Ukraine news – live: Russia hit playground with cluster bombs, human rights group says

Russia used cluster bombs and unguided missiles on children’s playgrounds and churches, a human rights organisation has found.

In a new report, Amnesty International said the Kremlin had led “horrific attacks” in Ukraine which they must be held accountable for.

During an investigation, Amnesty found evidence of Russian forces repeatedly using indiscriminate cluster munitions which are subject to international treaty bans because of their indiscriminate effects.

“People have been killed in their homes and in the streets, in playgrounds and in cemeteries, while queueing for humanitarian aid, or shopping for food and medicine,” said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s senior crisis response adviser.

She added: “The repeated use of widely-banned cluster munitions is shocking, and a further indication of utter disregard for civilian lives.”

It comes as president Zelensky said Ukrainian troops are “fighting for every metre” in the embattled eastern city of Sievierodonetsk.

Key Points

• Russia to ‘rely’ on new recruits, says UK

• Russia hit playground with cluster bombs, human rights group says

• EU likely to give Ukraine candidacy status

• Moscow’s forces in control of much of Sievierodonetsk, governor of Luhansk says

• Russia handing out passports in occupied Ukrainian cities

• Russian shelling of Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk causes fire, says region’s governor

Russia hit playground with cluster bombs, human rights group says

08:10 , Thomas Kingsley

Russia used cluster bombs and unguided missiles on children’s playgrounds and churches, a human rights organisation has found.

In a new report, Amnesty International said the Kremlin had led “horrific attacks” in Ukraine which they must be held accountable for.

During an investigation, Amnesty found evidence of Russian forces repeatedly using indiscriminate cluster munitions which are subject to international treaty bans because of their indiscriminate effects.

“People have been killed in their homes and in the streets, in playgrounds and in cemeteries, while queueing for humanitarian aid, or shopping for food and medicine,” said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s senior crisis response adviser.

“The people of Kharkiv have faced a relentless barrage of indiscriminate attacks in recent months, which killed and injured hundreds of civilians.

“The repeated use of widely-banned cluster munitions is shocking, and a further indication of utter disregard for civilian lives. The Russian forces responsible for these horrific attacks must be held accountable for their actions, and victims and their families must receive full reparations.”

Almost 10 hectares of ecosystems burnt down in Kharkiv

08:00 , Thomas Kingsley

More than 8 hectares of ecosystems burned down in Kharkiv as a result of Russian shelling.

On 12 June, a coniferous forest in Izium district burned out after it was shelled by Russian troops. The flames covered area of ​​4 hectares, emergency services reported.

Among the largest fires causing by shelling were fires in the Balaklia city. There were two residential buildings in the area of 1000 and 500 sq metres.

Watch: Ukrainian soldiers describe what life is like in the trenches

07:40 , Thomas Kingsley

Ukrainian Territorial Defense troops have spent a winter and a spring in tight trenches. “It’s not like what we had at home but our shower is the river under the bridge, we usually wash ourselves there,” said one soldier.

With the sound of explosions in distance, soldiers joke about their current daily life describing themselves as “boy-scouts in the forest”.

Watch the full video below:

Ukrainian soldiers describe what life is like in the trenches

Canada condemns official’s visit to Russian embassy event

07:23 , Thomas Kingsley

It was “unacceptable” for a Canadian official to have attended Russia Day celebrations at the country's embassy in Canada, foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly said on Sunday.

A deputy protocol chief in Canada's global affairs department, Yasemin Heinbecker, attended Friday's event, along with representatives of Egypt, Pakistan and some African nations, the Globe and Mail newspaper said in a report.

“No Canadian representative should have attended the event hosted at the Russian embassy and no Canadian representative will attend this kind of event again,” Ms Joly said in a Twitter post.

She also reiterated Canada's support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.

Russia struggling with large scale river crossings under fire, claims UK

06:41 , Arpan Rai

The British defence ministry has said that the river crossing operations could be pivotel in the future course of war in the next months.

“Over the coming months, river crossing operations are likely to be amongst the most important determining factors in the course of the war,” the ministry officials said in its latest intelligence update, adding that over the weekend, “the battle around Sieverodonetsk has continued to rage”.

“The key, 90km long central sector of Russia’s frontline in the Donbas lies to the west of the Siverskyy Donets River,” the British MoD said.

It added: “To achieve success in the current operational phase of its Donbas offensive, Russia is either going to have to complete ambitious flanking actions, or conduct assault river crossings.”

“Ukrainian forces have often managed to demolish bridges before they withdraw, while Russia has struggled to put in place the complex coordination necessary to conduct successful, large scale river crossings under fire,” the ministry said.

Former British soldier killed fighting Russia in Ukraine ‘a true hero'

06:24 , Arpan Rai

The family of the former British soldier and his adviser have hailed him as a hero for defending Ukraine against Russian invasion.

The soldier Jordan Gatley, who left the British army in March, was shot dead in Sievierodonetsk in Ukraine.

His father Dean Gatley said that Gatley had decided to leave the UK “after careful consideration”.

Taking pride in his son’s decisions, Mr Gatley said that he will “forever be in our hearts”.

Read full story here:

Former British soldier killed in Ukraine ‘a true hero’

Ukraine still controlling industrial area in Sievierodonetsk, says governor

06:03 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian fighters continue to control the industrial area in Sievierodonetsk and a chemical plant sheltering civilians, the region’s governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Sunday.

He added that troops from both Russia and Ukraine fought street-by-street in the key Donbas city over the weekend.

However, Ukrainian troops remain in control of the Azot chemical plant, where hundreds of civilians are sheltering.

“About 500 civilians remain on the territory of the Azot plant in Sievierodonetsk, 40 of them are children,” the governor said. “Sometimes the military manages to evacuate someone.”

However, rescue operations have been severely hampered due to widespread firing and shelling.

Russian soldiers have destroyed a bridge over the Siverskyi Donets River linking Sievierodonetsk with its twin city of Lysychansk, Mr Gaidai said, adding that only one out of three bridges is now functional.

Warning against its impact on the rescue of civilians, Mr Gaidai said: “If after new shelling, the bridge collapses, the city will truly be cut off. There will be no way of leaving Sievierodonetsk in a vehicle.”

He added that a six-year-old child was killed in shelling in Lysychansk.

Canada slams official’s visit to Russian embassy party: ‘Unacceptable'

05:19 , Arpan Rai

Canada’s foreign affairs minister has called the country’s official’s visit to Russia Day celebrations in Ottawa as “unacceptable”.

“No Canadian representative should have attended the event hosted at the Russian embassy and no Canadian representative will attend this kind of event again,” the top minister Melanie Joly said in a tweet.

This comes after the deputy protocol chief in Canada’s global affairs department Yasemin Heinbecker visited the Russian embassy along with the envoys of Egypt, Pakistan and some African nations.

Ms Joly added that Canada continues to back Ukraine “as it fights against Russia’s egregious invasion”.

Ukraine fighting for every metre of Sievierodonetsk, says Zelensky

04:56 , Arpan Rai

Fierce fighting is underway in Sievierodonetsk, Volodymyr Zelensky said adding that his fighters are wresting for control over every meter literally.

“The key tactical goal of the occupiers [Russia] has not changed. They are pressing in Severodonetsk, where very fierce fighting is going on - literally for every meter. And they are also pressing in the direction of Lysychansk, Bakhmut, Slovyansk and so on,” Mr Zelensky said late on Sunday.

He added that the Russian army will now try to deploy reserve forces in Donbas. “But what reserves can they have now? It seems that they will try to throw into battle poorly trained conscripts and those who were gathered by covert mobilisation,” he said.

“Russian generals see their people simply as the cannon fodder they need to gain an advantage in numbers — in manpower, in military equipment. And this means only one thing: Russia can cross the line of 40,000 of its lost troops already in June. In no other war in many decades have they lost so much,” Mr Zelensky said.

Zelensky condemns Russian missile strike as 10 hospitalised

04:44 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of launching a strategically senseless strike in Ukraine’s Ternopil region and said that the besieged country needs a modern missile defence system.

“After the missile strike at the Ternopil region, ten people are still in hospitals. There was no tactical or strategic sense in this strike, as in the vast majority of other Russian strikes. This is terror, just terror,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Sunday.

He added that the victims include a 12-year-old girl from Kharkiv. “She went to the Ternopil region to flee from the Russian army. And such facts will now determine perception of Russia in the world. Not Peter I or Lev Tolstoy, but children wounded and killed by Russian strikes,” he said.

Urging the allies to back Ukraine with more artillery, Mr Zelensky said: “Today is the 109th day of a full-scale war, but it is not the 109th day as we tell our partners a simple thing: Ukraine needs modern missile defence systems.”

“The supply of such systems was possible this year, last year and even earlier. Did we get them? No. Do we need them? Yes. There have already been 2606 affirmative answers to this question in the form of various Russian cruise missiles that have hit Ukrainian cities.”

He added: “Our cities, our villages for the period from 24 February. These are lives that could have been saved, these are tragedies that could have been prevented if Ukraine had been listened to.”

Watch: Ukrainian soldiers describe what life is like in the trenches

03:00 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian First Lady opens refugee centre in Lithuania

01:45 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine’s First Lady has opened a refugee centre in Lithuania, where tens of thousands of Ukrainians have fled since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion.

“We wanted Ukrainians who were forced to come to Lithuania because of the war to have a truly native place. So that the centre will be the place where it is possible to address on any matter – help or communication,” Olena Zelenska said.

In total, almost five million Ukrainians who fled their homeland because of the conflict are living elsewhere in Europe, according to the UN.

Vladimir Putin urges citizens to stand united in speech to mark Russia Day

Monday 13 June 2022 00:45 , Emily Atkinson

Vladimir Putin has urged Russian citizens to “be united” and build on the “deep feelings of patriotism” in a speech to mark Russia Day as the war in Ukraine raged on.

Speaking at the Kremlin, the Russian president said the importance of unity and patriotism is “as clear as ever”.

Mr Putin praised former Russian ruler Peter the Great, the 18th Century tsar who he earlier this week compared himself to. Calling him a “great reformer”, Mr Putin paid tribute to his “profound transformations” and urged Russian citizens to recognise the strength of century-old traditions.

Zaina Alibhai reports:

Vladimir Putin urges citizens to stand united in speech to mark Russia Day

Watch: McDonald's in Russia reopens as Vkusno i Tochka

Sunday 12 June 2022 23:45 , Emily Atkinson

Russia facing military staffing issues, says MoD

Sunday 12 June 2022 22:45 , Emily Atkinson

Russia’s third battalions within brigades are often not fully staffed, meaning Moscow’s forces will likely have to rely on new recruits or mobilised reservists to deploy these units to Ukraine, according to an intelligence update.

The latest update from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) adds: “Deploying all three of their battalions simultaneously will likely reduce formations’ longer term capacity to regenerate combat power after operations.”

Sunday 12 June 2022 21:45 , Emily Atkinson

Images capture Ukrainian servicemen fire towards Russian troops with a tank at a position in the eastern Donetsk region.

Russia planning ‘to fight a longer war'

Sunday 12 June 2022 20:45 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian intelligence suggests Russian forces are planning “to fight a longer war”, according to a US-based think tank.

The Institute for the Study of War cited the deputy head of Ukraine’s national security agency as saying that Moscow had extended its war timeline until October, with adjustments to be made depending on any successes in the Donbas.

The intelligence “likely indicates the Kremlin has, at a minimum, acknowledged it cannot achieve its objectives in Ukraine quickly and is further adjusting its military objectives in an attempt to correct the initial deficiencies in the invasion of Ukraine”, it said.

Latest intelligence update

Sunday 12 June 2022 19:45 , Emily Atkinson

Major depot containing western weapons ‘destroyed by Russian missiles'

Sunday 12 June 2022 18:45 , Emily Atkinson

A major depot in western Ukraine’s Ternopil region containing US and European weapons has been destoryed by Russian cruise missiles, Russia‘s Interfax agency has reported.

Ternopil’s governor said rockets fired from the Black Sea at the city of Chortkiv had partly destroyed a military facility and injured 22 people. A local official said there were no weapons stored there.

Watch: Victims of Russian invasion buried in fields of nameless graves in Mariupol

Sunday 12 June 2022 17:45 , Emily Atkinson

Donbas is holding on, says Zelensky

Sunday 12 June 2022 16:42 , Emily Atkinson

No one knows how long the war in Ukraine will last but the country’s forces are defying expectations by preventing Russian troops from overrunning eastern Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

In his nightly video address, Zelensky said he was proud of the Ukrainian defenders managing to hold back the Russian advance in the Donbas region, which borders Russia and where Moscow-backed separatists have controlled much of the territory for eight years.

“Remember how in Russia, in the beginning of May, they hoped to seize all of the Donbas?” the president said.

“It’s already the 108th day of the war, already June. Donbas is holding on.”

Foreign Office confirms death of former British soldier in Ukraine

Sunday 12 June 2022 16:25 , Rory Sullivan

The Foreign Office has confirmed that Jordan Gatley, a former British soldier, has died in Ukraine while fighting against the Russian army.

In a post on social media, his father wrote: “His team say they all loved him, as did we, and he made a massive difference to many peoples lives, not only soldiering, but also by training the Ukrainian forces.

“Jordan and his team were so proud of the work they were doing and he often told me that the missions they were going on were dangerous, but necessary.

“He loved his job and we are so proud of him. He truly was a hero and will forever be in our hearts.”

In response to his death, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Ukraine.”

Photos

Sunday 12 June 2022 15:55 , Rory Sullivan

Here are some of the latest photos to emerge from Ukraine and Russia:

Calls grow to save Moroccan man sentenced to death by Russian proxies

Sunday 12 June 2022 15:35 , Rory Sullivan

The friends of Brahim Saadoun, a young Moroccan man who has been sentenced to death by Russian proxies in Ukraine, have called for his release.

Campaigning under the hashtag #SaveBrahim, they have stressed that he joined the Ukrainian marines in November last year and is not a mercenary, a charge levelled against him by pro-Russian separatists who captured him in April.

“I can see how he’s tired and exhausted. I wish he knew how much support he has...how many people care, how many people write about it, how many people post about it...so he has a reason to hold on, to know that he is not alone,” one of his friends told the Guardian.

No reason to pardon Britons given death sentences, says pro-Russian separatist leader

Sunday 12 June 2022 15:05 , Rory Sullivan

There is no reason to pardon two British men condemned to death for fighting for Ukraine, the leader of the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region (DPR) has said.

Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner - and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun - received the judgement earlier this week, after being accused of being “mercenaries”.

“I don’t see any grounds, prerequisites, for me to come out with such a decision on a pardon,” said Denis Pushilin, the breakaway Donetsk region’s leader.

The international community has hit out at the decision by a DPR court, which is only recognised by Russia.

Mr Aslin’s family said he and Pinner “are not, and never were, mercenaries” and were “members of Ukrainian armed forces”. They therefore called on Russia to respect the Geneva Convention by treating them as prisoners of war.

Turkey’s concerns about ‘terrorism’ legitimate, says Nato secretary general

Sunday 12 June 2022 14:41 , Rory Sullivan

When Finland and Sweden asked to join Nato last month due to security concerns about Russia, Turkey decided to oppose the move.

The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused them of harbouring “terrorists”.

Speaking about the impasse, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said such concerns are legitimate, noting that no Nato member suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkey.

Czech foreign minister criticises Macron over Putin comment

Sunday 12 June 2022 14:26 , Rory Sullivan

The Czech foreign minister has criticised French president Emmanuel Macron for saying that Vladimir Putin mustn’t be “humiliate” if peace is to be achieved in Ukraine.

“Macron probably doesn’t understand the issue very well,” Jan Lipavsky said.

“Putin doesn’t care how Russia is perceived in the west,” he added.

The Macron administration sought to quell criticism earlier this week by insisting that it did not want to given any concessions to Russia.

Former British soldier ‘killed fighting against Russia'

Sunday 12 June 2022 14:00 , Rory Sullivan

A former British soldier has reportedly been killed fighting for Ukraine in the Donbas.

In an emotional Facebook tribute, Jordan Gatley’s family paid tribute to him.

British ex-solider ‘killed fighting against Russia in eastern Ukraine’

Hundreds of Ukrainian bodies remain in Mariupol, says former commander

Sunday 12 June 2022 13:37 , Rory Sullivan

The bodies of many Ukrainian soldiers remain in Mariupol, the former head of the Azov National Guard regiment has said.

Maksym Zhorin said that 220 corpses from the Azovstal steel plant were sent to Kyiv but added that “just as many bodies still remain in Mariupol”.

“Talks are continuing about further exchanges, to return home all the bodies. Absolutely all bodies must be returned and this is something we will work on,” he said.

Hundreds of Ukrainian troops were holed up for months in the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, where they made their last stand before surrendering last month.

Lewis condemns death sentence given to Britons by pro-Russian separatists

Sunday 12 June 2022 13:15 , Rory Sullivan

Brandon Lewis, the UK’s Northern Ireland secretary, has criticised pro-Russian separatists’ decision to condemn two captured British men to death for fighting for Ukraine.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, he said: “Really I think it backs up what we’ve all seen in this abhorrent process that Putin has followed in terms of an unwarranted attack on Ukraine in the general way that Putin’s regime is acting. It’s pretty despicable actually.”

Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner remain in prison in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.

Ukraine war in photos

Sunday 12 June 2022 12:50 , Rory Sullivan

Ukrainian teenager hailed a ‘hero'

Sunday 12 June 2022 12:23 , Rory Sullivan

A Ukrainian teenager praised as a hero by his country has spoken of how he helped geo-locate a Russian convoy near Kyiv earlier in the war.

Andriy Pokrasa, 15, used his drone to track its exact coordinates, before sending them to the Ukrainian army.

“These were some of the scariest moments of my life,” the teenager said.

“We provided the photos and the location to the armed forces. They narrowed down the co-ordinates more accurately and transmitted them by walkie-talkie, so as to adjust the artillery,” he said.

In total, 20 Russian military vehicles were destroyed, the 15-year-old added.

Russia to ‘rely’ on new recruits, says UK

Sunday 12 June 2022 11:57 , Rory Sullivan

Vladimir Putin’s generals will “likely have to rely” on new recruits or mobilised reservists as the war grinds on in eastern Ukraine, the UK has said.

As heavy fighting continues around the city of Sievierodonetsk, Russia is attempting to use its artillery superiority to its advantage, according to the British Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) latest military assessment

Usually, the Kremlin’s senior officers only commit two of their three battalions to operations at the same time. However, it is thought that Russia will soon use all three.

“The third battalions within brigades are often not fully staffed - Russia will likely have to rely on new recruits or mobilised reservists to deploy these units to Ukraine,” the UK said.

Ukraine establishes grain export routes through Poland and Romania

Sunday 12 June 2022 11:12 , Rory Sullivan

Ukraine has managed to create two food export routes through Poland and Romania, as Russia continues to blockade Ukrainian ports, Kyiv has said.

Dmytro Senik, the Ukrainian deputy foreign minister, said Russia was putting global food security at risk by its actions.

Speaking about the overland routes, he said: “Those routes are not perfect because it creates certain bottlenecks, but we are doing our best to develop those routes in the meantime.”

Ukraine is the world’s fourth-largest grain export. With millions of tonnes of its crops unable to be exported, experts have warned that hunger and famine will become more prevalent around the world.