Russia-Ukraine war: Russia changes tactics as counter-offensive looms

Russia is targeting key cities and “decision-making centres” in a bid to stop Ukraine’s counter-offensive, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister has said.

Volodymyr Havrylov said Ukraine has faced repeated volleys of ballistic missiles last month in the capital Kyiv an urban centres.

“Their primary goal is to stop our counter-offensive and target decision-making centres,” Mr Havrylov said at Asia’s top security conference, the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

For Russia “it was a huge surprise to find that the effectiveness of (their ballistic missiles) was almost zero against modern air defence systems, which we received from our partners,” he added.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, announced today that Ukraine is ready to launch its long-awaited counter-offensive that has been delayed while it waits for tanks and weapons from European countries.

Germany and the United States have already sent Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine this year. Last year, western allies supplied Ukraine with advanced shorter-range systems such as NASAMS and IRIS-T.

Mr Havrylov said the missile barrages had not affected the timing. “Nothing can stop our efforts, our desire, and our confidence that we’ll win this war,” he said. Ukraine will “start the counter-offensive, with the ambition to liberate our territories this year,” he added.

05:02 PM

Today's top stories

• The Netherlands is to increase the number of Patriot air defense systems it sends to Ukraine

• Future politicians that try to change the discourse of Russia’s development that begun with the war will be perceived as a “traitor”, the security council deputy chairman has said

• Nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s air-raid shelters are locked or unusable raising concerns around civilian safety, the country’s interior ministry has said

• Anthony Blinken, the US secretary of state, has condemned the notion of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine claiming it would enable the Russian president to consolidate his power in the country

• An explosion has ruined parts of a railway track in occupied Zaporizhzhia, which the Russian army uses to transport troops and equipment

• Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to launch the long-awaited spring offensive to recapture occupied territories from Russian troops

• Vladimir Putin has said that journalists from “unfriendly countries” would not get accreditation for the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, TASS reported

• Two people were killed and two injured in shelling after pro-Ukraine fighters targeted the city earlier today, said Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor

• Josep Borrell, the European Union’s top diplomat, said he met South Korea’s defence minister today to discuss Ukraine’s needs for ammunition

• Ukraine has rejected a peace plan to end the war proposed by Indonesia’s defence minister

• President Vladimir Putin’s decision to move one of Russia’s holiest icons from a museum to a Moscow cathedral highlights his growing reliance on the Church, but has also raised fears about the safety of the fragile artefact

• Russia will come back to full compliance with the nuclear arms pact with the US if Washington abandons its “hostile stance” toward Moscow, according to Russian media

04:47 PM

In Pictures: Volunteers give blood for the Ukrainian army

04:44 PM

Netherlands to increase Patriot missiles

The Netherlands is to increase the number of Patriot air defense systems it sends to Ukraine.

Mark Rutte, the prime minister, said in May that the country was considering providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets but it had not made a final decision.

However, Andriy Yermak, head of the president’s office, has confirmed: “The Government of the Netherlands will work towards increasing the number of Patriot systems for Ukraine. We are working on a relevant coalition.”

03:56 PM

Politicians who try to change Russia's discourse 'are traitors', says security chairman

Future politicians that try to change the discourse of Russia’s development that begun with the war will be perceived as a “traitor”, the security council deputy chairman has said.

Dmitry Medvedev made the comments after Russians who left the country publicly called for a return to previous times.

He said today: “I can say with certainty: there will be no return to ‘bright’ European past for them. And not only because they don’t love and don’t expect us there. […] Russia is an entirely different country now compared to the pre-war period.

“Leaders, parties and governments come and go, while the memory and values, cemented with blood, remain for a very long time. For decades, sometimes for centuries. They will not be changed, let alone destroyed, by any new leaders, whatever political force they represent (not to mention blatant traitors).”

“Therefore, any political leader that will try to change the discourse of the country’s development that emerged after February 24, 2022, will be anathematized as a traitor, as a person who betrayed the memory of our people who gave their lives in this war,” the official said.

03:16 PM

In Pictures: Putin attends a talk at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum

03:08 PM

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

Nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s air-raid shelters are locked or unusable raising concerns around civilian safety, the country’s interior ministry has said.

The ministry said that of the “over 4,800” shelters it had inspected, 252 were locked and a further 893 “unfit for use”.

Earlier this week a woman in the capital city of Kyiv reportedly died waiting outside a shuttered shelter during a Russian missile strike.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has said that city authorities have received “more than a thousand” complaints regarding locked, dilapidated or insufficient air-raid shelters within a day of launching an online feedback service.

02:47 PM

Ceasefire would help Putin to consolidate control, warns Blinken

Anthony Blinken, the US secretary of state, has condemned the notion of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine claiming it would enable the Russian president to consolidate his power in the country.

Indonesia’s defence minister proposed a plan Saturday to end the war between Russia and Ukraine at a defence summit in Singapore, an initiative that drew quick criticism from attendees.

“I call on Russia and Ukraine to embark on an immediate cessation of hostilities,” Prabowo Subianto said today.

02:40 PM

Explosion destroys railway tracks in Zaporizhzhia

An explosion has ruined parts of a railway track in occupied Zaporizhzhia, which the Russian army uses to transport troops and equipment.

Ivan Fedorov, mayor of the city of Melitopol, said: “A few hours ago, the railroad tracks near the village of Dolynske, Yakymivka district, loudly stopped working.”

It is unclear whether there were any casualties.

01:57 PM

Ukraine ready to launch counteroffensive, says Zelensky

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to launch the long-awaited spring offensive to recapture occupied territories from Russian troops.

“I don’t know how long it will take. To be honest, it can go a variety of ways, completely different. But we are going to do it, and we are ready,” he said of his plan in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Ukrainian officials have been teasing the start of offensive operations for months, with Mr Zelensky saying in May that Ukraine needed to delay the counter-offensive to wait for more armoured vehicles to arrive.

However, following a diplomatic campaign to secure new weapons for his country and to shore up support among European allies he looks set to push ahead.

“We strongly believe that we will succeed,” Mr Zelensky added.

01:55 PM

In Pictures: Belgorod residents evacuate after missiles strike the city

01:48 PM

Putin denies Western journalists accreditation for Russian economic forum

Vladimir Putin has said that journalists from “unfriendly countries” would not get accreditation for the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, TASS reported.

Reuters was told by the organisers of the forum on Friday that accreditation to the forum had been cancelled after receiving an earlier confirmation of accreditation on Thursday.

01:46 PM

Two killed in shelling on Russian border

Two people were killed and two injured in shelling after pro-Ukraine fighters targeted the city earlier today, said Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor.

“Since this morning, settlements in the Shebekino urban district have been under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” he wrote on Telegram. Mr Gladkov said yesterday that more than 2,500 people had been evacuated from the district.

Russian officials have in recent days reported intensified attacks from northern Ukraine. Five people were killed, 16 injured in Ukrainian shelling attacks on Belgorod on Friday, Mr Gladkov said in an earlier update.

“The night was restless. Air defences worked over (the city of) Belgorod,” he said.

01:26 PM

Wagner 'ready to defend Russia's border'

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has said that he is ready to send fighters to the Russian Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine and has come under intense shelling.

Thousands have fled villages in south-western Belgorod after days of attacks that came after an armed incursion from Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner chief, has been in conflict with Russia’s regular army and has accused Moscow’s military leadership of being unable to defend Belgorod.

“If the defence ministry, in the near future, does not stop what is happening in the Belgorod region.. then of course we will come to defend Russian land,” Mr Prigozhin said on Telegram.

“The civilian population is dying in Belgorod,” Mr Prigozhin said, adding he would not wait for an “invitation” to deploy his fighters there.

01:06 PM

EU's top diplomat discusses Ukraine's ammunition needs with South Korea

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s top diplomat, said he met South Korea’s defence minister today to discuss Ukraine’s needs for ammunition.

The meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security summit, came amid pressure from the United States and NATO countries for South Korea to provide weapons and ammunition for Ukraine.

Mr Borrell said in a tweet: “Good meeting with Korean defence minister Lee Jong-sup at #SLD23. Shared alarm at continued DPRK provocations and discussed Ukraine’s needs for ammunition.”

South Korea had so far ruled out sending artillery to Ukraine, citing business ties with Russia and Moscow’s influence over North Korea, despite mounting pressure from Washington and Europe to supply weapons.

12:49 PM

Peace plan won't work, says Ukraine

Ukraine has rejected a peace plan to end the war proposed by Indonesia’s defence minister.

Prabowo Subianto called on military officials gathered at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore to issue a declaration calling for a cessation in hostilities.

However, Oleg Nikolenko, Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman, has reiterated the country’s position that Russia should withdraw its troops from occupied territories.

He added that a ceasefire would enable Russia to regroup and reinforce, Reuters reports.

Mr Nikolenko said: “There are no disputed territories between Ukraine and the Russian Federation to hold referendums there.

“In the occupied territories, the Russian army commits war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Russia is now trying in every possible way to disrupt the Ukrainian counteroffensive.”

12:34 PM

Russia fires missile at Sloviansk

11:45 AM

Russians 'arrest henchmen after explosion at military base'

Russians detain “almost everyone” after an explosion at an industrial plant used as a military base near occupied Mariupol.

Around 100 soldiers were killed and over 400 were injured in a strike on the former healthcare facility in the village of Yurivka on May 29.

Petro Andriushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said today the “unexpected retribution came out of nowhere”.

“After the Yuryivka kaboom, the Russians arrested almost all staffers at that base all of the occupiers’ henchmen,” said Mr Andriushchenko.

He added that some of the detainees were released, but at least three from Yalta and Yuryivka remain in the Donetsk dungeons.

”Someone thought that they got into the cool spot, but this turned out a bit wrong. No pity, no forgiveness,” the official wrote on Telegram.

11:07 AM

Transfer of holy icon shows Russian Orthodoxy's new sway under Putin

President Vladimir Putin’s decision to move one of Russia’s holiest icons from a museum to a Moscow cathedral highlights his growing reliance on the Church, but has also raised fears about the safety of the fragile artefact.

Putin last month ordered Andrei Rublev’s Trinity be transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church from Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery for a year.

On Sunday, this year’s Trinity Sunday, the 15th century artwork will take its place in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, a vast church that was blown up under Josef Stalin but rebuilt in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Regina Elsner, a researcher of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Eastern European and International Studies, said: “Putin has an interest in keeping the Church on his side in this war, to show he respects the Church.”

11:01 AM

In Pictures: Oleksandr Syrsky returns to Bakhmut

Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, has travelled to Bakhmut in Donbas to meet troops.

Last month he said that Russian forces were “mopping up” operations to clear soldiers in the city in a shift to detract from the country’s losses to the battle for its outskirts.

10:26 AM

Russia to rejoin nuclear treaty if US abandons 'hostile stance'

Russia will come back to full compliance with the nuclear arms pact with the US if Washington abandons its “hostile stance” toward Moscow, according to Russian media.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, withdrew Russia from the New START agreement in February, which is the last remaining nuclear treaty between the nations.

Mr Putin said it could be foolish to share nuclear information that could be passed to Ukraine.

In April Russia also said that suspending participation in New START with the US had given Moscow new opportunities to guarantee its security.

10:18 AM

Wagner chief says Russians laid mines to hurt his fighters

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary chief, has accused Russian forces of planting explosives to injure his forces as they withdrew from Bakhmut.

Mr Prigozhin said yesterday his troops had unearthed a dozen locations in rear areas where Russian defence ministry officials had planted various explosive devices, including hundreds of anti-tank mines.

He said the defence ministry officials had confirmed the mines had been laid upon order from their superiors.

“It was not necessary to plant these charges in order to deter the enemy, as it (the area in question) is in the rear area,” he said.

“Therefore, we can assume that these charges were intended to meet the advancing units of Wagner,” Mr Prigozhin said.

10:11 AM

In Pictures: Wagner fighters pose in Palace of Culture

Russian forces destroyed the Palace of Culture in Bakhmut in May in a missile strike.

The building also housed the city’s humanitarian headquarters.

09:59 AM

Residents killed as Russians ‘massively shell’ border towns

Russian forces fired at border towns in the Kharkiv region in a dawn raid this morning.

Front line settlements of Kharkiv, Kupyansk, Chuhuiv and Bohodukhiv districts were targeted over the past day.

Civilians were killed and injured, according to Ukrinform. The number of casualties is not immediately clear.

Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Military Administration, said: “The enemy massively shelled the border and front-line settlements. Private houses were damaged. A civilian industry facility was also damaged.”

A fire broke out as a result of the shelling in Chuhuiv, he added.

09:40 AM

Change of tac in Bakhmut will make Russia's troops less flexible, says MoD

Russian commanders have sent VDV airborne troops to Bakhmut to hold the front line to replace Wagner troops that withdraw.

The once-elite VDV have assumed an increasingly important role in Bakhmut where ten months of fighting have largely come to a halt.

As the VDV are deployed to focus on the region, the rest of Russia’s forces may be less flexible to adapt to changes in the war, the Ministry of Defence has said.

Because commanders have been “forced to deploy them to hold the front line in Bakhmut, the whole Russian force is likely to be less flexible in reacting to operational challenges”.

08:24 AM

Indonesia proposes demilitarised zone, UN referendum for Ukraine peace plan

Indonesia’s defence minister has proposed a peace plan for the war in Ukraine, calling for a demilitarised zone and a United Nations referendum in what he called disputed territory.

Prabowo Subianto, 71, called on military officials from around the world gathered at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore to issue a declaration calling for a cessation in hostilities.

He proposed a multi-point plan including a ceasefire “in place at present positions of both conflicting parties” and establishing a demilitarised zone by withdrawing nearly 10 miles from each party’s forward position.

The demilitarised zone should be observed and monitored by a peacekeeping force deployed by the United Nations, he said, adding that a referendum should be held “to ascertain objectively the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed areas”.

“I propose that the Shangri-La dialogue find a mode of... voluntary declaration urging Ukraine and Russia to immediately start negotiations for peace,” Mr Prabowo said.

Volodymr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has proposed a 10-point peace plan, which calls on Russia to withdraw all its troops. Ihor Zhovkva, the chief diplomatic advisor in Ukraine, said it had no interest in a ceasefire that locks in Russian territorial gains.