Ukraine destroys Putin command posts as ‘deep divisions’ revealed in army – live

Ukraine is on the brink of a major breakthrough in its counteroffensive against Russia after destroying Kremlin command posts and making gains near Bakhmut, an Estonian intelligence chief has said.

“All this shows that Ukrainians are close to greater success,” Margo Grosberg, of the Estonian Defence Forces, told local broadcaster ERR.

He added that the Ukrainian army is close enough to fire its artillery on Bakhmut and wrest balc control the roads leading in and out of the eastern city.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace has pledged his support for Ukraine after suggesting the invaded country should show “gratitude” for the military support it has been given.

Mr Wallace, who revealed in The Sunday Times he plans to resign at the next Cabinet reshuffle and stand down as an MP at the next election, tweeted a lengthy thread in Ukrainian to clarify his comments.

He had made the remark after Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky branded it “absurd” for Nato to insist there were still conditions for his nation to meet before it can gain membership once the war with Russia is over.

Mr Wallace tweeted: “My comments about how best to support Ukraine caused a lot of interest and were somewhat misrepresented.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said in televised remarks that Russia was living in a “constructed mythology”, after Ukraine was blamed for an alleged plot to kill two Russian jorunalists.

A Moscow court on Saturday issued criminal charges against seven people “motivated by national hatred” to kill two prominent Russian journalists in a Ukrainian-backed plot, Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency said.

Asked about the case in an interview, Podolyak played down its significance, saying the journalists “do not play any important role” in the war, nor in the loss of Russia’s positions on the world stage.

Agreements that the United Nations and Turkey brokered with Ukraine and Russia to allow food and fertilizer to get from the warring nations to parts of the world where millions are going hungry have eased concerns over global food security. But they face increasing risks.

Moscow has ramped up its rhetoric, saying it may not extend the deal that expires Monday unless its demands are met, including ensuring its own agricultural shipments don’t face hurdles.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative has allowed 32.8 million metric tons (36.2 million tons) of food to be exported from Ukraine since last August, more than half to developing countries, including those getting relief from the World Food Program.

Agreements that the United Nations and Turkey brokered with Ukraine and Russia to allow food and fertilizer to get from the warring nations to parts of the world where millions are going hungry have eased concerns over global food security.

In a series of Tweets written in Ukrainian, UK defence secretary Ben Wallace has clarified comments he made earlier this week that the UK is not an “Amazon for weapons”.

“I said that Ukraine sometimes needs to realize that in many countries and in some parliaments there is not such strong support as in Great Britain,” he wrote.

“It was a comment not about governments, but more about citizens and members of parliaments.”

He continued: “I will personally continue to support Ukraine on its path for as long as it takes, but national parliaments often have competing needs and Ukraine and the UK must continue to encourage this strong support, with facts and friendship”.

Read more about the original story below:

The Ukrainian embassy in Sofia said in a statement on Saturday that Kyiv was doing all it can for peace, after President of Bulgaria said on Friday that “Ukraine insists on fighting this war”.

He added that “it should also be clear that the bill is paid by the whole of Europe”.

The embassy added that blaming Ukraine for the war ““is one of the most common supporting theses of Russian propaganda and hybrid warfare in Europe”.

President Radev is known to harbour pro-Russian views. In October last year, when nine Eastern European countries expressed their support for Ukraine joining NATO, Radev refused to join them.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February of 2022. A year-and-a-half later, the fate of the brutal conflict is still top of mind in Washington.

However, these days, the Ukraine war seems to be a central topic once again.

That renewed focus was on full display on Friday at an event hosted by Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News anchor.

Ariana Baio and Josh Marcus report:

While Mike Pence strongly backs continuing US support for Ukraine’s defence, many of his Republican rivals for the White House feel differently.

During a surprise visit to Ukraine on Saturday, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea promised $150m in humanitarian aid in 2023, an increase of $50m on last year.

South Korea has a longstanding policy of not supplying weapons to active conflict zones. But the president also promised equipment including helmets and bullet-proof vests.

Yoon toured Bucha and Irpin, a pair of small cities near Kyiv where bodies of civilians were found in the streets and mass graves after Russian troops retreated from the capital region last year.

He laid flowers at a monument to the country’s war dead.

The recent NATO had its uses for Zelensky – but these were marred by the Ukrainian President having his efforts to join the bloc frustrated, writes Mary Dejevsky.

Read Mary’s full piece here:

Seven people have been accused by Russia of plotting to kill two prominent journalists in an alleged Ukrainian-backed plot.

Five minors and two adults were arrested under the charges, reported Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the most recent arrests. Ukraine has usually in the past has denied involvement in assassinations of pro-war figures inside Russia.

Two prominent pro-war Russian figures, journalist Darya Dugina and military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, have been killed in bomb attacks inside Russia in the past year.

Russia blamed their killings on Ukraine, while Kyiv denied that and portrayed them as evidence of Russian infighting.