Russian general 'killed by British Storm Shadow missile'

A Russian general has been killed on the southern front by a British Storm Shadow missile, according to reports.

Russia’s ministry of defence has not commented on the alleged death of Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov, but if it is confirmed he will be the ninth Russian general to die in the war - and the highest ranking.

Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the ousted mayor of Mariupol, said that the deputy commander of Russia’s southern military district, was killed during an attack on occupied Berdyansk.

Russian bloggers said that Ukraine used British Storm Shadow missiles in the attack.

Ukrainians have been using Storm Shadow missiles to strike Berdyansk as they are the only missile in its arsenal with the range to hit the port town.

The last Russian general to be killed in Ukraine died when a missile hit his headquarters in Zaporizhizhia region one month ago.

03:46 PM BST

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03:44 PM BST

'You don't know where to hide': Ukrainian soldiers welcome cluster bombs from US

Ukrainian soldiers have welcomed a decision by the US to send cluster munitions that will give them an “advantage on the battlefield”.

Yuriy, a 23-year-old officer from Ukraine’s 37th marine brigade, said that Russian forces were already using the weapons, which are banned in many parts of the world.

He said: “When a cluster munitions shell is flying, you feel it immediately. It opens in the air and the little grenades fly and you do not know where to hide.

“Light armoured vehicles and personnel are put out of action. It’s very effective.”

03:26 PM BST

Wagner fighters 'came close to stealing nuclear weapon'

Ukraine has claimed that Wagner mercenaries came close to stealing a nuclear weapon during their rebellion in Russia last month, James Kilner writes.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, said that as Wagner fighters sped towards Moscow on June 24 a group turned east off the M4 highway to raid a nuclear storage depot.

“The doors of the storage were closed and they didn’t get into the technical section,” Mr Budanov said.

Read the full story here.

03:06 PM BST

Zelensky: 'Absurd' for Nato not to grant Ukraine membership

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Nato’s decision not to grant Ukraine membership of the alliance was “unprecedented and absurd”.

Nato leaders are expected to promise to “extend an invitation” to Kyiv when “allies agree and conditions are met”, according to a communique still under discussion as they hold their annual summit in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

After weeks of negotiations,  Ukraine’s bid to join Nato was ultimately rejected by the US and Germany amid fears it would provoke escalation in Moscow.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Mr Zelensky said: “It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership.

“While at the same time vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine. It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to Nato nor to make it a member of the Alliance.”

02:51 PM BST

Ukraine's counteroffensive proving 'unsuccessful', say Russians

Russia has rebuffed several attempts by Ukraine to regain territory in the east of the country, according to state media.

Igor Konashenkov, Russia’s defence ministry spokesman, told a press briefing that Ukraine had lost “as many as” 195 troops and six tanks in the process.

He said: “During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian armed forces continued unsuccessful attempts to advance in the Donetsk, Krasny Liman and south Donetsk directions.”

The reports have not been independently verified.

02:34 PM BST

Russian army to receive new missile carriers

The Russian army will receive two new and two modernised strategic missile carriers this year, according to the RIA news agency.

It comes as Nato member states make a flurry of pledges on military aid for Ukraine, including Scalp missiles from France and a €700 million military aid package from Germany.

02:17 PM BST

Zelensky lands in Lithuania for Nato summit

Volodymyr Zelensky has landed in Vilnius for a Nato summit after criticising the bloc’s “absurd” decision not to admit Ukraine.

Earlier today, he hit out at member states for failing to produce a timetable on when it could join the alliance, arguing this would embolden Russian attacks.

02:03 PM BST

Reports: Five injured as Kherson shelled

An eight-year-old girl was among five people injured as Russian forces bombed Kherson, the region’s governor has said.

Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram that they had been sent to hospital after a humanitarian centre and several residential buildings were hit.

He said: “It is known about five victims due to the Russian shelling of Kherson.

“Among them is an 8-year-old girl who was diagnosed with moderate injuries. At the time of the enemy strike, she was in the courtyard of the house.

“A 68-year-old man was seriously injured. The wreckage injured his head, neck, chest, arms and legs.

“Two people, a 56-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man, were moderately injured. Another man was injured in Kindika.”

01:34 PM BST

Pictures: Woman cares for wounded husband in Kyiv hospital

01:23 PM BST

PM: Putin should not be 'waiting out the West'

Rishi Sunak has said that Vladimir Putin should not be “waiting out the West” over its support for Ukraine, Tony Diver writes.

Speaking on his way to the Nato summit in Lithuania, the Prime Minister said the alliance was “in it for the long haul” as he addressed speculation that members would give more detail on how Ukraine will be given membership status.

“What Putin needs to understand is there is no point in just waiting out the West, and not just the West but the alliance of people who have fought to support Ukraine,” he told reporters on his RAF Voyager flight.

“Everyone is in it for the long haul. He [Putin] thought this would be over quickly - that has already been proven to be false.

“What he thought would be done and dusted within a few days, we are now 500 days into this conflict and the Ukrainians are capturing territory.”

Read the full story here.

01:01 PM BST

French long-range missiles are already in Ukraine, says source

France has already started delivering Scalp cruise missiles to Ukraine, a French military source has said.

They added that the missiles, which have a range of around 160 miles, will only be used within Ukraine’s internationally-recognised borders.

French president Emmanuel Macron said the weapons would allow Ukraine to conduct “strikes in depth.”

“The first missiles had been delivered when the president [Emmanuel Macron] announced it,” the source said.

12:51 PM BST

Russia: 'Nato sees us as the enemy'

The Kremlin has claimed that Nato views Russia as an “enemy” ahead of the bloc’s summit in Lithuania today.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Russia is perceived by [Nato leaders] as an enemy, as an adversary. It is in this vein that the discussions will be conducted.

“We are monitoring this very carefully because much of what has been said will be subject to in-depth analysis in order to take measures to ensure our own security.”

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, in separate comments, said Moscow was taking “appropriate” measures in anticipation of Nato’s further expansion.

12:34 PM BST

Seven killed in Orikhiv bombing, say authorities

Seven people were killed when Russian forces attacked the town of Orikhiv on Sunday, Ukraine’s defence ministry has said.

The region’s governor, Yuriy Malashko, said a school building being used to distribute aid was destroyed by a guided aviation bomb. Rescue operations have now finished.

12:23 PM BST

Watch: How Ukraine shot down Russia's 'kamikaze' drones

12:18 PM BST

Russia: Macron made a mistake by giving Ukraine long-range missiles

The Kremlin said there would be “consequences” for Ukraine after France supplied Kyiv with long-range Scalp missiles.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “From our point of view, this decision is a mistake with consequences for the Ukrainian side, because this will of course force us to take countermeasures.

12:06 PM BST

Nato made 'fatal mistake' by not letting Ukraine join alliance

Nato is “afraid of responsibility”, an adviser to President Zelensky has claimed ahead of the alliance’s summit in Vilnius today.

Mykhailo Podolyak said it had made a “fatal mistake” at a previous summit in 2008, when Ukraine was not allowed to join the alliance but was told the “door is open” to membership.

“The open doors turned out to be not quite open,” Mr Podolyak commented, adding that Nato needed to “clearly fix Ukraine’s mandatory future in the only capable military alliance.

He continued: “But for this, collective NATO needs to stop being afraid of responsibility.”

11:53 AM BST

Pictured: Russian naval captain who was gunned down in street

11:50 AM BST

Zelensky hits out at Nato ahead of summit

11:46 AM BST

Russian submarine commander shot dead on morning run

A Russian naval captain who commanded a submarine that allegedly fired on a Ukrainian city has been shot dead on his morning run.

Stanislav Rzhitskiy was found with four bullet wounds in his back near the Olimp sport complex in Krasnodar, southern Russia, according to reports.

Russian media said the assassin had escaped, and that a murder investigation had been launched.

Rzhitskiy, 42, was a captain in Russia’s navy but was working as the deputy head of the Krasnodar region’s mobilisation department when he was killed.

Ukrainian media said that he had commanded a submarine in the Black Sea last year that had fired Kalibr missiles at Vinnitsa, in west Ukraine. The city was attacked several times last year, with the deadliest strike killing 28 people.

11:28 AM BST

Macron to send Ukraine French Storm Shadows

France will send long-range missiles similar to British Storm Shadows to Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron pledged as he arrived on Tuesday at the Nato summit in Vilnius.

“We have decided to deliver new missiles allowing strikes in depth to Ukraine,” the French president said.

Paris will send Scalps, its version of the British Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missile.

“I think that today what is important for us is to send a message of support for Ukraine, of Nato unity,” Mr Macron added.

Germany pledged a military aid package of almost €700 million for Ukraine, which includes Leopard 1 tanks and Marder fighting vehicles.

11:17 AM BST

Pictured: Remains of 'suicide drone' shot down in Kyiv

11:01 AM BST

Germany to send tanks and missiles to 'strengthen' Ukraine

Germany is to send dozens of tanks along with missiles and infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine as part of a €700m support package.

It includes two Patriot launchers from Bundeswehr stock, 40 additional Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 25 additional 1 A5 main battle tanks, as well as five Bergepanzer 2 tanks, the government said.

An additional 20,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and 5,000 rounds of 155 mm smoke ammunition is also being shipped over.

Defence minister Boris Pistorius said the move “serves Ukraine’s priorities: air defence, tanks, artillery ... with it, we are making an important contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s sustainability.”

10:26 AM BST

Germany to spend €700m on military aid for Ukraine

The German government has put together a €700m military aid package for Ukraine, according to two government sources.

It comes on the first day of a Nato summit in Vilnius that is expected to legally enshrine the bloc’s military support for Ukraine.

09:57 AM BST

No sign that Wagner troops are moving to Belarus, says Nato boss

Nato has not seen any movement of Wagner fighters to Belarus despite a deal agreed between the mercenary group and Russian leadership.

Wagner fighters had agreed the move after their aborted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership, under a pact brokered by Belarus’ president Alexander Lukashenko.

Over the weekend, Poland began to shift over 1,000 troops east over concerns that the paramilitary group could increase tension at its border with Belarus.

Nato is “monitoring the situation very closely”, according to its general secretary Jens Stoltenberg.

09:37 AM BST

Nato to give 'clear and positive' message on Ukrainian membership

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has said member states will send Ukraine “a clear and positive message on the path forward towards membership” at its summit.

He said at the start of the two-day meeting: “We will send a clear message, a positive message on the path forward. The text in the communique will be made public within hours.”

09:31 AM BST

Russian commander shot dead on run recorded routes on exercise tracker

A Russian submarine captain who was shot by an unknown assailant on his morning run recorded his routes on the Strava exercise app.

A screenshot from last week maps out the 14-minute jog taken by Stanislav Rzhitskiy in the Russian city of Krasnodar.

He was recently gunned down near the city’s Olimp sport complex, according to Russian media. Authorities have launched a murder investigation.

09:08 AM BST

Zelensky: Ukraine has wiped the 'dust of history' from Nato

08:50 AM BST

Reports: Russian drone attack caused fire at grain terminal

Russian forces sent “waves of drones” to attack a grain terminal in Odessa, the region’s governor has said.

Oleh Kiper said that two terminals caught fire after two of the drones crashed into a building, but this was extinguished without “critical damage” or casualties.

He wrote on Telegram: “From the Black Sea, the enemy sent several waves of attack drones of the Shahed-136 type.

“The air defence forces did not allow the enemy to implement an attack plan for the grain terminal of one of the ports of the Odessa region... two hit the administrative building of the portside facility.

“Due to the fall of the wreckage of the downed dragons, two portside terminals, including the grain terminal, caught fire. The fires were promptly extinguished, no critical damage or injuries were recorded.”

08:36 AM BST

Russian diplomat: War could mean 'catastrophic consequences' for Europe

Europe will face “catastrophic consequences” if the Ukraine war escalates, a Russian diplomat has warned.

Russian news agency RIA reports that Konstantin Gavrilov made the comments as Nato members gather for a summit to discuss threats from Moscow.

08:28 AM BST

An 'important day' for Ukraine at Nato summit

08:23 AM BST

No timetable for Ukraine to join Nato, says White House

Nato will lay out a path for Ukraine to join the military bloc but without giving a “timetable”, the White House’s national security adviser has said.

Jake Sullivan told reports at the Nato summit in Vilnius that there was “a lot of good will” for Ukraine to join the military alliance, and that a “reform path” for the country would be drawn up.

However, he ruled out any immediate entry on the grounds that this would “bring Nato into a war with Russia”.

Mr Sullivan also announced that Joe Biden would meet with Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.

08:08 AM BST

Russia attacks Kyiv hours before Nato summit

Russia launched an overnight air strike on Kyiv just hours before a Nato summit focused on threats from Moscow.

Ukrainian military said its air defence systems shot down the Iranian-made Shahed drones before they reached their targets.

Serhiy Popko, a head of Kyiv’s military administration, said in a post on Telegram: “The enemy attacked Kyiv from the air for the second time this month.”

Air raid alerts blasted over the capital for an hour and longer in other parts of Ukraine’s east, Ukraine’s Air Force said.

It comes before a Nato summit takes place in Lithuania, where leaders will discuss whether Ukraine could join the bloc. It is expected to offer “Nato-lite” protection, including a legally binding pledge to continue existing military support.

08:06 AM BST

MoD: Moscow 'threatening' firms for volunteers to serve in Ukraine

Authorities in Moscow are probably “threatening” construction firms for volunteers to serve in Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Companies are said to be given quotas they need to hit, and otherwise could see their contracts withdrawn by the city.

The MoD added that the move will “primarily affect” ethnic minorities from the poorer areas of Russia, who form a large part of Moscow’s construction workforce.

08:01 AM BST

Norway to bolster military support for Ukraine

Norway plans to increase its military support to Ukraine by 2.5 billion kroner to 10bn, its government says.

It added in a statement that it will also increase its contribution to Nato’s support fund for Ukraine.

The move comes before a Nato summit in Lithuania where bloc members are expected to agree a legally-binding pledge to continue military support for Ukraine.

07:52 AM BST

Ukraine shoots down dozens of Russian 'kamikaze' drones

Ukrainian military say they shot down dozens of “kamikaze” drones after a Russia launched a strike on Kyiv before today’s Nato summit.

According to its general staff, 28 drones - including 26 Iranian-made Shahed drones - launched an attack from the south east of the country.

Of these, 26 attack drones and one reconnaissance drone are said to have been destroyed.

07:40 AM BST

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