Ukraine news – live: Kyiv ignores Russian ultimatum to surrender key Donbas city

Ukraine ignored a Russian ultimatum to surrender the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk today.

Russia told Ukrainian forces sheltering in a chemical plant in the ruined Donbas city to stop “senseless resistance and lay down arms” from Wednesday morning, pressing its advantage in the battle for control of eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine said more than 500 civilians, including 40 children, remained alongside soldiers inside the Azot chemical works as the Russian bombardment of the surrounding city continued. Officials made no reference to the Russian ultimatum in remarks to the press on Wednesday.

Moscow had said it would let civilians evacuate the plant on Wednesday but Russian-backed separatists said Ukrainian shelling had scuppered the plan.

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky urged Brussels to let his country start on the road to membership of the European Union, warning that Russia’s territorial ambitions stretched from Warsaw to Sofia – though he did not provide evidence for the claim.

In a streamed speech to the Czech parliament, Mr Zelensky also called for more EU sanctions against Russia.

Key Points

• Ukraine says Russia eyes a 'vast area from Warsaw to Sofia'

• Man arrested at Gatwick airport on suspicion of spying ‘for Putin regime’

• Putin’s troops tell Ukraine to surrender arms in Sievierodonetsk

• Donbas battle to decide domination of Russia or Ukraine, says Zelensky

• Defence ministers from nearly 50 countries to meet today to discuss Ukraine’s weapons

Ukraine ignores Russian ultimatum to surrender Sievierodonetsk

19:50 , Liam James

Ukraine ignored a Russian ultimatum to surrender the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk today.

The Donbas city, now largely in ruins, has for weeks been the main focal point of the war.

Russia had told Ukrainian forces holed up in the Azot chemical plant there to stop “senseless resistance and lay down arms” from Wednesday morning, pressing its advantage in the battle for control of eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine says more than 500 civilians, including 40 children, remain alongside soldiers inside Azot. Moscow had said it would let civilians evacuate from the plant on Wednesday but Russian-backed separatists said Ukrainian shelling had scuppered the plan, which would have involved taking people out towards territory they control.

The mayor of Sievierodonetsk, Oleksandr Stryuk, said Russian forces were trying to storm the city from several directions but the Ukrainians continued to defend it and were not totally cut off, even though all its river bridges had been destroyed.

Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region home to Sievierodonetsk, said Ukraine’s army continued to defend the city and to stop Russian forces from taking its twin city Lysychansk on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets river.

The fall of the two cities would leave all of Luhansk in Russian hands.

Grain ships should be able to avoid mines in Black Sea, says Turkey

18:38 , Liam James

Ships carrying grain out of Ukraine could be guided around mines in the Black Sea in order to save time exporting food that has been trapped in the country for months, Turkey’s foreign minister said.

Russia today said it had offered “safe passage” for Ukrainian grain shipments but would not establish the routes for ships to navigate the mine-strewn waters off the Black Sea coast.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier on Wednesday said it would “take some time” to de-mine Ukraine’s ports but a safe sea corridor could be established in areas without mines under a UN proposal, adding that Ankara was still awaiting Moscow’s reaction to the plan.

“Since the location of the mines is known, certain safe lines would be established at three ports,” Mr Cavusoglu said. “These [commercial] ships, with the guidance of Ukraine‘s research and rescue vessels as envisaged in the plan, could thus come and go safely to ports without a need to clear the mines.”

Global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertiliser have shot up since Russia’s invasion and blockade of Ukrainian ports. The UN is trying to broker a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports and Russian food and fertiliser exports, which Moscow says are harmed by sanctions.

The UN has been “working in close cooperation with the Turkish authorities on this issue,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, and was grateful for them “working so constructively to find a solution to this problem.”

Biden expected to announce $1bn new weapons for Ukraine

17:40 , Liam James

The US is expected as soon as this afternoon to begin announcing around $1bn (£0.8bn) worth of new weapons aid for Ukraine, including anti-ship rocket systems, artillery rockets, and rounds for howitzers, people familiar with the packages said.

Three people said Joe Biden will announce more than $350m worth of arms transfers, including more rockets for Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) that had been sent to Ukraine and artillery rounds for M777 howitzers and spare parts.

A second package, anticipated to be more than $650m in size and funded using USAI, could include ground based Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher capabilities, secure radios, night vision and training.

The White House declined to comment.

Ukraine is pressing the US and other western nations for speedy deliveries of weapons in the face of increased pressure from Russian forces in the eastern Donbass region.

The US last month approved more than $40bn in aid to Ukraine, $12.5bn of which was earmarked for weapons and military supplies. Washington’s aid commitments, totalling roughly $54bn, is nearly triple the value of all EU countries combined – though eastern European countries Poland, Estonia, Latvia have committed a greater share of their GDP than the US.

Russia offers safe passage for Ukraine grain, not responsible for corridors

16:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia can “provide safe passage” for Ukraine grain shipments from the country’s Black Sea ports, but is not responsible for establishing the corridors, Russia‘s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters on Wednesday.

“We are not responsible for establishing safe corridors. We said we could provide safe passage if these corridors are established. Establish them. It’s obvious it’s either demine the territory, which was mined by the Ukrainians, or to ensure that the passage goes around those mines,” Nebenzia said.

U.S. puts sanctions on men tied to Russian ultranationalist group

16:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The United States imposed sanctions on Wednesday on two backers of an “ethnically motivated violent extremist group” called the Russian Imperial Movement, one of whom visited the United States to make connections with far-right and white nationalist groups.

The U.S. Treasury Department named the two as Stanislav Shevchuk, a Europe-based representative of RIM, who traveled to the United States in 2017 seeking connections with “extremist” groups, and Alexander Zhuchkovsky, a Russia-based supporter of RIM, who has used his Russia-based social media platform to fundraise and recruit for the group.

Since 2014, Zhuchkovsky has raised over 200 million rubles to purchase weapons and military equipment for RIM and other pro-Russian fighters in the Donbas in Ukraine and facilitated the travel of RIM fighters to the region, the Treasury said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Zhuchkovsky has continued using his social media accounts and online payment methods to purchase military equipment and supplies for Russian fighters carrying out the invasion and fighting in the Donbas, it added.

German minister accuses Russia of finding excuse to cut Nord Stream 1 gas

15:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s justification for cutting the flow of gas through Nord Stream 1 is a pretext to sow uncertainty and drive up prices, Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck said after Gazprom said it was further reducing the pipeline’s capacity.

“We can currently buy the necessary quantities from the market, albeit at higher prices,” said Habeck in a statement on Wednesday, adding that supply was secure but that saving energy was the order of the hour.

“Of course we will take measures on a state level if needed,” he added.

Ukraine: Expert Mary Dejevsky answers your questions on Putin’s war

15:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In the week that Russia said its missiles had destroyed an ammunition warehouse for weapons donated by NATO alliance countries in Ukraine‘s western Lviv region, expert and Independent columnist Mary Dejevsky will be on hand to answer reader questions about the conflict as part of an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session.

Mary’s recent pieces have included Why Germany is right to be cautious over Ukraine, What awaits Ukraine when the fighting stops? and It’s time to be realistic about the war.

Put your questions to Mary this Friday 17 June at 2pm.

Expert Mary Dejevsky answers your questions on Ukraine and Russia

Turkey details U.N. plan for grain exports without need to de-mine Ukraine ports

15:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday detailed a U.N. plan to create a sea corridor from Ukraine for grain exports, saying safe routes could be formed without needing to clear the mines around Ukrainian ports.

His comments appeared to mark a shift from an earlier proposal to de-mine Ukraine‘s ports, a move that Kyiv fears would leave it far more vulnerable to Russian attack from the Black Sea.

Speaking to reporters, Cavusoglu said it would “take some time” to de-mine Ukraine‘s ports and that a safe sea corridor could meanwhile be established in areas without mines under the U.N. proposal, adding that Ankara was still awaiting Moscow’s reaction to the plan.

“Since the location of the mines is known, certain safe lines would be established at three (Ukrainian) ports,” he said. “These (commercial) ships, with the guidance of Ukraine‘s research and rescue vessels as envisaged in the plan, could thus come and go safely to ports without a need to clear the mines.”

Kremlin says Putin, Xi agreed to boost ties in energy, finance

14:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to expand cooperation in energy, finance and industry as Moscow faces unprecedented Western sanctions over Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

“It was agreed to expand cooperation in energy, finance, industry, transport and other spheres, taking into account the global economic situation that has become more complicated due to the West’s illegitimate sanctions policy,” the Kremlin said in a readout of the leaders’ call.

Alexei Navalny: Russia ‘does not share concerns for his safety’, Putin’s spokesman says

14:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian diplomat has said the Kremlin is not concerned for the safety of Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile critic, as his whereabouts remain unknown following a prison transfer.

Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, was moved from his prison to an unknown location, a top aide said on Tuesday.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman - who two years ago claimed there was no Novichok and no one was following Navalny - said: “The Kremlin does not track Navalny’s whereabouts and does not share concerns for his safety.”

Read more here:

Alexei Navalny: Russia says it ‘does not share concerns for his safety’

Goodbye Lenin: Finland removes statue of Russian revolutionary as country seeks to join Nato

13:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Finland has made the decision to move a controversial statue of Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin from the streets to a museum.

The statue in Kotka, southeast Finland, has often been vandalised over the years- but has received heightened attention since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The monument was presented as a gift by Kotka’s twin city Tallinn in 1979, and was sculpted by Estonian artist Matti Varikin. At the time Estonia was part of the USSR.

Proposals submitted to the city and municipal councils stated that the statue was offensive to the memory of those who were killed in Soviet war crimes.

Read more here:

Goodbye Lenin: Finland removes statue of Russian as country seeks to join Nato

‘Largest ever’ methane leak detected at Russian coal mine

13:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian coal mine has been named as the source of the biggest methane leak ever detected.

New satellite observations show Raspadskya mine, in central Russia’s Kemerovo Oblast, has 13 separate methane plumes leaking massive amounts of the explosive greenhouse gas in one of largest “ultra emission” events ever traced to a verified source.

Raspadskya is Russia’s largest coal mine and opened in 1973.

According to Canadian company GHGSat, which provides the UN with emissions data and works with the European Space Agency, the mine is leaking 90 tonnes of methane every hour.

Our environment correspondent Harry Cockburn has more:

‘Largest ever’ methane leak detected at Russian coal mine

Ukraine says Russia eyes a 'vast area from Warsaw to Sofia'

12:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the European Union on Wednesday to let his country start on the road to membership of the bloc, warning that Russia‘s territorial ambitions stretched from Warsaw to Sofia.

In a speech to both chambers of the Czech parliament via a video link, Zelenskiy also called for more EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

“Russia is not interested only in our (cities of) Mariupol, Sievierodonetsk, Kharkiv and Kyiv. No, its ambitions are directed on a vast area from Warsaw to Sofia,” he said, without citing evidence for his assertion.

“As in the past, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the first step that the Russian leadership needs to open the way to other countries, to the conquest of other peoples.”

The EU has adopted six rounds of sanctions against Russia, and Ukraine is seeking a seventh round to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.

The European Commission is expected to announce a decision on Ukraine‘s request for candidate status this week ahead of an EU summit next week. Having candidate status would be a preliminary step in a long process to accession.

“To grant Ukraine candidate status now is to prove that European unification is real and that European values really work and are not just indicated in certain documents,” Zelensky said.

He said the Czech people - following Nazi German occupation during World War Two and decades of Soviet domination after the war - knew how compromise ends and what comes of concessions to tyranny.

“The person who wants to seize everything will never stop at taking only part of what they want,” Zelensky said.

Chinese president tells Putin all sides should work to resolve Ukraine crisis

12:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call on Wednesday that all parties should work towards resolving the crisis in Ukraine “in a responsible manner,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

China has refused to condemn Russia‘s actions in Ukraine or call them an invasion, and has urged a negotiated solution.

In their call, Xi reiterated China’s willingness to help resolve the situation.

China and Russia have grown increasingly close in recent years, and in February, Putin and Xi signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership aimed at countering U.S. influence and said they would have “no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation”.

On Friday, Russia and China opened a new cross-border bridge in the far east which they hope will further boost trade as Moscow reels from sweeping Western sanctions imposed over its actions in Ukraine.

Death sentences of British fighters in Ukraine a warning to ‘soldiers of fortune’, Russia says

11:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Death sentences handed down to British fighters by pro-Moscow seperatists should serve as a warning to “soldiers of fortune fighting for Ukraine”, Russia has said.

Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, were found guilty of taking action towards violent seizure of power at a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) last week.

A third man, Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim, was convicted alongside them, Tom Barnes writes.

Speaking on Wednesday, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said their sentences would set a “clear example to other soldiers of fortune fighting for Ukraine”.

UK fighters’ death sentences a warning to ‘soldiers of fortune’, Russia says

Zelensky seeks tighter sanctions on Russia

11:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the European Union on Wednesday to tighten sanctions on Russia, warning that Russian forces could attack other countries after invading his own country.

In a speech to both chambers of the Czech parliament via a video link, Zelenskiy reiterated calls for the EU to allow Ukraine to start on the road to membership of the 27-nation bloc by giving it candidate country status.

“As in the past, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the first step that the Russian leadership needs to open the way to other countries, to the conquest of other peoples,” he said.

Kremlin says communication is essential in relations with U.S.

10:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that communication remains “essential” in relations with the United States, amid tensions over Russia‘s continuing war in Ukraine.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a call that such communication could only be conducted on a basis of mutual respect and benefit.

Man arrested at Gatwick airport on suspicion of spying ‘for Putin regime’

10:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A man has been arrested by counter-terror police on suspicion of spying.

The suspect, in his 40s, was detained by the Metropolitan Police at Gatwick Airport in West Sussex on Monday evening.

The man is accused of spying in Britain for Russian president Vladimir Putin and was due to get an outbound flight when he was arrested, according to The Sun.

My colleague Chiara Giordano has more:

Man arrested at Gatwick airport on suspicion of spying ‘for Putin regime’

Up to 1,200 civilians may be in plant in eye of Ukraine battle, separatist says

10:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Up to 1,200 civilians may be holed up in the shelters of the Azot chemical plant in the eastern Ukrainian city where one of the fiercest battles of the war has been raging between Russian and Ukrainian forces, a Russian-backed separatist said.

Russian forces are trying to grind down Ukrainian resistance in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, part of a wider push to drive Kyiv’s forces out of two separatist regions which Russia backs and has recognised as independent states.

Russian-backed separatists said Ukrainian forces sought to disrupt a humanitarian corridor out of the sprawling ammonia factory founded under Soviet leader Josef Stalin to a separatist-controlled town, the RIA news agency reported.

“About 1,000 to 1,200 civilians of Sievierodonetsk may still be on the territory of the Azot chemical plant,” Rodion Miroshnik, an official in the Russian-backed self-styled separatist administration of the Luhansk People’s Republic, said on Telegram.

Mr Miroshnik said the civilians are in part of the plant that is still controlled by Ukrainian forces, which he said numbered up to 2,000 people including Ukrainian and foreign fighters.

Ukraine says the number of civilians at the plant is closer to 500.

France's Macron: Ukraine President will have to negotiate with Russia at some point

09:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that Ukraine would have to hold talks with Russia at some point, in order to try and bring an end to the war between the two countries.

“The Ukrainian President and his officials will have to negotiate with Russia,” said Macron, while on a visit to Romania and Moldova.

Macron arrived in Romania on Tuesday for a three-day trip to NATO’s southern flank including Moldova before possibly heading to Kyiv on Thursday on a visit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, two diplomatic sources said.

Macron has been criticised by Ukraine and eastern European allies for what they perceived as his ambiguous backing for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

Russia says it has destroyed warehouse for Nato weapons in Ukraine

09:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has said its missiles destroyed an ammunition warehouse for weapons donated by NATO alliance countries in Ukraine‘s western Lviv region.

The defence ministry said some of the ammunition was to be used for U.S.-produced M777 howitzers, a type of artillery weapon.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the report.

Macron toughens tone on Russia before possible Ukraine visit

09:16 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

President Emmanuel Macron voiced a tougher line on Russia on Wednesday after visiting French and allied troops at a NATO base in Romania, seeking to assuage concerns in Ukraine and among some European allies over his previous stance towards Moscow.

Macron arrived in Romania on Tuesday for a three-day trip to NATO’s southern flank including Moldova before possibly heading to Kyiv on Thursday on a visit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, two diplomatic sources said.

“We will do everything to stop Russia‘s war forces, to help the Ukrainians and their army and continue to negotiate,” he told French and NATO troops at a military base in Romania.

“But for the foreseeable future, we will need to protect, dissuade and be present,” he said.

Macron has in recent weeks repeatedly said it was vital not to “humiliate” Russia so a diplomatic solution could be found when fighting ended and he has continued to keep communication channels open with the Kremlin open, riling more hawkish allies.

France leads a NATO battle group in Romania of about 800 troops, including 500 French troops alongside others from the Netherlands and Belgium. Paris has also deployed a surface-to air missile system.

Vladimir Putin’s military assault continues in face of near-unanimous international condemnation

08:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia’s long-feared invasion of Ukraine continues to rage following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of his “special military operation” against the country in the early hours of 24 February, the Russian leader declaring, groundlessly, a need to “demilitarise and de-Nazify” the neighbouring state after eight years of fighting in the Donbas.

As Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky leads by example from the streets of Kyiv, tirelessly rallying the international community for support, his people mount an impressive resistence, holding back Russia’s armed forces as best they can, writes Thomas Kingsley and Joe Sommerlad.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

‘Scorched earth’: Russian forces push back Ukrainians in battle for key city

08:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has blown up the last bridge to Sievierodonetsk, cutting off the embattled east Ukrainian city which is now largely occupied by the Kremlin’s troops.

Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, and Oleksandr Stryuk, the city’s mayor, confirmed the developments on Tuesday, saying Ukrainian soldiers were now fighting from its industrial outskirts.

The invading forces had pushed the Ukrainian army back through its “scorched earth method and heavy artillery”, Mr Haidai said.

My colleague Rory Sullivan has more:

‘Scorched earth’: Russian forces push back Ukrainians in battle for key city

Battle for Donbas

08:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Momentum in Sievierodonetsk has shifted several times over the past few weeks - with Russia concentrating its overwhelming artillery firepower on urban districts to obliterate resistance, then sending in ground troops vulnerable to counter-attacks.

Elsewhere in the Donbas, Ukraine says Russia plans to assault Sloviansk from the north and along a front near Bakhmut to the south.

In Donetsk province, critical infrastructure including homes, schools, hospitals and markets have been attacked over the past week, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

“This has made life nearly unbearable for people who are also facing severe water shortages, and at times are unable to leave their homes for days on end due to the fighting,” Mr Dujarric said.

To the south, Ukraine‘s military said it had conducted three air strikes against troop concentrations, fuel depots and military equipment in the Kherson region.

Ukrainian military strikes Russian military equipment in Kherson Oblast

08:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” has reported that the Ukrainian military struck Russian military equipment in Kherson Oblast, including three howitzers, 19 armored vehicles and 33 other vehicles.

See more from The Kyiv Independent:

Australia wants ‘broad, deep’ security ties with Japan as result of Ukraine conflict

07:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Australia wants “broad and deep” cooperation with Japan as the two U.S. allies face complex security circumstances in Asia as a result of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, rising inflation and COVID-19 disruption, its defence minister said on Wednesday.

“It is clear that our region faces the most complex set of strategic circumstances we have known since the end of the Second World War,” the minister, Richard Marles, told a media conference with his Japanese counterpart, Nobuo Kishi, after talks in Tokyo.

The allies have been increasing defence cooperation as a counterbalance to China’s growing military power and influence in Asia.

Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine is spurring a deepening of those ties as concern that what Russia calls its “special operation” could encourage China to use force against self-ruled Taiwan.

Marles said Australia and Japan would use a reciprocal access agreement signed in January to engage in deeper and more sophisticated cooperation that would strengthen their militaries’ interoperability.

The access pact provides a legal bases for Australian and Japanese forces visiting each other’s countries and establishes a framework for cooperation.

Nato defence ministers due to discuss Ukraine military aid

07:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian officials have renewed pleas for the United States and its allies to send more and better artillery as well as tanks, drones and other heavy weapons.

Western countries have promised Nato-standard weapons - including advanced U.S. rockets. But deploying them is taking time, and Ukraine will require consistent Western support to transition to new supplies and weapons systems as stocks dwindle of their Soviet-era weapons and munitions.

The meeting on Wednesday on the sidelines of a Nato defence ministerial is being led by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. It is the third time the group of nearly 50 countries are meeting to discuss and coordinate assistance to Ukraine.

Washington has committed about $4.6 billion in security assistance since Russia‘s Feb. 24 invasion, including longer-range rocket systems, drones and advanced artillery.

But Zelenskiy said Ukraine does not have enough anti-missile systems to protect its cities, adding that “there can be no justification in delays in providing them.”

While Western sanctions have hit Russia‘s economy hard, resulting global shortages of oil and grain have sent energy and commodity prices soaring. And a speech that Putin is set to deliver on Friday at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum will be closely watched.

Ministry of Defence update

07:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Elements of Ukraine‘s Armed Forces and several hundred civilians are sheltering in underground bunkers in Azot Chemical Plant in the embattled city of Sievierodonetsk, Britain’s defence ministry has said.

Russian forces now control the majority of the Ukrainian city, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in a Twitter update.

Russia told Ukrainian forces who were holed up in the chemical plant to lay down their arms by early Wednesday, pressing its advantage in the battle for control of eastern Ukraine.

Russia fired mortars, artillery and multiple rocket launchers in Sievierodonetsk, says Ukraine

07:01 , Arpan Rai

The Ukraine defence ministry has accused Russia of firing at its position with mortars, artillery and multiple rocket launchers in the Sievierodonetsk direction.

Russia also fired on “civilian infrastructure in the settlements of Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Toshkivka, Ustynivka, Borivske, and Metelkino and the enemy army aircraft struck near Bila Hora”, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

However, it added that the Ukrainian soldiers have successfully “repelled attempts to storm the enemy in Sievierodonetsk and Toshkivka” as the fighting in the area continues.

On the Black Sea front, the defence ministry said that the Russian fighters continue to block civilian shipping in the northwestern part of the sea.

“Three Calibre missile launchers are ready for the use of missile weapons in the Black Sea,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

'The Kremlin has banned me from travelling to Russia – but such sanctions won’t silence our journalism'

06:45 , Arpan Rai

The travel bans brought by Russia on nearly 30 journalists amid the ongoing war will not silence the UK media, writes The Independent’s managing director Christian Broughton.

Broughton writes that any government that attempts to crack down on reporting in this way clearly has something to hide.

He goes on: “Forgive such a selfish, trivial reaction, but I am relieved that, fortunately, for now at least, our reporters do not feature on the list of 29 British journalists the Kremlin has decided to ban from travelling to Russia, so you can rest assured that there will be no impact on The Independent’s fearless, free and (of course) truly independent reporting – or, to use the Kremlin’s preferred description of our journalism, the “deliberate dissemination of false and one-sided information about Russia and events in Ukraine and Donbas”, with “biased assessments” that “contribute to inciting Russophobia in British society”.

Read the full Voices article here:

Travel bans issued by the Kremlin won’t silence our journalism | Christian Broughton

Russian tactics causing extensive collateral damage in key Donbas city, says UK

06:25 , Arpan Rai

The British defence ministry has claimed that the urban warfare tactics deployed by Russian forces have caused major collateral damage throughout the key Donbas city Sievierodonetsk.

“After more than a month of heavy fighting, Russian forces now control the majority of Sievierodonetsk. Russia’s urban warfare tactics, which are reliant on heavy use of artillery, have generated extensive collateral damage throughout the city,” the British MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

The ministry confirmed that the “elements of Ukrainian Armed Forces, along with several hundred civilians, are sheltering in underground bunkers in the Azot Chemical Plant, in the city’s industrial zone.”

“Russian forces will likely be fixed in and around Azot whilst Ukrainian fighters can survive underground. This will likely temporarily prevent Russia from re-tasking these units for missions elsewhere,” the ministry said.

According to the ministry, it is “highly unlikely that Russia anticipated such robust opposition, or such slow, attritional conflict during its original planning for the invasion”.

Defence ministers from nearly 50 countries to meet today; to discuss Ukraine’s weapon needs

06:23 , Arpan Rai

Defence ministers from dozens of Nato nations and other parts of the world will discuss weapon deliveries to Ukraine today in Brussels as the besieged country faces a tough battle in the eastern region.

Ukraine has added more weapons to its wishlist to fight Russian military forces and asked for 1,000 howitzers, 500 tanks and 1,000 drones among other heavy weapons, the country’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Monday.

Bolstering support for Kyiv, western nations have vowed to help Ukraine with Nato-standard weapons, including advanced US rockets.

Wednesday’s discussion will be led by US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, more than a month after a similar discussion was held in Germany.

This is the third time nearly 50 countries are coming together to discuss military and other possible aid to Ukraine.

Putin’s troops tell Ukraine to surrender arms in battered Sievierodonetsk

05:26 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian forces stuck in the chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk have been asked by Russian fighters to put down their arms by early Wednesday in a grim reminder of the battle in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant.

Fighters should “stop their senseless resistance and lay down arms” from 8am Moscow time (0500 GMT),” Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia’s National Defence Management Centre, said, reported the Interfax news agency.

The top defence official added that Russia will allow civilians to leave via a humanitarian corridor.

This comes at a time when authorities have confirmed that Russia has captured around 80 per cent of the key Donbas city and is looking to gain more advantage in the area.

More than 500 civilians are trapped in addition to the soldiers inside the Azot chemical factory, Ukrainian officials have said as the country’s fighters have countered Russian bombings and missile strikes which have flattened Sievierodonetsk.

Donbas battle to decide domination of Russia or Ukraine, says Zelensky

05:16 , Arpan Rai

The battle for the Donbas region between Russian and Ukrainian forces will be key in determining who will dominate the ongoing war in Europe, president Volodymyr Zelensky said late on Tuesday.

“Over the past day no drastic changes have taken place in the battle in Donbas. The fiercest fighting is in Sievierodonetsk and in all cities and communities nearby - as before. The losses, unfortunately, are painful. But we have to hold on. This is our state,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.

He added that it is “vital” for Ukraine to hold on in Donbas. “The more losses the enemy suffers there, the less power they will have to continue the aggression. Therefore, the Donbas direction is key to determining who will dominate in the coming weeks,” he said.

“We also have painful losses in the Kharkiv region, where the Russian army is trying to strengthen its position. The battles for this direction continue, and we still have to fight hard for complete security for Kharkiv and the region,” the wartime president said.

Mr Zelensky said his troops will continue to put pressure on Russian soldiers engaged in the fierce battle in the southern part of the country.

“The key goal is the liberation of Kherson, and we will move towards this step by step,” he said.

Aerial view shows bombed houses flattened in Donbas

05:15 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine ‘cut the wings’ of Russian missiles, says Zelensky

04:32 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelenksy has said his country’s air defence units intercepted Russian missiles and managed to “save lives”, but that only some of the missiles were successfully targeted.

“Today, our air defence units managed to ‘cut the wings’ of Russian missiles. Some of the missiles fired by the occupiers at our cities were shot down. And these are saved lives. This is saved infrastructure,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address late on Tuesday.

“But we managed to shoot down only part of them. Unfortunately, there are victims, there is destruction,” Mr Zelensky said.

Talking about the increased Russian attacks in parts of Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said: “Today, the Lviv and Ternopil regions were hit. And we keep telling our partners that Ukraine needs modern anti-missile weapons.”

Pressing for more artillery, he added: “Our country does not have it at a sufficient level yet, but it is our country in Europe that needs such weapons most right now. Delay with its provision cannot be justified. I will constantly emphasise this when talking to our partners.”

Russia controls 80 per cent of key Donbas city

03:00 , Matt Mathers

The city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine has not yet been blocked off by Russian troops, but they control about 80 per cent of the area and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it, an official said.

“There is still an opportunity for the evacuation of the wounded, communication with the Ukrainian military and local residents,” Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai told the Associated Press.

He acknowledged that Ukrainian forces have been pushed out to the industrial outskirts of the city because of “the scorched earth method and heavy artillery the Russians are using”.

Putin still wants all of Ukraine despite setbacks, says Pentagon

02:00 , Liam James

Vladimir Putin likely still plans to capture all of Ukraine but has had to narrow his objectives in the current war, a senior Pentagon official said today.

Russia abandoned its offensives on several Ukrainian cities around one month into its invasion after failing to make significant progress. Russian officials claimed it was because they had achieved their objectives but western officials pointed to the huge losses of troops and equipment suffered by Russia.

Moscow has since focused on the eastern region of Donbas, where it has now taken swathes of land.

Many commentators have suggested that Mr Putin longs for Ukraine and other former parts of the Russian empire to return to Moscow’s control.

Speaking on Tuesday at an event hosted by the Centre for New American Security, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said: “I still think he has designs on a significant portion of Ukraine, if not the whole country. That said, I do not think he can achieve those objectives.

“They may make tactical gains here and there. The Ukrainians are holding up. I do not think the Russians have the capacity to achieve those grandiose objectives.”

US Open to allow Russian players

01:00 , Liam James

The US Open will allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to compete this year despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, which prompted Wimbledon to ban those athletes.

US Tennis Association (USTA) CEO and executive director Lew Sherr, whose group runs the tournament, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that the USTA Board decided to let Russians and Belarusians enter the tournament because of “concern about holding the individual athletes accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments”.

Mr Sherr said athletes from Russia and Belarus will play at Flushing Meadows under a neutral flag – an arrangement that’s been used at various tennis tournaments around the world, including the French Open, which ended 5 June.

Since Russia began its attacks on Ukraine in February, Russian athletes have been prevented from taking part in many sports, including the football World Cup qualifying playoffs. Belarus has aided Russia in the war.

Top Putin critic transferred from penal colony to high security prison

Wednesday 15 June 2022 00:00 , Liam James

Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, has been abruptly moved from the prison where he was serving an 11 and a half year sentence to a high-security penal colony farther from Moscow.

Mr Navalny, by far Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, casts Vladimir Putin’s Russia as a dystopian state run by thieves and criminals where wrong is cast as right and judges are in fact representatives of a doomed elite.

His top aide, Leonid Volkov, shared news of the transfer on the Telegram app on Tuesday.

Mr Volkov said when Mr Navalny’s lawyer visited the prison camp near Moscow where the opposition was thought to be held he was told: “There is no such convict here.”

Regional prison observer Sergey Yazhan later said Mr Navalny had been taken to the IK-6 penal colony at Melekhovo near Vladimir, about 155 miles east of Moscow.

Just last month, Mr Navalny lambasted Mr Putin via video link in a Russian court, casting the Kremlin chief as a madman who started a “stupid war” that was butchering the innocent people of both Ukraine and Russia.

Six injured by shelling in Russian village – governor

Tuesday 14 June 2022 22:50 , Liam James

Six people were injured on Tuesday by shelling in a Russian town on the border with Ukraine, the regional governor said.

The incident occurred in Klintsy, some 30 miles from the Ukrainian border in Russia’s Bryansk region.

Governor Alexander Bogomaz wrote on Telegram that the number of injured had risen to six from an earlier tally of four.

“Those injured have shrapnel wounds,” Mr Bogomaz wrote. “They were all admitted to a local hospital. Their condition is stable.”

The Independent was unable to verify the report.

Ukraine seeks EU help with grain surplus

Tuesday 14 June 2022 21:40 , Liam James

European countries will consider providing temporary granaries to Ukraine, which faces a shortage of silos for new grain crop, the Ukrainian agriculture ministry said today.

Ukraine has said its harvest could fall to around 65 million tonnes of grain and oilseed this year from 106 million tonnes in 2021 due to the Russian invasion.

Ukraine’s agriculture minister earlier told Reuters that in autumn when the corn harvest is over, the shortage of storage capacity could reach up to 15 million tonnes.

The ministry said in a statement: “EU governments will consider providing Ukraine with such temporary storage facilities – as a result, it should significantly help preserve the harvest and secure future grain supplies to world markets.”

The ministry did not specify how advanced the discussions were and which EU countries were involved.

Moscow bans scores of British journalists from entering Russia

Tuesday 14 June 2022 20:21 , Liam James

Scores of British journalists and defence figures – including The Independent’s former editor, Christian Broughton – have been banned from entering Russia, Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a surprise statement on Tuesday (David Harding writes).

A total of 29 journalists have been banned, with the list also including the BBC’s Clive Myrie and Orla Guerin, Sky News’s Stuart Ramsey and Sophy Ridge and Cathy Newman of Channel 4 – who is also a columnist for The Independent. Others on the list are senior figures from The Times and The Daily Mail.

Moscow said the move was in response to western sanctions following the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the “spreading of false information about Russia”.

“The British journalists included in the list are involved in the deliberate dissemination of false and one-sided information about Russia and events in Ukraine and Donbas,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Moscow bans scores of British journalists from entering Russia

Russia will guard data to deflect western sanctions – finance ministry

Tuesday 14 June 2022 19:20 , Liam James

Russia will start restricting public access to some government data in an attempt to protect the country from additional sanctions, Moscow’s finance ministry said today.

In a statement, the ministry said it will partially restrict the information about budget spending it makes public in response to the “negative consequences” of sanctions on the Russian economy.

Despite a strong start to the year, the Russian economy is expected to shrink significantly in the coming months due to the isolating impact of western sanctions.

In its latest move to deter the negative effects, the Russian government has proposed to make the size of Russian gold and foreign exchange reserves – now disclosed publicly on a weekly basis – a state secret.

“The sanctions against Russia differ in the way they work and degree of the negative consequences,” the finance ministry said, explaining the move. “This will help to minimise the risk of new sanctions.”

The energy ministry had already restricted access to its monthly oil and gas output data.

‘Scorched earth’: Russian forces push back Ukrainians in battle for key city

Tuesday 14 June 2022 18:30 , Liam James

Russia has blown up the last bridge to Sievierodonetsk, cutting off the embattled east Ukrainian city which is now largely occupied by the Kremlin’s troops (Rory Sullivan writes).

Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, and Oleksandr Stryuk, the city’s mayor, confirmed the developments on Tuesday, saying Ukrainian soldiers were now fighting from its industrial outskirts.

The invading forces had pushed the Ukrainian army back through its “scorched earth method and heavy artillery”, Mr Haidai said.

Speaking to the Associated Press, the Luhansk governor added that the evacuation of local residents and the wounded remained possible.

However, Mr Stryuk, the mayor of Sievierodonetsk, explained how difficult this was in practice, given the ferocity of the fighting.

‘Scorched earth’: Russian forces push back Ukrainians in battle for key city

Russian-backed separatist leaders ‘willing to listen’ to appeal of Britons sentenced to death

Tuesday 14 June 2022 17:40 , Liam James

The Kremlin has said pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine will likely consider an appeal against the death sentences they have given two British men (Rory Sullivan writes).

Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, were sentenced by a court in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) last week for fighting for Ukraine. The decision sparked international outrage, with British politicians condemning what they called a “show trial”.

The two Britons were convicted along with the Moroccan national Brahim Saadoun on Thursday. They were captured in April and charged with “mercenary activities”.

Appeal likely to be heard for Britons sentenced to death, says Kremlin

War in Ukraine has altered Europe’s drug smuggling scene

Tuesday 14 June 2022 17:03 , Liam James

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is triggering shifts in the smuggling routes for illegal drugs to Europe, the EU drugs agency warned on Tuesday.

European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) director Alexis Goosdeel said the war had already had a “direct impact” on one of the heroin trafficking routes out of Afghanistan that used to pass through Ukraine and other neighbouring nations.

“Drug traffickers have no interest to continue to use this route,” he told an online news conference, adding there were already signs of increased trafficking on the borders between Turkey and Bulgaria and Turkey and Greece.

Mr Goosdeel said the conflict was also forcing smugglers using the Black Sea to opt for other routes as some ports were now out of reach. He said it was likely trafficking would increase through the Greek islands and the southern Mediterranean.

In its annual report, the Lisbon-based EMCDDA also said many people who had suffered “severe psychological stress” during the conflict may become more vulnerable to substance misuse problems, and that health services in European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, were likely to become more strained as drug users fleeing the conflict required support.

Russia bans 29 British journalists from country

Tuesday 14 June 2022 16:26 , Liam James

Russia has banned dozens of British journalists, media representatives and defence industry figures from entering the country, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

In a move that Moscow said was a response to Western sanctions and pressure on its state-run media outlets abroad, 29 journalists and members of British media organisations such as the BBC, the broadcaster Sky News and the Guardian and Times newspapers were personally banned.

More than a dozen British figures who Moscow said were linked to the defence industry were also banned from entering Russia.

Russia has cracked down on foreign media since invading Ukraine and had previously blocked access to the BBC in its terrritory.

Putin still wants all of Ukraine despite setbacks, says Pentagon

Tuesday 14 June 2022 15:51 , Liam James

Vladimir Putin likely still plans to capture all of Ukraine but has had to narrow his objectives in the current war, a senior Pentagon official said today.

Russia abandoned its offensives on several Ukrainian cities around one month into its invasion after failing to make significant progress. Russian officials claimed it was because they had achieved their objectives but western officials pointed to the huge losses of troops and equipment suffered by Russia.

Moscow has since focused on the eastern region of Donbas, where it has now taken swathes of land.

Many commentators have suggested that Mr Putin longs for Ukraine and other former parts of the Russian empire to return to Moscow’s control.

Russia offers surrender to Ukrainian troops in Sievierodonetsk

Tuesday 14 June 2022 15:20 , Liam James

Russia's Defence Ministry said it has offered Ukrainian fighters sheltering in the Azot chemical plant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk the chance to surrender tomorrow.

Both the city and the Azot plant have become flashpoints of the conflict in recent weeks, with hundreds of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers holed up in the factory under intense shelling from Russian forces trying to capture the town, local authorities say.

Russia said it would open a humanitarian corridor from 7am Ukraine time on Wednesday to allow civilians to leave, and urged Ukrainian fighters to “stop their senseless resistance and lay down their arms” at the same time.

In the statement announcing the call to surrender, Russia's Defence Ministry accused Ukrainian fighters of using the civilians in the Azot plant as human shields. Moscow has made similar accusations, rejected by Kyiv, several times since it sent its troops into Ukraine in February.

The Defence Ministry said it had informed Kyiv of its offer and urged the authorities to give the order to surrender.

Russia has pressed forward in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region in recent weeks. If Sievierodonetsk falls, Ukraine will be on the cusp of losing Luhansk region to Russia.

Ukraine’s spending twice as much as it is earning, needs $5bn per month

Tuesday 14 June 2022 14:40 , Liam James

Ukraine‘s budget revenues cover less than half of expenditures following Russia’s invasion, and Kyiv will have to cut budget spending sharply if more external financial assistance does not arrive, the head of parliament’s financial committee said.

“We have to borrow $5 billion (£4.1bn) monthly. If we do not get it, we will have to cut spending,” Danylo Hetmantsev told local television on Tuesday.

He said the government had collected 101 billion hryvnias (£2.8bn) in taxes in May, but had to spend 250 billion hryvnias financing the army and supporting people who had been forced to leave their homes or whose homes had been destroyed.

International financial organisations expect the Ukrainian economy to shrink 35-45 per cent because a significant number of businesses have suspended their operations and are unable to pay taxes.

The US, EU, UK and other countries have provided loans and grants to Ukraine but Mr Hetmantsev said the amount of support was far below the $5bn needed each month.

Severodonetsk civilians almost entirely cut of from aid and under constant bombardment

Tuesday 14 June 2022 13:57 , Matt Mathers

Civilians remaining in Severodonetsk are almost entirely cut off from aid supplies after the destruction of the last bridge into the city, officials say.

Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said:“Remaining civilians in Severodonetsk are almost entirely cut off from aid supplies after the destruction of the last bridge into the city.

"NRC´s partner in eastern Ukraine estimate approximately 500 civilians are still sheltering at the Azot Chemical Plant, facing near-constant bombardment and with almost no opportunity to escape. They are surviving on food distributed by NRC and other aid organisations. But for the past few weeks, regular distributions have been impossible due to the intensified fighting and deteriorating security situation.

“We cannot overstate the seriousness of the current situation for civilians trapped in Severodonetsk and in other towns and cities across Ukraine as a result of this war.

“As the bloody fighting rages on, we call on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to allow safe passage for civilians who want to leave the battle zones, safe, unfettered access to aid, and protection for people who are unable, or choose not to, leave.

“Authorities estimate that nearly all civilian infrastructure has been destroyed in Severodonetsk, leaving people without electricity, safe drinking water and contact with the outside world.

“NRC has been working in Severodonetsk since 2014 and had our centre of operations for the east in the city. The escalation of the war in February forced the closure of the office and relocation of all staff to other parts of the country. We continue to provide aid to people in the area with our partners, Luhansk Association of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and Vostok SOS, when fighting allows.”

Kremlin says defence ministry will decide on extra support for Ukraine separatists

Tuesday 14 June 2022 13:00 , Matt Mathers

The issue of providing additional Russian forces to help Russian-backed separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine is the defence ministry's prerogative, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Denis Pushilin, leader of the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region, has asked for additional troops from Moscow because of the upsurge in fighting in the region, which Moscow wants to carve out of Ukraine.

In a media briefing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov restated one of Moscow's justifications for sending troops into Ukraine: that it had to protect the mostly Russian-speaking people of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, collectively known as the Donbas.

Kyiv rejects the accusation of oppression of Russian-speakers as a baseless pretext for a land grab.

Ukraine has enough ammunition but needs long-range weapons - Zelensky

Tuesday 14 June 2022 12:40 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine's military has enough ammunition and weapons, but needs more long-range weapons, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Danish journalists on Tuesday.

"We have enough weapons. What we don't have enough of are the weapons that really hits the range that we need to reduce the advantage of the Russian Federation's equipment," Zelensky said at an online press briefing organized by Danish publishing house Berlingske Media.

French government - possible Macron visit to Ukraine is ‘option’ but nothing decided yet

Tuesday 14 June 2022 12:20 , Matt Mathers

The possible visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Ukraine capital Kyiv is one of "several options" that are on the table at present, although no firm decision has been taken on this yet, said government spokesperson Olivia Gregoire.

German paper Bild am Sonntag reported earlier this month that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz would travel to Kyiv on Thursday with Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Macron has sought to maintain dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the war began, but that stance has been criticised by some eastern and Baltic partners in Europe as they see it as undermining efforts to push Putin to the negotiating table.

Russia controls 80 per cent of key Donbas city

Tuesday 14 June 2022 11:50 , Matt Mathers

The city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine has not yet been blocked off by Russian troops, but they control about 80% of the area and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it, an official said.

"There is still an opportunity for the evacuation of the wounded, communication with the Ukrainian military and local residents," Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai told the Associated Press.

He acknowledged that Ukrainian forces have been pushed out to the industrial outskirts of the city because of "the scorched earth method and heavy artillery the Russians are using".

Kremlin says separatists would listen to UK appeal on condemned fighters

Tuesday 14 June 2022 11:34 , Matt Mathers

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it was "sure" that Russian-backed separatist leaders in the Donbas would be willing to listen to an appeal from Britain over the fate of two Britons sentenced to death for fighting for Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a conference call that London had not contacted Moscow about the issue.

A court in the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine last week sentenced Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun to death, saying they were guilty of "mercenary activities".

Their families deny that the trio, who were contracted by the Ukrainian armed forces, were mercenaries.

Britain has so far declined publicly to raise the issue with authorities in the DPR.

German howitzers soon to be ready for use in Ukraine - minister

Tuesday 14 June 2022 11:14 , Matt Mathers

The training of Ukrainian troops on German howitzers will soon be completed, paving the way for the use of the weapons in the war in Ukraine, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Tuesday.

"The training on the Panzerhaubitze 2000 will soon be completed so that it can be used in battle in Ukraine," she told reporters during a visit to a military base in the western German town of Rheinbach.

UN chief says dash for new fossil fuels in response to war is ‘delusional’

Tuesday 14 June 2022 10:49 , Matt Mathers

Rich countries have made a dangerous dash for fossil fuels in response to the Ukraine war, the UN secretary-general said on Tuesday, warning that new investments being made in coal, oil and gas were "delusional" given their impact on climate change.

"The energy crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine has seen a perilous doubling down on fossil fuels by the major economies," Antonio Guterres said in a video address to the Austrian World Summit, a climate conference.

Since Russia's February invasion of Ukraine, some countries have turned to buying more non-Russian fossil fuels or investing in new oil and gas fields to shore up their energy supplies.

For example, Germany and the Netherlands announced plans this month to develop a new North Sea gas field, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz also has said Germany wants to pursue gas projects with Senegal.

European court rules Russia’s ‘foreign agent’ law violates rights

Tuesday 14 June 2022 10:36 , Matt Mathers

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that Russia's legislation on "foreign agents" violated the rights of the groups designated as such and ordered Russia to pay many of them compensation.

Russia uses the term "foreign agents", which carries Cold War connotations of espionage, to label organisations and individuals it deems to be engaging in political activity with foreign support.

Foreign agents are required by law to label their publications with a lengthy disclaimer, regularly report on their income and spending, and undergo financial audits.

In its ruling in the case of seventy-three Russian groups designated as "foreign agents", Europe's top human rights court said the law violated freedom of assembly and association.

The court said the use of "political activity" as a criterion to designate groups as "foreign agents" "produced incoherent results and engendered uncertainty among NGOs wishing to engage in civil society activities relating to, in particular, human rights or the protection of the environment or charity work."

Conflict in Ukraine could aggravate drug problems, EU body warns

Tuesday 14 June 2022 10:15 , Matt Mathers

Russia's invasion of Ukraine could create "new vulnerabilities" in Europe to illegal drugs by triggering shifts in smuggling routes and potentially exposing more people to narcotics, the Lisbon-based EU drugs agency warned on Tuesday.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said in its annual report that many people who have suffered "severe psychological stress" during the conflict may be more vulnerable to substance misuse problems in the future.

Drug traffickers might switch to alternative routes to avoid areas with a heightened security presence, it said, while health services in European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, are likely to become more strained as drug users fleeing the conflict require support.

"Continuity of treatment, language services and the provision of accommodation and social welfare support are likely to be key requirements," it said, adding that even those who were not drug users were at risk.

Russia strikes weapons depot in Ukraine with cruise missiles - RIA

Tuesday 14 June 2022 09:55 , Matt Mathers

Russia struck an artillery weapons depot with Kalibr cruise missiles in Ukraine's Chernihiv region, the RIA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Russian defence ministry.

Russian air defence forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet and an Mi-24 helicopter, the TASS news agency reported, citing the ministry.

Four injured in shelling of Russian town bordering Ukraine, official says

Tuesday 14 June 2022 09:41 , Matt Mathers

Four people were injured on Tuesday by shelling in a Russian town in the Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine, the regional governor said.

The incident occurred in the town of Klintsy, some 50 kilometres (miles) from the Ukrainian border.

"A few houses were damaged and four people injured, according to preliminary information," regional governor Alexander Bogomaz wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the report.

Besieged farmers fear harvest from 'hell’

Tuesday 14 June 2022 09:14 , Matt Mathers

Besieged farmers have warned of a harvest from "hell" as Vladimir Putin's troops try to choke off the Ukrainian economy and bring Kyiv's war effort to its knees.

Tonnes of grain and other crops have been wiped out due to the fighting and farmers see the Kremlin's shelling of the Nika-Tera port facility in the southern city of Mykolaiv on 4 June as just the most dramatic example of a wider assault on a pillar of Ukraine's economy - and the world's.

"Agriculture is one of the few business sectors that is working... Of course they want to destroy it," Volodymyr Onyschuk, a farmer, said near a pile of Russian shell casings on his 2,000 hectare wheat and sunflower holding near Mykolaiv.

"They want to end this stream of income into the country," he added.

Crops will be vulnerable to fire caused by shelling, he said, and that could be "hell" for farmers when the harvest season begins in coming weeks.

UK foreign secretary says she’ll do whatever it takes to free Britons from Donbas

Tuesday 14 June 2022 09:06 , Matt Mathers

British foreign secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday she would do whatever was necessary to secure the release two British nationals who have been sentenced to death by Russian proxy authorities in Donbas.

Asked whether she was prepared to negotiate directly with the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Truss told BBC Radio: "I will do whatever is necessary to secure their release."

"I have assured the families that I will do what is most effective to secure their release and I am not going to go into our strategy live on air ... The best route is through the Ukrainians."

Pope criticises Russia over cruelty in Ukraine but says war perhaps provoked

Tuesday 14 June 2022 08:48 , Matt Mathers

Pope Francis has taken a new series of swipes at Russia for its actions in Ukraine, saying its troops were brutal, cruel and ferocious, while praising "brave" Ukrainians for fighting for survival.

But in the text of a conversation he had last month with editors of Jesuit media and published on Tuesday, he also said the situation was not black and white and that the war was "perhaps in some way provoked".

While condemning "the ferocity, the cruelty of Russian troops, we must not forget the real problems if we want them to be solved," Francis said, including the armaments industry among the factors that provide incentives for war.

"It is also true that the Russians thought it would all be over in a week. But they miscalculated. They encountered a brave people, a people who are struggling to survive and who have a history of struggle," he said.