Putin fears ‘spark of democracy’ spreading to Russia, German Chancellor says

Vladimir Putin fears the “spark of democracy” spreading to Russia, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, adding that he was trying to divide Europe and return to a world dominated by spheres of influence.

“The Russian President must accept that there is a community of law-based democracies in his neighbourhood that is growing ever closer together,” he said in an interview with the Muenchner Merkur newspaper.

“He clearly fears the spark of democracy spreading to his country.”

The European Commission last week recommended that Ukraine, which is battling a Russian invasion in its East, be given the status of candidate to join the European Union, a move Mr Scholz said he also backed.

“(Putin) wants a divided Europe and a return to a politics of spheres of influence,” Mr Scholz said. “He won’t succeed in this.”

Mr Scholz warned that soaring energy prices would likely be around for a long time, and rejected Russia’s assertion that it had cut gas flows because necessary spare parts were missing due to sanctions.

“This explanation is not plausible,” he said.

06:59 PM

What happened today 

Thanks for following today’s live blog.

Here are the key developments from today:

• Explosions rocked the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, in what a Ukrainian lawmaker said was “revenge” following claims by a pro-Russian official that Ukraine launched a missile strike on offshore oil rigs off Crimea.

• A food warehouse was destroyed in the attack but no civilians were killed, the Ukrainian military said.

• Sergei Aksyonov, who was installed by Moscow as head of the Crimea region that Russia annexed in 2014, said drilling platforms owned by the Chernomorneftegaz energy company had come under attack in the Black Sea off Ukraine’s south coast.

• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia will escalate its attacks this week as European Union leaders consider whether to back Kyiv’s bid to join the bloc

• It came as Ukraine said it has lost control of a village adjacent to the eastern industrial city of Severodonetsk, the centre of weeks of fierce fighting with invading Russian troops.

• In Severodonetsk – a city of 100,000 people before the war – Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said Russia controlled “the main part” but not the entire town after intense fighting.

Story continues

06:56 PM

Kremlin claims ‘captured’ Americans in Ukraine should bear responsibility ‘for crimes’, RIA reports

The Kremlin has claimed that Americans captured in Ukraine were “mercenaries” engaged in illegal activities and should take responsibility for their “crimes”, the RIA news agency reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was also quoted as saying that the detained men were not covered by the Geneva convention as they were not regular troops.

06:40 PM

The latest pictures from Ukraine

06:20 PM

Biden says he is speaking to Zelensky ‘three or four times a week’

Joe Biden said he is speaking to Volodymyr Zelensky up to four times a week, Nick Allen reports.

But the US president said it was “not likely” he would visit Ukraine when he heads across the Atlantic later this month for G7 and Nato summits in Germany and Spain.

Mr Biden, speaking in Delaware during a US public holiday, said him going to Ukraine would depend on “a lot of things ” including “whether or not it causes more difficulty for the Ukrainians.”

He said: “I have been meeting with Zelensky – I talk to him three, four times a week.

“But I’ll be heading to Germany, and I’m going to Spain, I’m going to Israel, and I’m going to Saudi Arabia for a larger meeting of the community there. And then I’ll be coming home probably, direct.”

06:17 PM

Ukraine’s grain exports to reach two million tonnes in June, deputy minister says

Ukraine’s grain exports will increase to two million tonnes in June from 1.7 million tonnes in May and reach the maximum volume that Ukraine can ship by land routes, First Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskiy said on Monday.

“The dynamics are positive, but two million tonnes is the maximum that the existing infrastructure can provide through land routes,” Mr Vysotskiy told Ukrainian national television.

He added that Ukrainian seaports, which have been blocked by Russia since it invaded Ukraine, were capable to exports five million tonnes a month.

05:51 PM

Denmark declares ‘early warning’ for potential gas supply disruptions

Denmark’s energy agency said on Monday it had activated the first step of a three-stage emergency gas supply plan, which effectively means a tighter monitoring of the market, to prepare for possible disruptions of natural gas from Russia.

05:50 PM

Putin fears ‘spark of democracy’, Germany’s Scholz says

Russian President Vladimir Putin fears the “spark of democracy” spreading to his country, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said, adding that he was trying to divide Europe and return to a world dominated by spheres of influence.

Mr Scholz was responding to a question in an interview with the Muenchner Merkur newspaper, published on the government website on Monday, on whether Putin would accept Ukraine moving closer to the European Union.

“The Russian President must accept that there is a community of law-based democracies in his neighbourhood that is growing ever closer together,” he said. “He clearly fears the spark of democracy spreading to his country.”

05:39 PM

Pictured: Ukraine’s Artistic Swimming team celebrates after championships

05:17 PM

Biden says he is ‘not likely’ to visit Ukraine on upcoming Europe trip

US President Joe Biden has said he will probably not visit Ukraine during a trip to Europe that starts this week.

Mr Biden first said “that depends” when asked if he planned to visit Ukraine.

But then he said “on this trip, not likely,” as he spoke to reporters who pressed him about such a possibility as he strolled on the beach during a long holiday weekend.

05:08 PM

Africa a ‘hostage’ of Russia’s Ukraine war, Zelensky says

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Africa is “a hostage” of Russia’s war, which has spurred global food shortages and famine fears across the African continent.

But he said Kyiv was engaged in “complex negotiations” to unblock the grain trapped at its Black Sea ports by Russia’s naval blockade.

“Africa is actually a hostage… of those who unleashed war against our state,” Mr Zelensky said in an address to the African Union.

Russia’s invasion and its blockade of Ukraine’s ports has paralysed grain exports from one of the world’s largest producers, sparked dramatic grain and fertiliser shortages and put hundreds of millions of people at risk of hunger.

“This war may seem very distant to you and your countries. But the food prices that are catastrophically rising have already brought (the war) to the homes of millions of African families,” he said.

“The unjust level of food prices, which has been provoked by the Russian war, is being painfully felt on all continents. Unfortunately, this can be a particular problem for your countries.”

04:50 PM

Dutch government activates energy crisis plan

The Dutch government has activated the first phase of a crisis energy plan, and said it would produce 2.8 billion cubic metres of gas from the Groningen gas field in the production year ending October 2023, down from 4.5 bcm in the current year.

In the addition The Netherlands will remove a cap on production at Dutch coal plants in order to preserve gas in light of decisions by Gazprom to cut supplies to Europe.

The country’s Energy minister Rob Jetten announced the measures at a press conference in The Hague.

04:33 PM

Listen to the latest episode of our daily Ukraine podcast

04:27 PM

Actor Ben Stiller visits Ukraine

Actor Ben Stiller, who is a long-term Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has visited Ukraine on World Refugee Day.

In a video posted to his Instagram account, Stiller said: “Hey, I’m Ben Stiller, and I’m here in Ukraine. I’m meeting people who’ve been impacted by the war and hearing how it’s changed their lives.

“War and violence are devastating people all over the world. Nobody chooses to flee their home.

“Seeking safety is a right and it needs to be upheld for every person.”

04:12 PM

Ukraine says food warehouse in Odesa destroyed in Russian missile attack

A food warehouse in the Black Sea port of Odesa was destroyed in a Russian missile attack on Monday but no civilians were killed, the Ukrainian military said.

The Operational Command “South” said Russian forces fired 14 missiles at southern Ukraine during a three-hour barrage “in impotent anger at the successes of our troops.” Russia’s military did not immediately comment on the reports.

Explosions rocked Odesa after the Russia-installed head of the Crimea region, annexed by Moscow in 2014, said Ukrainian forces had attacked drilling platforms owned by a Crimean oil and gas company in the Black Sea off Ukraine’s southern coast.

Three people were wounded, and a search was under way for seven workers, he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency said the drilling platforms were located 71 km (44 miles) from Odesa. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the reports of the attack.

03:55 PM

Zelensky says ‘complex negotiations’ under way to unblock Ukraine ports

Ukraine is engaged in “complex negotiations” to release its ports from Russia’s blockade, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, warning the global grain crisis would last as long as Russia’s “colonial war”.

“We are conducting complex multilevel negotiations to unblock our Ukrainian ports. But there is no progress yet.. That is why the global food crisis will continue as long as this colonial war continues,” he said in a video address to the African Union.

03:43 PM

Zelensky thanks Polish president for support

03:22 PM

Dutch government ‘to ease production cap for coal-fired energy plants’

Coal-fired energy plants in the Netherlands will be allowed to increase their production as part of efforts to reduce reliance on Russian gas amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported on Monday, citing government sources.

Dutch Energy Minister Rob Jetten is expected to make the announcement during a news conference about the country’s gas supplies at 3:30pm.

02:59 PM

Ukraine shares video of Mariupol under Russian occupation

02:30 PM

Ukraine parliament ratifies global women’s rights treaty

Ukraine’s parliament on Monday ratified the Istanbul Convention, a key international treaty for protecting women’s rights through laws aimed at preventing and prosecuting gender violence.

The treaty, which aims to combat violence against women and domestic violence, was ratified four months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Ukraine’s parliament has ratified the Istanbul Convention,” tweeted the Rada, or parliament, shortly after lawmakers approved the convention by 259 votes in favour to eight against and 47 abstentions.

Adopted in 2011, the Council of Europe’s so-called Istanbul Convention is the world’s first binding instrument to prevent and combat violence against women, from marital rape to female genital mutilation.

The treaty, which came into force in 2014, requires governments to adopt legislation prosecuting domestic violence and similar abuse.

01:55 PM

Hungary offers possible route for Ukraine grain exports, minister says

Hungary has offered its territory as a possible route for Ukrainian grain exports due to the disruption of usual routes via the Black Sea caused by Russia’s invasion, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday.

Mr Szijjarto, who made the proposal at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, also said he expected no disruption in Russian gas supplies to Hungary.

01:54 PM

Pictured: Smoke rises over Donetsk, Ukraine following recent shelling

01:52 PM

Kaliningrad rail ban in line with EU sanctions, Lithuania says

Lithuania has said its ban on rail transit for EU-sanctioned goods through Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad is in line with European sanctions, after Moscow slammed the move and vowed a response.

“These are European sanctions that started to work from June 17,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told journalists, specifying that in this case it concerned the rail transport of steel products.

01:38 PM

Hopes fade for swift Nato accession for Finland and Sweden

Finland and Sweden are to discuss their stalled Nato bids with Turkey in Brussels on Monday, but hopes are fading they will be able resolve their dispute before an alliance summit next week, experts say.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was to meet with representatives from the three countries to try to make progress on the Nordic nations’ membership applications, which have been blocked by Ankara.

“I think it is possible but it would be very difficult,” Paul Levin, director of the Institute for Turkey Studies at Stockholm University, told AFP, adding it would require both parties to compromise.

Nato and the two Nordic countries had expected the application process to be quick. But Ankara’s objections caught them all off-guard, at a time when Nato is keen to display a unified front against Russia.

Ankara has accused Finland and Sweden of providing a safe haven for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a “terrorist” group by Turkey and its Western allies.

01:26 PM

Over half of Ukrainian refugees in eurozone could join workforce, says ECB

Over half of refugees from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine now in the eurozone could enter the workforce in coming years, the European Central Bank said on Monday.

Those fleeing the conflict could have a “medium-term labour force participation rate of between 25 per cent and 55 per cent for working-age refugees” based on data from previous waves, the ECB said in a new report.

A total of 8.3 million refugees could have left Ukraine by the end of the year, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), with a significant number expected to arrive in the 19-member eurozone.

The ban on men between 18 and 60 leaving the Ukraine meant the first waves “have comprised the elderly, children and women of working age”, the ECB said.

The arrival of Ukrainian refugees would produce a “gradual increase” in the size of the labour force in the eurozone, growing by 0.2 to 0.8 per cent.

01:16 PM

Explosions heard in Ukrainian city of Odesa, regional authorities say

Explosions rocked the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Monday, a spokesperson for the regional administration said.

The spokesperson said he could provide no details of the explosions, which were heard after air raid sirens blared.

12:51 PM

Pictured: Members of Ukraine’s Artistic Swimming team in Budapest

12:43 PM

‘Russia has no right to threaten Lithuania’: Ukraine

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has criticised Russia after it accused Lithuania of imposing trade restrictions on the transit of EU-sanctioned goods to Moscow’s exclave of Kaliningrad.

“Russia has no right to threaten Lithuania. Moscow has only itself to blame for the consequences of its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” Mr Kuleba wrote in a statement on social media.

12:38 PM

Ukraine grain exports 55.5 per cent down so far in June, ministry says

Ukrainian grain exports fell by 55.5 per cent in the first 20 days of June compared with the same period in 2021 to 777,000 tonnes, agriculture ministry data showed on Monday.

The volumes included 689,000 tonnes of corn, 63,000 tonnes of wheat and 21,000 tonnes of barley, the data showed.

Ukraine exported up to 6 million tonnes of grain a month before Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24. Moscow calls its action a special military operation.

Volumes have since fallen to about 1.7 million tonnes as Ukraine, which used to export most of its goods through seaports, has been forced to transport grain by train via its western border or via its small Danube river ports.

12:37 PM

Ukraine bans, seizes assets of pro-Kremlin party

A Ukrainian court has banned the country’s largest pro-Russian political party and seized its assets nationwide after the group was accused of undermining the country’s sovereignty.

The ruling comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree in March banning the work of several parties identified by the security services as being sympathetic to Moscow.

An appeals court “banned the activities of the political party Opposition Platform – For Life,” Ukrainian Justice Minister Denys Malyuska said in a statement on social media.

“The court has ruled to transfer all property, funds and other assets of the party to state ownership,” he added.

Opposition Platform – For Life was founded in 2018 by tycoon Viktor Medvedchuk who is seen as President Vladimir Putin’s top ally in Kyiv.

12:33 PM

The latest pictures from Ukraine

12:00 PM

Medvedev suggests US should ‘run or crawl’ to Russia for nuclear arms talks

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that there was no point having any nuclear arms reduction talks with the United States and that Moscow should wait until the Americans begged for negotiations.

Medvedev, while president from 2008-2012, signed New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) in 2010 with Barack Obama in Prague which was extended in February 2021 for five years until 2026.

“Now everything is a dead zone. We don’t have any relations with the United States now. They are at zero on the Kelvin scale,” Medvedev said on Telegram of discussions about a new strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty.

“There is no need to negotiate with them (on nuclear disarmament) yet. This is bad for Russia,” said Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council. “Let them run or crawl back themselves and ask for it.”

11:45 AM

Russia demands Lithuania lift Kaliningrad transit ban immediately

Russia has demanded that Lithuania immediately lift a ban on the transit of some goods to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

The Russian foreign ministry told the Lithuanian envoy in Moscow that if cargo transit between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of Russia through Lithuania was not restored, Moscow would respond to protect its interests.

Lithuanian authorities banned the transit of goods which are sanctioned by the European Union across its territory, which includes the only rail route between mainland Russia and the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea.

Banned goods include coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology.

11:28 AM

Russia accuses G20 members of politicising health talks after criticism over Ukraine

Russia has accused some members of the Group of 20 major economies of politicising a meeting on global health, as it faced criticism over how its invasion of Ukraine in February had plunged its healthcare system into chaos.

The war in Ukraine has overshadowed G20 meetings this year, with current chair Indonesia struggling to keep the group united and resisting pressure from Western members to exclude Russia.

“We are asking our colleagues not to politicise [the] G20 health platform and stay within our mandate and discuss healthcare,” Russian health ministry official Oleg Salagay told a G20 health ministers’ meeting in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.

Representatives of the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada urged Russia to ends its aggression.

11:11 AM

EU’s top diplomat calls Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian grain a war crime

Russia is committing a war crime by blocking the export of millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said on Monday as EU foreign ministers met to discuss ways to free up the crop amid a global food crisis.

Ukraine is one of the top wheat suppliers globally, but its shipments have stalled and more than 20 million tonnes of grain have been trapped in silos since Russia invaded the country in February and subsequently blocked its ports.

Russia denies responsibility for the food crisis, blaming it on Western sanctions imposed on Moscow that have led to a jump in global food prices and warnings by the United Nations of hunger in poorer countries that rely heavily on imported grain.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Russia to open up the Black Sea routes crucial for exporting any larger quantity of Ukrainian grain.

“One cannot imagine that millions of tonnes of wheat remain blocked in Ukraine while in the rest of the world people are suffering hunger,” he told reporters as he arrived for the talks in Luxembourg. “This is a real war crime.”

11:00 AM

Russia releases new images of the Iskander missile

10:48 AM

Lithuania transit ban to Kaliningrad ‘unprecedented’ – Russia

The Kremlin has called Lithuania’s decision to ban the transit of some goods to Russia’s Kaliningrad region “unprecedented” and vowed to respond.

Lithuanian authorities banned the transit of goods which are sanctioned by the European Union across its territory, which includes the only rail route between mainland Russia and the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea.

Banned goods include coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology.

In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Lithuania’s move was “illegal” and said Moscow would announce its response in the coming days.

10:40 AM

Hopes fade for swift Nato accession for Finland, Sweden

Finland and Sweden are to discuss their stalled Nato bids with Turkey in Brussels today, but hopes are fading they will be able resolve their dispute before an alliance summit next week, experts say.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was to meet with representatives from the three countries to try to make progress on the Nordic nations’ membership applications, which have been blocked by Ankara.

Nato and the two Nordic countries had expected the application process to be quick, Bbt Ankara’s last-minute opposition caught them all off-guard, at a time when the bloc is keen to display a unified front vis-a-vis Russia.

Ankara has accused Finland and Sweden of providing a safe haven for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a “terrorist” group by Turkey and its Western allies, and has also demanded that they lift their weapons freezes on Turkey.

10:22 AM

Russia ‘should not negotiate with US on nuclear issues’

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said Moscow should not negotiate with Washington on nuclear disarmament until the United States “crawled” back to talks.

“We don’t have any relations with the United States now,” Mr Medvedev wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

“They are at zero on the Kelvin scale… There is no need to negotiate with them (on nuclear disarmament) yet. This is bad for Russia. Let them run or crawl back themselves and ask for it.”

09:43 AM

Russia slowly strangling the life out of Severedonetsk

09:16 AM

Germany working with Poland, Romania on freeing Ukrainian grain

Germany supports Poland and Romania in adapting their railways to enable the export of millions of tonnes of grain stuck in Ukraine due to a Russian sea blockade, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said.

“The railway tracks need to be modernized, we need the right cargo wagons – the German government is working on this with many other actors,” she said as she arrived for a meeting with her European Union counterparts in Luxembourg.

“It is clear that, in the end, we will certainly not be able to get out all grain but if we even just manage to free part of it, on various routes, then this will help as we are facing this global challenge.”

08:50 AM

Ukraine lost control of Severodonetsk village

Ukraine has Monday it has lost control of a village adjacent to the eastern industrial city of Severodonetsk, the centre of weeks of fierce fighting with invading Russian troops.

“Unfortunately, we do not control Metyolkine anymore. And the enemy continues to build up its reserves,” the Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a statement on social media.

Russia’s capture of the hamlet with a pre-war population of around 1,000 people, is the latest around Severodonetsk, where Moscow’s army has met tough Ukrainian resistance.

Russian troops have slowly advanced in the eastern Donbas region where they focused their military efforts after being pushed out from areas around the capital at the start of their invasion in February.

Mr Gaiday said that the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk, where hundreds of civilians are said to be sheltering, was being shelled by Russian forces “constantly”.

08:21 AM

We are ready for more attacks, says Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky predicts Russia will escalate its attacks on his country this week.

It comes as Moscow presses its campaign to win control of Ukraine’s east.

“Obviously, this week we should expect from Russia an intensification of its hostile activities,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

“We are preparing. We are ready.”

Mr Zelensky said he had visited forces in the southern Mykolaiv region, about 550km (340 miles) south of Kyiv.

“Their mood is assured: they all do not doubt our victory,” he said in a video on Sunday that appeared to have been recorded on a moving train.

“We will not give the south to anyone, and all that is ours we will take back.”

In Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, Mr Zelensky said he had heard reports of destruction from Russian strikes: “The losses are significant. Many houses have been destroyed; civilian logistics have been disrupted.”

07:53 AM

China’s May oil imports from Russia soar 55 pc to a record

China’s crude oil imports from Russia soared 55 per cent from a year earlier to a record level in May, displacing Saudi Arabia as the top supplier, as refiners cashed in on discounted supplies amid sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Imports of Russian oil, including supplies pumped via the East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline and seaborne shipments from Russia’s European and Far Eastern ports, totalled nearly 8.42 million tonnes, according to data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs.

That’s equivalent to roughly 1.98 million barrels per day (bpd) and up from 1.59 million bpd in April. China is the world’s biggest crude oil importer.

Chinese firms, including state refining giant Sinopec and state-run Zhenhua Oil, have ramped up purchases of Russian oil, enticed by steep discounts after western oil majors and trading houses pulled back due to sanctions.

Saudi Arabia trailed as the second-largest supplier, with May volumes up 9 per cent on year at 7.82 million tonnes, or 1.84 million bpd. This was down from April’s 2.17 million bpd.

07:29 AM

Ukraine today, in pictures

07:21 AM

MoD issues daily update

06:57 AM

EU green light ‘in the interests of the whole of Europe’

Nearly three months after Russia launched a bloody invasion of his country, Volodymyr Zelensky said there had been “few such fateful decisions for Ukraine” as the one it expects from the EU this week.

“Only a positive decision is in the interests of the whole of Europe,” the Ukrainian President said in his evening address on Sunday.

“Obviously, we expect Russia to intensify hostile activity this week… We are preparing. We are ready.”

06:42 AM

Germany to restart coal power stations

Germany announced its latest steps to boost gas storage levels to prepare for the next winter season.

It fears Russia, which has cut deliveries in recent days, could reduce or even completely halt supplies.

Germany is to reopen mothballed coal power plants to combat high gas prices, piling pressure on Boris Johnson to cut taxes on household energy bills.

The German Government will pass emergency laws to reactivate the coal plants as Europe takes steps to deal with reduced energy supplies from Russia.

The announcement on Sunday came as part of a series of measures, including new incentives for companies to burn less natural gas.

 READ MORE: Johnson urged to cut energy tax as Germany turns to coal

06:27 AM

Here’s what happened overnight

• EU foreign ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss ways to free millions of tonnes of grain stuck in Ukraine due to Russia’s Black Sea port blockade

• The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region said the border village of Suzemka had been shelled from northern Ukraine, with one person wounded and a power station damaged

• In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv – northwest of Luhansk – Russia’s defence ministry said its Iskander missiles had destroyed weaponry recently supplied by Western countries

• Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said “all Russian claims that they control the town are a lie”.  He said: “They control the main part of the town, but not the whole town.” Fighting made evacuations from the city impossible, he said

• In southern Ukraine, Western weaponry had helped Ukrainian forces advance 10km (6 miles) towards Russian-occupied Melitopol, its mayor said in a video posted on Telegram from outside the city

• Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War think tank wrote that “Russian forces will likely be able to seize Severodonetsk in the coming weeks, but at the cost of concentrating most of their available forces in this small area”

05:30 AM

Ukraine awaits chance to cut old Soviet ties

An EU decision in favour of Kyiv’s ultimate membership would put Ukraine on track to realise an aspiration that would have been out of reach for the former Soviet republic before the Russian invasion.

“Whole generations fought for a chance to escape from the prison of the Soviet Union and, like a free bird, to fly to European civilisation,” said the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk.

04:54 AM

Australia keeps its supply promise

Australia’s defence ministry said on Monday that it had sent the first four of 14 promised armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, part of a $200 million aid pledge.

“Australia stands with Ukraine, and again calls on Russia to cease its unprovoked, unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine,” Defence Minister Richard Marles said.

03:51 AM

Ukrainian performers set for Glastonbury

Glastonbury will play host to Ukrainian acts this year.

Kyiv folk quartet DakhaBrakha will perform on Sunday afternoon on the Pyramid stage. The group, who combine the musical styles of several local ethnic groups, have described themselves as “ambassadors of free Ukraine” and have long used their performances to voice their opposition to war and the policies of Vladimir Putin.

They have been donating money raised by their recent performances to the war effort.

Meanwhile, Go-A will open the John Peel stage on Saturday with a performance of electronic folk music and soaring vocal melodies. The group represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021 with the anthemic dance track Shum, placing fifth.

Band member Ihor Didenchuk is also a member of Kalush Orchestra, who triumphed during the contest this year after a symbolic show of public support saw them climb to first place.

Glastonbury will also host Jamala, who won Eurovision for Ukraine in 2016 with her song 1944, about the forced deportation in Crimea during the rule of Joseph Stalin.

03:14 AM

‘People are dying on the streets’

In Severodonetsk – a city of 100,000 people before the war – Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said Russia controlled “the main part” but not the entire town after intense fighting.

Both Russia and Ukraine have continued heavy bombardment around Severodonetsk “with little change to the front line”, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.

In Severodonetsk’s twin city of Lysychansk, residential buildings and private houses were destroyed by Russian shelling, Mr Gaidai said.

“People are dying on the streets and in bomb shelters.”

He later said 19 people had been evacuated on Sunday: “We are managing to bring in humanitarian aid and evacuate people as best we can.”

02:14 AM

Russia’s Donbas determination continues

Russian forces are trying to take complete control of the eastern Donbas region, parts of which were already held by Russian-backed separatists before the February 24 invasion.

A prime target of Moscow’s eastern assault is the industrial city of Severodonetsk. Russia said on Sunday it had seized Metyolkine, a village on the outskirts, and Russian state news agency TASS reported that many Ukrainian fighters had surrendered there. Ukraine’s military said Russia had “partial success” in the area.

01:50 AM

Russian attacks set to intensify with EU summit this week

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia will escalate its attacks this week as European Union leaders consider whether to back Kyiv’s bid to join the bloc.

Ukraine applied to join the EU four days after Russian troops poured across its border in February. The EU’s executive, the European Commission, on Friday recommended that Ukraine should receive candidate status.

Leaders of the 27-nation union will consider the question at a summit on Thursday and Friday and are expected to endorse Ukraine’s application, despite misgivings from some member states. The process could take many years to complete.

The EU’s embrace of Ukraine would interfere with one of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s stated goals when he ordered his troops into Ukraine: to keep Moscow’s southern neighbour outside of the West’s sphere of influence.

Putin on Friday said Moscow had “nothing against” Ukraine’s EU membership, but a Kremlin spokesperson said Russia was closely following Kyiv’s bid, especially in light of increased defence cooperation among member countries.

01:41 AM

Today’s top news

• The head of Nato has warned that the world must be prepared for the war in Ukraine to last “years”, as Russia sought to bring the front line to Ukraine’s second city

• Ukrainian rebels attempted to assassinate a local prison boss in Russian-held Kherson, the city’s puppet government has said

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky predicts Russia will escalate its attacks on his country this week.

• Mr Zelensky visited forces in the southern Mykolaiv region south of Kyiv: “Their mood is assured: they all do not doubt our victory”

• A Ukrainian official warned on Sunday that Russian forces were trying to approach Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, to “turn it into a new front-line town”