Summary
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy landed in Paris on Sunday ahead of his bilateral talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. “Paris. With each visit, Ukraine’s defense and offensive capabilities are expanding,” Zelensky tweeted as he arrived on Sunday evening at the airbase of Villacoublay southwest of Paris. The French leader’s office said the pair would discuss France’s “support” in responding to “Ukraine’s urgent military and humanitarian needs” during a dinner at the presidential palace.
During his visit to Germany, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was awarded the prestigious Charlemagne prize on behalf of the Ukrainian people on Sunday in honour of services to Europe, the Associated Press reports. Zelenskiy received the award, which honours services to European unification, in the western city of Aachen with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, after the two leaders held talks in Berlin.
Russia has “already lost geopolitically” its war in Ukraine and is transforming into a vassal state of China, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said in an interview with Opinion newspaper published on Sunday. “De facto, it has entered a form of subservience with regards to China and has lost its access to the Baltic, which was critical, because it prompted the decision by Sweden and Finland to join Nato,” said Macron.
Zelenskiy thanked Germany for its support and what he called the largest military aid package since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion as he met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin.
The trip came after the German government announced a new military package worth €2.7bn as Ukrainian forces prepare for a counteroffensive to reclaim territory captured by Russia.
The UK Ministry of Defence said Russian forces were much diminished since the start of the war, with troops consisting of mostly poorly trained mobilised reservists and increasingly reliant on antiquated equipment, with many of its units severely under strength.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy landed in Paris on Sunday ahead of his bilateral talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
“Paris. With each visit, Ukraine’s defense and offensive capabilities are expanding,” Zelensky tweeted as he arrived on Sunday evening at the airbase of Villacoublay southwest of Paris, Agence France-Presse reports.
“The ties with Europe are getting stronger, and the pressure on Russia is growing.”
Paris. With each visit, Ukraine's defense and offensive capabilities are expanding. The ties with Europe are getting stronger, and the pressure on Russia is growing. I will have a meeting with my friend Emanuel and we will talk through the most important points of bilateral…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 14, 2023
Macron shortly afterwards welcomed Zelensky to the Elysee Palace, for the second time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
The French leader’s office said the pair would discuss France’s “support” in responding to “Ukraine’s urgent military and humanitarian needs” during a dinner at the presidential palace.
Zelenskiy arrives in France
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in France ahead of his bilateral talks with French president Emmanuel Macron, Reuters reports.
He was welcomed by the French prime minister and the French foreign minister.
Updated
Zelenskiy to hold talks with Macron on Sunday night over dinner
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will make a surprise visit to Paris for talks on Sunday night with the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
Macron’s office announced the Paris leg of Zelenskiy’s trip, and France dispatched a plane to pick up Zelenskiy in Germany, where he met the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, earlier on Sunday, the Associated Press reports.
Macron’s office said the two leaders will hold talks over dinner and that Macron will “reaffirm France and Europe’s unwavering support to reestablish Ukraine in its legitimate rights and to defend its fundamental interests”.
Updated
During his visit to Germany, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was awarded the prestigious Charlemagne prize on behalf of the Ukrainian people on Sunday in honour of services to Europe, the Associated Press reports.
Zelenskiy received the award, which honours services to European unification, in the western city of Aachen with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, after the two leaders held talks in Berlin.
At the awards ceremony in Aachen town hall, Zelenskiy was met with standing ovation.
“Ukrainians will always make Europe stronger,” Zelenskiy said, addressing a crowd that included the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki.
“Ukraine is proposing a victory not just in this war but a victory over aggression, annexations, deportations over the catastrophe of genocide, anywhere throughout the world,” he said.
Scholz reaffirmed Germany’s support for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU and said that Russian aggression will not deter Ukraine.
“Vladimir Putin may have thought he could force the Ukrainian nation off its path to Europe through violence, but all his tanks, drones and rocket launchers have had quite the opposite effect,” said Scholz.
Updated
Russia has “already lost geopolitically” its war in Ukraine and is transforming into a vassal state of China, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said in an interview with Opinion newspaper published on Sunday, the Associated Press reports.
“De facto, it has entered a form of subservience with regards to China and has lost its access to the Baltic, which was critical, because it prompted the decision by Sweden and Finland to join Nato,” said Macron.
“This was unthinkable just two years ago. So it’s already a geopolitical defeat,” Macron said ahead of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to Paris later on Sunday.
“Let’s be clear, Russia must not win this war militarily. So it’s up to us to see how to help the Ukrainians with their counteroffensive, and how to prepare the issue of security guarantees in the negotiations that will inevitably take place,” he said.
“I’ve always said that in the end, Europe’s security architecture will have to fully defend Ukraine. But it must also envisage non-confrontation with Russia and rebuild a sustainable balance of forces,” he said, adding: “But there are still many steps that must be taken before we get to that.”
Updated
Summary
Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy visited Germany for the first time since the Russian invasion.
Zelenskiy thanked Germany for its support and what he called the largest military aid package since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion as he met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin.
The trip came after the German government announced a new military package worth €2.7bn as Ukrainian forces prepare for a counteroffensive to reclaim territory captured by Russia.
The UK Ministry of Defence said Russian forces were much diminished since the start of the war, with troops consisting of mostly poorly trained mobilised reservists and increasingly reliant on antiquated equipment, with many of its units severely under strength.
President Zelenskiy is set to continue his whistle-stop tour of Europe, with French media reporting that the Ukrainian leader is expected to arrive in France later on Sunday.
Updated
It appears that president Zelenskiy is set to continue his whistle-stop tour of Europe, with French media reporting that the Ukrainian leader is expected to arrive in France later today.
Le Figaro said Zelenskiy would be greeted at the Vélizy-Villacoublay airport in Paris by the French prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, and the foreign minister, Catherine Colonna.
🔴 Guerre en Ukraine : Zelensky attendu à Paris ce dimanche https://t.co/v6hihwHgXR
— Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) May 14, 2023
Updated
Ukraine has recaptured 10 miles around Bakhmut over three days, according to a US thinktank.
#Ukrainian forces continue to counterattack in the #Bakhmut area amid unconfirmed claims of further marginal Ukrainian gains southwest of the city as of May 13.
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) May 14, 2023
Our latest: https://t.co/U1doC4AKmr pic.twitter.com/4bFIXFeB0Q
The Institute for the Study of War said 10.5 square miles were recaptured, while Russian military bloggers said attacks to the west safeguarded Ukrainian access to the city via an important highway.
Updated
After reports that Volodymyr Zelenskiy has plotted attacks inside Russia in private meetings with top military aides (see 11.38), the Ukrainian president has insisted he has no plans to hit targets in Russia.
After talks in Berlin with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, he said:
We are not attacking Russian territory. We are preparing a counterattack to de-occupy the illegitimately conquered territories.
Russia has accused Ukraine of hitting targets inside Russia, including attempting a drone strike on the Kremlin with the aim of killing the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, earlier this month.
Ukraine denies the accusations, but says it has the right to use force and other means to remove Russian forces from its territories.
Updated
Zelenskiy is now heading to the western German city of Aachen, where he and the Ukrainian people will be given the Charlemagne prize – an honour awarded for efforts to foster European unity.
Today, the International Charlemagne Prize of #Aachen will be awarded to @ZelenskyyUa and the People of #Ukraine. 🇺🇦 #karlspreis2023 pic.twitter.com/wwYXP70gYQ
— Karlspreis (@KarlspreisAC) May 14, 2023
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, are also due to attend the ceremony in Aachen, ahead of an EU summit in Reykjavik on Tuesday, followed by the G7 gathering of world leaders in Hiroshima, Japan.
Updated
The Russian Ministry of Defence has reported the death of two of its colonels on 13-14 May in the Bakhmut area.
The Financial Times’ Christopher Hope adds that the Russian colonels were killed by Ukrainian forces in the area of Bakhmut. They were Col Vyacheslav Makarov, commander of the 4th motorised rifle brigade, and Col Yevgeny Brovko, the deputy commander of the army corps for military-political work.
The Russian Defence Ministry said Makarov died on the way to a hospital after being wounded during a fight south of Ivanivske village, to the west of Bakhmut, where Ukrainian forces recaptured land this week. Brovko was killed in shelling and received multiple shrapnel wounds.
Ukrainian forces killed two Russian colonels around Bakhmut: commander of the 4th motorized rifle brigade, Col. Vyacheslav Makarov, and deputy commander of the army corps for military-political work, Col. Yevgeny Brovko, according to a statement from Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 14, 2023
Makarov was fatally wounded during a fight south of Ivanivske village, to the west of Bakhmut, where Ukrainian forces recaptured land this week. He died en route to a hospital. Brovko was killed in shelling and received multiple shrapnel wounds, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 14, 2023
Updated
Zelenskiy thanks Germany in joint press conference with Scholz
President Zelenskiy has held a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin today.
He said that Kyiv and its western supporters could make Russia’s defeat in the war in Ukraine “irreversible” this year.
He also thanked Germany for its military support and said his country would always be grateful to Germany for its support during Russia’s full-scale invasion.
He said:
Now is the time for us to determine the end of the war already this year, we can make the aggressor’s defeat irreversible already this year.
Ukraine is expected to launch spring counteroffensive operations imminently to try to recapture swathes of its east and south territories from Russian forces.
Zelenskiy stressed that while Kyiv would discuss peace initiatives from other states, any proposals had to be based on Ukraine’s position and its peace plan.
He said:
The war is happening on the territory of our country and so any peace plan will be based on Ukraine’s proposals.
Kyiv has previously said it wants to regain every part of its land currently occupied by Russian forces and it will not be willing to make territorial concessions.
Moscow says it controls the Crimean peninsula and four other Ukraine regions: Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk.
You can read our report about Putin’s annexing of those regions in September last year here:
Updated
President Zelenskiy has tweeted his thanks to Germany “for the largest military aid package since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion”.
He stated, in German first and then in English:
German air defense systems, artillery, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles are saving Ukrainian lives and bringing us closer to victory. Germany is a reliable ally! Together we are bringing peace closer!
I thank Germany for the largest military aid package since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 14, 2023
German air defense systems, artillery, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles are saving Ukrainian lives and bringing us closer to victory.
Germany is a reliable ally!…
Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, has posted a short video on Twitter of the security measures in force today in Germany for president Zelenskiy’s visit.
President @ZelenskyyUa is in Berlin today.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 14, 2023
There are unprecedented security measures in the city during his visit.
The whole city center is closed off, there are dozens of police cars.
📹: Radio Svoboda pic.twitter.com/BNfAMMi7Fp
Updated
The Washington Post yesterday reported that in private meetings with top military aides, president Zelenskiy had plotted attacks inside Russia, according to leaks from communications intercepted by US spies.
The Post’s diplomacy and national security correspondent John Hudson said Zelenskiy had discussed occupying Russian villages to gain leverage over Moscow, bombing a pipeline that transfers Russian oil to Hungary, a Nato member, and privately pining for long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia’s borders, per leaked documents.
You can read the story here.
Scoop: Zelensky, in private meetings with top military aides, has plotted bold attacks inside Russia, according to communications intercepted by U.S. spies. The leaks reveal a more aggressive side of Zelensky. W/ @ikhurshudyan https://t.co/4xe0M93JkX
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) May 13, 2023
Updated
Zelenskiy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak has also tweeted that he has been speaking to the US President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, today. He said the pair had discussed the current state of the war and “ensuring unity and support” at the meeting of the G7, which will take place in the middle of May in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
On behalf of President 🇺🇦 @ZelenskyyUa had a phone conversation with President's 🇺🇸 National Security Adviser @JakeSullivan46.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) May 14, 2023
We discussed the current situation on the battlefield with RF, as well as the current actions of the defense forces 🇺🇦 to de-occupy our territories.
Talked about ensuring unity and support 🇺🇦 in confronting Russian aggression during the meeting of the Group of Seven, which will take place in the middle of May in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) May 14, 2023
Yermak also stated that Russia’s econony had to be “destroyed” with sanctions to “make them pay for their crimes”.
🇺🇦's victory is the return of our territories, security guarantees and @NATO membership.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) May 14, 2023
We must become even stronger so that RF has no chance to come back. We must destroy RF's economy with sanctions and make them pay for all their crimes. War criminals will be in The Hague.
Updated
The Kyiv Independent is reporting that an unexploded device left behind by the Russian army has killed five people, after it exploded in Myroliubivka, a village in Kherson Oblast today.
Those killed were between 27 and 68, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said.
⚡Yermak: Mine kills 5 in Kherson Oblast.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 14, 2023
An unexploded device left behind by the Russian army exploded in Myroliubivka, a village in Kherson Oblast, on May 14, killing five people aged between 27 and 68, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak reported.
Updated
The home town of Ukraine’s Eurovision contestants Tvorchi has been attacked a second time, the Ukraine State Emergency Service has said.
Two people were injured by missile strikes on the Ternopil sparking fires which burned until 2.30am.
The SES has said more explosions damaged civilian buildings and cars at 5am.
“There is currently no information about the victims,” it wrote on Telegram.
Rescuers extinguished the fire all night after the russian cruise missile attacks on Ternopil, west Ukraine.
— Ukraine Front Lines (@EuromaidanPR) May 14, 2023
Photos via State emergency service of Ukraine in Ternopil oblast. pic.twitter.com/CoSoaDDJrN
After the first attack, the electro-pop duo said:
Ternopil is the name of our hometown, which was bombed by Russia while we sang on the Eurovision stage about our steel hearts, indomitability and will.
This is a message for all cities of Ukraine that are shelled every day.
Kharkiv, Dnipro, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Uman, Sumy, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kherson and all others.
Europe, unite against evil for the sake of peace. Glory to Ukraine.
These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of May 14, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/TlEZkkwpld
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 14, 2023
UK Ministry of Defence: Russian forces 'increasingly reliant on antiquated equipment'
The UK Ministry of Defence has posted an update on the situation in Ukraine.
It states that while Russian forces retain the same organisational structure to when it invaded Ukraine last February, it is, in fact, a very different military force.
It states that in February 2022 “it consisted of professional soldiers; was largely equipped with reasonably modern vehicles; and had been regularly exercised, aspiring to complex, joint operations".”
Now, however, it says “the force is mostly poorly trained mobilised reservists and increasingly reliant on antiquated equipment, with many of its units severely under-strength. It routinely only conducts very simple, infantry-based operations.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 14 May 2023.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 14, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/OPF8Rnb6qx
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/b1OSqhICHO
Updated
Today is Mother’s Day in Ukraine:
Today is Mother's Day in Ukraine.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 14, 2023
We thank them for their care, love and understanding, and particularly bow our heads before all the mothers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, sending their sons and daughters to defend their country.#MothersDay #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/ZEEuWDbE48
❤️ May 14 is Mother's Day in Ukraine
— Lew Anno Suport #Ukraine 24/2-22 (@anno1540) May 14, 2023
A low bow to the mothers of the Defenders who wait for their children to come home every day.
We grieve with the mothers who experienced the most terrible thing - the loss of a child.
We are proud of mothers who raise children during the… pic.twitter.com/93Zxs9ZemM
For many families in Ukraine, this Mother’s Day will be less of a celebration than a reminder of what war has wrought: death, destruction, and separated families. For women who became mothers during the war, it is all they have ever known. https://t.co/UiDOXbOmxZ
— UNFPA Ukraine (@UNFPAUkraine) May 12, 2023
Even as Russia attacked Kyiv again last night, young people partied and supported the country’s Eurovision entry. David Pratt, Contributing Foreign Editor at the Herald in Scotland
Air raid siren went off short time ago here in Kyiv and last night there were drone attacks . Perhaps Russia wants to spoil the Eurovision fun, if so once again they have badly miscalculated. So many ‘hearts of steel’ here. pic.twitter.com/FA3M8TEO5V
— David Pratt (@foreigncorr1) May 13, 2023
Zelenskiy thanks Germany for support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked Germany for its support as he met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday in his first visit to the country since Russia’s invasion.
Zelenskiy flew on a German government plane escorted over German airspace by fighter jets of the Luftwaffe air force, arriving in the middle of the night.
Reuters reports that Zelenskiy wrote in the guest book of the German presidency:
In the most challenging time in the modern history of Ukraine, Germany proud to be our true friend and reliable ally. Together we will win and bring peace back to Europe.
From Reuters:
Zelenskiy is expected to meet later with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his security cabinet before heading to Aachen in west Germany to receive the prestigious Charlemagne prize in honour of services to Europe.
Germany, which is Europe’s largest economy, faced criticism at the start of the war for what some called a hesitant response, but it has become one of Ukraine’s biggest providers of financial and military assistance.
On Saturday the German government announced 2.7 billion euro ($3 billion) of military aid to Ukraine, its biggest package since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. The country’s leaders pledged to support Kyiv for as long as is necessary.
Zelenskiy hailed this as a “powerful package” in a tweet, indicating that he aimed to discuss weapons supply as well as air defence, reconstruction, Ukraine’s candidacy for membership of the European Union and security with German officials.
Zelenskiy last visited Germany for the Munich Security Council in February last year just before the war broke out.
Germany was constrained in its support for Ukraine at that time both by its energy dependence on Russia and a pacifism rooted in its bloody 20th century history.
This required a major policy upheaval and a shift in mindset that Scholz dubbed a “Zeitenwende” or turn of era, in a landmark speech just days after the war broke out. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Sarah Marsh Editing by David Goodman and Frances Kerry)
Here are some of the latest images coming out of Ukraine:
The G7 and European Union will ban Russian gas imports on routes where Moscow cut supplies off last year, according to the Financial Times.
The decision, to be finalised by G7 leaders at a summit in Hiroshima starting on Friday, will prevent the resumption of Russian pipeline gas exports on routes to countries such as Poland and Germany.
The home town of Ukraine’s Eurovision entry came under fire from Russian missiles during the song contest on Saturday.
Ternopil, the university home town of electronic music duo Tvorchi, was among the places targeted, with local authorities confirming two people had been injured.
The band was performing on stage as air raid sirens rang out across Ternopil and later posted a message of solidarity to their Instagram: “Europe, unite against evil for the sake of peace! GLORY TO UKRAINE!”
For more on this story:
Zelenskiy arrives in Berlin for first visit since Russia's invasion
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy landed in Berlin overnight as he seeks to shore up support from key allies. “Already in Berlin,” Zelenskiy tweeted shortly after midnight on Sunday, arriving from Italy where he met with Italian officials and Pope Francis.
Already in Berlin. Weapons. Powerful package. Air defense. Reconstruction. EU. NATO. Security.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 13, 2023
The trip comes after the German government announced a new military package worth €2.7bn as Ukrainian forces prepare for a counter-offensive to reclaim territory captured by Russia.
According to local media reports, Zelenskiy is expected to meet in the morning with German chancellor Olaf Scholz and president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
He may also head to the western German city of Aachen, which is awarding him and the Ukrainian people the Charlemagne prize – an honour awarded for efforts to foster European unity.
Opening summary
Welcome back to our continuing coverage the war in Ukraine, I’m Yang Tian bringing you the latest.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has landed in Berlin, according to a post on his Twitter feed. “Already in Berlin,” Zelenskiy tweeted shortly after midnight on Sunday after the German government announced a further €2.7bn of military aid to Ukraine, its biggest such package since the Russian invasion.
Russian missiles struck the home town of Ukraine’s Eurovision entry Tvorchi during the song contest. Authorities in Ternopil said the strike had hit warehouses and injured two people.
More details coming shortly. In other key developments:
The Russian news outlet Kommersant reported that two Russian fighter jets and two military helicopters had been shot down on Saturday close to the Ukrainian border. Kommersant said on its website that the Su-34 fighter-bomber, Su-35 fighter and two Mi-8 helicopters had made up a raiding party, and had been “shot down almost simultaneously” in an ambush in the Bryansk region, adjoining north-east Ukraine.
The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, will push other global leaders to pledge more support for Ukraine when he attends international summits next week, according to his office. Sunak will travel to Iceland on Tuesday to meet other European leaders attending a Council of Europe summit.
South Africa’s presidential security adviser said the country was “actively non-aligned” in Russia’s war against Ukraine, after US allegations it had supplied weapons to Moscow led to a diplomatic crisis. Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had spoken to the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and urged him to help implement Kyiv’s peace plan to end the war.
Ukrainian forces have regained at least a kilometre of territory in Bakhmut amid a Russian withdrawal that reflects Moscow’s “severe shortage of credible combat units”, the UK Ministry of Defence has said in an intelligence briefing. It said elements of a Russian brigade withdrew “in bad order” from their positions on the southern flank of the eastern Ukrainian city, the scene of the war’s longest battle.
Japan has expressed concern about Russian and Chinese military cooperation in Asia and believes the two countries are strengthening their joint exercises. Foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said the security situation in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region was indivisible since the war in Ukraine started and that Russia’s invasion had “shaken the very foundation of the international order”.
Russian attacks injured three people in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, the city’s mayor said. The strikes occurred early on Saturday, Oleksandr Sienkevych said on his Telegram channel. Russian forces targeted a factory, also damaging nearby residential buildings, causing fires in three apartments and damaging an educational institution, he said.
A 15-year-old girl was among two people killed while 10 more were injured in a Russian shelling attack, Ukraine’s defence ministry said. The eastern city of Kostyantynivka was targeted by Smerch rocket launchers.
Russian-installed officials in Luhansk have said missiles fired by Ukrainian forces injured six children and a Russian parliamentarian and damaged two disused factories in the eastern Ukrainian region’s main city, about 100km (60 miles) behind the frontlines.
An unidentified object that entered Polish airspace from the direction of Belarus was probably an observation balloon, Poland’s defence ministry said on Saturday. A spokesperson for Poland’s territorial defence force said a search for the object was under way.
Police in the Russian city of St Petersburg have created an anti-drone unit after a suspected attack on the Kremlin last week. The unit was launched on Tuesday during the annual second world war Victory Day celebrations on St Petersburg’s Palace Square, the city’s interior ministry said.
The UN nuclear watchdog chief, Rafael Grossi, plans to present an agreement with Russia and Ukraine on protecting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to the UN security council this month, indicating a deal is close, four diplomats have said. Grossi has been trying for months to secure an agreement to reduce the risk of a catastrophic accident from shelling at the Russian-occupied nuclear power station, Europe’s biggest.
