Russia pounds Kyiv with missiles in daytime attack

Russia fired 11 missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region on Monday morning in an unusual daytime attack on the capital, Ukraine’s armed forces chief said.

A series of explosions were heard from around 11am in Kyiv, as Russia targeted the city for the second time in 24 hours.

Sergiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration, said that Russia had struck at a time when “most residents were at work and on the streets”.

Valery Zaluzhny, the head of the Ukrainian armed forces, said that Iskander-M and Iskander-K missiles were fired “from a northerly direction”, and that “all targets were destroyed by air defences”.

Vitaly Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said that one person had been hospitalised.

Footage on social media showed large numbers of residents sheltering in Kyiv’s metro network during the attack.

05:00 PM

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04:47 PM

Pictured: Ukrainian servicewoman takes part in Ukraine's largest charity sports event in Zaporizhzhia

04:28 PM

Ukrainian parliament approves sanctions against Iran

Ukraine’s parliament has approved a sanctions package against Russia’s ally Iran, which has been accused of sending weapons to Moscow during the invasion.

The parliament said on its website on Monday: “The resolution synchronises Ukrainian sanctions with the actions of the entire civilised world on the path to the complete isolation of Iran.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on Twitter on Sunday confirming that the Ukrainian leader would be submitting a draft resolution on Iran sanctions to parliament. He wrote: “Tehran has become a key ally of Moscow in this war, deliberately supplying it with weapons for attacks on civilian cities.

“Tonight's attack on Kyiv with 50 Shaheds on City Day is another eloquent confirmation of this truth. In legal terms: Iran is doing this with direct intent and realising the consequences of its actions. And there will definitely be consequences.”

04:16 PM

Lukashenko offers 'nuclear weapons for everyone' who joins Russia-Belarus union

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said there will be “nuclear weapons for everyone” who chooses to join a Russia-Belarus union.

Mr Lukashenko said in an interview aired on Russian state television on Sunday evening that it must be “strategically understood” that Minsk and Moscow have a unique chance to unite, after the two countries signed an agreement last week which allows Russia to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

He added: “No one is against Kazakhstan and other countries having the same close relations that we have with the Russian Federation.

“If someone is worried ... (then) it is very simple: join in the Union State of Belarus and Russia. That's all: there will be nuclear weapons for everyone."

Mr Lukashenko said that it was his own view, and not that of Russia.

04:03 PM

Pictured: Kyiv residents shelter in metro stations during Russian missile attack

03:46 PM

Ukrainian parliament votes for tax breaks for domestic drone producers

Ukraine’s parliament has voted to exempt domestic drone producers from value added tax and customs duties, a senior lawmaker has said.

The exemptions laid out in two bills backed by lawmakers at the Verkhovna Rada cover imports of equipment and other parts for the production and repair of drones, Yaroslav Zhelenyak wrote on Telegram.

The move is intended to help out a vital sector in Kyiv’s war effort, with drones seen as a low-cost way to narrow the gap between Ukraine and Russia’s weaponry.

03:21 PM

Zelensky aide proposes 100-120km 'demilitarisation zone' in Russia as part of peace settlement

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed that a "demilitarization zone of 100-120 km on the territory of Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Rostov republics" of Russia should be introduced as part of the post-war settlement.

Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Monday that there would "probably" need to be a "mandatory international control contingent" to the zone "at the first stage".

02:58 PM

Russia issues arrest warrant for US senator following comments made about Ukraine war

Russia’s interior ministry issued an arrest warrant for US Senator Lindsey Graham following comments he made in relation to fighting in Ukraine.

The Republican politician met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, and in a video of the meeting which was released by Mr Zelensky’s office, Mr Graham said that “Russians were dying” and described the US military assistance to Ukraine as “the best money we’ve ever spent”.

Although Mr Graham appeared to have made the remarks in different parts of the conversation, the video edit put the two comments next to each other, which has caused outrage in Russia.

Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday: “It's hard to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators.”

Russia’s Investigative Committee has moved to open a criminal enquiry against the senator.

02:34 PM

Putin signs new law on 'holding elections and referenda' in 'new regions of Russia'

President Vladimir Putin has signed a law on holding “elections and referenda” in the regions where “martial law is in place”, including such areas as Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, state news agency RIA Novosti has reported.

The outlet, citing a document on the “portal of legal information”, said that the final decision will be made after consultations with the defence ministry and the FSB.

“Changes in legislation will allow voting in new regions of Russia in September” and the formation of new legislative bodies, according to RIA.

The outlet added that “the elections themselves can be held both on the entire territory where martial law has been put in place, or on its part”.

02:14 PM

More than 10 ballistic and cruise missiles used in attack on Kyiv and surrounding region, says Ukraine military

A total of 11 ballistic and cruise missiles were launched by Russia over Kyiv and the surrounding region on Monday, according to the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces.

The Ukraine defence ministry on Twitter cited Valerii Zaluzhnyi as saying that Iskander-K and Iskander-M missiles were used in the attack.

The defence ministry added: “All missiles were shot down. Excellent work of the Ukrainian air defenders!”

01:57 PM

In pictures: War in Ukraine

01:46 PM

Denmark pledges another $2.5bn in military aid for Ukraine

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced another $2.59bn for military aid to Ukraine over this year and next in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zleensky has described as a “major contribution”.

Ms Frederiksen, who is seen as a potential contender to become the new head of NATO, said on Monday that a further 17.9bn crowns (£2.08bn) would be used for military aid for Ukraine, adding to the already-established $1bn fund for military, civilian and business aid to Ukraine in 2023.

Mr Zelensky said on Twitter: “This major contribution will further strengthen the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the short and medium term.”

01:11 PM

Russia's defence ministry claims Ukrainian airbases struck overnight

The Russian defence ministry has said that Russian forces hit Ukrainian airbases overnight and all their targets were destroyed, state news agency RIA reported.

Ukrainian officials said previously that Russia had struck targets across the country, using dozens of missiles and drones.

12:46 PM

Ukrainian foreign minister criticises French Open crowds who booed Kostyuk

Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has sent a message of support to tennis player Marta Kostyuk after she was booed when she did not shake hands with Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open.

Kostyuk was jeered after refusing to shake hands with Sabalenka following the first round match between the two on Sunday.

Mr Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Monday: “Those who booed need to visit Bucha, where the Russian army came from Belarus and massacred civilians. Or run to a shelter when a Russian jet takes off in Belarus. Then, boo.”

Kostyuk, 20, is one of the strongest critics of Russian and Belarusian players’ continued presence in the sport. Kostyuk hasn't shaken the hands of any opponent from Russia or Belarus since her country was invaded by Russia.

12:39 PM

Bakhmut and the echoes of Stalingrad

Last year, not long after the Russian invasion, Ukrainian soldiers were hastily digging trenches along an old frontline from the Second World War. A physical scar on the landscape which soon turned into an open wound, their shovels uncovering remains of German soldiers killed fighting in the same spot some 80 years before.

Similar discoveries will one day be made in the ruined hellscape formerly known as Bakhmut. But it will not be dead Germans unearthed, but Russians. Tens of thousands of them, if estimates are to be believed, Francis Dearnley writes.

The sister of one soldier fighting there told me the soil is "caked" with remnants of young men, layer upon layer of bullet-riddled recruits lured there to fight for the mercenary Wagner Group then ordered to charge well-defended Ukrainian positions to bleed their guns of ammunition.

Read more on this story here. 

12:19 PM

Lavrov: Black Sea grain deal in danger of collapse

Russia’s foreign minister has warned that the Black Sea grain deal would no longer be operational unless a UN agreement with Moscow to overcome obstacles to Russia’s own grain and fertiliser exports was fulfilled.

Speaking while on a visit to Nairobi, Mr Lavrov said: "If everything remains as it is, and apparently it will, then it will be necessary to proceed from the fact that it [the deal] is no longer functioning.”

Moscow had agreed to extend the Black Sea grain deal for a further two months earlier this month, until July 17, but said that more progress was needed to advance its own interests.

Mr Lavrov said that the agreement was not being fulfilled “at all”.

12:00 PM

Pictured: Kyiv students study in bomb shelters during morning attack

During Monday morning's missile attack over Kyiv, the President of the Kyiv School of Economics, Timofiy Mylovanov, uploaded pictures of the university's students continuing their studies in shelters.

Mr Mylovanov, who is also an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration, wrote: "Kyiv is under attack right now. Multiple Russian missiles. But at our university Kyiv School of Economics students continue to study. In shelters.This is our answer to Putin."

Mr Mylovanov later shared a video of students and staff returning to the university after the attack on the city ended.

11:38 AM

Kremlin eyes 'very ambitious goals' in ties with Turkey after President Erdogan's re-election

The Kremlin has said that Russia was eyeing "very ambitious goals" in ties with Turkey, following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's victory in a historic run-off vote to extend his two-decade rule.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Preskov said: "When it comes to the implementation of joint Russian-Turkish projects there is already a fairly high dynamic. Of course, we expect that the dynamic will continue, because the goals are really very ambitious."

11:20 AM

Zelensky adviser: Global security 'fundamentally undermined' by Belarus and Russia

The adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine has said that the "nuclear" statements made by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko "directly indicate that the Russian Federation is deliberately 'killing' the concept of global nuclear deterrence and 'burying' the key Global Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons".

Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Sunday evening: "This fundamentally undermines the principles of global security... There can only be one solution: a tough stance of nuclear states; relevant UN/IAEA resolutions; extensive sanctions against Rosatom; systemic financial sanctions against Belarus and ultimately against Russia..."

11:05 AM

Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv during daytime attack

Russia used ballistic missiles during a daytime attack on Kyiv on Monday morning, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Air force spokesman Yuri Inhat said on Ukrainian television: “The enemy used missiles of a ballistic trajectory - preliminarily Iskanders. There is a possibility that S-300 and S-400 missiles were also used."

The capital's military administration said that all missiles fired at Kyiv were shot down and that no targets were hit.

10:43 AM

Belarusian activist accused of informing on former girlfriend Sofia Sapega as he's pardoned

A Belarusian activist who was arrested and jailed after an elaborate fake bomb threat on a Ryanair flight has walked free two years after he was detained while his former girlfriend remains behind bars, Nataliya Vasilyeva reports.

In May 2021, Alexander Lukashenko scrambled a fighter jet to accompany the plane carrying Roman Protasevich which was forced to land in Minsk instead of Vilnius after the hoax threat.

The opposition activist was sentenced to eight years in prison but has been freed earlier thanks to a presidential pardon. The man’s then-girlfriend, Sofia Sapega whose only fault was to be on the same plane, however, still languishes behind bars amid suggestions he may have testified against her.

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

10:19 AM

Latest MoD update

In its latest daily intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence said that Russia "conducted a security exercise around the Crimea Bridge" on Wednesday, which involved "the creation of a smoke screen".

The ministry said that Russian "maskirovka" has generally been "ineffectual" in the war in Ukraine as a result of "a lack of strong central planning function" and poor "battle discipline".

10:09 AM

At least ten explosions heard in Kyiv on Monday morning

At least ten explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv from around 11:10am (0810 GMT) this morning, following another night of air defences repelling strikes, according to AFP reports.

Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said there were explosions in the centre of the capital, and urged residents to stay in shelters.

The morning’s explosions followed the fifteenth night of air assault on Kyiv this month, according to the capital’s military administration.

10:02 AM

British ambassador to Ukraine: Explosions heard in Kyiv as 'air defence being tested again'

The British ambassador to the UK, Dame Melinda Simmons, has said that there are "mid morning crashes and explosions" in Kyiv this morning, as "Ukraine's air defence [is] being tested again by cowardly Russians".

The capital's mayor, Vitaly Klitschko, said that one person has been hospitalised in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv, where the wreckage of a rocket has fallen onto a roadway.

09:56 AM

Foreign investors withdrew $36bn after selling businesses in Russia

Foreign investors who left Russia after selling their businesses between March 2022 and March 2023 withdrew approximately $36bn (£29bn) from the country, state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing analysis of data from the Central Bank.

Several of the world's biggest companies either left of significantly scaled back their operations in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The central bank had played down the impact of foreign company exits last week, saying that around 200 sale deals had been completed in the March 2022-23 period, with just 20pc involving large asset sales in excess of $100m.

09:50 AM

Russia damages Odesa port in overnight drone attack, says military

A Russian drone attack has damaged some infrastructure in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, which is key for the country’s grain exports, the Ukrainian military has said.

The military southern command said on Facebook on Monday: “A fire broke out in the port infrastructure of Odesa as a result of the hit. It was quickly extinguished. Information on the extent of the damage is being updated.”

The southern command did not specify whether the damage at the port threatened grain exports. It is only through ports in the Odesa region that Ukraine can export grain and other food items as part of the Black Sea grain deal, which was renewed for a short period earlier this month.

Ukraine's Air Force said that it shot down 29 out of 35 Russia-launched drones overnight and 37 out of 40 cruise missiles. A military target was reportedly hit in the western region of Khmelnytskiy, according to the regional governor.

09:45 AM

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