Putin’s troops ‘in bad order’ after being forced from Ukraine’s Bakhmut – live

Russian forces have withdrawn from their positions on the southern flank of Bakhmut operations in bad order over the last four days, Britain’s defence ministry said on Saturday.

The withdrawal has seen Ukrainian forces regain at least a kilometer of territory, Britain said in a daily intelligence bulletin.

“The area has some tactical significance because it was a Russian bridgehead on the western side of the Donets-Donbas Canal, which marks the front line through parts of the sector,” the intelligence update said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met Pope Francis in the Vatican, after Italy pledged its full support for Kyiv in its defence against the Russian invasion.

“It is a great honour,” Mr Zelensky said, putting his hand to his heart and bowing his head as he greeted the 86-year-old Pope, who stood with a cane.

In a 40-minute meeting, Mr Zelensky asked the Pope to back Kyiv’s peace plan, and the pontiff indicated the Catholic state would help in the repatriation of Ukrainian children taken by Russians.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke to his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday and urged him to help implement Kyiv’s peace plan to end the war with Russia.

Mr Zelensky made the remarks in a video address from Rome, a day after Mr Ramaphosa spoke to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The two talked about “the peace formula, about justice, and about how our world should be united by the rules of international law”.

“Anyone who helps the aggressor with weapons will be an accomplice with all consequences,” Mr Zelensky said during his evening address.

South Africa has positioned itself as neutral in the conflict.

Footage appears to show a helicopter being shot down in Russia, amid claims that multiple military aircraft have been downed in Bryansk, in what would mark a humiliating blow for Moscow.

Five houses were damaged and a civilian was hospitalised as a result of the helicopter crash, said the governor of Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders northeastern Ukraine, after social media footage showed an aircraft bursting into flame and plummeting to the ground on Saturday.

Shortly afterward, state-backed Russian news agency Tass reported that a Su-34 fighter bomber had also crashed in Bryansk, citing a source in the emergency services.

A nationwide air raid alert was announced just before 4am today as local authorities reported explosions in Kherson and Sumy oblasts.

Ukraine’s presidential office head Andrii Yermak urged citizens not to ignore air raid sirens, according to reports.

The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, made a surprise cameo in the Eurovision Song Contest with a powerful display of support for Ukraine.

The TV broadcast of the event, which was held in Liverpool, opened with a performance by last year’s Ukrainian winners, Kalush Orchestra.

The UK – who came second in the 2022 competition thanks to Sam Ryder’s show-stopping performance of “Spaceman” – hosted Eurovision this year on behalf of Ukraine, who are unable to do so due to the country’s ongoing war with Russia.

South Africa’s presidential security adviser said on Saturday 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 this week.

The US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said on Thursday he was confident a Russian ship under U.S. sanctions had collected weapons from a base near Cape Town in December. Senior US officials had “profound concerns” about South Africa not respecting its professed policy of non-alignment, he added.

Speaking after leading a delegation on a US visit last month, Sydney Mufamadi, security advisor to President Cyril Ramaphosa, emphasised the policy of neutrality in the conflict.

“We need to explain that we indeed are actively non-aligned as far as the conflict is concerned,” Mr Mufamadi told an online briefing.

British prime minister Rishi Sunak will push other global leaders to pledge more support for Ukraine in its defence against the Russian invasion when he attends international summits next week, his office said on Saturday.

Mr Sunak, looking to bounce back after heavy losses for his Conservative Party in local elections last week, will travel to Iceland on Tuesday to meet other European leaders attending a Council of Europe summit.

In addition to the war in Ukraine, efforts to strengthen Europe’s borders will also form part of Sunak’s discussions in Reykjavik.

He will then travel to Tokyo to announce a defence and technology collaboration with Japan, before meeting leaders of other Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies in Hiroshima, starting on Friday.

At the G7 summit, Sunak will again push for more assistance for Ukraine as it prepares for escalating military action against Russia, Downing Street said.

Britain on Thursday became the first country to start supplying Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, which will allow its forces to hit Russian troops and supply dumps deep behind the front lines.

Volodymyr Zelensky met Pope Francis at the Vatican earlier for talks in which the Ukrainian president shared his plan for peace with the Catholic leader.

Mr Zelensky also said he spoke to the pontiff “about the tens of thousands of deported [Ukrainian] children.” Writing later on Twitter he said: “We must make every effort to return them home.”

Watch footage of their meeting below:

Former Eurovision contestants in Liverpool and Ukraine joined together for an emotional performance of You’ll Never Walk Alone that brought audience members to tears.

The international song contest was held in Liverpool this year on behalf of last year’s winner, Ukraine, which could not safely play host due to the Russian invasion.

The final act of the grand final before the vote closed was The Liverpool Songbook – a celebration of the host city’s contribution to the world of pop music.