Crimean Bridge badly damaged after ‘multiple blasts’ in early hours
Vladimir Putin is “clearly under pressure” in the wake of the Wagner group’s mutiny attempt in June, the head of Britain’s MI6 foreign spy service has said.
In his second speech since becoming chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in 2020, Richard Moore also appealed on Wednesday to Russians appalled by the war in Ukraine to "join hands" with his intelligence service and bring the bloodshed to an end.
He said there appeared little prospect of Moscow regaining momentum in Ukraine, adding he was optimistic about Kyiv’s counter offensive.
This comes after Russia has been evacuating thousands of people in the Crimean peninsula after a fire broke out at a military training base in the Kirovske district.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s port city of Odesa witnessed “hellish” scenes overnight as it sustained more Russian airstrikes, officials said, a day after Vladimir Putin pulled out of a deal to allow safe grain exports from the region.
Authorities were still assessing the scale of damage and casualties from the “very powerful, truly massive” attack, said Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa military administration.