Ukraine news – live: At least 13 dead as Russian missile strikes Kremenchuk mall

At least 13 people have died and more than 50 people were injured after a missile hit a crowded shopping centre in Ukraine.

Poltava region’s governor Dmytro Lunin gave updates to the death toll for the mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk.

But scores of people are feared to have been killed in the missile attack that Ukraine blamed Russia for.

President Volodymyr Zelensky that more than 1,000 people were in the shopping centre at the time of the attack.

He said: “It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims.”

Footage posted on social media showed a large fire and smoke billowing into the sky as people were fleeing from the burning building.

Following the attack, Boris Johnson condemned Vladimir Putin’s “cruelty and barbarism”.

The PM added: “Once again our thoughts are with the families of innocent victims in Ukraine.

“Putin must realise that his behaviour will do nothing but strengthen the resolve of the Ukraine and every other G7 country to stand by the Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Key Points

• Russian missile strike hits crowded shopping centre in Kremenchuk

• Zelensky tells G7 he wants Ukraine war over by end of 2022, as leaders back him ‘for as long as it takes’

• Boris Johnson urges allies to back Ukraine and compares Russia to Nazi Germany

• Zelensky asks G7 for more sanctions on Russia and anti-aircraft defence systems

• Nato increases forces on high alert from 40,000 to 300,000 amid Russia threat

• Russia ‘defaults on foreign debt’ for the first time in a century

At least eight killed in missile attack on Lysychansk, in Luhansk - governor

20:30 , Lamiat Sabin

At least eight civilians were killed and 21 wounded in missile attack on the city Lysychansk in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.

Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region, said on the Telegram messaging app: “Today, when the civilian people were collecting water from a water tank, the Russians aimed at the crowd.”

Russia has denied targeting civilians since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.

Putin to travel away from Russia for first time during Ukraine invasion

20:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Vladimir Putin will tomorrow be making his first public trip away from Russia since he launched the invasion of Ukraine.

He will be making the journeys to the former Soviet nations Tajikistan and Turkmenistan for friendly meetings.

On Tuesday, Putin is to meet with authoritarian president Emomali Rahmon in Tajikistan, where Russia has about 7,000 troops in Moscow’s largest base abroad.

The Kremlin said Putin and Rahmon are to discuss measures to improve security along Tajikistan’s porous 843-mile border with Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, Putin is to be in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, to attend a summit that also includes representatives from Azerbaijan, Iran and Kazakhstan.

Russian-backed separatists say Morocco can speak with citizen sentenced to death alongside Britons

19:38 , Liam James

Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have granted Morocco permission to speak with a Moroccan citizen sentenced to death for fighting with Ukrainian forces, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Monday citing a top official in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) (Thomas Kingsley writes).

Moroccan national Brahim Saadoun was sentenced to death this month alongside British nationals Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner on charges of committing war crimes.

All three men fought in the Ukrainian army and were captured by Russian-aligned forces in April. They were accused of being “mercenaries”, a charge which carries the death penalty in the DPR, whose authority is not recognised by any UN country except Russia.

Russian-backed separatists say Morocco can speak with citizen sentenced to death

EU expects ‘serious disruption’ to Russian gas supply

19:19 , Liam James

A “serious disruption” to the European Union’s gas supplies from Russia is likely, the bloc’s energy chief said today as she urged countries to update contingency plans to cope with supply shocks and switch to other fuels wherever possible to conserve gas.

“Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine we have known that a very serious disruption is possible, and now it seems likely. We have done much important work to be prepared for this. But now is the time to step it up,” EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson said after a meeting of energy ministers from EU countries.

Member states agreed today that all natural gas storage across the bloc should be topped up to at least 80 per cent capacity for next winter as they prepare for the possibility of Russia further reducing deliveries.

The European Commission is set to propose an EU plan to prepare for further gas shocks in July, as Russia has already cut or reduced supplies to 12 of the bloc’s 27 member states.

The EU is trying to slash its use of Russian energy and find other sources due to the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. A ban on imports of Russian coal will start in August, and an embargo on most oil from Russia will be phased in over the coming eight months.

Updated: At least 10 dead as Russian missiles strike a crowded Ukraine shopping mall

19:00 , Liam James

Scores of people are feared dead after a crowded shopping centre in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was hit in a missile strike by Russian forces (David Harding writes).

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said as many as 1,000 people were shopping at the time of the attack in the central city of Kremenchuk, a key industrial centre.

At least 10 people have been declared dead and 40 injured, though those numbers are expected to rise, as it is thought unlikely that many people will be found alive in the rubble.

Social media footage showed a huge fire and dark smoke billowing from the mall. Firefighters and soldiers were seen pulling out mangled pieces of metal as they searched for survivors.

‘An act of terror’: At least 10 dead as Russian missiles strike crowded Ukraine mall

Boris Johnson condemns Putin’s ‘barbarism'

18:43 , Liam James

Boris Johnson condemned Vladimir Putin’s “cruelty and barbarism” after a missile strike on a shopping centre in Ukraine when more than 1,000 people were said to have been inside.

The prime minister said: “This appalling attack has shown once again the depths of cruelty and barbarism to which the Russian leader will sink.

“Once again our thoughts are with the families of innocent victims in Ukraine.

“Putin must realise that his behaviour will do nothing but strengthen the resolve of the Ukraine and every other G7 country to stand by the Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Mr Johnson is in Bavaria on the second day of a three-day G7 summit focusing on the war in Ukraine. World leaders are discussing further measures to take against Russia for its invasion and ways to manage the global economic fallout of the war.

‘Ten deaths’ in Kremenchuk shopping centre blast - regional governor

18:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Ten people have been killed and 40 injured after a missile strike hit a crowded shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk.

The updated death toll was given by Dmytro Lunin, governor of the Poltava region.

It is expected that the numbers of deaths and injuries will go up, as there were about 1,000 people in the shopping centre at the time.

Ukraine has accused Russia of being responsible for the attack.

Russian shelling kills four in Ukrainian city of Kharkiv - regional governor

17:30 , Lamiat Sabin

Four people have been killed and 19 wounded by Russian shelling of the city of Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine, according to the region’s governor Oleh Synehubov.

He posted on Telegram: “Doctors are providing all the necessary assistance. Information on the number of victims is being updated.”

Russia has denied targeting civilians during its invasion of Ukraine that was launched on 24 February.

Moroccan sentenced to death in DPR given permission to contact family

17:09 , Lamiat Sabin

A Moroccan man who Russian-backed separatists had sentenced to death in eastern Ukraine has been granted permission to speak to his family.

Brahim Saadoun, 21, and two Britons were handed down the sentence earlier this month in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

Western politicians have decried the case as a show trial.

The men were all serving under contract with the Ukrainian armed forces fighting the Russian invasion, but both the DPR and Moscow consider them mercenaries and therefore outside the protection of the Geneva Conventions for prisoners of war.

Unlike Russia, the DPR, which Moscow says it wants to “liberate” from Ukrainian control, has the death penalty on its statute book.

Natalya Nikonorova, foreign minister of the DPR, was quoted by Russian news agency RIA Novosti as saying: “The relatives contacted the lawyers who were provided to the gentleman ... in particular, there was a request for communication and also to provide their own lawyer.

“As far as I know, this request was granted.”

DPR officials said Saadoun as well as British men s Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner have less than two weeks left to appeal the sentence.

Russia says it is expelling eight Greek diplomats

16:20 , Lamiat Sabin

Russia declared eight Greek diplomats “personae non-gratae” and gave them eight days to leave the country.

The Russian foreign ministry said it had summoned the Greek ambassador to protest over what it called “the confrontational course of the Greek authorities towards Russia, including the supply of weapons and military equipment to the Kyiv regime”.

The ministry said it had also protested against a Greek decision to declare a group of Russian diplomats “personae non-gratae”.

Greece is a member of Nato and the European Union – and has joined EU sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

Two dead and 20 injured in Russian missile strike on shopping mall

16:04 , Joe Middleton

At least two people were killed and 20 wounded in a Russian missile strike on a shopping mall in central Ukraine on Monday, a senior official said.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, said nine of the wounded were in a serious condition following the missile strike on the city of Kremenchuk.

Ukrainian shopping centre with 1,000 inside struck by Russian missiles, Zelensky says

Russian missile strike hits crowded shopping centre in Kremenchuk

15:44 , Joe Middleton

A Russian missile strike hit a crowded shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

He said more than 1,000 people were in the shopping centre at the time of the attack.

He gave no details of casualties but said: “It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims.”

Footage posted on social media showed a large fire and smoke billowing into the sky as people were fleeing from the burning building.

Stoltenberg says redeployment of troops is to protect NATO from the 'direct threat' of Russia

15:13 , Joe Middleton

Russian airstrike hits civilian building in Kremenchuk, says regional governor

15:01 , Joe Middleton

Russian forces hit a civilian building in an attack on the city of Kremenchuk in central Ukraine on Monday, causing casualties, the regional governor said.

Dmitry Lunin, the governor of the Poltava region, gave no details of the attack or the casualties. “Unfortunately, there are victims. More details later,” Lunin said.

No further information is available on the airstike currently.

Russian hacker group claims responsibility for cyber attack on Lithuania

14:49 , Joe Middleton

Russian hacker group Killnet claimed responsibility on Monday for a cyber attack on Lithuania.

It said it was in response to country’s decision to block the transit of goods sanctioned by the European Union to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

“The attack will continue until Lithuania lifts the blockade,” a spokesperson for the Killnet group told Reuters. “We have demolished 1652 web resources. And that’s just so far.”

Kaliningrad is connected to the rest of Russia by a rail link through Lithuania, a member of the EU and Nato.

Ukraine’s richest man sues Russia

14:29 , Joe Middleton

Ukraine‘s richest man filed a lawsuit against Russia at Europe’s top human rights court on Monday, seeking compensation over what he has said are billions of dollars in business losses since the invasion of Ukraine.

Rinat Akhmetov, owner of the Azovstal steelworks in the city of Mariupol where Ukrainian fighters defied weeks of Russian bombardment, sued Russia for “grievous violations of his property rights” at the European Court of Human Rights, his System Capital Management (SCM) holding company said.

It said Akhmetov was also seeking a court order “preventing Russia from engaging in further blockading, looting, diversion and destruction of grain and steel” produced by his companies.

“Evil cannot go unpunished. Russia’s crimes against Ukraine and our people are egregious, and those guilty of them must be held liable,” SCM quoted Akhmetov as saying.

“The looting of Ukraine‘s export commodities, including grain and steel, has already resulted in higher prices and people dying of hunger worldwide. These barbaric actions must be stopped, and Russia must pay in full.”

Asked about the suit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was no longer under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights.

“We left the (jurisdiction of) relevant documents. Therefore, here the answer is absolutely obvious,” he said.

Akhmetov said last month his company Metinvest, Ukraine‘s largest steelmaker, had suffered $17 to $20 billion in losses because of Russia’s bombardment of its steel plants in Mariupol.

Zelensky tells G7 he wants Ukraine war over by end of 2022, as leaders back him ‘for as long as it takes’

14:13 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has told G7 leaders that he wants the war with Russia over by the end of 2022.

Mr Zelensky addressed the leaders of the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan by video link on Monday, urging them to give him more weapons for the struggle against Vladimir Putin’s forces.

The Ukraine leader also said he was keen to see the war to end this year, telling G7 allies not to let the conflict drag on through the winter, The Independent understands.

Adam Forrest reports.

Zelensky tells G7 he wants Ukraine war over by end of 2022

Nato increases forces on high alert from 40,000 to 300,000 amid Russia threat

13:50 , Joe Middleton

Nato is to boost the number of its forces to be on high-alert amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine from 40,000 to more than 300,000.

The seven-fold increase was announced by the military alliance’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg ahead of a summit in Madrid this week.

It’s the biggest overhaul of collective defence since the Cold War, he said. “We will transform the Nato response force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000.”

Lamiat Sabin reports.

Nato increases forces on high alert from 40,000 to 300,000 amid Russia threat

13:40 , Joe Middleton

G7 condemn ‘sham trials’ that saw death sentences handed to two Britons

12:50 , Joe Middleton

World leaders have condemned the “sham” trials which saw death sentences handed to two Britons for fighting Russian forces in Ukraine.

Aiden Aslin, 28, originally from Newark in Nottinghamshire, and Shaun Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire, have been treated as foreign “mercenaries” by pro-Russian authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), who handed down the sentences to the men who were fighting for the Ukrainian army.

Leaders at the G7 summit in Germany condemned the trials as they urged Russia to comply with its obligations under international law.

Boris Johnson and his fellow G7 leaders made reference to death sentences handed to members of the Ukrainian armed forces, without explicitly referring to the cases of the two Britons.

The G7 statement on Ukraine said: “Russia and its proxies must respect international humanitarian law, including the rights and protections afforded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions.

“We condemn the sham ‘trials’ resulting in application of the death sentence to members of the Ukrainian armed forces.”

The G7 statement follows condemnation by the United Nations human rights watchdog, which described the sentences as a “war crime”.

‘Time running out’ to save Briton sentenced to death by Donetsk separatists

Boris Johnson urges allies to back Ukraine and compares Russia to Nazi Germany

12:18 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson has said the “price of freedom is worth paying” as he compared Russia with Nazi Germany.

The prime minister argued that Western allies must continue to back Ukraine because standing up against Vladimir Putin’s aggression would ultimately make the world a safer and more prosperous place.

Speaking at the G7 summit in Germany, Mr Johnson said that if Mr Putin is not resisted, it could give the green light to countries such as China to pursue their own goals of territorial expansion, he suggested.

Comparing the situation to the defeat of Nazi Germany, Mr Johnson declined to put a limit on UK support to Ukraine.

“The point I would make to people is, I think that sometimes the price of freedom is worth paying.

“And just remember, it took the democracies, in the middle of the last century, a long time to recognise that they had to resist tyranny and aggression.

“It took them a long time, it was very expensive.

“But what it bought in the end, with the defeat of the of the dictators, particularly of Nazi Germany, it bought decades and decades of stability, a world order that relied on a rules-based international system.

“And that is worth protecting, that is worth defending, that delivers long-term prosperity.”

Russia sanctions 43 Canadian citizens

11:47 , Joe Middleton

Russia sanctioned 43 Canadian citizens on Monday, barring them from entering the country in a tit-for-tat response to Western sanctions on Moscow.

The list, published by the foreign ministry, included the chairperson of Canada’s governing Liberal Party, Suzanne Cowan, and the former governor of the Bank of England and Bank of Canada, Mark Carney.

In April, Moscow sanctioned 61 Canadian officials and journalists. It has barred dozens of other Western politicians, journalists and business figures from entering Russia.

Reuters

Russia defaults on overseas debt for first time in years

11:22 , Joe Middleton

Russia has defaulted on its foreign debts payment for the first time in years as its economy bleeds from the sanctions imposed by western nations in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow faced a Sunday deadline to pay off the interest worth about $100 million, originally due on 27 May, and meet a 30-day grace period. However the term expired without payment.

It is Russia’s latest economic collapse on the debt-front following a default on its domestic debts in 1998 and and after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution where Moscow failed to pay off its international debts.

Arpan Rai reports.

Russia defaults on overseas debt for first time in years

Zelensky tells G7 he wants the war in Ukraine finished by the end of the year

10:52 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told leaders of the G7 that he wanted Russia’s war in Ukraine ended by the end of the year before the winter sets in, two European Union diplomats said.

Zelensky addressed the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States by video link on Monday, the second day of the three-day G7 summit in southern Germany.

Zelensky calls on G7 for more sanctions on Russia and anti-aircraft defence systems

10:16 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday asked for anti-aircraft defence systems, more sanctions on Russia and security guarantees as he addressed leaders of the G7, a European official said.

Addressing the summit in the Bavarian Alps via video link, Zelensky also asked for help to export grain from Ukraine and for reconstruction aid, the European official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

G7 leaders mock Putin’s bare-chested horse-riding pictures

10:00 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden clash over plan to cut green fuels for food production

09:30 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson and US president Joe Biden are at odds over a plane to cut the production of green fuels in a bid to free up land for food production.

The prime minister wants G7 leaders to temporarily cut the amount of grain produced for biofuels, claiming the process is pushing up the cost of food.

Britain is backed by Germany – also pushing for a temporary waiver on their biofuel commitments – but the US and Canada are against the move.

Adam Forrest reports.

Boris Johnson and Biden clash over plan to cut green fuels for food production

US set to pledge advanced missile system to Ukraine

08:58 , Joe Middleton

The US preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kyiv at the G7.

The pledge comes as the G7 leaders meet with talks by video link also scheduled with president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Biden is set to announce that the US is providing an advanced surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine, as well as additional artillery support, AP has reported, citing US official sources.

The US is understood to be purchasing Nasams, a Norwegian-developed anti-aircraft system, to provide medium- to long-range defence.

Nasams is the same system used by the US to protect the sensitive airspace around the White House and US Capitol in Washington.

Zelensky to ask G7 leaders for more weapons

08:39 , Joe Middleton

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky will urge leaders of some of the world’s richest countries to do more to support his nation’s fight against Russia.

Mr Zelensky will address Boris Johnson, Joe Biden and other G7 leaders by video link from Kyiv as his country continues to come under attack from Vladimir Putin’’ missiles.

In his nightly address on Sunday, he urged the allies to be “partners, not observers” and give his country the ability to defend itself – warning that any delay would be an invitation to Russia to strike again.Mr Zelensky said he would demand extra defence systems.

“We need a powerful air defence – modern, fully effective – which can ensure complete protection against these missiles,” he said.

He added: “Delays in the transfer of weapons to our state, any restrictions are actually an invitation for Russia to strike again and again.

“The occupiers – these terrorists – must be beaten with all our might so that they do not think they can put pressure and outplay someone.”

UK will give £10m to rebuild Ukrainian railways to help export trapped grain out by train

08:17 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson’s government will pledge £10million to help rebuild Ukraine’s railways in a bid to use trains to export grain trapped by Vladimir Putin’s blockade in the Black Sea.

The prime minister is set to call on fellow leaders to take urgent action to get essential food supplies out of Ukraine at the G7 Summit in Germany on Monday.

Mr Johnson said the United Nations’ plan to get the grain out of Ukraine is a “non-starter” because Russia will continue to use food supply as a bargaining chip to ease sanctions.

UK to give Ukrainian railways £10m help get grain out by train

Russia ‘defaults on foreign debt’ for the first time in a century

07:55 , Joe Middleton

Russia has reportedly defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in more than a century, further alienating the country from the global financial system following sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine.

The country has the money to make the $100 million payment but is unable to do so because the sanctions imposed by Western countries mean it cannot get the cash to creditors.

The US Treasury Department ended Russia’s ability to pay its billions in debt back to international investors through American banks. In response, the Russian Finance Ministry said it would pay dollar-denominated debts in rubles and offer “the opportunity for subsequent conversion into the original currency.”

Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad.

“There is money and there is also the readiness to pay,” Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said last month. “This situation, artificially created by an unfriendly country, will not have any effect on Russians’ quality of life.”

Ukraine: Zelensky calls for more help from G7 during 'difficult stage of war'

07:44 , Joe Middleton

US likely to announce purchase of surface-to-air missile defence system for Ukraine

07:25 , Joe Middleton

The US is likely to announce this week the purchase of an advanced medium to long range surface-to-air missile defence system for Ukraine, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday.

Washington is also expected to announce other security assistance for Ukraine, including additional artillery ammunition and counter-battery radars to address needs expressed by the Ukrainian military, the source added.

Russia trying to regain momentum in Ukraine’s north, claims UK

07:05 , Arpan Rai

Russia is attempting to make inroads again in Ukraine’s northern Izium, the British defence ministry said on Monday.

“While Russia’s main operational focus remains the Sieverodonetsk-Lysychansk pocket, a week of consistently heavy shelling suggests Russia is now trying to regain momentum on the northern Izium axis,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

It added that Ukraine’s soldiers “continue to hold the line in that sector, making good use of forested terrain to assist their defence”.

However, the ministry warned that in the coming weeks, Russia’s warfare “will highly likely increasingly rely on echelons of reserve forces”.

These consist of several distinct components which Russia has almost certainly already started to field, the ministry said in its intelligence update.

“Russia’s Combat Army Reserve is a recent innovation of part-time but volunteer reservists, which deploy as whole units typically ear-marked for rear area security tasks,” the British MoD said.

Pointing to the Human Mobilisation Resource as “sizable pool of all veterans who have served in the regular military in the last five years”.

Russian authorities are likely using volunteers from this category to fill out the third battalions within regular brigades, the ministry said.

“Despite a continued shortfall in the number of deployable reservists for Ukraine, the Russian leadership likely remains reluctant to order a general mobilisation,” it added.

Support for Ukraine among key agendas as G7 leaders meet today

06:52 , Arpan Rai

Leaders of the G7 nations are set to pledge more support for Ukraine today as they meet in Germany and speak virtually with Volodymyr Zelensky.

The three-day session will begin on Monday with increased focus on Ukraine.

The G7 leaders from the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan will be in attendance in Berlin and demonstrate support for Ukraine.

Boris Johnson is also expected to nudge his counterparts France and Germany to bolster more military support to Ukraine and warn them against any attempt to push Mr Zelensky into a “bad” peace deal.

Cambridge University launches support for people displaced by war in Ukraine

05:57 , Arpan Rai

Cambridge University is starting a package of support for students and academics displaced in the ongoing war in Europe, including fully-funded residential placements for more than 30 people.

The initiatives have been developed in partnership with universities in Ukraine and the Ukrainian government, Professor Stephen J Toope said.

Prof Toope said: “Since the start of the invasion, the university has been working with education leaders in Ukraine to support academics and students whose lives have been torn apart in this humanitarian tragedy.”

Read the full story here:

Cambridge University launches support for people displaced by war in Ukraine

Russian soldiers enter Lysychansk from five directions, isolating Ukrainian fighters - Report

05:07 , Arpan Rai

After capturing Sievierodonetsk, Russian soldiers have turned their focus on capturing Lysychansk as they entered the last major city in Ukraine’ Luhansk province.

A separatist official from the region said that Moscow’s fighters had entered the city from five directions and were cornering Ukrainian soldiers.

Russian forces are using artillery to cut off the twin city of Sievierodonetsk from the southern part of Ukraine, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said.

Civilians escaping the fire raging in Lysychansk said that the fighting had worsened in the last week.

“Lysychansk, it was a horror last week. Yesterday we could not take it any more. I already told my husband if I die, please bury me behind the house,” Elena, an elderly woman from Lysychansk who escaped the frontline area said.

Moscow must be defeated with ‘all our might’, says Zelensky

04:35 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated demand for more “powerful” artillery to counter Russian missiles and said that the troops sent by Moscow must be defeated with “all our might”.

Confirming the missile attack on Kyiv, Mr Zelensky said: “Part of the missiles were shot down. But only part. We need a powerful air defense - modern, fully effective. Which can ensure complete protection against these missiles.”

“We talk about this every day with our partners. There are already some agreements. And partners need to move faster if they are really partners, not observers,” Mr Zelensky said.

He added that the “delays in the transfer of weapons to our state, any restrictions are actually an invitation for Russia to strike again and again.”

“The occupiers - these terrorists - must be beaten with all our might so that they do not think they can put pressure and outplay someone,” he said.The attacks also left two casualties — including a Russian citizen, Mr Zelenksy said.

“The second army of the world triumphantly “defeated” a kindergarten and an apartment building. The man died, he was only 37 years old.”

“There are wounded, among them - a girl named Zhenya, she is seven years old, the daughter of the deceased, now she is in “Okhmatdyt”. Her mother was also wounded. By the way, a citizen of Russia. That’s that.”

Mr Zelensky said that missiles struck the Mykolaiv region, the Chernihiv region, Odesa, Cherkasy.

“Artillery and mortar shelling did not stop in the Kharkiv region, in the Sumy region, in Donbas, in the south of our state. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Everyone who was injured is given all the necessary help,” he said.

Ukraine peace deal would give Putin ‘license to manipulate’, Boris Johnson tells Macron

03:00 , Emily Atkinson

Boris Johnson has warned Emmanuel Macron that any attempt to settle the conflict in Ukraine now will give Russian president Vladimir Putin “license to manipulate” other countries.

The prime minister told the French president that compromise will “only cause enduring instability” as the pair met to discuss the war at the G7 summit in Germany.

Mr Macron was criticised for negotiating with Mr Putin at the start of the invasion and said Russia must not be “humiliated” – raising fears Ukraine could be pushed into giving up territory.

Adam Forrest reports:

Ukraine peace deal would give Putin ‘license to manipulate’, Johnson tells Macron

Watch: Russian missiles target Kyiv as troops consolidate gains in the east

02:00 , Emily Atkinson

Watch: Zelensky calls for more help from G7 during ‘difficult stage of war’

02:00 , Emily Atkinson

Turkey to attend Nato talks with Finland and Sweden

01:00 , Emily Atkinson

President Tayyip Erdogan will attend a round of talks with the leaders of Sweden and Finland, as well as Nato on Tuesday ahead of the summit in Madrid, an Ankara spokesman has said.

Speaking to broadcaster Haberturk, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Erdogan and deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal would also attend another round of talks with Swedish and Finnish delegations in Brussels on Monday.

“There will be a four-way summit at the leader level with the attendance of our president in Madrid upon the request of the Nato secretary general,” he said.

Kalin said Erdogan attending the talks with Sweden, Finland and Nato on Tuesday “does not mean we will take a step back from our position.”

UK will give £10m to rebuild Ukrainian railways to help export trapped grain out by train

Monday 27 June 2022 00:00 , Emily Atkinson

Boris Johnson’s government will pledge £10million to help rebuild Ukraine’s railways in a bid to use trains to export grain trapped by Vladimir Putin’s blockade in the Black Sea.

The prime minister is set to call on fellow leaders to take urgent action to get essential food supplies out of Ukraine at the G7 Summit in Germany on Monday.

Mr Johnson said the United Nations’ plan to get the grain out of Ukraine is a “non-starter” because Russia will continue to use food supply as a bargaining chip to ease sanctions.

Adam Forrest has the story:

UK to give Ukrainian railways £10m help get grain out by train

Putin cannot ‘get away’ with conquering parts of Ukraine, says Johnson

Sunday 26 June 2022 23:15 , Emily Atkinson

Boris Johnson said he thinks the US is “still the last, best hope of peace and freedom”.

Speaking to CNN at the G7 summit in Germany, he said Russian president Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to “get away” with conquering parts of Ukraine.

Asked how so-called Ukraine fatigue can be combated in the West, and whether he worries higher energy prices might cause people in the US and UK to decide it is not worth the fight, he said: “I would just say to people in the United States that this is something that America historically does and has to do, and that is to step up for peace and freedom and democracy.

“If we let Putin get away with it, and just annex, conquer, sizeable parts of a free, independent, sovereign country, which is what he is poised to do, if not the whole thing, then the consequences for the world are absolutely catastrophic.”

He said the US came in twice in the last century “as the arsenal of democracy” and President Joe Biden’s current investment in helping Ukraine is “a price worth paying”.

“All I’m saying to people is sometimes America is asked by the world to step up. And getting back to your first question, I think America is still the last, best hope of peace and freedom,” he said.

PA

Sunday 26 June 2022 22:15 , Emily Atkinson

Russian airstrikes hit Kyiv killing one in ‘symbolic’ attack as G7 summit begins

Sunday 26 June 2022 21:15 , Emily Atkinson

Russian missiles have struck a residential building in Kyiv in the first such attack on the Ukraine capital in the three weeks,

One person was killed and five more injured as result of the early morning attack on Sunday, dubbed ‘symbolic’ by the city mayor as it coincided with the opening of the G7 summit.

Emergency services were seen battling flames in a badly damaged nine-storey residential building, as well as rescuing civilians from the rubble.

Aisha Rimi reports:

Russian airstrikes hit Kyiv killing one in ‘symbolic’ attack as G7 summit begins

Putin to make first foreign trip since launching Ukraine war

Sunday 26 June 2022 20:45 , Emily Atkinson

Russia’s president will visit two small former Soviet states in central Asia this week, according to reports, in what would be the Vladimir Putin’s first known trip abroad since ordering the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin has said the ratcheting up of western sanctions against Russia are a reason to build stronger trade ties with other powers such as China, India and Iran.

Pavel Zarubin, the Kremlin correspondent of the Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian president Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow.

In Dushanbe, Putin will meet Tajik president Imomali Rakhmon, a close Russian ally and the longest-serving ruler of a former Soviet state. In Ashgabat, he will attend a summit of Caspian nations including the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan, Zarubin said.

Watch: Boris Johnson says politicians suffering from 'fatigue' over Ukraine

Sunday 26 June 2022 20:15 , Emily Atkinson

Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if Tory 1922 committee was ‘on his case’, claims Boris Johnson

Sunday 26 June 2022 19:45 , Emily Atkinson

Boris Johnson has suggested that Vladimir Putin would have not invaded Ukraine earlier this year if he had the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers “on his case”.

Speaking at the G7 summit, the prime minister boasted to CNN that he had “a new mandate for my party” after squeaking through the recent confidence vote arranged by the powerful Tory committee.

“I’m very happy ... I got a higher percentage of the parliamentary votes than I did the first time. So, I’m very happy, we will move forward,” he said on the challenge by Tory rebels.

Adam Forrest reports:

No Ukraine invasion if Putin had Tory 1922 committee ‘on his case’, claims PM

Ukraine ‘launches strike on Black Sea drilling platform'

Sunday 26 June 2022 19:15 , Emily Atkinson

Kyiv’s forces have attacked a drilling platform in the Black Sea owned by a Crimean oil and gas company, local officials have claimed.

Tass news agency reported that today’s strike against the platform, operated by Chernomorneftegaz - which was seized from Ukraine’s Naftogaz as part of Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula in 2014 - is the second in a week.

“It’s shelling by the armed forces of Ukraine, there are no casualties,” a member of Crimea’s emergency services was cited as saying.

Child pulled from rubble of Kyiv building after Russian airstrike

Sunday 26 June 2022 18:45 , Aisha Rimi

A seven-year-old girl has been rescued from the ruins of an apartment block that was hit by Russian airstrikes on Sunday.

Footage shared by Ukraine’s emergency services shows the child being pulled out from the partially collapsed building and being carried by stretcher to an ambulance.

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of Sunday morning, striking at least two residential buildings, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said.

He added that two people have been hospitalised with injuries.

Boris Johnson urges G7 allies to stand firm in support of Ukraine

Sunday 26 June 2022 18:16 , Aisha Rimi

Boris Johnson will use G7 and Nato summits to urge France and Germany to provide more military support to Ukraine and warn them against any attempt to push president Volodymyr Zelensky into a “bad” peace deal.

This week’s conferences in Germany and Spain offer the beleaguered prime minister – battling to stave off a new leadership challenge at home – the chance to talk about strong British backing for Kyiv.

Read the full story:

Johnson urges France and Germany to provide more military support to Ukraine at G7

Watch: Zelensky calls for more help from G7 during 'difficult stage of war'

Sunday 26 June 2022 17:45 , Aisha Rimi

UK ready to be guarantor for $525 million loan to Ukraine

Sunday 26 June 2022 17:13 , Aisha Rimi

The UK government has said that it’s ready to provide another $525 million (£429 m) in guarantees for the World Bank lending to Ukraine later this year.

Boris Johnson said: “Ukraine can win and it will win. But they need our backing to do so. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine.

“The UK will continue to back Ukraine every step of the way, because we know that their security is our security, and their freedom is our freedom.”

'We have to stay together': Biden on alliance behind Ukraine

Sunday 26 June 2022 16:43 , Aisha Rimi

President Biden praised the continued unity of the global alliance confronting Russia, as he and other heads of the G7 strategised on sustaining the pressure in their effort to isolate Moscow over its months-long invasion of Ukraine.“We’ve got to make sure we have us all staying together,” Mr Biden said during a pre-summit sit-down with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who holds the G7’s rotating presidency and is hosting the gathering. “You know, we’re gonna continue working on economic challenges that we face but I think we get through all this.”Scholz replied that the “good message” is that “we all made it to stay united, which Putin never expected.”“We have to stay together, because Putin has been counting on, from the beginning, that somehow NATO and the G7 would splinter, but we haven’t and we’re not going to,” Mr Biden replied.“We can’t let this aggression take the form it has and get away with it,” added Mr Biden.

PM: Putin conquering parts of Ukraine would be ‘absolutely catastrophic'

Sunday 26 June 2022 16:14 , Aisha Rimi

Speaking to CNN at the G7 summit, Boris Johnson was asked how so-called Ukraine fatigue can be combated in the West, and whether he worries higher energy prices might cause people in the US and UK to decide it is not worth the fight.

He said: “If we let Putin get away with it, and just annex, conquer, sizeable parts of a free, independent, sovereign country, which is what he is poised to do, if not the whole thing, then the consequences for the world are absolutely catastrophic.”

‘Let’s show our pecs!’ Boris Johnson and Trudeau mock Putin’s topless horse riding

Sunday 26 June 2022 15:45 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau were seen mocking Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit in Germany, joking about his infamous bare-chested horseback riding photographs.

As the leaders sat down together at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps on Sunday, the British prime minister questioned whether they should keep their suit jackets on.

Warming to his theme, Mr Johnson then added, “Shall we take our clothes off?” – before suggesting: “We all have to show that we’re tougher than Putin.”

Adam Forrest reports.

One person dead after Russian missiles hit Cherkasy

Sunday 26 June 2022 15:17 , Joe Middleton

Russian missiles struck near the central Ukrainian city of Cherkasy on Sunday, killing one person and hitting a bridge that helps connect western regions with eastern battle zones, Ukrainian officials said.

Cherkasy has been largely untouched by bombardment since the war started in February, but Russia has stepped up missile attacks across Ukraine this weekend.

“Today, the enemy launched missile attacks on the Cherkasy region. There are 2 strikes near the regional center. One dead and five wounded. Infrastructure damaged,” said regional governor Ihor Taburets on the Telegram app.

He did not provide further details, but a presidential adviser told Reuters one of the missiles targeted a bridge across the Dnipro river.

“They are trying to limit the transfer of our reserves and western weapons to the east,” adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said in a message.

“It means that these kinds of transfers are going well and causing them major issues.”

Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau mock Putin's 'bare-chested horse rides'

Sunday 26 June 2022 14:20 , Joe Middleton

Ukraine peace deal would give Putin ‘license to manipulate’, Boris Johnson tells Macron

Sunday 26 June 2022 13:52 , Sam Rkaina

Boris Johnson has warned Emmanuel Macron that any attempt to settle the conflict in Ukraine now will give Russian president Vladimir Putin “license to manipulate” other countries.

The prime minister told the French president that compromise will “only cause enduring instability” as the pair met to discuss the war at the G7 summit in Germany.

Mr Macron was criticised for negotiating with Putin at the start of the invasion and saying Russia must not be “humiliated” – raising fears Ukraine could be pushed into giving up territory.

Click here for the full story.

Putin ‘could be toppled in secret plot by inner circle’ ex-CIA chief claims

Sunday 26 June 2022 12:52 , Sam Rkaina

Vladimir Putin could be toppled by a secret plot by his own inner circle, a CIA insider has claimed.

Former Moscow station chief Daniel Hoffman claimed Mr Putin’s comrades would look to oust him if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fails.

Hoffman said any such attempt to overthrow the president would be sudden, swift and potentially deadly.

Click here for the full story.

Putin ‘hopes West will splinter’ as war drags on, Biden warns

Sunday 26 June 2022 12:14 , Sam Rkaina

Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes the West will “splinter” as his invasion of Ukraine drags on, Joe Biden has warned

Speaking at the G7 summit in Germany, the US president praised the allies who have stuck together and stood up to the Kremlin during four months of war, applying sanctions on Russia while sending weaponry to Ukraine.

Greeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, Mr Biden praised his counterpart for helping to sustain pressure on Russia and urged him to keep at it - a central message of his five-day trip to meet allies at summits in Germany and Spain.

Mr Biden warned: “We have to stay together, because Putin has been counting on from the beginning that somehow Nato and the G7 would splinter.

“But we haven’t and we’re not going to.

“We can’t let this aggression take the form it has and get away with it.”

Mr Scholz, hosting the annual Group of Seven summit in the Bavarian alps, greeted Mr Biden on a balcony overlooking what the US president called a “magnificent” view of lush greenery and towering peaks.

Mr Biden credited Mr Scholz for helping to lead Europe in standing up to Russia, saying his tough response “had a great impact on the rest of Europe to move”.

Meanwhile, EU leaders used the summit to reaffirm the bloc’s “unwavering unity” in backing Ukraine.

European Council President Charles Michel said the EU is providing Kyiv with money and political support, adding: “Ukraine needs more and we are committed to providing more.”

First pictures of damage after Sunday morning airstrikes

Sunday 26 June 2022 11:21 , Sam Rkaina

Before Sunday’s early morning attack, Kyiv had not faced any such Russian airstrikes since June 5.

Klitschko told journalists that he believed “it is maybe a symbolic attack” ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Madrid.

Two more explosions were later heard in Kyiv, but their cause and possible casualties were not immediately clear.

Russia launches strike on Ukraine army training centres

Sunday 26 June 2022 11:01 , Sam Rkaina

Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday it had used high-precision weapons to strike Ukrainian army training centres in the Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and Lviv regions of Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.

Earlier on Sunday Ukraine had said Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two residential buildings were hit. Rescue services battled flames and rescued civilians following the attack.

Klitschko said four people were hospitalized with injuries and a 7-year-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble.

Culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said on Telegram that a kindergarten was hit in the attacks.Ukraine Member of Parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app that “according to prelim data 14 missiles were launched against Kyiv region and Kyiv.”

Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the missiles were Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles fired from planes over the Caspian Sea.

Johnson says Germany’s Olaf Scholz ‘is stepping up’ on Ukraine

Sunday 26 June 2022 10:25 , Sam Rkaina

Ahead of a meeting with Emmanuel Macron, Boris Johnson was asked whether France and Germany are doing enough over Ukraine.

In his response, Mr Johnson focused on the German response without mentioning France.

“Just look at what the Germans alone have done,” he said.

“I never believed in my lifetime that I would see a German Chancellor stepping up in the way that Olaf Scholz has and sending weaponry to help the Ukrainians to to protect themselves.

“He’s made huge, huge strides. We have 4% of our gas comes from Russia, in Germany, it’s 40%.

“They’re facing real, real pressures, they’re having to source energy from elsewhere. But they’re doing it. They’re making the effort. They’re making the sacrifice.

“That’s because they see that the price of freedom is worth paying.

“This is something that it’s worth us standing up for together. And that is the principle that a free, independent sovereign country like Ukraine should not be violently invaded and should not have its boundaries changed by force.

“And the consequences of what’s happening for the world are tough, but the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed , to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his programme of conquest, that price will be far, far higher and everybody here understands that.”