Russia accused of beheading Ukrainian soldiers

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The beheaded body of a Ukrainian soldier was discovered by an aerial reconnaissance team on top of a damaged military vehicle on Monday.

It came as Ukraine’s prosecutor general said he had “horrifying evidence” of a new Russian policy of beheading captive soldiers instead of detaining them.

“We have received information that Russian commanders have ordered not to take Ukrainian servicemen prisoner, but instead to kill them with inhuman cruelty - by beheading,” prosecutor Anriy Kostin wrote on Twitter.

Mr Kostin said that one such beheading was recorded in the Donetsk region.

“This is yet another proof that the war crimes committed by the aggressor are not isolated incidents, but a planned strategy of the Russian regime,” Mr Kostin added. “This is terrible barbarism that has no place in the 21st century and these criminal orders were given at the level of the battalion and company leadership.”

On the battlefield, Russian forces have been making advances in several positions in the region of Donetsk, leading the British defence ministry to warn that they are closing in on a key Ukrainian supply line.

Further to the northeast, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has said that his troops are “gradually” driving Russia’s forces back out of the Kharkiv region after they began a cross-border offensive in May.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces staged an overnight drone attack that set several oil storage tanks ablaze near the town of Azov in southern Russia, a source in Kyiv told AFP on Tuesday.

Upwards of 200 firefighters were sent to deal with the blaze, with video showing thick plumes of smoke rising from the scene.

“Oil product tanks caught fire in Azov as a result of a drone attack. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties,” said Vasily Golubev, the governor of the local Rostov region.

Kyiv has carried out several similar attacks on Russian energy facilities in recent months, arguing they are fair targets given that they fuel Moscow’s military.

Ukraine did not say how many drones were involved in the attack.

“The (Security Service of Ukraine) SBU will continue to impose ‘drone sanctions’ on Russia’s oil refining complex and reduce the enemy’s economic potential, which provides the aggressor with resources to wage war against Ukraine,” the defence-linked source said.

03:45 PM BST

That’s all for today.

Thank you for following our live coverage.

• An overnight drone attack set several oil storage tanks ablaze near the town of Azov in southern Russia, sparking a large fire. Ukraine later took responsibility. Meanwhile the MOD has warned that Russian troops are making progress towards a key Ukrainian supply route in the Donetsk region.

• Putin is set to arrive in Pyongyang later on Tuesday for a two-day trip to North Korea. At a meeting with Kim Jong-Un he is likely to discuss further arms transfers, analysts believe. Washington has warned against ‘reciprocity’, saying the visit could inflame tension on the Korean ceasefire line as well as in Ukraine.

• Hungary has dropped its objection to outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte taking over as the next head of Nato. Viktor Orban wrote on X on Tuesday that Budapest is “ready to support” Mr Rutte after he agreed to continue an opt-out for Hungary on arms supplies to Kyiv.

03:43 PM BST

Italy to join Ukraine’s ‘Storm Shadow alliance’

Italy is preparing to include “a batch” of British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the next round of military aid it supplies to Kyiv, according to reports in the Italian media.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto will present the plan to the Italian parliament by the end of the month, Il Fatto Quotidiano reported based on sources.

The move will make Italy the fourth Nato ally to supply long-range missiles to Ukraine, after the UK, France and the US, which recently started supplying its ATACM missiles.

03:29 PM BST

Read the Telegraph’s report on medics close to front line

Ukrainian medics are working around the clock to treat soldiers injured in the trenches, writes Ben Farmer in a report from the front line in Donetsk.

02:54 PM BST

Ukrainian soldier dismisses concerns about threat to supply route

A Ukrainian soldier has said that he isn’t worried about Russia reaching a key supply road in the Donetsk region.

24-year-old Dykyi told AFP that: “It will definitely not be blocked for the military.”

Speaking at a nearby training ground, the soldier said that even if Russian forces do advance towards the thoroughfare, military engineers could craft new routes or fix alternative roads in bad repair.

“As long as the weather is good, there are routes everywhere,” he said.

The MOD expressed concern in its daily update this morning that Russia is advancing to a vital supply route near the village of Novooleksandrivka.

02:41 PM BST

Orban confirms support for Rutte as Nato head

Mark Rutte and Viktor Orban have agreed a deal for Hungary to back the Dutchman’s bid to become the next head of the Nato military alliance, writes Joe Barnes in Brussels.

The Hungarian prime minister said Mr Rutte had pledged to maintain Budapest’s carve-out from any Nato programmes supporting Ukraine, which was agreed last week.

“In light of his pledge, Hungary is ready to support PM Rutte’s bid for NATO Secretary-General,” Mr Orban wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday.

The Hungarian concession means that the biggest hurdle in Mr Rutte’s candidacy has been overcome.

But before he can be appointed as Nato’s next secretary-general, replacing Jens Stoltenberg in the role, he must only secure the backing of Romania.

Slovakia also said it would back Rutte for the job on Tuesday, while Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has yet to formally withdraw his own candidacy.

02:18 PM BST

Putin’s forces close in on vital Ukrainian supply line

Russian forces are closing in on a key Ukrainian supply route in the Donbas after seizing control of a strategically important village, the MOD has said.

The Kremlin’s troops have likely captured the village of Novooleksandrivka in an area that has seen intense fighting throughout the year, the defence ministry said in its daily update.

The advance puts them in sight of the road that serves as the main supply route for Ukrainian soldiers further to the east.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has said that Russian forces are fighting to enter the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, a flashpoint town.

”The enemy keeps trying to advance to the microdistrict Novy in the town of Chasiv Yar,” Ukraine’s military stated.

Overnight, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a massive blaze at an oil facility in Russia’s Rostov region.

02:13 PM BST

Putin visits arms exhibit on stop-off in far east of Russia

On his way to a state visit to North Korea, Vladimir Putin stopped off in the remote eastern city of Yakutsk, where he visited an arms exhibit on Tuesday.

01:35 PM BST

Professor jailed in Estonia for spying

A university professor was jailed for six years on Tuesday in Estonia after being found guilty of spying for Russia.

Viacheslav Morozov, a Russian citizen who taught at Estonia’s most prestigious university, was found guilty of collecting information about the Baltic state’s defense and security policy.

Estonia has recently seen a rise in sabotage, electronic warfare and spying, all blamed on Moscow.

Morozov was arrested in January and accused of being involved in intelligence activities which undermined Estonia’s security.

01:24 PM BST

Russia ‘turning to cash’ to recruit spies

Russia is relying increasingly on blackmail and financial incentives to hire Germans to spy for it after Europe’s expulsion of some 600 Russian diplomats, Berlin’s secret service has said.

The Kremlin is spending big to recruit agents in Germany despite Western attempts to limit their operations, said the head of Germany’s BfV service.

“Russia is working hard to compensate for the German government’s reduction in the number of Russian agents in Germany,” BfV boss Thomas Haldenwang told a news conference.

Two Germans, who were charged last August with high treason for spying for Russia, were paid an estimated €400,000.

12:39 PM BST

Rutte ‘offered Ukraine opt out’ to Orban in exchange for Nato post backing

Outgoing Dutch PM Mark Rutte spoke to Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban on the sidelines of an EU dinner yesterday and promised him he could opt out of Nato’s activities in support of Ukraine, according to a report in the Financial Times.

Dutch media are also reporting today that Orban has dropped his opposition to Rutte taking over from Jens Stoltenberg as head of Nato.

Orban had reportedly also demanded an apology from Rutte over his ‘problematic’ opinions on Hungary. But that conditon has been quietly dropped.

After Slovakia confirmed today that it will also support Rutte, only Romania is now holding out.

12:14 PM BST

Ukrainian soldiers watch country’s first Euros match

Ukrainian servicemen of the 80th Separate Galician Air Assault Brigade watched their country play its first match of Euro 2024 on Monday evening at a makeshift military base.

Ukraine lost the match 3-0.

11:57 AM BST

Finnish plan to reject migrants at Russian border passes committee

A Finnish government proposal to temporarily reject asylum seekers arriving across the country’s border with Russia can be accepted by parliament if some amendments are made, an influential committee of legislators said on Tuesday.

The announcement by the chair of the Finnish parliament’s constitutional committee paves the way for the controversial proposal to be approved.

Helsinki put forward a bill in May that would allow border guards to prevent migrants arriving across the long, forested border with Russia from seeking asylum.

11:36 AM BST

Zelensky: peace communique still open to signatures

Ukraine’s president has urged more countries to sign the communique that was agreed to at during a peace summit in Switzerland at the weekend.

Over 80 of the countries that attended signed the document but several regional powers including Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and India did not.

Zelensky said on X that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, one of the arms of the eastern orthodox church, had also signed up to the communique.

11:12 AM BST

France to sell howitzers to Armenia

In a sign that Armenia is pivoting away from traditional ally Russia to closer ties to the West, France has signed a contract to sell CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Yerevan.

French defence minister Sebastien Lecornu posted on X that the contract was signed during a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Suren Papikyan.

Armenia is allied with Russia but has accused Moscow of failing to protect it from long-time rival Azerbaijan.

A brief war in September 2023 led to a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

10:39 AM BST

Putin’s visit to Vietnam angers Washington

Putin is set to visit Hanoi for two days after his trip to North Korea, according to state media, in a move that has angered the United States - Vietnam’s largest trading partner, reports Sarah Newey in Bangkok.

“No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalise his atrocities,” a spokesperson for the American embassy in Hanoi told Reuters this week. “If he is able to travel freely, it could normalise Russia’s blatant violations of international law.”

But this attitude is at odds with the general sentiment across the southeast Asian country. In the capital, a city dotted with prominent Soviet-style buildings and statues - many were eagerly anticipating the Russian president’s visit.

“I was very happy when I learned that Mr Putin is coming to Vietnam because he is very talented, truly a world leader,” Tran Xuan Cuong, 57, told Reuters. Nguyen Duy Khanh, a 34-year-old photographer, added: “Mr. Putin is a very talented and powerful president and he is truly my idol.”

Moscow has long enjoyed deep ties with Communist-ruled Vietnam, with thousands of people from the southeast Asian country travelling to study in the former Soviet Union during the Cold War - including the head of the Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong.

Historically, Russia has also been Hanoi’s largest weapons supplier, and today the country continues to extract oil and gas from Vietnamese fields in the disputed South China Sea.

10:33 AM BST

Kyiv’s secret services carried out drone attack on Russian oil depots: sources

A drone attack that set on fire oil storage sites in Russia’s southern Rostov region overnight was conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), an intelligence source has told Reuters.

The source told Reuters the attack struck the Azovskaya and Azovnefteprodukt depots that have a total of 22 fuel tanks.

Russian fire fighters have been battling a huge blaze after the oil depots were struck in the early morning.

10:26 AM BST

Putin thanks North Korea for Ukraine help ahead of rare visit

Vladimir Putin has praised North Korea for “firmly supporting” Moscow’s war in Ukraine ahead of his first visit to Pyongyang in over two decades.

“We highly appreciate that the DPRK (North Korea) is firmly supporting the special military operations of Russia being conducted in Ukraine,” the Russian leader wrote in an article carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

Putin is set to arrive in the isolated North late on Tuesday evening local time with a large delegation of ministers in a trip suspected to be about securing more munitions for his war on Ukraine.

The trip “will put bilateral cooperation onto a higher level with our joint efforts and this will contribute to developing reciprocal and equal cooperation between Russia and the DPRK,” the Russian leader wrote.

09:49 AM BST

Video: Russian oil tanks burn after drone attack

Local authorities in the town of Azov, southern Russia, said several oil storage facilities were hit by a drone attack overnight. Here is video of the blaze.

09:28 AM BST

Ukrainian woman jailed for Moscow anti-war protest

A Ukrainian woman has been sentenced by a Russian military court to 12 years in prison for playing anti-war songs and releasing balloons with a Russian opposition flag in Moscow, the Kyiv Independent reports.

The mother of two was found guilty of “spreading disinformation about the war” and “taking part in a terrorist organization.”

Her defence team claimed that a neighbour blackmailed her into carrying out the protest.

The woman found asylum in Switzerland after the war broke out but was convinced to return to Russia to carry out the protest in exchange for money, her lawyers said.

09:19 AM BST

China accuses Nato of ‘shifting blame’ on Ukraine war

China has told Nato to “stop shifting the blame” over the Ukraine war after Jens Stoltenberg called for Beijing to face consequences over alleged efforts to rebuild Russia’s defence industry.

“We advise (Nato) to stop shifting blame and sowing discord, not add fuel to the fire and instigate confrontation, but rather do something practical for the political settlement of the crisis,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

He said that Nato “should engage in self-reflection rather than arbitrary smear and attacks on China”.

China presents itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine war, and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side.

08:57 AM BST

23 Nato members on track for defense spending pledge

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that 23 of the alliance’s 32 members were on track to meet a decade-old pledge to spend at least two percent of GDP on defense.

“Twenty-three allies are going to spend two percent of GDP or more on defense this year,” Stoltenberg said at a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office.

“Nato allies are this year increasing defense spending by 18 percent. That’s the biggest increase in decades,” he said.

08:52 AM BST

Russian troops ‘gradually’ being driven back in Kharkiv region, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily message to Ukrainians on Monday evening that the army was repelling the Russian offensive in the Kkarkiv region.

“Our forces are gradually pushing the occupier out of the Kharkiv region, and I thank every warrior and every unit for this, who are clearly fulfilling their tasks,” he said.

08:24 AM BST

Pictures of released Ukrainian soldiers show hardship of captivity

This photo story shows soldiers receiving treatment at an undisclosed location in Ukraine after an exchange of prisoners with Russia on May 31.

A total of 75 Ukrainian captives were returned in the exchange.

Most of the Ukrainian soldiers lost a lot of weight in Russian captivity, and by the time these pictures were taken each of them had put back on about 10 kg.

07:59 AM BST

Swedish MPs vote today on US defence deal

Swedish MPs are voting today on a defence deal with the US, which critics fear could ‘open’ Sweden to the deployment of nukes on its soil.

Signed by Stockholm and Washington in December, the deal would give the US access to 17 military bases and training areas in Sweden, and allow the storage of weapons, military equipment and ammunition in the country.

It is a major step for a country that ended two centuries of neutrality by joining Nato after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Sweden is a sovereign nation and it will always be Sweden that decides what type of weapons we allow,” Defence Minister Pal Jonson said.

Criticism came from the Greens who said that: “The agreement has no limits... “It opens up nuclear weapons on Swedish soil.”

07:49 AM BST

Ukraine destroys 10 Russian drones overnight

Ukraine’s air force has said that its air defence systems destroyed all 10 drones that Russia launched overnight.

The drones were destroyed over the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

07:45 AM BST

Biden administration warns of ‘reciprocity’ between Putin and Kim

Joe Biden’s National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, has told reporters that: “We know North Korean ballistic missiles are still being used to hit Ukrainian targets (and) there could be some reciprocity here that could affect security on the Korean peninsula.”

Highlighting those concerns, South Korea has said its troops fired at soldiers from the North who briefly crossed the border on Tuesday before retreating.

The South believes the North Korean soldiers accidentally crossed as they were fortifying the border. Some of them were injured after detonating landmines.

07:37 AM BST

Putin makes rare visit to Russia’s diamond region

Putin made a stop-off in Russia’s far east on Tuesday en route to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later in the day.

Putin’s trip to the diamond-producing Republic of Sakha, Russia’s largest region by area, is his first since 2014, TASS news agency said.

He was due to hold a series of meetings, including with the regional leader.

07:36 AM BST

Drone attack sets oil tanks ablaze in southern Russia

An overnight drone attack has set several oil storage tanks ablaze near the town of Azov in southern Russia, sparking a large fire.

Ukraine did not immediately claim responsibility but has carried out similar attacks on Russian energy facilities before.

“Oil product tanks caught fire in Azov as a result of a drone attack. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties,” the local governor said.

Video showed thick smoke and flames billowing out of what appeared to be multiple oil storage tanks in an undisclosed location.

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