Major fire breaks out at suspected Russian air base

A large fire broke out at a suspected Russian air base in the city of Kursk, close to the border with Ukraine, on Tuesday.

Local officials said that over 60 firefighters battled the unexplained blaze at the site of what is believed to be the Central Aviation Technical Base.

Footage taken by local residents shows large plumes of grey smoke close to the facility, which is said to house a large number of vehicles used by the air force. There has been no official comment on the cause of the fire.

Kursk and neighbouring regions are increasingly coming under attack from Ukrainian drones, missiles and shelling, which has brought the war closer to home for Russians in the area.

Officials in Kursk said that its air defences repelled an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Monday, while reporting widespread power cuts and water supply issues in the region.

03:36 PM BST

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We’ll be back soon with more updates and analysis from the conflict.

03:36 PM BST

Orban asks Zelensky for ‘quick ceasefire’

Viktor Orban has pushed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a “quick ceasefire” with Russia in order to accelerate peace talks.

Mr Orban, Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the EU, met Mr Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, his first since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader responded that his country needs a “just peace”, whilst hailing the meeting as a “clear indication of our common European priorities”.

Mr Orban, an outspoken critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, also told Mr Zelensky that Budapest, which assumed the EU Council’s rotating presidency on July 1, will be at Kyiv’s “disposal”.

Putin last month said Moscow would not negotiate with Kyiv unless it withdrew its forces from the Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia, including the territory it does not control.

03:15 PM BST

Ukraine ‘to get good news’ on Patriot missiles at Nato summit

Ukraine is expected to get “good news” in its quest for more air defence systems at the Nato summit in Washington next week, according to a senior US official.

“We hope we’ll be able to get to the summit and make some new announcements on air defence,” said the senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“You’ve heard that the Ukrainians are keen to secure additional Patriots or similar systems. And I think we’ll have some additional good news for them on that front,” they added, without specifying further.

It follows reports that the US is preparing to move up to eight retired Patriot missile systems from Israel to Ukraine to help shore up its defences against Russia.

03:03 PM BST

Kremlin reacts to Orban’s visit to Kyiv

Russia has said it “does not expert anything” from Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban’s first trip to Ukraine since the war began.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Budapest had not contacted Moscow before the unexpected visit on Tuesday.

However, Mr Peskov dismissed the visit as simply a means for Hungary to “fulfill its responsibilities” after taking the helm of the EU presidency on Monday.

He added that that Putin’s ally Mr Orban was well known for being “tough in defending the interests of his country”.

02:34 PM BST

Moscow calls upcoming Modi visit ‘very important’

The Kremlin has called Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Russia “very important”.

The official details of the trip are yet to be announced, but Mr Modi, who recently secured a third term in office, is expected to visit between July 8-9.

“I can only confirm once again that the visit is in the final stage of preparation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “A very important visit.”

Mr Peskov said that regional security and global security issues would be high on the agenda, adding that Mr Modi and Putin have a “very trusting relationship”.

01:47 PM BST

Kremlin downplays Trump’s peace proposal

The Kremlin said it cannot comment on Donald Trump’s proposal for ending the war in Ukraine because Moscow does not know what it involves.

Trump claimed during the debate against President Joe Biden that if he won the November US election, he would have the war settled before he took office in January.

“This is not Trump’s first statement on this...Without knowing the essence of what this is about, we cannot comment on it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

The Kremlin has previously said that any peace plan for Ukraine proposed by a possible future Trump administration would have to reflect the reality on the ground. Ukraine says Russia’s terms amount to a demand for its surrender.

01:26 PM BST

Why has Orban finally visited Ukraine?

Why has Viktor Orban decided to finally make his first trip to Kyiv and Volodymyr Zelensky since the invasion of Ukraine now - long after many other European leaders?

The Hungarian Prime Minister has a fractious relationship with the Ukrainian president after opposing Western sanctions on the Kremlin, demanding a ceasefire, vetoing EU aid to Kyiv and clashing with him over ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine.

Before he left for Kyiv, Mr Orban revealed he was forming a new eurosceptic alliance in the European Parliament and vowed to “make Europe great again”.

On July 1, Hungary took up the six month presidency of the EU, which Ukraine wants one day to join. It will chair intergovernmental talks on issues including aid to the war torn country.

It’s an opportunity to exert leverage that Mr Orban, the EU’s longest serving leader, was not going to pass up.

His Fidesz party won last month’s European Parliament elections in Hungary but bled support to a new pro-EU opposition party.

Domestic concerns are also behind why this unapologetic nationalist is playing the international statesman.

01:13 PM BST

Ukraine carried out ‘major strike on ammo depot’ in Crimea

Ukraine’s air force has claimed to have carried out a major missile and bomb strike on a Russian ammunition depot in annexed Crimea.

It said Monday’s attack had inflicted “a devastating blow” against Russia’s occupying forces on the embattled peninsula.

“Once again, the Ukrainian aircraft ‘destroyed’ by enemy propaganda continue to successfully perform combat missions, launch missile and bomb strikes on the occupiers’ positions and eliminate important military facilities in the enemy’s deep rear,” Ukraine’s air force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, wrote on Telegram.

Footage was released showing a huge cloud of thick black smoke rising above buildings south of Sevastopol reportedly belonging to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

01:07 PM BST

Russian attack submarines completed secret operations in Irish Sea

Russian submarines twice conducted unprecedented missions in the Irish Sea after Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, it has emerged, writes James Crisp.

UK forces moved to protect British and Irish waters after the two deployments of the Kilo-class attack subs which can fire Kalibr cruise missiles, torpedoes and lay mines. One was about 18 months ago, while the other was more recent.

The extent of the Russian submarine movements went beyond what UK officials had previously seen, Bloomberg reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

Russia has more than 60 Kilo-class submarines, which have a top speed of 17 knots while surfaced, or 20 knots submerged, and have been used to attack Ukraine from the Black Sea.

Read the full story here.

11:55 AM BST

A look at the Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet:

11:33 AM BST

Huge fire reported ‘at Russian military base’ in Kursk

A huge fire broke out in the western Russian city of Kursk with reports it engulfed a large military base.

Local officials said that over 60 firefighters were at the scene, which is believed to be the Central Aviation Technical Base.

Unverified footage taken by residents shows large plumes of grey smoke rising above the facility only 60 miles from the border with Ukraine.

The military base is said to house a large number of vehicles used by the air force. There has not yet been an official comment on the cause of the fire.

11:13 AM BST

Zelensky holds phone call with future Nato chief

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he held a phone call with the future Nato secretary general and outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte.

“I congratulated Mark on his appointment, and we discussed Ukraine’s future cooperation with the Alliance,” Mr Zelensky wrote.

11:05 AM BST

Pictured: Viktor Orban’s surprise trip to Kyiv

10:46 AM BST

5,000 Ukrainian villagers urged to flee advancing Russian troops

Over 5,000 Ukrainian villagers have been urged to flee as Russian forces slowly but steadily advance in the war-ravaged Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

“It is dangerous to stay here! Be responsible! Evacuate!” said regional governor, Vadym Filashkin, on social media after two women were killed by shelling in the streets of Ukrainsk.

Mr Filashkin has been pleading with residents of frontline villages to leave, but many elderly residents have resisted the calls.

Moscow’s forces are also eying the city of Toretsk, where 700 residents have been evacuated in the last three days under heavy Russian bombardment after local officials acced Russia of using glide bombs on civilian targets.

On Monday, Russia claimed to have captured two more villages on the eastern front, but Ukraine reported heavy ongoing fighting close to the settlements.

10:06 AM BST

Nato ‘planning to station official in Ukraine’

Nato is planning to station a senior official in Kyiv in a move to display long-term commitment to the war-torn country, according to Nato sources.

The announcement, is expected to be made at this year’s annual summit in Washington next week, The Wall Street Journal reported.

It is a step towards strengthening ties between Nato and Ukraine without moving towards offering it membership in the face of repeated calls from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to join the alliance.

In May, The Telegraph revealed that Ukraine will not move further on its path to membership of Nato this year amid fears - largely from the US and Germany - that the alliance could be drawn into war with Russia.

09:44 AM BST

Zelensky: Russian casualties six times higher than Ukraine’s

Ukrainian president Voloydmyr Zelensky said that Moscow’s casualties were six times higher than those suffered by Kyiv’s forces.

Mr Zelensky explained that the ratio used to be one to four but due to spiralling Russian losses in the heavy fighting surrounding the cities of Kharkiv and Pokrovsk, it had reached six to one.

He added that Russia has more troops on the battlefield, but said “we care for our people more” in a recent interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russia has lost over 540,000 troops since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, including those killed and wounded.

09:24 AM BST

Ukraine confirms attack on airfield, but downplays losses

A Ukrainian air force official has confirmed the Russian attack on Myrhorod airfield but sought to downplay its significance.

“There was an attack. There are some losses, but not the ones the enemy claims,” Yuriy Ihnat said late on Monday after Moscow claimed to have destroyed five Su-27s and damaged two more.

Ukrainian sources reported that prior to the strike a Russian reconnaissance drone was able to fly above the airfield.

“There is not enough means to destroy [reconnaissance] drones,” Mr Ihnat said, adding that they were a “very serious threat”.

He added: “It flies and reports everything in real-time, then Iskander [missiles] arrived in a couple of minutes. It is obvious.”

08:40 AM BST

Ukrainians return to shattered villages liberated from Russia

When war tore through the idyllic village of Bohorodychne it blasted nearly every house, writes Ben Farmer.

The homes are now largely empty shells, while the pale blue walls of the church are sprayed with shrapnel and its golden domes are smashed.

Nearly two years after the village was liberated from the invading Russian forces after heavy fighting, little reconstruction has taken place and its lanes are quiet.

The village is largely deserted, but not quite. Of around 800 residents living in the village before the war, some 24 have returned.

Read the full story here.

08:25 AM BST

Russia ‘destroyed five Ukrainian fighter jets’

Moscow has claimed that its forces destroyed five Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets in a missile strike on an airfield deep inside Ukraine.

Russia’s defence ministry said it fired Iskander-M missiles at the Myrgorod airfield in central Ukraine, 90 miles from the Russian border.

”As a result of the Russian army strike, five operational Su-27 multirole fighters were destroyed, and two that were under repair were damaged,” it said, publishing footage purporting to show the strike.

On June 27, Starokostiantyniv airbase in western Ukraine came under attack as Moscow claimed it was targeting airfields it believes will house F-16s.

Ukraine’s depleted air force is expected to receive its first batch of Western F-16s this month - aircraft that Russia will be determined to ground or destroy.

Kyiv hopes the aircraft will boost its forces struggling to repel a Russian onslaught along the frontline, which includes glide bombs that F-16s could potentially disrupt.

08:08 AM BST

Hungarian PM arrives in Ukraine for first time since war

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban landed in Kyiv on Tuesday for talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The visit by Orban, an outspoken critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, comes a day after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union Council.

“The most important topic of the talks is the chance to create peace,” Orban’s press chief Bertalan Havasi added.

Orban, the closest ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin among EU leaders, has frequently opposed EU initiatives to support Ukraine in its defence against Moscow.

07:43 AM BST

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