State Secretary Andreas Michaelis in Berlin.

He added: “The German side appealed to China to influence Russia to stop the war of aggression immediately and completely withdraw from Ukraine."

Germany also told Li that it wants China to stop supporting Russia with weapons and to help prevent nuclear escalation, according to the spokesman.

01:30 PM

Ukraine commander Valeriy Zaluzhnyi appears in video to dispel Russian reports of his death

The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces made his first virtual appearance since Russian propagandists claimed he had been killed on a visit to the front line, Joe Barnes reports.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi raised two fingers in Winston Churchill’s famous “V for Victory” salute as the rumours about his death were derided as “science fiction”.

In recent days, pro-Kremlin commentators reported the military leader had been killed in an attack on a command post near the village of Posad-Pokrovske in the Kherson region.

Read more on this story from Joe Barnes in Kyiv here

01:11 PM

Russia targeted Ukraine ammunitions depots with rocket strike and 'all designated objects were hit', says ministry of defence

The Russian armed forces conducted a rocket strike on Ukrainian ammunition depots  and “all designated objects were hit”, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported the Russian ministry of defence as saying.

The statement from the ministry added: “The goal of the strike was achieved.”

01:03 PM

New case against Alexei Navalny to go to court next week

A new criminal case against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny will go to court next week.

Moscow’s city court will hold a preliminary hearing into the case on 31 May on charges including incitement to extremism, according to court documents.

The court documents said that the charges related to six different articles of the Russian criminal code, including those on “rehabilitation of Nazism,” “organisation of an extremist community,” making “public appeals to commit extremist activity” and inducing citizens to break the law.

Mr Navalny is already serving a combined eleven and a half years for fraud and contempt of court in a maximum-security penal colony, on charges he says were trumped up to silence him.

He said last month that an “absurd” terrorism case had been opened against him which could see him sentenced to another 30 years in jail.

12:36 PM

In pictures: War in Ukraine

12:23 PM

Li Hui arrives at Russian foreign ministry to speak with Sergei Lavrov

China's special envoy Li Hui has arrived at the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow, where he is to "hold consultations on the Ukraine crisis" with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, state news agency TASS has reported.

Mr Li has previously met with the Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who told the envoy that "Ukraine does not accept any proposals that would involve the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict," according to Mr Kuleba's ministry.

12:14 PM

Sweden will consider training Ukrainian pilots on Gripen jets, says defence minister

The Swedish defence minister has said that they will “try to accommodate” training Ukrainian pilots on Gripen fighter jets if Ukraine makes a request, as momentum builds among Western allies to help supply the country with more planes.

Pal Jonson told CNN: "We are eager to support Ukraine in all ways possible and if they want their pilots to evaluate Gripen, we will try to accommodate that, although some decision remains on both sides."

He added that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence had requested a “limited operational evaluation” of the Swedish Gripen Fighter system, and said they "are currently working to meet the criterias of this request."

However, Mr Jonson said that Sweden would not be able to supply the planes themselves to Ukraine: “We exclude nothing when it comes to supporting Ukraine. However, at this stage we will not at be able to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Swedish Gripen Fighters.”

11:54 AM

Two drones caused blast in southern Russian city, claims governor

Two drones caused a blast which damaged a residential building and an office building in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, the region's governor said.

Veniamin Kondratyev wrote on Telegram on Friday: "There is some damage to buildings, but critical infrastructure was not damaged. And most importantly, there were no casualties."

11:35 AM

Number of victims climbs to 23 in Dnipro clinic strike

The number of those wounded in the attack on a Dnipro psychological and veterinary clinic has exceeded 20, the regional governor of Dnipropetrovsk has said.

He added that a 69-year-old man was killed in the strike.

Mr Lysak wrote on Telegram: "Already 23 victims in Dnipro.

"21 are in the hospital, three of them are 'heavy'.

"A 69-year-old man was killed. He was just passing by when a Russian terrorist rocket hit the city…

"As of this minute, rescuers managed to localise the fire in the medical facility. Extinguishing continues."

11:22 AM

Zelensky: Dnipro attack 'crime against humanity'

11:11 AM

Pictured: Emergency services at the scene of Dnipro medical clinic struck by Russia

10:55 AM

Two children among the wounded in Dnipro strike

Two children, aged three and six years old, were wounded in the attack in Dnipro, the regional governor Serhii Lysak has said.

Mr Lysak wrote on Telegram: "Boys 3 and 6 years old. Both were hospitalized. Doctors assess their condition as moderate."

He added that 11 adults were also hospitalised, two of whom seriously.

10:49 AM

Watch: Wagner exchange prisoners of war with Ukraine

10:38 AM

Ukraine downs 10 missiles and more than 20 drones in overnight strike

Ukraine downed 10 missiles and more than 20 drones overnight in the latest wave of Russian attacks targeting the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro and eastern regions, officials said.

The Ukrainian air force said that it had shot down ten missiles fired from the Caspian Sea, as well as 23 Iranian-made Shahed drones and two reconnaissance drones.

It added that a total of 17 missiles and 31 drones had been launched between the hours of 10pm on Thursday and 5am on Friday.

Several drones and missiles hit targets in the eastern region of Kharkiv and the central region of Dnipropetrovsk.

10:17 AM

Scholz plans to speak to Putin 'in due course'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that he plans to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin "in due course", holding out the prospect of resuming contact after a almost-total breakdown in relations since the Ukraine war.

Mr Scholz told German newspaper Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger: "My last telephone call was some time ago. But I plan to speak to Putin again in due course."

The leaders last spoke by telephone in early December.

09:51 AM

Watch: New Zealand soldiers perform Haka in support of Ukraine

09:45 AM

Fire broke out at Kharkiv oil depot following night of strikes, says presidential office

A fire broke out on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Kharkiv after an oil depot was struck twice in overnight strikes, the Ukrainian president’s office has said.

Equipment for pumping oil products had been damaged, Volodymyr Zelensky’s office added.

Ukraine shot down ten missiles and over 20 drones launched by Russia in overnight attacks on Kyiv, Dnipro and eastern regions, according to officials.

09:28 AM

Hospital in Dnipro struck in Russian missile attack, says governor

A hospital in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro has been hit in a Russian missile attack on Friday, according to the regional governor Serhii Lysak.

Mr Lysak wrote on Telegram that Russian forces "attacked a medical facility. There are victims."

09:17 AM

Belgorod under further shelling, claims governor

The Russian region of Belgorod came under shelling overnight, causing damage to houses, a shop, and a gas pipeline in the Graivoron district, the regional governor has said.

In a statement on Telegram on Friday morning, Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the district had been under fire, and there had been no casualties. He added that four houses had been damaged, the windows of a shop had been smashed, and shelling had damaged a gas pipeline and a power line.

“Emergency services have already started restoration work," he added.

Earlier this week, a band of fighters who claim to be from the Russian Volunteer Corps and The Liberty of the Russian Legion, ostensibly pro-Ukriainian groups of Russians, launched a cross-border raid into Belgorod.

08:58 AM

Russia to sell Volodymyr Zelensky’s holiday home on Black Sea to finance invasion

Russia has announced that it has nationalised Volodymyr Zelensky’s holiday home on Crimea’s Black Sea coast and plans to sell the property to fund its invasion of Ukraine, Nataliya Vasilyeva reports. 

The Russia-installed leader of Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, on Thursday recorded a video, announcing the local legislature’s decision to nationalise 57 properties that used to belong to Ukrainian tycoons and public figures.

“Crimea will regain rights for a number of properties including a building in Simferopol that belongs to the banned Crimean Tatar parliament as well as Olena Zelenska’s flat,” said Sergey Aksyonov, referring to the president’s flat that is registered in his wife’s name.

Read more on this story from the Telegraph's Russia correspondent here

08:44 AM

Officials and media claim Ukraine strikes southern Russia with rocket and drone

Russian officials and media have claimed that Ukraine struck two regions in southern Russia with a rocket and a drone, though the missile was shot down by air defences.

A blast in the southern city of Krasnodar damaged a residential building and an office, officials said, but did not say what caused the blast. Russian media reported that it was a drone attack, and unverified footage of social media appears to show a drone flying over the city.

The city’s mayor, Yevgeny Naumov, said on Telegram: “All emergency services are working at the scene. The cause of the incident is being investigated. Residents are asked to stay calm."

In the neighbouring region of Rostov, the local governor claimed that a Ukrainian missile had been shot down by air defences, in an area where there is a Russian air base. Vasily Golubev said: “In the area of Morozovsk, an air defence system went off, shooting down a Ukrainian missile.

“The military is doing its job. Stay calm.”

08:30 AM

Pictured: Destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv

08:21 AM

Latest MoD update: "Proliferation" of Russian paramilitary groups

In its latest daily intelligence update, the UK Ministry of Defence said that Russia has experienced a "proliferation of paramilitary groups out of its regular armed forces" over the last 20 years, but that the rate has "dramatically accelerated" since the war began in Ukraine.

The ministry added that the Russian-backed leader of the annexed region of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, had been "instrumental in setting up several local units".

08:11 AM

Wagner Group takes part in prisoner of war exchange

The Wagner Group exchanged prisoners of war with Ukraine on Thursday, and released a video and drone shots showing men in uniform being passed from one side to another in an unidentified location.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said on Thursday that they had secured the release of 106 captured Ukrainian soldiers in a prisoner exchange with Russia.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is seen addressing the returning Russian soldiers, among which it appears are fighters from his group of mercenaries, as well as officers of the Rosgvardia and one fighter of the Akhmat unit.

Mr Prigozhin released a video on Thursday morning in which he said that the withdrawal of his fighters from Bakhmut had begun, after Russia claimed to have captured the city following months of fighting.

Tatiana Moskalkova, Russia's human rights ombudsman, confirmed Russia's Wagner private military unit took part in an exchange of fighters on Thursday, but gave no further details.

08:03 AM

Japan to impose additional sanctions on Russia after G7 summit

Japan will impose additional sanctions on Russia, a government bulletin revealed on Friday, following the meeting of the G7 leaders in Hiroshima last week which showed the nations’ resolve to support Ukraine.

Japan will freeze the assets of 78 groups and 17 individuals in Russia and ban the exports to 80 Russian entities, such as military-affiliated research labs, the bulletin said.

07:56 AM

Ukraine war could last decades, warns top Putin ally

A top ally of Vladimir Putin has warned the Ukraine war could last for decades, with long periods of fighting interspersed by truces, Russia's RIA news agency reported on Thursday.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, said during a visit to Vietnam: "This conflict will last a very long time, most likely decades.”

"As long as there is such a power in place, there will be, say, three years of truce, two years of conflict, and everything will be repeated," RIA reported Mr Medvedev as saying, as he reiterated Moscow's claim that Ukraine is a Nazi state.

Mr Medvedev often makes hard line comments and last month described Ukrainian authorities as an infection.

Mr Medvedev also said on Friday that Russia would launch a “pre-emptive” nuclear strike if the West were to provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons, RIA Novosti quoted the official as saying.

"The more destructive the weapons supplied to Kiev, the more likely a nuclear apocalypse scenario.”

07:51 AM

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