The Russian military has claimed to have destroyed a large consignment of Western arms destined for Ukrainian forces defending the Donbas.
The defence ministry alleged that the strike in the north-western region of Zhytomyr, using sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles, took out a “large batch” of weapons and military equipment delivered from the US and European countries.
The ministry also claimed that Russia had struck numerous Ukrainian command posts, fuel storage facilities near the city of Odesa and shot down two Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft and 14 drones. The reports could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has proposed a formal deal with the country’s allies to secure Russian compensation for the damage its forces have inflicted on Ukraine during the war.
Mr Zelensky has warned that Russia is trying to destroy as much of Ukraine’s infrastructure as possible, and said such a deal would show nations planning aggressive acts that they would have to pay for their actions.
Follow the latest updates below.
09:43 AM
Semi-naked Ukraine protester storm Cannes red carpet
A semi-naked activist has stormed the red carpet at the Cannes film festival to protest against sexual violence in Ukraine.
The woman ripped off her dress to reveal a Ukrainian flag painted on her torso along with the words ‘stop raping us’.
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09:09 AM
‘Forced evacuation’ of civilians to Russia, says Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister
09:05 AM
Russia alleges it destroyed ‘large’ shipments of Western weapons to Ukraine
Moscow’s forces claimed they destroyed a large shipment of Western-supplied weapons in northwestern Ukraine with long-range missiles.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed: “High-precision long-range sea-based Kalibr missiles destroyed a large batch of weapons and military equipment near the Malin railway station in Zhytomyr region delivered from the United States and European countries”.
09:02 AM
Comment: Vladimir Putin is still flooding social media with dangerous lies
For President Putin, there’s no such thing as being a “former KGB man”. Secrecy and lies are legitimate government tools; international politics a constant zero-sum game. Given the impressive response of Western nations to Mr Putin’s Ukrainian “special military operation”, it’s no surprise the Kremlin has intensified its international disinformation campaign.
We have seen this before: from early 2012, the Kremlin, through its media proxy RT, smeared opposition to President Assad, promoting baseless conspiracy theories surrounding the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons.
Read the full piece from Robert Buckand here
08:41 AM
On the last ‘road of life’ to Severodonetsk as fighting rages around Ukraine’s final frontier town
The last road of life to Severodonetsk ends at a deathly silent crossroads framed by earthworks and tank traps.
A few hundred metres away, a child herds a small group of cows, ignoring the distant artillery thumps.
But the ribbon of pot-holed tarmac disappearing into the green summer haze is deserted. And with good reason.
Read the full piece from Roland Oliphant here
08:23 AM
US and others walk out of APEC talks over Russian invasion
Representatives of the United States and several other nations walked out of an Asia-Pacific trade ministers meeting in Bangkok on Saturday to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, officials said.
The walkout was “an expression of disapproval at Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine and its economic impact in the APEC region,” one diplomat said.
Representatives from Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Australia joined the Americans, led by Trade Representative Katherine Tai, in walking out of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, two Thai officials and two international diplomats told Reuters.
Another diplomat said the five countries that staged the protest wanted “stronger language on Russia’s war” in the group’s final statement to be issued on Sunday.
08:07 AM
Zelensky: Ukraine war will ‘only end through diplomacy’
The war in Ukraine can only be resolved through “diplomacy”, Volodymyr Zelensky said today, amid a deadlock in negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.
“The end will be through diplomacy,” he told a Ukrainian television channel. The war “will be bloody, there will be fighting but will only definitively end through diplomacy”.
07:55 AM
Russia could rename McDonald’s ZBurger or Rusburger amid rush for last Big Macs
Instead of biting into a Big Mac from McDonald’s, Russians may soon be queuing up to enjoy the taste of a patriotic ZBurger.
The American chain pulled out of Russia in March following the invasion of Ukraine and its 850 restaurants are now poised to undergo a rebrand after being bought by Russian businessman Alexander Govor this week.
Many Russians don’t seem too enthusiastic about losing their Big Macs and apple pies – video footage showed hundreds of people in Moscow queuing up for a final taste, echoing images of huge crowds when the first McDonald’s opened there at the end of the Cold War.
Read the full story from James Kilner here
07:47 AM
Russia likely facing Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles shortage, UK says
Russia is likely experiencing a shortage of appropriate reconnaissance Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which it has attempted to use to identify targets to be struck by combat jets or artillery, the British Defence ministry said on Saturday.
Russia is likely experiencing a shortage of appropriate reconnaissance UAVs, which is exacerbated by limitations in its domestic manufacturing capacity resulting from sanctions, the report said.
If Russia continues to lose UAVs at current rate, Russian Forces intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance capability will be further degraded negatively impacting operational effectiveness, Britain said in a regular bulletin.
07:39 AM
Russia-Ukraine conflict in pictures
07:33 AM
‘It warms my heart to see Russian tanks blown up – it means our NLAW was a success’
On May 21, 2002, Baron Bach, the UK’s then Minister for Defence Procurement, gave a speech in which he announced the Swedish defence company, Saab Bofors, had won the £400 million British contract for the Next Generation Light Anti Armour Weapon, or NLAW.
“NLAW is an extremely potent man-portable, short-range, fire-and-forget, anti-armour weapon,” Bach told reporters. “It can destroy the most advanced tanks now envisaged, and is highly effective against other military targets such as armoured vehicles and buildings.”
Read the full story from Ed Cumming here
07:32 AM
Russia halts gas supplies to Finland
Russia has stopped providing natural gas to Finland, which has angered Moscow by applying for Nato membership, after the Nordic country refused to pay supplier Gazprom in rubles.
Following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has asked clients from “unfriendly countries” – including EU member states – to pay for gas in rubles, a way to sidestep Western financial sanctions against its central bank.
Gazprom said in a statement Saturday that it had “completely stopped gas deliveries” as it had not received ruble payments from Finland’s state-owned energy company Gasum “by the end of the working day on May 20”.
Gazprom said it had supplied 1.49 billion cubic metres of natural gas to Finland in 2021, equal to about two thirds of the country’s gas consumption.
07:30 AM
Liz Truss: We’ll give Moldova weapons to stop an invasion by Vladimir Putin
Liz Truss has revealed that she wants to send modern weaponry to Moldova to protect it from the threat of invasion by Russia.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the Foreign Secretary said Vladimir Putin was determined to create a “greater Russia” despite defeat in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
Moldova, to the south-west of Ukraine, is not a Nato member and there are fears it could be Putin’s next target after Ukraine as he seeks territorial expansion.
Read the full story from Ben Riley-Smith, Roland Oliphant, and James Kilner here
