Ukraine news – live: Russia’s Lavrov forced to cancel Serbia trip due to flight bans

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had to cancel his visit to Serbia after three of its neighbours – Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro – refused access to their airspace in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Lavrov’s visit to Serbia was slated for 6-7 June.

Meanwhile, Russia on Sunday attacked Ukrainian capital Kyiv for the first time in months, and Vladimir Putin warned western nations against sending long-range artillery to Ukraine.

“All this fuss around additional deliveries of weapons, in my opinion, has only one goal: to drag out the armed conflict as much as possible,” Mr Putin said.

His remarks came a day after the US vowed military support of $700m to Ukraine, including four precision-guided, medium-range rocket systems, as well as helicopters, Javelin anti-tank systems, radars, tactical vehicles and more.

Key Points

• Longer-range missiles would not change ‘anything in essence’, says Putin

• Putin warns West of fresh strikes if longer-range missiles supplied

• Several explosions rock Ukraine’s capital Kyiv – mayor

• Nine Donbas attacks defended as Russia makes ‘creeping advance’

• Russia suffering fewer casualties than start of war, says Kyiv

• Russia ‘destroying bridges’ in Donbas to block enemy reserves

Explosions in southern Ukraine

08:16 , Zoe Tidman

Explosions have been heard in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, according to its mayor.

Situation worse in Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine official says

07:48 , Zoe Tidman

The governor of Luhansk has said the situation as worsened a little for Ukraine in Sievierodonetsk.

He said intense street fighting has been raging in the southeastern city.

Joe Middleton has more on the battle for Sievierdonetsk:

Ukraine forces pushing back Russia in Sievierodonetsk

One person in hospital after Kyiv strike

07:35 , Zoe Tidman

At least one person has been hospitalised in the Russian strikes on Kyiv, which were the first on the capital in more than a month.

Ukraine said the strike hit a rail car repair works, while Moscow said it had destroyed tanks sent by Eastern European countries to Ukraine.

Russia may be moving air defence to Snake Island in western Black Sea

07:01 , Arpan Rai

The British defence ministry has said that Russian forces may have moved their multiple air defence assets to Snake Island to bolster their air security for Moscow’s naval vessels in the area.

“At sea, following the loss of the cruiser Moskva in April, Russian forces have likely moved multiple air defence assets to Snake Island in the western Black Sea, including SA-15 and SA-22 systems,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

“It is likely these weapons are intended to provide air defence for Russian naval vessels operating around Snake Island.”\

Russia’s activity on Snake Island, the ministry said, is adding to its blockade of the Ukrainian coast and hinders the resumption of maritime trade, including exports of Ukrainian grain.

On the military offence front, the British MoD said: “In the early hours of 5 June, Russian Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles struck rail infrastructure in Kyiv, likely in an attempt to disrupt the supply of western military equipment to frontline Ukrainian units.”

“In Donbas, heavy fighting continues in the contested town of Sieverodonetsk and Russian forces continue to push towards Sloviansk as part of their attempted encirclement of Ukrainian forces,” the ministry said.

Russian foreign minister's visit to Serbia cancelled

06:36 , Arpan Rai

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was forced to cancel his visit to Serbia after three of its neighbours sealed off their airspace to the top Moscow leader.

The three nations that denied access to Russian aircraft carrying Moscow’s top diplomat to Belgrade include Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

Mr Lavrov’s visit to Serbia was slated for 6 June and 7 June, but the Russian foreign ministry confirmed that it has now been cancelled.

A close Russian ally, Serbia has not severed its ties or enforced any sanctions in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

UK to send long-range missiles to Ukraine after Russia hits Kyiv

05:34 , Arpan Rai

Defence secretary Ben Wallace has announced that the UK will dispatch its first long-range missiles to Ukraine for the first time since April ater Russia struck capital Kyiv on Sunday.

An unspecified number of M270 launchers, which can fire precision-guided rockets up to 50 miles – a longer range than any missile technology currently in use in the war – will be sent o Kyiv, Mr Wallace said.

“The UK stands with Ukraine in this fight and is taking a leading role in supplying its heroic troops with the vital weapons they need to defend their country from unprovoked invasion,” Mr Wallace said in a statement released by the British defence ministry.

Read the full story here:

Britain to send long-range missiles to Ukraine after Russia hits Kyiv

Russian ministry website hacked with ‘Glory to Ukraine’ message

05:10 , Arpan Rai

The Russian ministry of construction, housing and utilities appeared to have been hacked on Sunday as a web search for the ministry showed a message reading “Glory to Ukraine” in Ukrainian.

A ministry representative said the site was down and users’ personal data was protected, reported Russian state news agency RIA late on Sunday.

Zelensky meets war-hit families from Mariupol: ‘Most without men’

04:51 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the families who fled the battered port city Mariupol, still reeling from the aftermath of the Russian siege that eventually captured the city.

“Met with Mariupol residents, who managed to leave the city alive and with children. Here they were met by [the people of] Khortytsia, humanely and warmly. Conditions - I saw - are temporary, but not bad. Understood their difficult questions. I think we will solve them,” Mr Zelensky said in a statement.

He added that each family in the territory has its own story. “Most were without men. Someone’s husband went to war, someone’s is in captivity, someone’s, unfortunately, died. A tragedy. No home, no loved one. But we must live for the children. True heroes – they are among us.”

Volodymyr Zelensky visits Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut and Lysychansk

04:27 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky visited the command posts and frontline positions of Ukrainian troops in separatist territories of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region and Lysychansk in the Luhansk region, the Ukrainian president’s office said in a statement early on Monday.

Mr Zelensky took an update on the operational situation in these two territories at the front, the statement said, adding that he was also informed on the logistics of Ukrainian defenders.

“Volodymyr Zelensky also talked to the military and presented them with state awards and valuable gifts,” the presidential office said.

ICYMI: Ukraine condemns Emmanuel Macron’s ‘don’t humiliate Russia’ comments

04:00 , Joe Middleton

Kyiv has dismissed Emmanuel Macron‘s call not to “humiliate” Russia for the sake of diplomacy, and said that there was no point returning to the negotiating table until Moscow’s forces were pushed back as far as possible.

France’s president said on Saturday that it was vital that Russia was not humiliated so that when the fighting stops in Ukraine, a diplomatic solution can be reached.

Speaking to regional reporters, Macron also said he believed Paris would play key role in brokering peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv come the conclusion of the fierce conflict.

Emily Atkinson reports.

Ukraine condemns Emmanuel Macron’s ‘don’t humiliate Russia’ comments

ICYMI: Ukraine plans to restart football leagues from August

03:30 , Joe Middleton

Ukraine is set to resume competitive football in the country this August, following president Volodymyr Zelensky’s approval, even as the Russian invasion of the eastern European country surpassed 100 days.

Andriy Pavelko, the president of Ukraine’s football federation, recently revealed details of his discussions with Mr Zelensky and the heads of FIFA and UEFA about kicking off men’s and women’s matches in the country in a safe manner.

“I spoke with our president about how important football is to distract,” Mr Pavelko told the Associated Press, while surrounded by Ukraine jerseys and a tactics board in the team meeting room in Cardiff.

Ukraine plans to restart football leagues from August

IYCMI: Inside Chernobyl nuclear plant devastated by Russian troops as $135m of equipment destroyed

02:30 , Joe Middleton

These images show the damage done to the Chernobyl nuclear plant after Russian forces seized the plant in the early days of the Ukraine war.

The site of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters was swiftly taken by Vladimir Putin’s troops at the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February.

Russian troops occupied the site – which has a 19-mile exclusion zone – for five weeks and now for the first time photographers have had access to the abandoned plant and documented the trail of destruction left by soldiers.

Inside Chernobyl nuclear plant devastated by Russians as $135m of equipment destroyed

As Ukraine loses troops, how long can it keep up the fight?

01:30 , Joe Middleton

As soon as they had finished burying a veteran colonel killed by Russian shelling, the cemetery workers readied the next hole. Inevitably, given how quickly death is felling Ukrainian troops on the front lines, the empty grave won’t stay that way for long.

Col. Oleksandr Makhachek left behind a widow, Elena, and their daughters Olena and Myroslava-Oleksandra. In the first 100 days of war, his grave was the 40th that the diggers have dug in the military cemetery in Zhytomyr, 90 miles (140 kilometers) west of the capital, Kyiv.

He was killed May 30 in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine where the fighting is raging. Nearby, the burial notice on the also freshly dug grave of Viacheslav Dvornitskyi says he died May 27. Other graves also showed soldiers killed within days of each other — on May 10, 9th, 7th and 5th. And this is just one cemetery, in just one of Ukraine’s cities, towns and villages laying soldiers to rest.

As Ukraine loses troops, how long can it keep up the fight?

American spy agencies review their misses on Ukraine, Russia

Monday 6 June 2022 00:30 , Joe Middleton

The question was posed in a private briefing to U.S. intelligence officials weeks before Russia launched its invasion in late February: Was Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, made in the mold of Britain’s Winston Churchill or Afghanistan’s Ashraf Ghani?

In other words, would Zelenskyy lead a historic resistance or flee while his government collapsed?

Ultimately, U.S. intelligence agencies underestimated Zelenskyy and Ukraine while overestimating Russia and its president, even as they accurately predicted Vladimir Putin would order an invasion.

American spy agencies review their misses on Ukraine, Russia

ICYMI: Sievierodonetsk chemical plant attacked in eastern Ukraine

Sunday 5 June 2022 23:30 , Joe Middleton

ICYMI: Zelensky optimistic of victory in address on 100th day of war

Sunday 5 June 2022 22:30 , Joe Middleton

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine will be victorious over Russia in a video address on the 100th day of the war.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that the Russian invasion will continue until “all goals are achieved.”

Though Russia has dropped their goal of “denazifying” Ukraine, their campaign to “demilitarise” the nation continues.

“There are three words we have been fighting for for a hundred days...peace, victory, Ukraine,” president Zelensky said.

Zelensky optimistic of victory in address on 100th day of war

ICYMI: Several explosions rock Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, says mayor Vitali Klitschko

Sunday 5 June 2022 21:30 , Joe Middleton

Multiple explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv early on Sunday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed.

“Several explosions in Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of the capital,” Mr Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding, “Services are already working on site. More detailed information - later.”

A witness for Reuters saw smoke in the city after the explosions.

Ukraine-based journalist Nika Melkozerova reported “Kyiv is shelled” and that “at least five blasts” were heard near her home in the capital.

Several explosions rock Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, says mayor Vitali Klitschko

NATO holds Baltic Sea naval exercises with Finland, Sweden

Sunday 5 June 2022 20:30 , Joe Middleton

NATO kicked off nearly a two-week U.S.-led naval exercise on the Baltic Sea on Sunday with more than 7,000 sailors, airmen and marines from 16 nations, including two aspiring to join the military alliance, Finland and Sweden.

The annual BALTOPS naval exercise, initiated in 1972, is not held in response to any specific threat. But the military alliance said that “with both Sweden and Finland participating, NATO is seizing the chance in an unpredictable world to enhance its joint force resilience and strength” together with two Nordic aspirant nations.

Finland and Sweden both have a long history of military non-alignment before their governments decided to apply to join NATO in May, a direct result of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Over the past years, Moscow has repeatedly warned Helsinki and Stockholm against joining the Western military alliance and warned of retaliatory measures if they did.

NATO holds Baltic Sea naval exercises with Finland, Sweden

US ambassador to Ukraine visits devastated town of Borodyanka

Sunday 5 June 2022 19:30 , Joe Middleton

ICYMI: Ukraine condemns Emmanuel Macron’s ‘don’t humiliate Russia’ comments

Sunday 5 June 2022 18:45 , Joe Middleton

Kyiv has dismissed Emmanuel Macron‘s call not to “humiliate” Russia for the sake of diplomacy, and said that there was no point returning to the negotiating table until Moscow’s forces were pushed back as far as possible.

France’s president said on Saturday that it was vital that Russia was not humiliated so that when the fighting stops in Ukraine, a diplomatic solution can be reached.

Speaking to regional reporters, Macron also said he believed Paris would play key role in brokering peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv come the conclusion of the fierce conflict.

Emily Atkinson reports.

Ukraine condemns Emmanuel Macron’s ‘don’t humiliate Russia’ comments

European shipping firms ‘making a mockery’ of Russia sanctions as oil cargos double

Sunday 5 June 2022 18:26 , Joe Middleton

European companies have almost doubled their shipments of Russian oil since the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, despite desperate efforts by EU leaders to squeeze the Kremlin war machine by blocking Russia’s exports from global markets.

Campaigners said EU-based shipping firms had made a “mockery” of plans to sanction Russia, and warned that a partial oil embargo announced this week would do little to hurt Mr Putin or shorten the war.

The damning assessment came as exclusive new analysis, seen by The Independent, showed the extent to which shipping firms based in Greece, Cyprus and Malta had ramped up their transport of Russian oil around the world in recent weeks, taking advantage of big jumps in rates for tanker cargos.

Ben Chapman reports.

European shipping firms ‘making a mockery’ of Russia sanctions as oil cargos double

Latest Ministry of Defence map of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Sunday 5 June 2022 18:06 , Joe Middleton

Trump's Ukraine impeachment shadows war, risks GOP response

Sunday 5 June 2022 17:35 , Joe Middleton

When President Donald Trump was impeached in late 2019 after pressuring Ukraine‘s leader for “a favor,” all while withholding $400 million in military aid to help confront Russian-backed separatists, even the most staunch defense hawks in the Republican Party stood virtually united by Trump’s side.

But as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military marched toward Kyiv this February, threatening not only Ukraine but the rest of Europe, Republicans and Democrats in Congress cast aside impeachment politics, rallied to Ukraine’s side and swiftly shipped billions to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s defense.

The question ahead, as Ukrainians battle Russia’s grinding invasion now past its 100th day, is whether the rare bipartisanship on Capitol Hill is resilient enough to withstand Trump’s isolationist influences on his party or whether Republicans who yielded to Trump’s “America First” approach will do so again, putting military and humanitarian support for Ukraine at risk.

Trump's Ukraine impeachment shadows war, risks GOP response

Spain to supply Ukraine with Leopard tanks and air defence systems, say reports

Sunday 5 June 2022 17:09 , Joe Middleton

Spain is reportedly going to supply Ukraine with Leopard tanks and air defence systems, according to media outlet El Pais.

Spain will also provide essential training to the Ukrainian military in how to use the tanks. It would take place in Latvia, where the Spanish Army has deployed 500 soldiers within the framework of NATO’s Enhanced Advanced Presence operation.

A second phase of training could take place in Spain, according to the sources cited by El Pais.

The paper said Spain’s defence ministry is finalising a delivery to Kyiv of low-level Shorad Aspide anti-aircraft missiles, which the Spanish Army has replaced with a more advanced system.

Spain has so far supplied ammunition, individual protection equipment and light weapons.

Sources told El Pais the offer of increased support was raised when prime minister Pedro Sanchez visited Ukraine and met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on April 21, but had been delayed by the complexity of the operation.

US ambassador to Ukraine visits devastated town of Borodyanka

Sunday 5 June 2022 16:48 , Joe Middleton

Sunday 5 June 2022 16:30 , Emily Atkinson

Images capture people sorting through the rubble of destroyed buildings after a missile strike, which killed an old woman, hit the city of Druzhkivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas.

Several explosions rock Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, says mayor Vitali Klitschko

Sunday 5 June 2022 16:00 , Emily Atkinson

Multiple explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv early on Sunday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed.

“Several explosions in Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of the capital,” Mr Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding, “Services are already working on site. More detailed information - later.”

A witness for Reuters saw smoke in the city after the explosions.

Ukraine-based journalist Nika Melkozerova reported “Kyiv is shelled” and that “at least five blasts” were heard near her home in the capital.

Maanya Sachdeva reports:

Several explosions rock Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, says mayor Vitali Klitschko

Watch: US ambassador to Ukraine visits devastated town of Borodyanka

Sunday 5 June 2022 15:32 , Emily Atkinson

Zelensky pays tribute children killed in conflict

Sunday 5 June 2022 15:06 , Emily Atkinson

Giving an address on the 101st day of the Russian occupation of Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of the resultant deaths of hundreds of children - all of whom he said “would be alive now if only one person in Moscow had not caused this catastrophe.”

According to a readout of his statement, Zelenksy said: “Today in our country the memory of children who died from Russian aggression was honored. Over the past day, the worst figure - the number of children killed - has not changed. 261 children. That’s how many Ukrainian children lost their lives because of Russia. But this is the official number. The more we learn about those who were buried in the occupied territories, the greater, unfortunately, may be the number of names on this list.

“It’s scary to read. Year of birth, place of residence, circumstances of death... All of them would be alive now if only one person in Moscow had not caused this catastrophe.

“This can no longer be fixed. Because this war is already going on. But the terrible consequences of this war can be stopped at any moment.

“The Russian army can stop burning churches. The Russian army can stop destroying cities. The Russian army can stop killing children. If the same person in Moscow just gives such an order. And the fact that there is still no such order is an obvious humiliation for the whole world.”

You can read Zelensky’s address in full here.

Watch: Russian soldiers walk away from their tank after is is hit by two landmines and a missile

Sunday 5 June 2022 14:50 , Emily Atkinson

Sunday 5 June 2022 14:29 , Emily Atkinson

Images capture the gutted remains of Kharkiv National University buildings, destroyed by Russia's attacks on the city.

Exclusive: European shipping firms ‘making a mockery’ of Russia sanctions as oil cargos double

Sunday 5 June 2022 13:56 , Emily Atkinson

European companies have almost doubled their shipments of Russian oil since the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, despite desperate efforts by EU leaders to squeeze the Kremlin war machine by blocking Russia’s exports from global markets.

Campaigners said EU-based shipping firms had made a “mockery” of plans to sanction Russia, and warned that a partial oil embargo announced this week would do little to hurt Mr Putin or shorten the war.

The damning assessment came as exclusive new analysis, seen by The Independent, showed the extent to which shipping firms based in Greece, Cyprus and Malta had ramped up their transport of Russian oil around the world in recent weeks, taking advantage of big jumps in rates for tanker cargos.

Ben Chapman reports:

European shipping firms ‘making a mockery’ of Russia sanctions as oil cargos double

US give green light to shipping Venezuela oil to Europe, reports claim

Sunday 5 June 2022 13:26 , Emily Atkinson

Italian oil company Eni SpA and Spain’s Repsol SA could begin shipping Venezuelan oil to Europe as soon as next month to make up for Russian crude, five people familiar with the matter said, resuming oil-for-debt swaps halted two years ago when Washington stepped up sanctions on Venezuela.

Reuters adds:

The volume of oil Eni and Repsol are expected to receive is not large, one of the people said, and any impact on global oil prices will be modest. But Washington’s greenlight to resume Venezuela’s long-frozen oil flows to Europe could provide a symbolic boost for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The U.S. State Department gave the nod to the two companies to resume shipments in a letter, the people said. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration hopes the Venezuelan crude can help Europe cut dependence on Russia and re-direct some of Venezuela’s cargoes from China. Coaxing Maduro into restarting political talks with Venezuela’s opposition is another aim, two of the people told Reuters.

Watch: Russia now occupying 20% of Ukraine, says Zelensky

Sunday 5 June 2022 13:00 , Emily Atkinson

Sunday 5 June 2022 12:40 , Emily Atkinson

Incendiary ammunition airbursts are seen as Russian shelling lights up the skies above the town of Marinka, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Overnight strikes rain down on Donetsk, says mayor

Sunday 5 June 2022 12:20 , Emily Atkinson

Oleksandr Honcharenko, mayor of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region in the east, reported overnight strikes on the city, resulting in widespread damage but no casualties.

It follow reports on Saturday from Ukrainian officials that the country’s troops had recaptured a swath of the embattled city of Sievierodonetsk in a counteroffensive against Russia.

Ukraine condemns Emmanuel Macron’s ‘don’t humiliate Russia’ comments

Sunday 5 June 2022 12:00 , Emily Atkinson

Kyiv has dismissed Emmanuel Macron‘s call not to “humiliate” Russia for the sake of diplomacy, and said that there was no point returning to the negotiating table until Moscow’s forces were pushed back as far as possible.

France’s president said on Saturday that it was vital that Russia was not humiliated so that when the fighting stops in Ukraine, a diplomatic solution can be reached.

Speaking to regional reporters, Macron also said he believed Paris would play key role in brokering peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv come the conclusion of the fierce conflict.

Read our full report here:

Ukraine condemns Emmanuel Macron’s ‘don’t humiliate Russia’ comments

Ukraine air defences destroy cruise missile

Sunday 5 June 2022 11:40 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine’s air defences destroyed one cruise missile at around 6am local time after identifying incoming attacks, the country’s air force said.

It follows reports that multiple explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv early on Sunday, hitting unspecified “infrastructure” targets.

Kyiv calls for more sanctions on Russia following Kyiv ‘strikes'

Sunday 5 June 2022 11:18 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has called on the West to impose a fresh wave of sanctions on Russia to punish it for launching strikes on Kyiv in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“The Kremlin resorts to new insidious attacks. Today’s missile strikes at Kyiv have only one goal - kill as many as possible,” he wrote.

Russia launched missiles on Kyiv from Caspian Sea, says Ukrainian air force

Sunday 5 June 2022 11:01 , Emily Atkinson

Moscow’s Tu-95 strategic bombers launched missiles at Kyiv from the Caspian Sea earlier today, Ukraine’s air force has said.

The attack targeted railway infrastructure, according to Serhiy Leshchenko, an aide to president Volodomyr Zelensky’s chief of staff.

Russia‘s Defence Ministry said it had fired rockets at Kyiv from long distance and destroyed T-72 tanks and armoured vehicles that had been supplied to Ukraine by eastern European countries and were held in a railway carriage repair building.

“According to preliminary data, the (Russians) launched missiles from Tu-95 aircraft from the Caspian Sea,” the Ukrainian air forces said in a statement.

Sunday 5 June 2022 10:42 , Emily Atkinson

Images capture smoke billowing over Kyiv following reports that several explosions hit the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of the morning.

Moscow claims it destroyed European tanks outside Kyiv

Sunday 5 June 2022 10:24 , Emily Atkinson

Russia’s defence ministry has claimed its forced destroyed tanks and other armoured vehicles on the outskirts of Kyiv that had been supplied to Ukraine by European countries.

The ministry’s statement came after the Ukrainian capital was rocked by several explosions early on Sunday.

France ‘in talks with UAE' to replace Russian oil supplies

Sunday 5 June 2022 10:11 , Emily Atkinson

France has entered talks with the UAE to replace its reliance on Russian oil following the EU ban on Moscow crude, finance minister Bruno Le Maire has said.

“There are discussions with the United Arab Emirates. We have to find an alternative to Russian oil,” Le Maire told Europe 1 radio.

Longer-range missiles would not change ‘anything in essence’, says Putin

Sunday 5 June 2022 09:58 , Emily Atkinson

Despite suggesting that the West’s sending of more advanced rocket systems would exacterbate the conflict, president Vladimir Putin has said that it will not bring any fundamental changes to the battlefield.

“We understand that this supply (of advance rocket systems) from the United States and some other countries is meant to make up for the losses of this military equipment,” he said.

“This is nothing new,” he said. “It doesn’t change anything in essence.”

Putin warns West of fresh strikes if longer-range missiles supplied

Sunday 5 June 2022 09:38 , Emily Atkinson

Russia will attack a new set of Ukrainian targets if the US starts supplying Kyiv with longer-range missile, president Vladimir Putin has warned.

According to the TASS news agency, Mr Putin told the state television channel Rossiya-1 that, if such missiles are supplied, “we will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting.”

Russian missile flies ‘critically low’ over nuclear plant, says operator

Sunday 5 June 2022 09:12 , Emily Atkinson

A Russian cruise missile has flown “critically low” over Ukraine’s second largest nuclear power plant near the southern city of Mykolaiv, the state-run operator Energoatom has said.

“It’s probable that was the missile that was fired in the direction of Kyiv,” the operator of the Pivdennoukrainska plant, also called the South Ukraine Nuclear Plant, said in a post on Telegram.

Ukraine dismisses Macron’s ‘don’t humiliate Russia’ remark

Sunday 5 June 2022 08:56 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine has dismissed French president Emmanuel Macron‘s call not to “humiliate” Russia for the sake of diplomacy.

Reacting on Twitter, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said that such calls “could only humiliate France and every other country that calls for it”.

“Because it is Russia that humiliates itself. We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives,” he said.

Watch: Putin blames Western countries for food and energy crises

Sunday 5 June 2022 08:33 , Emily Atkinson

Sievierodonetsk 'split in half between Ukrainian and Russian forces’

Sunday 5 June 2022 08:10 , Emily Atkinson

Control of Sievierodonetsk is now divided half and half, Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai has claimed.

“It had been a difficult situation, the Russians controlled 70% of the city, but over the past two days they have been pushed back,” Gaidai told broadcasters.

“The city is now, more or less, divided in half.”

Russian forces control eastern part of Ukraine's Sievierodonetsk

Sunday 5 June 2022 07:52 , Emily Atkinson

Russian forces are continuing to storm Sievierodonetsk, Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region where the city is located, said on Sunday.

Gaidai said that there parts of the Azot chemical plant were damaged in Saturday’s attacks.

He said Russia was in currently in control of the eastern part of Sievierodonetsk.

Ukraine counterattacks contested city of Sievierodonetsk, MoD says

Sunday 5 June 2022 07:37 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian forces have counterattacked in the contested city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, according the lastest UK intelligence update.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the success will likely blunt the “operational momentum Russian forces previously gained through concentrating combat units and firepower.”

Defence officials add: “Russian forces committed in this area include personnel mobilised from the reserve of Russian-led Separatist Forces of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic.

“These troops are poorly equipped and trained, and lack heavy equipment in comparison to regular Russian units.

“The use of proxy infantry forces for urban clearance operations is a Russian tactic previously observed in Syria, where Russia employed V Corps of the Syrian Army to assault urban areas.

“This approach likely indicates a desire to limit casualties suffered by regular Russian forces.”

One hospitalised after Kyiv explosions

Sunday 5 June 2022 07:20 , Emily Atkinson

At least one person was hospitalised but no deaths had been reported following a series of explosions launched on the capital of Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko has said.

Elsewhere, the mayor of the historic town of Brovary, situated some 20 km (12 miles) from Kyiv’s centre, has urged people to stay inside their homes as there had been reports of the smell of soot coming from the smoke.

Several explosions rock Ukraine’s capital Kyiv – mayor

Sunday 5 June 2022 05:33 , Maanya Sachdeva

Multiple explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv early on Sunday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed.

“Several explosions in Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of the capital,” Mr Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding, “Services are already working on site. More detailed information - later.”

A witness for Reuters saw smoke in the city after the explosions.

More details are awaited.

Ukraine to restart football leagues this August

Sunday 5 June 2022 04:41 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ukraine is set to resume competitive football in the country this August, following president Volodymyr Zelensky’s approval, even as the Russian invasion of the eastern European country surpassed 100 days.

Andriy Pavelko, the president of Ukraine’s football federation, recently revealed details of his discussions with Mr Zelensky and the heads of FIFA and UEFA about kicking off men’s and women’s matches in the country in a safe manner.

“I spoke with our president about how important football is to distract,” Mr Pavelko told the Associated Press, while surrounded by Ukraine jerseys and a tactics board in the team meeting room in Cardiff.

Ukraine plans to restart football leagues from August

UK’s Nato envoy warns Royal Navy may have to battle Russia

Sunday 5 June 2022 04:00 , Joe Middleton

‘High risk’ of death of UK personnel if Britain joins force to break Black Sea blockade, says Tory MP.

UK’s Nato envoy warns Royal Navy may have to battle Russia