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Russia-Ukraine war – live: Kremlin claims militants have struck border with heavy shelling

Russia-Ukraine war – live: Kremlin claims militants have struck border with heavy shelling

Russia says it has repelled an attempted attack on its border with Ukraine by “pro-Ukrainian militants”, while heavy shelling and a suspected drone attack forced some civilians to flee the area.

The defence ministry in Moscow said its forces saw off three cross-border attacks near the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region, and it accused Ukraine of using "terrorist formations" to try to target Russian civilians.

Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions, blaming Russian volunteer fighters opposed to Moscow’s regime.

The Kremlin said president Vladimir Putin was being regularly briefed on the situation at the border and noted that Western powers had refrained from condemning the attacks on Russian territory that it blamed on Ukraine.

The Russian Volunteer Corps, a far-right paramilitary group of ethnic Russians that supports Ukraine, said it was fighting on Russian territory.

Meanwhile, a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl, her mother and another woman were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on Thursday after the air raid shelter they rushed to failed to open.

President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed frustration at the tragedy and said if local officials were unable to provide protection, they could be prosecuted.

Key Points

  • Russian mercenary boss slams army 'clowns' as he marks birthday at training camp

  • Russian missiles kill two children in Kyiv

  • At least 10 short-range ballistic missiles downed in overnight attacks, says Ukraine

  • Shelling injures five in Belgorod, says Russia

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

  • Drones hit several buildings in Moscow – mayor

Russia says Ukraine hit western regions in overnight attacks

10:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Several regions in western Russia were hit by shelling and drones on Friday in overnight attacks from Ukraine, but no one was injured, local officials said in posts on the Telegram messaging app.

The governor of Russia’s western Bryansk region said Ukrainian forces had shelled two villages close to the Ukrainian border, while the governor of the neighbouring Kursk region said some buildings had been damaged in an overnight drone attack.

Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions and says they are conducted by Russian volunteer fighters.

Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Friday at least one incident of shelling had been reported overnight in the Shebekino district, and over 2,500 people were being evacuated from the area.

US to offer to keep nuclear arms curbs until 2026 if Russia does same

10:30 , Eleanor Noyce

The United States on Friday will offer to abide by the nuclear weapons limits set in the New START treaty until its 2026 expiration if Russia does the same, in order to bolster global security, two senior administration officials said.

U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan will make the offer in a speech to the Arms Control Association, the oldest U.S. arms control advocacy group, the officials said on Thursday on condition of anonymity.

Sullivan will say President Joe Biden’s administration is open to resuming unconditional talks with Moscow on managing nuclear dangers, including replacing New START with a new pact, the sources said.

He also will repeat that the U.S. is ready to begin a risk reduction dialogue with China, which is expanding its nuclear arsenal, a call that Beijing so far has rejected amid deep strains with Washington.

“When political relations are at a low, when tensions are high, we find that arms control and nuclear risk reduction to be most important and we would argue that we find ourselves in that moment today,” said one official.

Man strips naked on Vatican church altar in protest over Ukraine war

10:20 , Eleanor Noyce

An unidentified man stripped naked on the main altar of St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City to protest Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The man had an inscription painted on his back which read that children in Ukraine should be saved.

The incident took place on Thursday just before the church was to be closed, Reuters reported.

According to a source, the Vatican guards later handed over the man to the Italian police.

He also reportedly had self-inflicted wounds and cuts on his back from his fingernails.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports:

Man strips naked on Vatican church altar in protest over Ukraine war

Russian-installed official says Ukraine hit 'hospital camp' in Zaporizhzhia region

10:00 , Eleanor Noyce

A Russian-installed official said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had hit a “hospital camp” in the region of Zaporizhzhia, without providing details.

“Information about casualties and damage is being clarified,” Russian-installed official Vladimir Rogov said on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reported attack. Zaporizhzhia is one of four regions in Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed.

Vivek Ramaswamy to call for end to US support for Ukraine and Nato exit from Eastern Europe

09:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur and anti-woke asset manager turned Republican presidential hopeful, has a plan for ending Russia‘s year-and-a-half war on Ukraine – sort of.

The 38-year-old political newcomer will unveil what he describes as a plan to bring the brutal conflict to a close by halting American support for Kyiv and “negotiating a peace treaty with Russia that achieves a vital US security objective: ceasing Russia’s growing military alliance with China”.

In remarks to be delivered on Friday in New Hampshire to the Belknap County GOP Lincoln Day, Mr Ramaswamy will say his plan is the mirror-image approach of the late US president Richard Nixon’s effort to break up the Soviet Union’s alliance with the People’s Republic of China, citing what he describes as Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s status as “the new Mao”.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Vivek Ramaswamy to call for end to US support for Ukraine

Kyiv defenses thwart Russia's 6th air assault in 6 days against Ukraine capital

09:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian air defenses shot down more than 30 Russian cruise missiles and drones in Moscow‘s sixth air attack in six days on Kyiv, local officials said Friday.

The Ukrainian capital was simultaneously attacked from different directions by Iranian-made Shahed drones and cruise missiles from the Caspian region, senior Kyiv official Serhii Popko wrote on Telegram.

A 68-year-old man and an 11-year-old child were wounded in the attack, with private houses, outbuildings and cars sustaining damage from falling debris, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.

A recent spate of attacks on the capital has put strain on residents and tested the strength of Ukraine’s air defenses while Kyiv officials plot what they say is an upcoming counteroffensive to push back the Kremlin’s forces 15 months after their full-scale invasion. Kyiv was the target of drone and missile attacks on 17 days last month, including daylight attacks.

Moscow’s strategy could backfire, however, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

Susie Blann reports:

Kyiv defenses thwart Russia's 6th air assault in 6 days against Ukraine capital

UN warns of new threat to global food security after Russia limits Ukraine grain shipments

08:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Warning of a new threat to global food security, the United Nations said Thursday that Russia is limiting the number of ships allowed to pick up Ukrainian grain at Black Sea ports in its campaign to get Kyiv to open a pipeline for a key ingredient of fertilizer to get to world markets.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed serious concern that only 33 ships departed from Ukrainian ports in May, half the number compared to April, and exports of grain and other foodstuffs totaled just 1.3 million metric tons last month, less than half the amount of the previous month.

He said Russia informed the center in Istanbul coordinating the arrivals, departures and inspections of ships involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative “of its decision to limit registrations in the port of Yuzhny as long as ammonia is not exported, and currently it’s not.”

UN warns of new threat to global food security after Russia limits Ukraine grain shipments

US retaliates for Russia's suspension of New START treaty by revoking visas of nuclear inspectors

08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Biden administration is retaliating for Russia’s suspension of the New START nuclear treaty, announcing Thursday it is revoking the visas of Russian nuclear inspectors, denying pending applications for new monitors and canceling standard clearances for Russian aircraft to enter U.S. airspace.

The State Department said it was taking those steps and others in response to Russia’s “ongoing violations” of New START, the last arms control treaty remaining between the two countries, which are currently at severe odds over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The United States is committed to full and mutual implementation of the New START treaty,” it said. “Consistent with that commitment, the United States has adopted lawful countermeasures in response to the Russian Federation’s ongoing violations of the New START treaty.”

US retaliates for Russia's suspension of New START treaty by revoking visas of nuclear inspectors

Zelensky salutes ‘powerful support’ from allies at Moldova summit – as he increases pressure over jets

08:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a summit of more than 40 European leaders in Moldova, where he said he had received “powerful support” from his allies as he sought to ratchet up the pressure on the West to provide weapons and security guarantees for Ukraine.

In what has become a familiar refrain for Mr Zelensky, the president spoke of the need to overturn Russian air supremacy with a “sky shield” – a combination of Patriot missile defence systems and F-16 jets provided by Western nations.

While his allies have talked a good game, Mr Zelensky will know that speed is important – given both the barrage of Russian missiles and drones that are hitting Ukrainian cities, and the preparations being made for a long-awaited counteroffensive to try to retake land occupied by Russian forces in the country’s east and south.

Zelensky salutes ‘powerful support’ from allies at Moldova summit

Two long-range drones hit west Russian towns overnight - governor

07:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Two long-range drones attacked fuel and energy infrastructure in Russia‘s western Smolensk region overnight on Friday, but no injuries or fires were reported, the region’s acting governor said.

He said the attacks hit the towns of Divasy and Peresna near the region’s capital Smolensk, some 270 km (168 miles) from the Ukrainian border, but did not say who was responsible.

The incident comes a day after the governor of Russia‘s Belgorod region said Ukraine‘s armed forces shelled the border town of Shebekino, setting alight a dormitory and damaging an administrative building.

Ukraine denies it is responsible for attacks within Russian territory.

Ukraine says it downed more than 30 missiles and drones

07:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian forces in the capital, Kyiv, said on Friday they shot down more than 30 Russian missiles and drones overnight and two people were injured by falling debris, before authorities lifted air raid alerts across most of the country.

Russia has launched about 20 separate missiles and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities since the beginning of May.

Kyiv military authorities, writing on Telegram, said Russia had launched drones and cruise missiles at the same time.

“According to preliminary information, more than 30 air targets of various types were detected and destroyed in the airspace over and around Kyiv by air defence forces,” they said in a statement.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who earlier reported two separate waves of attacks, wrote on Telegram that there had been no calls for rescue services.

Ukraine‘s military said Russia had launched 15 missiles and 18 drones.

Kyiv region authorities said two people were injured as a result of falling debris, including a child.

“In addition, the falling debris damaged five private houses,” the state administration said on the Telegram messaging service.

Ukraine regularly says its defences destroy the majority of the missiles and drones Russian forces use in their attacks.

 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Armenia is not Russia's ally, PM claims

06:52 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia is not Russia’s ally in its war on Ukraine.

“This has never been said out loud, but I think it shows: in the war with Ukraine, we are not an ally of Russia. And our feeling from this war, from this conflict is anxiety, because it directly affects all our relations” Mr Pashinyan said in an interview with CNN.

“In the West, they notice that we are an ally of Russia, they notice this more. And in Russia, they see that we are not their ally in the war with Ukraine. And it turns out that we are not an ally to anyone in this situation, which means we are vulnerable.”

Russia attacks Ukraine with 15 cruise missiles, 18 drones in overnight aerial attack

06:20 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Russia attacked Kyiv overnight with 15 cruise missiles and 18 Iranian-made Shahed drones in its latest attack on the capital, Ukrainian authorities said.

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Facebook that all the drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defences.

Earlier, Kyiv reported that more than 30 Russian drones were shot down overnight on 2 June.

“Unfortunately, the attacks have killed and wounded civilians, including children. Also, a children’s clinic, apartment buildings, private houses, and other civilian infrastructure have been damaged,” Kyiv said.

“The likelihood of missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains high.”

Man strips on the altar of St Peter’s Basilica to protest Ukraine war

06:05 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A man visiting St Peter’s Basilica yesterday reportedly took off his clothes and stood naked on the church’s main altar, a Vatican source was quoted as saying by Reuters.

It appeared that the man was protesting the war in Ukraine.

The unidentified man had an inscription painted on his back calling for the children of Ukraine to be saved.

The source said that the man had self-inflicted wounds and cuts on his body from his fingernails.

He was later handed over to the Italian police by the Vatican guards.

Russian authorities claim drone attacks in the city of Kursk

05:50 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Russia claimed that several Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight in the city of Kursk in the western part of the country.

Kursk Oblast governor Roman Starovoyt wrote in a Telegram post: “Tonight the air defence system near Kursk shot down several Ukrainian drones.”

Kyiv has, however, neither denied nor confirmed the drone strike.

A day before, Mr Starovoyt claimed that “drone munition” had been dropped on a substation in the village of Gogolevka in Kursk Oblast, resulting in power blackouts, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron say Ukraine needs security guarantees from Nato members

05:33 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor and France’s Emmanuel Macron both emphasised the necessity of security guarantees for Ukraine over Nato membership status.

Speaking at the second European Political Community Summit [EPC] in Moldova yesterday, Mr Scholz said that Ukraine and its allies are still “very far away” from any kind of peace agreement and added that the security guarantees for Ukraine should take precedence over Nato membership, Reuters reported.

“Given the current situation, it is not about establishing membership ... We all have to focus on how we as individuals can support Ukraine,” he said.

“They must be designed in such a way that they give Ukraine the security it needs against the danger of being attacked, that they also stabilise Ukraine at the same time, ... and of course, it is always part of the security guarantee that it is taken seriously.”

Mr Macron also said that he favoured “stronger, concrete very clear security guarantees” for Ukraine by Nato members.“We have to give a long-term perspective to Ukraine.”

Russia claims it thwarted three cross-border attacks in Belgorod

05:02 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Russia’s defence ministry claimed that it thwarted three cross-border attacks near the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region.

“Overall, the attack involved up to 70 militants, five tanks, four armoured vehicles, seven pick-up trucks and a Kamaz truck,” the Russian defence ministry said yesterday evening.

The ministry claimed to have killed more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers.

Russia has lost more than 200,000 troops since the beginning of invasion, Kyiv authorities claim

04:34 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Russia has lost about 208,000 troops since the beginning of the invasion, according to Ukraine.

Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that this was more than the 170,000 Russian forces he says were involved in the initial invasion in 2022.

Meanwhile, Sky News reported that Russia has suffered over 60,000 casualties as of 1 June in its assault on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Last month, Russia declared its success in capturing Bakhmut after approximately a year-long battle.“We judge that capturing Bakhmut has likely cost Russia at least 60,000 casualties in that Bakhmut-Popasna sector over the course of the year-long battle,” it reported citing a Western official.

Yesterday, Russia shelled Ukraine’s position in Bakhmut at least 476 times, according to Mr Cherevatyi.“We are doing everything to exhaust their logistics — we are hitting the accumulation of equipment and personnel, headquarters.”

US to stop giving Russia some New START nuclear arms data

04:21 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The United States has decided to stop providing Russia with some notifications required under the New START arms control treaty — including updates on its missile and launcher locations.

In a fact sheet on its website, the State Department said it would also stop giving Russia telemetry information — remotely gathered data about a missile’s flight — on launches of US intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

The move is aimed to reiterate Moscow’s “ongoing violations” of the accord, Reuters reported.

The New START treaty was signed in 2010 by then-presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev and limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. The agreement envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.

“Beginning 1 June 2023, the United States is withholding from Russia notifications required under the treaty, including updates on the status or location of treaty-accountable items such as missiles and launchers,” the State Department factsheet said.

Kyiv authorities lift air raid alerts and claim 30 Russian missiles and drones were downed

04:02 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Authorities in Ukraine today lifted air raid alerts across most of the country, it was reported.

Officials in Kyiv said defences downed more than 30 missiles and drones fired by Russia.

“According to preliminary information, more than 30 air targets of various types were detected and destroyed in the airspace over and around Kyiv by air defence forces,” military officials said in a statement shared on Telegram.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, who earlier reported two separate waves of attacks, wrote on Telegram that there had been no calls for rescue services.

Reminder: Fresh Russian bombardment of Kyiv kills at least three

02:50 , Jane Dalton

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

Two of the dead were children, according to city officials:

Fresh Russian bombardment of Ukraine's capital kills at least 3 people, wounds others

Revealed: Life inside the notorious Russian jail holding a US journalist

01:40 , Jane Dalton

For decades, Lefortovo prison, where American journalist Evan Gershkovich is being held, has been a symbol of oppression and control in Russia.

Testimony from inmates, lawyers and prison monitors say it is designed to instil fear, isolation and despair, with psychological pressure that defines the torment of prisoners:

The notorious Russian jail holding US journalist Evan Gershkovich

Brazilian leader hopes to broker peace talks

Friday 2 June 2023 00:30 , Jane Dalton

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has reiterated his country’s criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but said he has been trying to remain neutral so he could broker potential peace talks.

After a meeting with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto in Brasilia, Mr Lula said he was looking to create conditions for both countries to engage in peace negotiations to “stop the war when they are ready”.

“Brazil is working with other countries to achieve peace but nothing will happen until Ukraine and Russia want to,” Mr Lula said, adding that he had recently discussed the theme with other leaders including Chinese president Xi Jinping.

Grain exports have halved, says UN

Thursday 1 June 2023 23:15 , Jane Dalton

The United Nations is concerned about the continuous slowdown of the implementation of a Black Sea grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine, a spokesman said.

Only 33 vessels left Ukrainian ports in May, less than half the number seen last month.

He said the UN would engage with the parties toward full resumption of the deal.

Ukraine says the export deal has been halted again because Russia blocked registration of ships to all Ukrainian ports.

Zelensky increases pressure on allies for jets

Thursday 1 June 2023 22:20 , Jane Dalton

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said he received “powerful support” from allies at a summit of more than 40 European leaders, but he ratcheted up the pressure on Western allies to provide weapons:

Zelensky salutes ‘powerful support’ from allies at Moldova summit

‘Pro-Ukrainian militants’ attack Russian border

Thursday 1 June 2023 21:30 , Jane Dalton

Russia says it has repelled an attempted incursion along its border with Ukraine by what it casts as pro-Ukrainian militants, while heavy shelling and a suspected drone attack prompted a partial evacuation of the area by civilians.

Ahead of an expected Ukrainian counter-offensive in the 15-month war, Russia has come under repeated attack in recent days.

Russia’s defence ministry said it repelled three cross-border attacks on Thursday near the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region, and it accused Ukraine of using “terrorist formations” to try to attack Russian civilians.

“The selfless actions of Russian servicemen repelled three attacks by Ukrainian terrorist formations,” the Russian ministry said. “No violations of the state border were allowed.”

Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions into Belgorod and says they were conducted by Russian volunteer fighters.

A drone image released by Freedom of Russia Legion, which opposes the Russian regime, shows what they claim is a destruction of Russian military targets near Shebekino (via REUTERS)
A drone image released by Freedom of Russia Legion, which opposes the Russian regime, shows what they claim is a destruction of Russian military targets near Shebekino (via REUTERS)

Opinion: Moscow drone attack highlights threat to Putin

Thursday 1 June 2023 20:45 , Jane Dalton

It’s not impossible that senior officials gagging for more firepower, Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and other paramilitary groups could garner enough support among a disaffected Russian population to organise a rebellion against the Russian leader, writes Mary Dejevsky:

The drone attack on Moscow imperils Putin like never before | Mark Dejevsky

In pictures: Ukraine prepares for counteroffensive

Thursday 1 June 2023 19:45 , Jane Dalton

Servicemen of the newly created National Guard unit train in the Kharkiv region (AP)
Servicemen of the newly created National Guard unit train in the Kharkiv region (AP)
Recruits of the Offensive Guard assault brigade attend a combat training in Kharkiv (REUTERS)
Recruits of the Offensive Guard assault brigade attend a combat training in Kharkiv (REUTERS)

Girl, 9, and mother killed in Kyiv as air raid shelter stays shut

Thursday 1 June 2023 19:00 , Jane Dalton

A nine-year-old girl, her mother and another woman were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on Thursday after the air raid shelter they rushed to failed to open, witnesses said.

Police opened a criminal investigation into the three deaths near a medical clinic in the Desnyanskyi district of Kyiv after the 18th attack on the capital since the start of May.

“Three people, one of them a child, died near the clinic last night,” Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

“A rocket fragment fell near the entrance to the clinic four minutes after the air alert was announced. And people headed for the shelter.”

Local residents said people were unable to enter the shelter because it was closed. It was not clear why.

“The air alert sounded. My wife took our daughter and they ran to the entrance here,” local resident Yaroslav Ryabchuk told Reuters. “The entrance was closed, there were already maybe five to 10 women with children.

“No one opened up for them. They knocked loudly enough.

“They tried to enter the shelter, [but] no one opened up for them. My wife died,” he said.

The case caused a public outcry and prompted calls for residents to check shelters and report any safety violations. Local media said prosecutors later searched city administration offices as part of the investigation into the deaths.

At a makeshift memorial for the girl, another parent who was woken by the night-time attacks spoke of her terror.

“I grabbed my child and ran into the corridor because I didn’t have any other options. We sat there the whole time, there were a few more explosions,” said 25-year-old Oleksandra, visiting the memorial with her five-year-old son Hryhoriy.

‘At least 60,000' Russian troops killed in Bakhmut

Thursday 1 June 2023 18:15 , Jane Dalton

Russia has suffered at least 60,000 casualties in its attempt to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a western official has said.

They also said that overall Russian casualties are “well over 200,000” and there are indications the anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive could begin within weeks.

Earlier this month, Russia claimed to have captured Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine, after about a year of fighting.

A western official said: “We judge that capturing Bakhmut has likely cost Russia at least 60,000 casualties in that Bakhmut-Popasna sector over the course of the year-long battle.”

They said it was a “conservative estimate” for the number of Russian casualties on that area of the front, and on the estimated breakdown of killed to wounded they said: “I think we would say at least a third killed.”

They reiterated what a number of observers have said in describing Bakhmut as “not strategically significant” in terms of the wider conflict.

Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato, says Sunak

Thursday 1 June 2023 17:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine’s “rightful place” is in Nato, Rishi Sunak has said.

The Prime Minister is in Moldova for a gathering of European leaders, with his comments coming after a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kyiv has long called for Ukraine to be admitted to Nato, but allies are divided about when and how any accession might happen as the war with Russia continues.

Mr Sunak, speaking to broadcasters at the European Political Community summit, gave little further detail of the UK position on the Ukrainian path to membership.

The gathering, on the border of Ukraine, comes ahead of a key meeting of Nato leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July.

Dominic McGrath reports:

Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato, says Sunak

Newsmax branded ‘incompetent hacks’ for using images of Iowa building collapse in Russia drone strike report

Thursday 1 June 2023 17:00 , Eleanor Noyce

The far-right network Newsmax has come under fire for using images from a building collapse in Davenport, Iowa, in a report about a drone strike in Moscow, Russia.

The six-storey building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon, with city officials now saying that they’re evaluating if further searches for survivors can safely be conducted as the building is at risk of toppling.

Five people are unaccounted for following the collapse, with Mayor Mike Matson saying on Tuesday that officials think two of them may still be in the building, according to CNN.

On Wednesday, Newsmax featured harrowing images of the collapse as host Greta Van Susteren delivered a report on a “disturbing” drone attack in Moscow, Russia, according to Media Matters. In doing so, the network could lead viewers to believe that the drone strike caused the destruction seen in the photo thousands of miles away.

The drone strike was the first to hit a civilian area in Russia since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

Newsmax uses images of Iowa building collapse in report on drone strike in Moscow

Russia, China foreign ministers set for BRICS meet in South Africa with war in Ukraine on agenda

Thursday 1 June 2023 16:30 , Eleanor Noyce

The Russian and Chinese foreign ministers were set to meet with their counterparts from the BRICS economic bloc of developing nations in South Africa on Thursday for discussions that will start with “an exchange of views” on major geopolitical issues, including the war in Ukraine, South Africa’s ambassador to the bloc said.

Most of the BRICS countries differ sharply from the position of the U.S. and its Western allies on the war. Speaking ahead of the meeting, the South African ambassador referred to the West’s military aid to Ukraine as one of the things that “fuels the conflict.”

“Any endeavor that fuels the conflict does not solve the problem,” Anil Sooklal said when asked for his reaction to Western “attempts” to transfer weapons to Ukraine.

“We do not know of any global conflict that has been solved though war,” Sooklal said. “All it does is cause more pain and suffering and, as BRICS countries, this is what we are saying: Let’s focus on finding a peaceful resolution to the challenges, rather than fueling the conflict.”

Gerald Imray reports:

Russia, China foreign ministers set for BRICS meet in South Africa with war in Ukraine on agenda

Administration building burns in Russian border town 'hit by Ukrainian missiles'

Thursday 1 June 2023 16:00 , Eleanor Noyce

A fire burned in a Russian border town on Thursday, 1 June, as Russian officials reported shelling by Ukrainian forces.

Footage shows an administration building on Lenin Street in Shebekino, Belgorod, up in flames.

Belogrod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that five people were injured on Thursday morning.

“Ukrainian armed forces fired Grad missiles at the center and outskirts of the city,” he said.

Ukraine did not immediately comment on the reports.

It comes after Ukrainian officials reported that a mother and her 11-year-old daughter were among three people killed in a Russian attack on Kyiv on Thursday.

Taiwan donates $5 mln towards rebuilding Ukraine with Lithuania

Thursday 1 June 2023 15:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Taiwan has donated five million dollars towards Lithuanian-led reconstruction projects in Ukraine, a Lithuanian government investment agency said on Wednesday.

The funds will be spent towards rebuilding a school in Borodianka and a kindergarten in Irpin, Central Project Management Agency said in a statement.

Lithuanian government has spent 9.8 million euros ($9.2 million) towards the rebuilding, and the Taiwanese contribution will be used to purchase educational equipment.

“Taiwan sees Ukraine as our own image in a different continent. We both face authoritarian regimes which do not shy from using force to impose its world view”, Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roy Chun Lee said introducing the donation in Vilnius.

“If one day Taiwan is facing an increased level of military intimidation from China, we will be looking for your assistance as well, just as we are helping Ukraine“, he added.

In 2022 China downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania, and told multinationals to sever ties with Lithuania or face being shut out of the Chinese market, after the opening of a representative office by Taiwan in Vilnius.

In response, the European Union launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization, accusing China of discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania that it says threaten the integrity of the single market. The challenge was joined by the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

China views self-ruled and democratically governed Taiwan as its territory and has stepped up pressure on countries to downgrade or sever their relations with the island.

Details of Ukraine’s future security guarantees remain to be decided, NATO chief says

Thursday 1 June 2023 15:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine‘s security must be guaranteed when the war ends, but NATO allies still have to work out the details of how to arrange this, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

“When the war ends we must ensure we have a framework in place to ensure it is not a pause in Russian actions against Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said following an informal meeting of NATO countries’ foreign ministers in Oslo.

“We need to stop the vicious circle of aggression against Ukraine. Details of how that can be done remain to be decided.”

Russia says it seeking third suspect over war blogger killing

Thursday 1 June 2023 14:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian investigators said on Thursday they were seeking a third suspect over the April 2 killing of popular pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in an explosion at a cafe in St Petersburg.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messenger app, the Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said that Roman Popkov, a Ukraine-based Russian journalist who was previously a leader of Russia’s banned ultranationalist National Bolshevik Party, was wanted on terrorism and explosives charges.

Tatarsky, a native of eastern Ukraine‘s Donbas whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had been addressing an event in the cafe when the blast occurred. Russian officials later said a bomb had been hidden inside a statuette given to him as a gift during the event.

Russian officials have previously named Russian citizen Darya Trepova and Ukrainian national Yury Denisov as suspects in the killing.

Trepova, an anti-war and feminist activist, was arrested on April 3, while Denisov is believed to be still in Ukraine. Trepova has been charged with terrorist offences.

Trepova’s husband told independent Russian media outlets he believed she had been framed and had not known the statuette she had been told to deliver contained explosives.

In its statement, the Investigative Committee said Popkov had exchanged messages with Trepova over social media and had given her “instructions regarding the preparation of the terrorist act”.

At French Open, Sabalenka of Belarus refuses to answer questions about war in Ukraine

Thursday 1 June 2023 14:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Aryna Sabalenka, a Belarusian tennis player seeded No. 2 at the French Open, declined to answer questions about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after she won a match on Wednesday.

After her first-round win Sunday, Sabalenka had said no Russian or Belarusian athletes support the war, but she was asked Wednesday to personally condemn Belarus’ role in supporting Russia’s invasion.

“I’ve got no comments to you,” the Australian Open champion said in a press conference after her 7-5, 6-2 victory over Iryna Shymanovich in the second round at the Grand Slam tournament.

Sabalenka’s first-round opponent, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, had urged reporters to ask the 25-year-old Sabalenka if she personally supports or opposes the war.

Sabalenka was asked — in the context of potentially becoming the world’s No. 1 player — about whether she supports Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

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At French Open, Sabalenka of Belarus refuses to answer questions about war in Ukraine

Ukraine says Russia has blocked Black Sea grain export deal again

Thursday 1 June 2023 13:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine‘s ministry of renovation and infrastructure said on Thursday the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain export deal had been halted again because Russia had blocked registration of ships to all Ukrainian ports.

“The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul has announced that it is impossible to draw up an inspection plan for June 1 due to another unjustified refusal of the Russian delegation to register the incoming fleet for participation in the Initiative,” the ministry said on Facebook.

Russia did not immediately comment on the status of the wartime initiative, intended to provide safe Black Sea grain exports.

Thursday 1 June 2023 13:00 , Eleanor Noyce

NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has called for a framework of security guarantees for Kyiv designed to stop Russia from again taking military action against the country.

Other allies such as Germany and Luxembourg stressed the risks should NATO rush to let Kyiv join.

“NATO’s open door policy remains in place, but at the same time it is clear that we cannot talk about accepting new members (who are) in the midst of a war,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

Luxembourg’s Jean Asselborn warned NATO’s mutual assistance clause meant the alliance would enter the war with Russia if it accepted Ukraine as a member while the fighting goes on.

Ukraine‘s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at a meeting of more than 40 European leaders in Moldova, reiterated Kyiv’s readiness to join NATO.

NATO squabbles over speedy accession of Ukraine as decisive summit looms

Thursday 1 June 2023 12:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Moscow cannot stop Ukraine from becoming a NATO member, the alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, as divisions among allies about the speed of Kyiv’s accession became apparent only weeks before a decisive mid-July summit in Vilnius.

“All allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against NATO enlargement,” Stoltenberg told reporters as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Oslo, seeking to dispel any signs of discord ahead of the summit.

“We are moving, allies agree that Ukraine will become a member.”

NATO agreed in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually join the alliance but leaders have so far stopped short of taking steps, such as giving Kyiv a membership action plan, that would lay out a timetable for bringing Ukraine closer to the military pact.

At the Vilnius summit, NATO leaders aim to send a strong message of support to Kyiv. But with only six weeks to go, pressure is building for allies to find common ground on what exactly to offer Ukraine.

While Kyiv and its closest allies in eastern Europe call for concrete steps to bring Ukraine closer to membership, Western governments such as the United States and Germany are wary of any move that might take the alliance closer to war with Russia.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Kyiv had suffered two invasions while waiting for an answer from NATO for 14 years.

“It is high time that we actually sit down and find a very concrete answer as to how Ukraine is going to move closer to NATO and when they become a member of the alliance,” he said.

His call was echoed by his Estonian counterpart who urged allies to offer Kyiv a clear path into NATO and provide it with strong security guarantees after the war, in order not to leave any “grey zones” for Russia to exploit.

“Ukraine needs to get a clear path, and the next steps, on how to enter NATO,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.

Biden approves a new $300M military aid package for Ukraine

Thursday 1 June 2023 12:00 , Eleanor Noyce

President Joe Biden has approved a new package of military aid for Ukraine that totals up to $300 million and includes additional munitions for drones and an array of other weapons. It comes as Russia has continued to pummel Ukraine’s capital and unmanned aircraft have targeted Moscow.

U.S. officials have said there is no suggestion that U.S.-made drones or munitions were used in the Moscow strikes, which the Kremlin blamed on Ukraine but Kyiv has not acknowledged. The Biden administration has said it has made clear to Ukraine that U.S.-made weapons should not be used for attacks inside Russian territory.

Aamer Madhani and Lolita C. Baldor report:

Biden approves a new $300M military aid package for Ukraine

Visiting Moldova, Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready for NATO membership

Thursday 1 June 2023 11:30 , Eleanor Noyce

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a trip to Moldova on Thursday that Ukraine was ready to be in the NATO military alliance, and that Kyiv was waiting for the bloc to be ready to admit his country.

He also reiterated Ukraine’s desire to join the European Union after arriving in Moldova, which borders Ukraine, for a summit bringing together more than 40 European leaders.

The summit is intended to show support for both countries as Kyiv prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion.

“We support Moldova and its people who are integrating into the EU. You supported our people, our refugees who fled in the first days of the war, and we will never forget it,” Zelenskiy said, standing beside Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

“Our future is in the EU. Ukraine is ready to join NATO,” he said.

The European Political Community summit is being hosted by Moldova at a castle about 20 km (12 miles) from Ukrainian territory.

Russian mercenary boss slams army 'clowns' as he marks birthday at training camp

Thursday 1 June 2023 11:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s most powerful mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said his Wagner group would fight on in Ukraine if his men got a separate section of the front without having to depend on “clowns” who ran swathes of the Russian armed forces.

Celebrating his 62nd birthday on Thursday at a training camp, Prigozhin also confirmed that his men would finally leave the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on June 5 after handing it to the Russian army. The Wagner mercenaries captured the devastated city in late May after months of grinding warfare.

“If the whole chain (of command) is 100% failed and will only be led by clowns who turn people into meat, then we will not participate in it,” said Prigozhin, known for his blunt, often expletive-laced commentary on the conduct of the war.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” he said to Russian reporters with a smile, gazing at a night sky lit up with blasts and red flares against bursts of automatic gunfire from his mercenaries.

Governor of Russia's Belgorod: Ukraine shelled border town with Grad rocket system

Thursday 1 June 2023 10:40 , Eleanor Noyce

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces had shelled the border town of Shebekino using Soviet-era Grad rocket systems, setting one residential building in the town ablaze.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said the attacks had also damaged the local administration building and injured a resident.

Earlier Gladkov had reported heavy shelling overnight by Ukrainian forces, saying this had resulted in eight people being wounded and led to the evacuation of local residents.

South Africa mulls options on ICC arrest warrant for potential visitor Putin

Thursday 1 June 2023 10:30 , Eleanor Noyce

South Africa is mulling its options over an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin should he accept an invitation to a BRICS summit in August, a South African government official said.

A member of the ICC, South Africa would theoretically be required to arrest Putin under the warrant issued in March by the court, which accused him of the war crime of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine.

Moscow denies the allegations. A senior Russian official also poured cold water on the idea of moving the summit to China.

South Africa had on Jan. 25 already invited Putin to the Aug. 22-24 meeting in Johannesburg of BRICS leaders of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

“There has been no firm decision,” said Zane Dangor, director-general of the department of international relations, adding that ministers assigned to the matter would soon meet to consider a report setting out the options.