Russia claims major advance in key Ukrainian city

Russia claims it has captured a district in the key hilltop city of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s troops have been slowly, but steadily advancing for months.

Seizing the whole of the crumbling Donbas city, close to Bakhmut, would allow Russia to threaten crucial Ukrainian supply lines and mount further offensives throughout the region.

Moscow’s claim was repeated by Ukrainian’s ‘DeepState’ Telegram channel, which has links to Kyiv’s army.

It said that the Novy neighbourhood in the city’s east had been flattened by Russia’s relentless bombardments and that withdrawing was “a logical, albeit difficult decision.”

Meanwhile, a major Russian missile and drone attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed at least five and wounded 47 more, including a child.

The barrage damaged kindergartens, schools and hospitals and caused fires throughout the city on Wednesday morning.

The aerial onslaught sparked a fresh appeal from Volodymyr Zelensky for the West to supply more air defence systems and long-range weapons.

Overnight, Ukraine launched a drone attack targeting Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, where Moscow’s once-revered Black Sea Fleet is hiding after it was forced to abandon its Crimean base in Sevastopol.

Russian officials were forced to restrict access to the beach as they attempted to repel Kyiv’s sea drones.

Satellites detected large fires surrounding the port, which is one of Russia’s largest and a major oil export and transit hub.

As Russian officials claimed to have brought the situation in Novorossiysk under control, Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit where he prioritised talks with Chinese and Turkish leaders.

03:43 PM BST

Thank you for following today’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine

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

03:25 PM BST

UN: Russia’s air-dropped bombs to blame for high Ukrainian civilian deaths

Russia’s use of air-dropped munitions, such as glide bombs, are responsible for the high civilian casualties in Ukraine between March and May.

The bombs also caused “massive destruction of civilian infrastructure in frontline communities,” the UN said.

It found that the Russian offensive in Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region alone killed 78 civilians and wounded 305 others between May 10 to May 31.

Between March and May, at least 436 Ukrainian civilians were killed and 1,760 injured.

03:16 PM BST

Zelensky pleads for air defence systems after Dnipro attack

Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a fresh appeal for more air defence systems and permission to use Western weapons to strike Russian targets after Moscow launched a wave of missiles and drones at the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

“As of now, five people have been killed, and thirty-four injured, including a child,” he said.

“Only two things can stop this Russian terror – modern air defense systems and the long-range capabilities of our weapons.”

02:58 PM BST

Erdogan tells Putin he can end war

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Vladimir Putin that Turkey can play peacemaker between Russia and Ukraine to end the war.

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan, Mr Erdogan said that a “just peace” that “suits both sides” is possible.

It follows Volodymyr Zelensky’s statements on Tuesday that his war-torn country needed a “just peace” after Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban pushed him to accept a “quick ceasefire” with Russia in order to accelerate peace talks.

Putin last month said Moscow would not negotiate with Kyiv unless it withdrew its forces from the Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia. Kyiv said Russia’s terms amount to a demand for its surrender.

02:45 PM BST

Watch: Belarus shows off nuclear missiles at military day parade

02:29 PM BST

Nato pledges €40bn for Ukraine

Nato officials have agreed to provide Kyiv with €40billion (£33.9bn) worth of military aid next year, a Western diplomat has confirmed.

Leaders will sign off on the pledge at the annual Nato summit which will take place in Washington next week, where Ukraine is set to top the agenda.

Nato’s outgoing secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg had asked allies to make a multi-year commitment to keep military aid for Kyiv at the same level since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which amounted to €40 billion per year.

02:17 PM BST

China ‘developing Shahed-like attack drone for Russia’

Chinese and Russian companies are reportedly developing and testing a new attack drone modelled on Iran’s Shahed drones to supply to Moscow’s military.

The unnamed companies began working on the project in 2023 but the drones have not yet been used in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing European officials briefed on the matter.

There are reports the unmanned aerial vehicle will be called ‘Sunflower 200’.

Last month, Volodymyr Zelensky said Xi Jinping promised not to provide Russia with weapons, however Ukraine has previously accused the country of helping Moscow to procure them.

UK defence minister Grant Shapps claimed in May that China was preparing to send “lethal aid” to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.

01:53 PM BST

Zelensky ‘tired’ of Ukraine’s PM

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is said to be tired of his prime minister Denys Shmyhal and likely to fire him in a major possible shakeup to his cabinet.

Officials close to Mr Zelensky said the president is looking for more “creative” leadership and is finding Mr Shmyhal, who has been in the posting since 2020, slow to change, Ukrainska Pravda reported.

“The president is tired of Shmyhal; it’s obvious from his attitude at meetings. He doesn’t even listen to him much anymore. It’s more of an emotional thing than a miscalculation,” one source said.

A second source said it was the second attempt to dismiss Mr Shmyhal in two months and that he is likely to be replaced with the first deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko.

01:35 PM BST

Trump ‘could do deal with Putin to stop Ukraine joining Nato’

Donald Trump is reportedly considering whether to do a deal with Vladimir Putin that would block Ukraine from joining Nato to end the war.

The plan would reportedly stop Nato expanding eastwards, blocking the possible future accession of Ukraine as well as Georgia, according to Politico, citing official sources familiar with discussions in Trump’s inner circle.

As part of the alleged deal, the former president, who has repeatedly threatened to leave the alliance, would negotiate how much Ukrainian territory Moscow can keep.

The Republic candidate has previously declared he could swiftly “settle” the two-and-a-half year conflict if he wins the November election.

In the wake of his comments, Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide on Tuesday said Ukraine was not ready to negotiate with Russia and that the country was only interested in securing a “just peace”.

01:23 PM BST

Man jailed for ‘Russian warship, go f--- yourself’ tattoo

An anti-Kremlin protester has been jailed in Russia for getting a tattoo of the famous Ukrainian words: “Russian warship, go f--- yourself”, state media reported.

Stepan Zimin was detained for violating Vladimir Putin’s wartime censorship laws after a video was published online showing the phrase - which has become a rallying cry of Ukrainian resistance - inked on his skin.

He was charged with petty hooliganism and “discrediting the Russian military”.

The phrase was made famous when a Ukrainian border guard on Snake Island refused to stand down to a Russian warship as it threatened to bomb the Black Sea outpost.

01:11 PM BST

Russia suspends participation in OSCE parliamentary assembly

Russian politicians have voted to suspend Moscow’s participation in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) parliamentary assembly, branding it anti-Russian and discriminatory.

Both chambers of Russia’s rubber-stamp parliament - the State Duma and Federation Council - voted unanimously to cease participation in the body during sessions on Wednesday.

The Federation Council, the upper chamber of parliament, accused the assembly of “biased, discriminatory approaches, double standards, total Russophobia, unpreparedness for meaningful discussions, including on relevant issues of ensuring equal and indivisible security.”

The OSCE’s parliamentary assembly is not a decision-making body, but is intended to facilitate dialogue between its members.

The OSCE has 57 members, including both Moscow and Kyiv. Ukraine has called for Russia to be expelled.

12:44 PM BST

Pictured: Aftermath of deadly Russian attack on Dnipro

12:20 PM BST

Ukrainian spies and Russian saboteurs ‘behind blaze on Russian warship’

A Ukrainian military spy official said on Wednesday that a fire on a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea in April was caused by a joint operation conducted by his forces and a pro-Kyiv Russian military group.

On April 7, footage showed a major fire onboard the Serpukhov missile cruiser stationed in the Kaliningrad region that reportedly caused extensive damage to the warship.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR), said the operation was conducted in tandem with the Freedom of Russia Legion.

12:04 PM BST

Ukraine launches drone attack on Putin’s Black Sea naval base

Ukraine launched an overnight drone attack targeting the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, where Moscow’s once-revered Black Sea Fleet is hiding after it was forced to abandon its Crimean base in Sevastopol.

Russian officials restricted beach access on Wednesday morning after reporting its defence forces were engaged in repelling two naval drones, which it claimed to have destroyed.

“We kindly request you to refrain from visiting beach areas, embankments and recreational areas along the water’s edge during operational activities,” Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said on Telegram.

Russia’s ministry of defence claimed to have destroyed 12 drones launched at Russian territory overnight.

Satellites detected large fires in the area of the Novorossiysk port, which is one of Russia’s largest and serves as a major outlet for crude oil and oil products exports and transit in Russia’s south.

11:36 AM BST

Russia condemns US approval for long-range strikes on Crimea

Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has condemned the Pentagon after it said Ukraine was permitted to strike Russian-occupied Crimea with long-range US weapons.

Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s spokesperson, told a briefing on Tuesday that Washington regarded Crimea as part of Ukraine and that Kyiv was allowed to use US-made long-range missiles to strike targets on the Black Sea peninsula.

Russia annexed Crimea, the headquarters of its Black Sea Fleet, in 2014.

11:01 AM BST

Russian sentences teen to 12 years for sending cash to Ukraine

Russia on Tuesday sentenced a 19-year-old man to 12 years in prison on charges of “treason” for allegedly donating money to Kyiv’s forces.

The FSB security service said the teen sent money to help Kyiv’s army buy drones and food for troops.

The defendant was arrested at an airport as he tried to leave Russia.

Moscow has for more than two years led an unprecedented crackdown on dissent, comparable to Soviet levels of repression.

It comes as Russia doubled the sentence of activist and documentary filmmaker Vsevolod Korolev to over seven years for denouncing the Ukraine offensive on social media.

10:32 AM BST

Russia reports Ukrainian counterattack in Kherson

Ukraine launched a counterattack inside Russian-occupied southern Kherson on Wednesday, a Kremlin-allied official said.

Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-installed governor of Kherson, said Ukrainian forces used FPV drones to lead two separate attacks in the town of Oleshky.

Two were killed and another injured, he said.

Mr Saldo also warned of a possible second attack, which he called the “favourite tactic” of Kyiv’s forces.

09:58 AM BST

Ukraine says it downed ‘massive’ Russian aerial onslaught

Ukraine’s air force said it had shot down five missiles and six drones launched by Russia on Wednesday morning.

Ukrainian forces claimed to have downed one Iskander-K cruise missile, four Kh-59 guided missiles, five Shahed-type drones and one Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone in the attack that largely targeted Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.

Dnipropetrovsk’s regional head Mykola Lukashuk described the barrage as “massive” and posted images showing buildings ripped open by the attack and shattered glass strewn across the ground.

“This is what one of the city’s shopping centres looks like now. Cars and windows were smashed, and a petrol station was hit. All the consequences are still being investigated,” Mr Lukashuk said.

09:28 AM BST

US unveils $2.3bn military aid package for Ukraine

Washington has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth more than $2.3 billion (£1.8bn).

US Defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the package will include anti-tank weapons and air defence interceptors and allow the procurement of the highly sought-after Patriot and Nasams anti-missile systems.

“Make no mistake, Ukraine is not alone,” Mr Austin wrote on X.

The package is intended to shore up Kyiv’s frontline and bolster its depleted air defence systems to protect Ukrainian cities and civilians from Russian aerial attacks.

09:12 AM BST

Russian missile and drone attack on Dnipro kills five and wounds dozens

A Russian drone and missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro has killed at least five and wounded 47 more, regional officials said.

“The morning has not been good for us. The enemy has launched a combined attack on our city,” said Serhiy Lysak, governor of the surrounding Dnipropetrovsk region. “The enemy is continuing its insidious attacks.”

The barrage damaged kindergartens, schools and hospitals and caused fires throughout the city on Wednesday morning and sparked an urgent appeal from Volodymyr Zelensky for the West to supply more air defences and long-range weapons.

Russian forces have relentlessly targeted the industrial city and surrounding region since the war began.

08:35 AM BST

Phone call from Xi to Putin ‘could end war’, says Finnish president

A single phone call between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin could end the war in Ukraine, Finland’s president Alexander Stubb said.

“Russia is so dependent on China right now,” Mr Stubb, said in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday. “One phone call from President Xi Jinping would solve this crisis.”

Mr Xi has attempted to portray China as a neutral actor over the war, yet Kyiv has accused Beijing of providing Moscow with technology and parts for weapons in order to circumvent international trade restrictions.

“If he were to say: ‘Time to start negotiating peace’, Russia would be forced to do that... They would have no other choice,” Mr Stubb said.

08:15 AM BST

‘Ukraine not ready to negotiate with Russia’

Ukraine is not ready to compromise with Russia and give up any territory to end the war, according to a senior Ukrainian official.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak was responding to a question regarding US presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s declaration that he could “settle” the war quickly if he wins the November election.

Mr Yermak said that Kyiv would listen to any advice on how to achieve a “just peace” in the war.

“But we [are] not ready to go to the compromise for the very important things and values.... independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty,” he explained on a visit to Washington on Tuesday ahead of next week’s Nato summit in the capital.

07:51 AM BST

Putin arrives in Kazakhstan ahead of talks with Xi and Erdogan

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for regional security and defence talks, the Kremlin said, as well as a talks with Chinese and Turkish leaders.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a forum established by China and Russia in 2001 as a guardian of security in the Eurasia region, will meet for their summit on July 3-4 in Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana.

“The leaders of the SCO member countries will discuss the current state and prospects for further deepening multifaceted cooperation within the organization and improving its activities,” the Kremlin said.

While the meeting is likely to be dominated by Russia and China, leaders or representatives of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia, the UAE, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are also expected to attend.

07:42 AM BST

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