Russia-Ukraine war – live: Two children killed in missile strike on Kyiv medical clinic

At least three people, including two children, were killed in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv in the early hours today, officials said.

“Debris of enemy rockets fell on the polyclinic in Desnyan district. The windows in the high-rise building were also blown out,” Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said.

Another 14 were injured, out of which nine people needed hospital treatment. Emergency crews have extinguished fires caused by falling debris at the sites of the strikes.

Officials said Kyiv’s air defences had intercepted all incoming projectiles in the overnight attack, and that the deaths and injuries were caused by falling debris.

This comes after the Russian defence ministry claimed its forces had destroyed what it described as Ukraine’s “last warship” two days ago in the port of Odesa in a missile strike.

Oleh Chalyk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian navy, said he would not respond to any such claims made by Russia.The Ukrainian navy will not disclose any information about losses during the war, he added.

Key Points

• Russia says it has destroyed Ukraine’s ‘last warship’

• Russia won’t negotiate while trying to win Ukraine war, says EU’s Borrell

• One killed and four injured in attacks on Kyiv

• Drones hit several buildings in Moscow – mayor

European summit opens in Moldova with Ukraine war, regional conflicts on agenda

09:55 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at a sprawling summit of some 50 European leaders in Moldova on Thursday, becoming the focal point of an event that seeks to quell regional conflicts and shore up unity in the face of Russia’s war.

The meeting of the European Political Community, a pan-continental gathering of heads of state and government from 47 countries, brings together leaders from European Union nations and others to the 27-member bloc’s south and east — a region pushed to a turning point in its relationship with Moscow by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

The EU, represented at the summit by the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, wants to use the summit to reach out to many Eastern European countries that spent decades either within the Soviet Union or under its immediate sphere of influence, and to bolster the continent’s unified response to Russian aggression.

Justin Spike reports:

European summit opens in Moldova with Ukraine war, regional conflicts on agenda

Russia's nuclear chief: we appreciate IAEA head's work to protect Zaporizhzhia plant

09:11 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The head of Russia‘s state nuclear company Rosatom said on Thursday that he appreciates the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Rafael Grossi to protect the Zaporizhzhia plant, TASS reported.

Interfax quoted the Rosatom boss as saying that Russia was following the principles of Grossi’s safety plan for the Zaporizhzhia plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022, but which remains near the frontline in Ukraine.

Girl and her mother among three killed in Russian strike on Kyiv

08:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

An 11-year-old girl, her mother and another woman were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv early on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine‘s air force said air defences shot down all 10 ballistic and Iskander cruise missiles launched from Russia‘s Bryansk region in the 18th attack on the capital since the start of May.

But falling missile debris often causes damage during such attacks. Police said a medical clinic, kindergarten, residential buildings and cars were damaged, and the Kyiv military administration said three people were killed and 10 hurt.

The city authorities did not say how they were killed but police said the victims included the 11-year-old girl and her mother.

“It is international children’s day. At night, Russia again killed a child in Kyiv,” said Andriy Yermak, chief of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.

“Since 2014, the terrorist country has been committing crimes against little Ukrainians. From February 24, 2022, no one has any doubts - this is a real genocide.”

Russia has denied targeting civilians or committing war crimes but its forces have caused devastation in Ukrainian cities and repeatedly hit residential areas since its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

The Kyiv military administration reported damage in the Desnyanskyi region on the capital’s eastern outskirts as well as Dniprovkskyi district, closer to the centre.

Photographs posted on the Kyiv authorities’ website showed windows blown out in a clinic and nearby apartment buildings.

Other photos posted on social media showed rescue teams attending to residents in buildings, with shattered building materials strewn about on the street. Air raid alerts in Kyiv and in most of eastern Ukraine were in effect for about an hour.An 11-year-old girl, her mother and another woman were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv early on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine‘s air force said air defences shot down all 10 ballistic and Iskander cruise missiles launched from Russia‘s Bryansk region in the 18th attack on the capital since the start of May.

But falling missile debris often causes damage during such attacks. Police said a medical clinic, kindergarten, residential buildings and cars were damaged, and the Kyiv military administration said three people were killed and 10 hurt.

The city authorities did not say how they were killed but police said the victims included the 11-year-old girl and her mother.

“It is international children’s day. At night, Russia again killed a child in Kyiv,” said Andriy Yermak, chief of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.

“Since 2014, the terrorist country has been committing crimes against little Ukrainians. From February 24, 2022, no one has any doubts - this is a real genocide.”

Russian bombardment in Kyiv kills three

08:17 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces began June with a fresh aerial bombardment of Kyiv on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding others, authorities said.

Following up on a reported 17 attacks on the Ukrainian capital in May, mostly using drones, Russian forces hit the capital in the early morning, damaging apartment buildings and a medical clinic. Two of the dead were children, according to city officials.

The toll of injured fluctuated in preliminary reports, but the casualties still were the most from one attack in the past month.

After a woman was killed watching an aerial attack from her balcony earlier this week, Kyiv authorities urged residents to stay in shelters or other safe locations.

Ukraine‘s air defences have become increasingly effective at intercepting Russian drones and missiles, but in some cases the resulting debris causes fires and injuries in buildings and on the ground.

Preliminary indications were that Kyiv’s air defences intercepted all incoming weapons early on Thursday, and that the latest deaths and injuries were caused by falling debris.

On Wednesday, Russian forces carried out three aerial attacks over the south of Kherson region, along with missile and heavy artillery strikes on other parts of the region.

Putin’s war comes home as Moscow faces large-scale drone attack

07:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin has lashed out at Kyiv in the wake of Moscow being targeted by a large-scale drone attack for the first time since its invasion of Ukraine began.

The incident exposes the extent to which Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine 15 months ago has come home to roost. Residents of some of the capital’s most exclusive neighbourhoods woke to the sound of explosions as Moscow and its outskirts came under attack from the drones, which may have numbered close to 30.

The Russian president appeared on state television to decry the attack, blaming Kyiv for trying to “intimidate Russia, Russian citizens”, and claiming that the attacks were focused on “residential buildings”. Mr Putin also admitted that, while Moscow’s air defence had “worked in a satisfactory way”, it was “clear that our task is to plug the gaps” in the system.

Putin’s war comes home as Moscow faces large-scale drone attack

Belgorod governor says eight wounded by Ukrainian shelling

07:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Eight people were wounded by overnight shelling that continued into the morning in the Russian town of Shebekino that damaged multiple buildings, the governor of the local Belgorod region said on Thursday.

In a video posted on Telegram, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said: “In Shebekino district, there is ongoing shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Eight people have been wounded. There are no dead.”

He said that local authorities would evacuate civilians as soon as the shelling was over.

“Of course, the lives of civilians, of the population is under threat. Primarily in Shebekino and in the surrounding villages”, he added.

The Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine‘ Kharkiv region, has come under repeated attack from Kyiv’s territory in recent months. In May, Ukrainian forces briefly seized a number of border settlements before retreating back across the frontier.

Ukraine closer to Nato accession, Russia can’t veto – Stoltenberg

07:05 , Arpan Rai

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed a mutual agreement among all Nato allies that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance.

“All allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against Nato enlargement,” Mr Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of an informal meeting of Nato foreign affairs ministers.

“We are moving, allies agree that Ukraine will become a member,” he said, adding that Nato is helping Ukraine move closer to its membership as the member nations are confident on consensus for moving forward on its accession.

At least 10 short-range ballistic missiles downed over Kyiv, says Ukraine

06:15 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine’s air defence have shot down at least 10 Iskander missiles, the short-range ballistic missiles being deployed by Russia in overnight attacks, officials said.

All Russian aerial targets were shot down during the attack carried out in early hours, according to the preliminary information from Ukraine’s General Staff, reported The Kyiv Independent.

Russian forces hit the capital in the early morning with ground-launched missiles in continuation with reported 17 drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital in May.

Shelling injures five in Belgorod, says Russia

06:05 , Arpan Rai

Five people were left injured in overnight shelling in the Russian town of Shebekino that damaged multiple buildings, a regional governor said today.

Two people were hospitalised as a result of the Ukrainian rocket strike on Shebekino, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

“We are also receiving calls about multiple cases of damage to private residences and apartment blocks, some have had their walls pierced by shells,” he said.

US does not know who is responsible for Russia drone attack, says White House

05:16 , Arpan Rai

The Biden administration does not know who is responsible for a drone attack in Moscow this week, said the White House national security spokesperson John Kirby.

The US does not have “specific information that tells us who is responsible,” Mr Kirby said, adding that the US did not plan to investigate.

Russian missiles kill two children in Kyiv

04:08 , Arpan Rai

At least three people, including two children, were killed in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv in the early hours today, officials said.

The Russian missile struck the Desnyanskyi region on the capital’s eastern outskirts as well as Dniprovkskyi district, closer to the centre, the Kyiv military administration said.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missile hit a medical clinic and of the total 14 injured, nine people needed hospital treatment. Emergency crews had extinguished fires caused by falling debris near the sites of the strikes.

Visuals of the attack showed windows blown out in the clinic and in nearby apartment buildings with shattered building debris strewn on the street.

The impact was from a shot-down cruise or ballistic missiles, the city officials said.

This is the 18th attack on the capital this month.

Authorities claim 27,000 Ukrainian civilians are being held on Russian soil

03:00 , Lucy Skoulding

Ukraine has claimed that 27,000 Ukrainian civilians are being held on Russian soil.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s commissioner for human rights said:“According to our data, more than 27,000 civilian hostages are being held by the Russian Federation.

“This is a huge number of our citizens who are actually held captive by the Russians.”

Asked in a press conference whether there is any news on UNIAN news agency journalist Dmytro Khilyuk, who was captured by the Russians, it was revealed there has been no progress.

The ombudsman said: “Unfortunately, he has not returned to Ukraine yet.

“I will not say that we will return him in the near future. I am used to saying real things”.

Germany shuts 4 out of 5 Russian consulates

02:00 , Lucy Skoulding

Russia has responded to what it called a “provocative” move from Germany to shut four out of five of its consulates by revoking the licences.

It comes after Russia made an announcement that it was going to limit the number of German officials who could be in Russia to 350.

According to Reuters, the foreign ministry of Russia said in a statement: “There can be no doubt in Berlin that these ill-considered, provocative actions will not go unanswered by us.”

Only 500 residents left in Bakhmut

01:00 , Lucy Skoulding

There are only around 500 people left living in Bakhmut, according to the city’s mayor Oleksii Reva.

This is compared with the 70,000 people who lived in the eastern Ukrainian city before the war with Russia.

Bakhmut has been subjected to heavy fighting over the last year, with both Ukraine and Russia claiming they have control of the city.

Dutch prime minister says EU should sanction Russians involved in child abductions

Thursday 1 June 2023 00:00 , Lucy Skoulding

The EU is looking into broadening its sanctions against Russia so they target Russians involved in child abductions from Ukraine.

Dutch prime minsiter Mark Rutte said: “The 11th package of sanctions we are working on includes the option to go after those responsible for child abductions.”

Speaking in a joint conference at The Hague with Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, he added: “That’s something we are working on. The other point of focus is sanction circumvention. Making it possible to go after the people responsible.”

Wednesday 31 May 2023 23:00 , Natalie Crockett

An Iraqi citizen fighting with Russia’s Wagner mercenary group was killed in Ukraine last month, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Wednesday.

Abbas Abuthar Witwit, the first confirmed case of a Middle East native dying in the conflict, died on April 7, a day after arriving at a Wagner hospital in the Russian-controlled, eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, the RIA FAN news site earlier reported.

Much of the fighting for Bakhmut was done by convict fighters, recruited by Wagner from prisons on the promise of a pardon if they survived six months at the front in Ukraine.

Prigozhin told news agency Reuters that Witwit, who he recruited from prison, was wounded in Bakhmut before he died. Prigozhin previously said he had lost 20,000 of his men in the conflict as a whole.

Macron says war crimes trial may have to take back seat as Putin negotiations are priority

Wednesday 31 May 2023 22:00 , Lucy Skoulding

Emmanuel Macron says negotiations with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine may have to take priority over war crimes charges against him.

The French President says it might not be possible to send Putin for a war crimes trial at The Hague because he is the only person the west can negotiate with to end the war.

Delivering a speech in which he tackled a wide range of issues at the EU leaders conference in Moldova, Macron said: “If in a few months to come we have a window for negotiations, the question will be arbitrage between a trial and a negotiation, and you have to negotiate with the leaders you have de facto, and I think negotiations will be a priority … You can put yourself in a position where you say: ‘I want you to go jail but you are the only one I can negotiate with’.”

But President Macron also said that evidence against Russia and its leaders should be gathered and assembled in the meantime.

French President urges NATO to provide ‘Israel-like’ security to Ukraine

Wednesday 31 May 2023 21:00 , Lucy Skoulding

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has urged NATO to provide Ukraine with“tangible and credible” security as it continues to battle Russia.

Speaking at the GLOBSEC Bratislava Global Security Forum, President Macron said: “We have to build something between the security provided to Israel and full-fledged membership.”

He added that Ukraine needed to be helped with “all means possible” because it is “today protecting Europe”.

Watch: Russian soldiers flee after tank struck by Ukrainian drone

Wednesday 31 May 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy

Latest pictures from Russia

Wednesday 31 May 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy

Latest pictures from Ukraine

Wednesday 31 May 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy

ICYMI: New US aid package for Ukraine will total about $300 million and include munitions for drones

Wednesday 31 May 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy

A U.S. military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to be announced this week will total up to $300 million and will include additional munitions for drones, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The drone ammunition comes after new attacks by unmanned aircraft targeted Moscow.

There has been no suggestion that U.S.-made drones or munitions were used in the recent attacks on Moscow, and U.S. officials have repeatedly said that Ukraine has agreed not to use any American-provided weapons for attacks on Russian soil. The Kremlin blamed Kyiv for Tuesday’s attack, but Ukrainian officials had no direct comment.

But the new aid package comes at a tense moment in the war. The latest drone attack on Moscow follows Russia’s seizure of the eastern Ukrainian city Bakhmut after a nine-month battle that killed tens of thousands of people. Ukraine is also showing signs that its long-awaited spring counteroffensive may already be underway.

Read the full story:

New US aid package for Ukraine will total about $300 million and include munitions for drones

Fiancee of Brit who died helping refugees in Ukraine in desperate plea to bring his body back

Wednesday 31 May 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy

The fiancee of a former British soldier who was killed in a car crash in Ukraine has told how she had made a wedding ring on the day she was told of his death.

Louise Lathbury has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for repatriating Julian Thorn’s body from the war-torn nation, hoping to raise £15,000.

Ms Lathbury, originally from Berkshire, said Mr Thorn’s mother and grandfather were also desperate to bring him back to the UK, saying it would mean “everything to bring him back whole”.

Josh Payne reports:

Fiancee of Brit who died helping refugees in Ukraine in plea to bring his body back

Russia’s former president says UK officials are ‘legitimate military targets’

Wednesday 31 May 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy

British public officials are a “legitimate military target” because of the UK’s support for Ukraine, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has warned.

Mr Medvedev, deputy chairman of Vladimir Putin’s security council, claimed the UK’s support for Kyiv amounted to an “undeclared war” against Russia.

His comments came after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Ukraine had the right to “project force beyond its borders” into Russia to resist Mr Putin’s invasion.

David Hughes reports:

Russia’s former president says UK officials are ‘legitimate military targets’

Voices: The drone attack on Moscow is only the beginning

Wednesday 31 May 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy

British and US officials acknowledge privately that Ukraine has carried out secret cross-border operations with rising success, writes Kim Sengupta.

Why Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory are only the beginning | Kim Sengupta

Germany orders Russia to close 4 out of its 5 consulates in tit-for-tat move

Wednesday 31 May 2023 16:30 , Martha Mchardy

The German government said Wednesday that it has told Russia to close four out of its five consulates general in Germany in a tit-for-tat move after Moscow set a limit for the number of staff at the German Embassy and related bodies in Russia.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger told reporters in Berlin that the measure was intended to create a “parity of personnel and structures” between the two countries.

Russia has consulates in Bonn, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich, with Moscow deciding which four they will close and which one they will keep open.

Read the full story:

Germany orders Russia to close 4 out of its 5 consulates in tit-for-tat move

Three injured, including two children, after shelling in Kherson

Wednesday 31 May 2023 16:00 , Martha Mchardy

Three people, including two children, were injured after shelling in the Ukrainian city of Kherson today.

A three-year-old girl was injured, along with another child whose age who not specified, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

According to reports, the three-year-old sustained an injury to the head from glass shards and has been hospitalised.

A 30-year-old man also sustained injuries as a result of shelling, but the extent of his injuries was not revealed.

More than 27,000 Ukrainian civilians being held on Russian territory - Dmytro Lubinets

Wednesday 31 May 2023 15:43 , Martha Mchardy

More than 27,000 Ukrainian civilians are being held on Russian territory, a Ukrainian human rights chief has said.

The Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights Dmytro Lubinets said: “According to our data, more than 27 thousand civilian hostages are being held by the Russian Federation. This is a huge number of our citizens who are actually held captive by the Russians,” Ukrinform reported.

Russia says it has destroyed Ukraine’s ‘last warship’

Wednesday 31 May 2023 14:41 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s defence ministry claimed on Wednesday that its forces had destroyed what it described as Ukraine’s "last warship" two days ago in the port of Odesa in a missile strike.

Ukraine’s navy declined to comment.

"The last warship of the Ukrainian navy, the Yuriy Olefirenko, was destroyed at a warship mooring in the port of Odesa," defence ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a daily briefing on the war.

He said the vessel had been hit with "high-precision weapons" - a phrase he uses to mean missiles - on May 29, but gave no further details.

Oleh Chalyk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian navy, said he would not respond to any assertions made by Russia. The Ukrainian navy will not disclose any information about losses during the war, he added.

Germany to shut down Russian consulates in tit-for-tat move

Wednesday 31 May 2023 13:49 , Matt Mathers

The German government on Wednesday said it would shut down four out of five Russian consulates in the country by revoking their licences, a tit-for-tat move after Moscow’s decision to limit the number of German officials in Russia to 350.

The Russian government would be still be allowed to operate its embassy in Berlin and one general consulate but Germany expects the rest to cease operations by the end of the year, the foreign ministry said.

At the same time, Germany will close its own consulates in Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, leaving only the German embassy in Moscow and the consulate in St Petersburg in operation.

The move by Berlin presents a sharp downgrading of bilateral ties amid a wider collapse in relations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Germany’s foreign ministry accused Moscow of escalating tensions by imposing limits on the number of officials allowed to work in Russia.

"This unjustified decision is forcing the federal government to make very significant cuts in all areas of its presence in Russia," a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said a statement would be issued on the closures of the consulates, according to Russian news agencies.

Prigozhin asks prosecutors to investigate ‘crimes’ by top Russian defence official

Wednesday 31 May 2023 13:21 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s most powerful mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Wednesday that he had asked prosecutors to investigate "crimes" committed by senior Russian defence officials before and during Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Prigozhin has for months openly feuded with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and other top officials, who he has accused of sabotaging Russia’s military via incompetence.

Last week he launched a blistering attack on Vladimir Putin‘s invasion strategy, claiming that Russia could face a revolution similar to 1917 and lose the war in Ukraine unless changes are made by Kremlin leadership.

New US aid package for Ukraine will total about $300 million and include munitions for drones

Wednesday 31 May 2023 13:00 , Matt Mathers

A US military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to be announced this week will total up to $300 million and will include additional munitions for drones, US officials said yesterday.

The drone ammunition comes after new attacks by unmanned aircraft targeted Moscow.

There has been no suggestion that US-made drones or munitions were used in the recent attacks on Moscow, and US officials have repeatedly said that Ukraine has agreed not to use any American-provided weapons for attacks on Russian soil.

The Kremlin blamed Kyiv for Tuesday’s attack, but Ukrainian officials had no direct comment.

But the new aid package comes at a tense moment in the war.

Lolita Baldor and Matthew Lee report:

New US aid package for Ukraine will total about $300 million and include munitions for drones

Drones, bombs and raids: Why Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory are only the beginning

Wednesday 31 May 2023 12:35 , Matt Mathers

British and US officials acknowledge privately that Ukraine has carried out secret cross-border operations with rising success, writes Kim Sengupta.

Read Kim’s full piece here:

Why Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory are only the beginning | Kim Sengupta

Moscow's air defences have room for improvement - Kremlin

Wednesday 31 May 2023 12:06 , Matt Mathers

The Kremlin said on Wednesday Moscow’s air defences were working effectively but had room for improvement, a day after Russia accused Ukraine of conducting its biggest ever drone strike on the Russian capital.

Work will continue on improving Moscow’s air defences, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The comments come a day after several drone attacks on the Russian capital that left two people hurt and caused minor damage to buildings.

Ukraine denied direct involvement in the strikes.

ICYMI: Ukraine has right to ‘project force’ beyond its borders, says James Cleverly

Wednesday 31 May 2023 11:13 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine has the right to “project force” beyond its own borders for self-defence, the UK’s Foreign Secretary has said after reports of a drone attack on Moscow.

James Cleverly’s comments came after he gave a speech in Estonia in which he spoke about deterring Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression by “strengthening our collective security”, and made the case for Sweden to swiftly join Nato.

Martina Bet reports:

Ukraine has right to ‘project force’ beyond its borders, says James Cleverly

Europe's biggest gas supplier says all clear from pipeline security checks

Wednesday 31 May 2023 10:46 , Matt Mathers

Inspections of Norway’s offshore gas pipelines after the Nord Stream blasts found nothing suspicious, an executive at energy major Equinor has said, in the first official word on the security sweep.

However, risks remain after last year’s still-unexplained explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines built to carry Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea, warned Jannicke Nilsson, who manages security for Equinor.

Europe’s largest gas supplier after a drop in Russian flows last year, Equinor also acts as technical service provider for offshore pipelines operator Gassco. It launched the inspections shortly after the explosions on Sept. 26.

"We did find the things that we wanted to check, and when we checked it, it was OK," Jannicke Nilsson, Equinor’s executive in charge of security, safety and sustainability, said in an interview.

The company said inspections had been conducted to identify anything out of the ordinary, like damages, foreign objects or any changes to how the pipelines are covered on the seabed.

Moscow drone attacks will ‘embarrass Kremlin’ - former air vice martial

Wednesday 31 May 2023 10:09 , Matt Mathers

Recent drone attacks in Moscow will have embarrassed the Kremlin, a retired air vice marshall has said.

Sean Bell told Times Radio the strikes, denied by Ukraine, will also have unsettled the population in Russia’s capital.

The drone attacks, which targeted wealthy areas of Moscow - including an suburb where president Putin has a residence - hurt two people and caused minor damage to buildings, Russia said.

More comments from Mr Bell below:

Russia’s former president says UK officials are ‘legitimate military targets’

Wednesday 31 May 2023 09:40 , Matt Mathers

British public officials are a “legitimate military target” because of the UK’s support for Ukraine, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has warned.

Mr Medvedev, deputy chairman of Vladimir Putin’s security council, claimed the UK’s support for Kyiv amounted to an “undeclared war” against Russia.

His comments came after foreign secretary James Cleverly said Ukraine had the right to “project force beyond its borders” into Russia to resist Mr Putin’s invasion.

Full report:

Russia’s former president says UK officials are ‘legitimate military targets’

Russia accuses Washington of encouraging Ukraine in its attacks

Wednesday 31 May 2023 09:05 , Matt Mathers

Washington is encouraging Kyiv by publicly ignoring the drone attack that struck several districts of Moscow on Tuesday, Russia’s envoy to the United States said on Wednesday, after president Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for the strikes.

The White House said it did not support attacks inside of Russia and that it was still gathering information on the incident, which Putin called an attempt to scare and provoke Moscow.

"What are these attempts to hide behind the phrase that they are ‘gathering information’?" Anatoly Antonov, the ambassador, said in remarks published on the Telegram messaging channel.

"This is an encouragement for Ukrainian terrorists."

Putin on Tuesday cast the assault, which brought the 15-month war in Ukraine to the heart of Russia, as a terrorist act. Ukraine also accuses Russia of terrorism for its bombing of Ukrainian civilians, allegations Moscow denies.

A Ukrainian presidential aide denied Kyiv was directly involved in the drone attack on Moscow, but said Ukraine was enjoying watching events and forecast more to come.

Russia’s Medvedev: UK officials helping Ukraine war are ‘legitimate target'

Wednesday 31 May 2023 08:30 , Matt Mathers

Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that Britain was Moscow’s "eternal enemy" and that any British officials who facilitated the war in Ukraine could be considered legitimate military targets.

Medvedev, responding to British foreign secretary James Cleverly’s remark that Ukraine had a right to project force beyond its own borders, said Britain’s "goofy officials" should remember that Britain could be "qualified as being at war".

"The UK acts as Ukraine’s ally providing it with military aid in the form of equipment and specialists, i.e., de facto is leading an undeclared war against Russia," Medvedev said on Twitter.

"That being the case, any of its public officials (either military, or civil, who facilitate the war) can be considered as a legitimate military target."

‘Ukraine drone attack’ sparks fire at oil refinery in southern Russia - Russia

Wednesday 31 May 2023 08:00 , Matt Mathers

A Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia and shelling hit a Russian town close to the border for the third time in a week, damaging buildings and setting vehicles ablaze, Russian officials said on Wednesday.

A day after Russia accused Ukraine of sending drones to attack buildings in Moscow, the governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region said a drone was the likely cause of a fire that broke out at the Afipsky oil refinery.

We’ll have more on this story as it comes in.

Five dead in Ukraine shelling of Luhansk village - Moscow-installed centre

Wednesday 31 May 2023 07:30 , Matt Mathers

Five people were killed and 19 wounded in Ukrainian shelling of a village in the Russian-controlled east Ukrainian region of Luhansk, a Moscow-installed coordination centre said on Wednesday.

The centre said on the Telegram messaging service that Ukrainian forces had used HIMARS rocket launchers to attack a poultry farm in the village of Karpaty.

The claim could not be immediately independently verified. Moscow controls nearly all of the Luhansk region in Ukraine.

There was no immediate response from Ukraine, but Kyiv almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks in Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine or in Russia.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the 15-month long war that Russia launched in February 2022.

Russia seeing little success in countering Ukraine’s improved air defences, says UK MoD

Wednesday 31 May 2023 07:07 , Arpan Rai

Russia has increasingly ceded the initiative in the conflict and is reacting to Ukrainian action rather than actively progressing towards its own war aims since the start of this month, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said today.

It noted that Russia has launched 20 nights of one-way-attack uncrewed aerial vehicle and cruise missile attacks deep inside Ukraine this month.

“Russia has had little success in its likely aims of neutralising Ukraine’s improved air defences and destroying Ukrainian counter-attack forces. On the ground, it has redeployed security forces to react to partisan attacks inside western Russia,” the ministry said.

It added that, operationally, Russian commanders are “likely attempting to generate reserve forces and position them where they believe a Ukrainian counter-attack will occur”.

“However, this has probably been undermined by uncommitted forces instead being sent to fill gaps in the front line around Bakhmut,” the ministry said.

US’s new package worth $300m for Ukraine includes munitions for drones

Wednesday 31 May 2023 06:42 , Arpan Rai

A US military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to be announced today will total up to $300m (£242m) and will include additional munitions for drones, officials said.

The drone ammunition comes after new attacks by unmanned aircraft targeted Moscow, which the Kremlin has blamed on Kyiv.

There has been no suggestion that US-made drones or munitions were used in the recent attacks on Moscow. Additionally, the US officials have repeatedly said that Ukraine has agreed not to use any American-provided weapons for attacks on Russian soil.

The newest package will be munitions for Patriot missile batteries and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), Stinger missiles for the Avenger system, mine-clearing equipment, anti-armour rounds, unguided Zuni aircraft rockets, night vision goggles, and about 30 million rounds of small arms ammunition, said the US officials.

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New US aid package for Ukraine will total about $300 million and include munitions for drones

Russia and Ukraine not willing to protect nuclear plant, fail to align on UN agency’s plan

Wednesday 31 May 2023 05:43 , Arpan Rai

Neither Russia nor Ukraine are committing to respect five principles laid out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi to try to safeguard Ukraine‘s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The situation at Zaporizhzhia is “extremely fragile and dangerous,” the UN nuclear watchdog’s chief said, adding that “military activities continue in the region and may well increase very considerably in the near future.”

Mr Grossi said that the he has tried for months to craft an agreement to reduce the risk of a catastrophic nuclear accident from military activity like shelling at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant.

His five principles included that there should be no attack on or from the plant and that no heavy weapons such as multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems and munitions, and tanks or military personnel be housed there.

Mr Grossi also called for off-site power to the plant to remain available and secure; for all its essential systems to be protected from attacks or sabotage; and for no actions that undermine these principles.

Four killed, 16 injured in shelling in Luhansk, says Russia-backed officials

Wednesday 31 May 2023 05:24 , Arpan Rai

At least four people were killed and 16 injured in shelling by Ukraine in Luhansk region’s Karpaty village, a Moscow-installed local coordination centre said today.

The shelling struck a poultry farm in the village, the centre said.

Russia accuses Washington of encouraging ‘Ukrainian terrorists’

Wednesday 31 May 2023 04:49 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s envoy to the US has blamed Washington for encouraging Kyiv by publicly ignoring the drone attacks on parts of Moscow.

“What are these attempts to hide behind the phrase that they are ‘gathering information’?” Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the US, said in remarks published on Telegram.

“This is an encouragement for Ukrainian terrorists.”

The White House said it was still gathering information yesterday on the incidents but added that it did not support attacks inside of Russia.

While a Ukrainian presidential aide denied Kyiv was directly involved in the drone attack on Moscow, he said Ukraine was enjoying watching events and forecast more to come.

Multiple drones attack Russia’s Krasnodar oil refinery

Wednesday 31 May 2023 04:21 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s envoy to the US has blamed Washington for encouraging Kyiv by publicly ignoring the drone attacks on parts of Moscow.

“What are these attempts to hide behind the phrase that they are ‘gathering information’?” Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the US, said in remarks published on Telegram.

“This is an encouragement for Ukrainian terrorists.”

The White House said it was still gathering information yesterday on the incidents but added that it did not support attacks inside of Russia.

While a Ukrainian presidential aide denied Kyiv was directly involved in the drone attack on Moscow, he said Ukraine was enjoying watching events and forecast more to come.

Russia puts top Ukrainian generals on “wanted list”

Wednesday 31 May 2023 02:01 , Laura Sharman

Russia’s interior ministry has put two of Ukraine’s top generals on a “wanted list”, the state-run RIA news agency said on Tuesday.

On the list is Commander in Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi and Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces.

The articles they are wanted under have not been specified, RIA reported, citing the ministry’s wanted person database.

Deputy Ukrainian defence minister Hanna Maliar dismissed the listings as a failed attempt to demoralise pro-Kyiv forces.

“Putting psychological pressure on commanders who are fighting against an enemy that significantly outnumbers them in terms of personnel and weaponry is pointless,” she wrote in a Telegram post.

No agreement on protecting Russian-held Ukrainian nuclear plant

Wednesday 31 May 2023 01:02 , Laura Sharman

Ukraine and Russia have been urged to safeguard a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, suggesting no agreement is in place to protect it.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi asked both countries to respect five principles to safeguard Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant.

Grossi has tried for months to craft an agreement to reduce the risk of a catastrophic nuclear accident from military activity like shelling at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, which is in southern Ukraine and has been occupied by Russia for more than a year.

His five principles included that there should be no attack on or from the plant and that no heavy weapons such as multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems and munitions, and tanks or military personnel be housed there.