UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR LIVE: PUTIN’S FORCES IN ODESA MISSILE ATTACK AS NORTH KOREA WARNS US OVER ‘NEW WORLD WAR’

Key points

• Russia says US responsible for deadly attack on Crimea
• Three injured after Russian missile strike on Odesa
• North Korea offended at increased support for Ukraine from US: ‘New world war'
• Video of Russian soldier’s execution shows ‘pervasive brutal culture’
• UN nuclear body warns against attacks on town near nuke facility

Russia says U.S. programmed and guided missiles which struck Crimea

The Russian foreign ministry said on Monday that missiles used in Sunday’s attack on Crimea had been programmed by United States specialists and guided based on intelligence data from U.S. satellites and a nearby U.S. reconnaissance drone.

The ministry earlier on Monday summoned the U.S. ambassador to tell her that Moscow blamed Kyiv and Washington equally for the deadly attack on the city of Sevastopol in Crimea.

North Korea warns US of ‘new world war’ over support for Ukraine

Top North Korean military officials criticised the United States on Monday for its expanding military assistance to Ukraine and warned of a “new world war”.

North Korea‘s vice minister of defence, Kim Kang Il, said the U.S. sending an aircraft carrier to the Korean peninsula was a “very dangerous” show of force, leaving doors open for North Korea‘s “overwhelming, new demonstration of deterrence,” state media KCNA reported.

A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt, arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan on Saturday to take part in joint military exercises later this month with the host nation and Japan, naval officials said.

Just days after Russian president Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang, Pak Jong Chon, one of North Korea‘s top military officials, said Moscow had the “right to opt for any kind of retaliatory strike” if Washington kept pushing Ukraine to a “proxy war” against Russia.

It could provoke a stronger response from Moscow, and a “new world war”, Pak said, according to KCNA.

Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine invasion comments

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have led criticism of Nigel Farage after the Reform UK leader claimed that the West “provoked” Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It did not stop Mr Farage from doubling down on his comments, originally made in a BBC Panorama interview which aired on Friday night, in a column piece on Saturday afternoon for the Daily Telegraph, claiming that he should “not be blamed for telling the truth about Putin’s war”.

Asked about the remarks during an election campaign visit in London on Saturday, prime minister Mr Sunak suggested Mr Farage was “emboldening Putin”.

Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine comments

Under curfew, Ukrainians mark midsummer with bonfire jumping at a festival with pagan roots

Despite war-time restrictions, Ukrainians marked midsummer with festivals that featured frenetic folk dancing, flower decoration and jumping over bonfires.

The festival of Ivana Kupala on Sunday was held as Ukrainians start their third summer at war, with Kyiv and other cities hit by regular blackouts and remaining under nightly curfew.

An hour’s drive south of the capital, several thousand joined the summer festival, many wearing shirts and dresses embroidered with traditional patterns.

Under curfew, Ukrainians mark midsummer with bonfire jumping at a festival with pagan roots

Three injured after Russian missile strike on Odesa

A Russian missile attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa struck civilian infrastructure and injured at least three people, on Monday morning, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.

The attack damaged a storage facility where some 50 people were working, military and regional authorities said.

The air force said it had prevented one of two cruise missiles launched by Russia from reaching the target.

Mr Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app that two middle-aged men and a 19-year-old boy were taken to hospital.

The air force had warned the city’s residents of the threat of incoming missiles before the explosions sounded.

Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian forces in the 28-month-long full-scale invasion, with many attacks aimed at the city’s port facilities. Russia denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.

With its new pact with North Korea, Russia raises the stakes with the West over Ukraine

Behind the smiles, the balloons and the red-carpet pageantry of President Vladimir Putin‘s visit to North Korea last week, a strong signal came through: In the spiraling confrontation with the U.S. and its allies over Ukraine, the Russian leader is willing to challenge Western interests like never before.

The pact that he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un envisions mutual military assistance between Moscow and Pyongyang if either is attacked. Putin also announced for the first time that Russia could provide weapons to the isolated country, a move that could destabilize the Korean Peninsula and reverberate far beyond.

With its new pact with North Korea, Russia raises the stakes with the West over Ukraine

Ukraine sends over 30 drones into Russia after bombing of Kharkiv leaves 3 dead and dozens injured

Russian authorities said more than 30 drones were shot down over the country’s western regions overnight into Sunday, just hours after a Russian bomb attack on Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv killed three people and left dozens in hospitals.

One of the four aerial bombs hit a five-story residential building on Saturday afternoon, officials said. Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said 41 people were still being treated for injuries.

In a video address following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s partners to bolster its air defenses.

Ukraine sends over 30 drones into Russia after bombing of Kharkiv leaves 3 dead and dozens injured

MoD issue ‘myth-busting’ Nato video after Farage comments on Ukraine invasion

The Ministry of Defence has published a myth-busting video denouncing the idea that Nato is “encircling” Russia, just a day after Nigel Farage doubled down on his claims that the West had “provoked” Vladimir Putin into invading Ukraine.

In a 31-second clip posted on X, formerly Twitter, the MoD’s video presented the idea that “Nato is encircling Russia” as a myth, before writing that Russia is the largest country in the world and that “it is hard to encircle a country with 11 time zones.”

“Only 11 per cent of Russia’s land border is shared with Nato countries,” a message in the video showed.

MoD issue ‘myth-busting’ Nato video after Farage comments on Ukraine invasion

EU has solution to use frozen Russian funds for Ukraine, Borrell says

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday said he would put forward a proposal on how to avoid any member state blocking the use of proceeds from frozen Russian financial funds to support Ukraine.

“We have a legal procedure in order to avoid any kind of blockage,” Borrell said before a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Luxembourg.

Russian strike on Odesa injures three, Ukraine says

A Russian attack on Ukraine‘s southern city of Odesa struck civilian infrastructure and injured at least three people on Monday morning, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.

A 19-year-old boy and two middle-aged men were taken to hospital, Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine‘s interior ministry published pictures of a massive cloud of smoke rising from the site where emergency services were working to put out a fire.

The air force had warned the city’s residents of the threat of incoming missiles before the explosions sounded.

Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian forces in the 28-month-long full-scale invasion, with many attacks aimed at the city’s port facilities. Russia denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.

EU must step up against Russia's hybrid attacks, Lithuania says

The EU has to step up its actions against Russia‘s hybrid attacks, which it is also escalating inside NATO countries, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Monday.

“We have to be very clear what we are going to do about it, and unfortunately I don’t think that we are sending the right message yet,” Landsbergis said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

“Moscow must get a clear message that whenever they escalate they will receive an answer from our side.”

Dagestan attack: 15 police officers and a priest dead after gunmen open fire in Russia

Gunmen opened fire at a synagogue, an Orthodox church, and a police post in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, killing at least 15 police officers and a priest in what seemed to be coordinated attacks on several places of worship in Russia’s southernmost province of Dagestan.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks in the volatile North Caucasus region, according to the region’s interior ministry.

“This is a day of tragedy for Dagestan and the whole country,” Sergei Melikov, governor of the Dagestan region, said in a video published early on Monday on the Telegram messaging app.

15 police officers and a priest dead after gunmen open fire in Russia

Video of Russian soldier’s execution shows ‘pervasive brutal culture’

A video showing a wounded Russian soldier being shot dead by his own side shows the “brutal culture” within the Russian Armed Forces, according to a US-based think tank.

Undated footage was shared on social media platforms over the weekend of a Russian soldier, wounded by a drone strike, motioning to a comrade to help him out. Instead the other soldier, within seconds, kills the wounded soldier with a gunshot at point blank range.

The video suggests the Russian soldier killed his fellow service member instead of attempting to check the soldier’s injury, attempting treatment, taking his identification tags, or attempting a casualty evacuation, the Institute for the Study of War said.

“The attempted or deliberate killing of a fellow soldier is unprofessional, and ISW has observed instances of Russian fragging (the deliberate killing of supervisors) and other anecdotes demonstrative of a callous disregard for the lives of Russia’s own soldiers throughout the war thus far, both within Russia and amongst Russian troops on the battlefield,” it said in its latest assessment,

Fragging is “generally indicative of extremely poor discipline amongst troops, a disconnect between tactical level commanders and their subordinates, as well as a blatant disregard for human life,” it added.

The casualty has not been confirmed by the Russian ministry of defence. The Independent has not verified the time, location and the authenticity of the video independently.

In another incident on Saturday, a Russian military blogger confirmed that commanders of various Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) units are severely mistreating their wounded subordinates and alleged that the 1st DNR Slavic Brigade (1st DNR Army Corps) is holding its own wounded personnel in prison-like conditions in Donetsk City, instead of providing them with the treatment that they require, the ISW said.

“Both the fragging incident and the milblogger claims against the DNR command are indicative of a very poor culture within the Russian military, particularly the command’s disregard for their subordinates and a generally low level of discipline,” it added.

Has Russia just dropped a deadly new 3,000kg glide bomb in Ukraine?

Has Russia just dropped a deadly new 3,000kg glide bomb in Ukraine?

Russian military bloggers slam defence ministry for not preventing attack on Crimea

The Russian defence ministry has been criticised by the country’s own military bloggers over their failure to prevent a deadly strike in occupied Crimea over the weekend.

At least four people were killed and around 150 people were injured on Sunday after five US-supplied missiles hit Crimea’s Sevastopol.

“Several Russian milbloggers criticised Russian authorities for failing to detect and destroy all the missiles before they approached Sevastopol and for failing to build reinforced shelters within walking distance of the beach, specifically comparing the lack of shelters near this beach in contrast to Russia’s efforts to build shelters in Belgorod Oblast near the international border with Ukraine,” said the Institute for the Study of War.

It added that the Russian sources criticised Russian authorities for not using air raid sirens to alert civilians to seek shelter.

Russian forces ‘intensifying’ attack in eastern Ukraine

Russian forces are “intensifying” the tempo of their attacks on the frontline in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, The Institute for the Study of War has said.

Russia says US responsible for deadly attack on Crimea

The Russian defence ministry has blamed the United States for a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula with five US-supplied missiles that killed four people, including two children, and injured 151 more.

It claimed that four of the US-delivered Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, equipped with cluster warheads, were shot down by air defence systems and the ammunition of a fifth had detonated in mid-air.

Russian officials have claimed US specialists had set the missiles’ flight coordinates on the basis of information from US spy satellites, meaning Washington was directly responsible.

“Responsibility for the deliberate missile attack on the civilians of Sevastopol is borne above all by Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, and by the Kyiv regime, from whose territory this strike was carried out,” the ministry said.

Russia had illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and now views the Black Sea peninsula it as a strategically important part of its territory, though most of the world considers it a sovereign and integral territory of Ukraine.

A U.S. envoy visits Hanoi days after Putin, saying US-Vietnam trust is at 'all-time high'

A U.S. envoy visits Hanoi days after Putin, saying US-Vietnam trust is at 'all-time high'

North Korea offended at increased support for Ukraine from US: ‘New world war'

A top North Korean military official warned of a “new world war” and criticised the United States over its expanding military assistance to Ukraine, reported state media KCNA. The Kim Jong-un administration’s top military official underlined North Korea’s support for Vladimir Putin in the war.

Pak Jong Chon, one of North Korea’s top military officials, said Russia has the “right to opt for any kind of retaliatory strike” in a statement carried by KCNA on Monday, adding if Washington kept pushing Ukraine to a “proxy war” against Russia, it could provoke a stronger response from Moscow, and a “new world war”.

He referred to comments by the Pentagon last week that Ukrainian forces can use US-supplied weapons to strike Russian forces anywhere across the border into Russia.

The remarks come even as Russia may have received about 1.6 million artillery shells from North Korea between August last year to January, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. The data from a US security nonprofit C4ADS that shows 74,000 metric tons of explosives moved from Russia’s far east ports to other sites mainly along the borders near Ukraine.

Mr Pak did not acknowledge the military aid given to Russia by North Korea to hit a much smaller Ukraine.

Senior officials of South Korea, the US and Japan condemned “in the strongest possible terms” deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia in a joint statement released by Seoul’s foreign ministry on Monday.

A pact signed between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the Russian leader’s visit to Pyongyang last week commits each side to provide immediate military assistance to the other in the event of armed aggression against either one of them.

Putin’s mutual defence agreement with North Korea has the potential to create friction with China, which has long been the isolated state’s main ally, the top US military officer said on Sunday.

Analysts say that pact would lay the framework for arms trade between the two countries and facilitate their anti-U.S. and anti-West coalition.

Additionally, North Korea will also send construction and engineering forces to Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine as early as next month for rebuilding work, a South Korean cable TV network TV Chosun reported earlier, citing a South Korean government official.

Putin’s best friend routine with Kim Jong-un is a clear and present danger to the West

Putin’s friendship with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is a clear danger to the West

WATCH: Buildings reduced to rubble in Russian bombing on Kharkiv

Kharkiv buildings were reduced to rubble and at least three people were killed in a Russian bombing attack on Ukraine’s second city on Saturday, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

One of four aerial bombs hit a five-story residential building, according to officials.

At least 41 people were being treated in hospital, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

The Ukrainian president urged Ukraine’s allies to bolster its air defences in an address after the attack.

In his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky added that Russian forces had used more than 2,400 guided bombs on Ukrainian targets in June alone, with about 700 aimed at Kharkiv.

Buildings reduced to rubble in Russian bombing attack on Kharkiv

UN nuclear body warns against attacks on town near nuke facility

The UN’s nuclear watchdog has sought a halt to attacks on Enerhodar, a town near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station after drone strikes this week hit two electricity substations serving the area.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made no reference to Ukraine and said the incidents had no affect on the Zaporizhzhia plant’s operations.

But he said the attacks had to stop.

“Whoever is behind this, it must stop. Drone usage against the plant and its vicinity is becoming increasingly more frequent,” Mr Grossi said in a statement on the IAEA website.

“This is completely unacceptable and it runs counter to the safety pillars and concrete principles which have been accepted unanimously.”

The plant’s Russian-installed officials accused Ukraine of staging two drone strikes that destroyed one substation, damaged another and cut power to residents for a time.

Power had been cut to Enerhodar, a few kilometres from the plant, for 16 hours, he said. But neither of the attacks, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, had any impact on the power lines that the nuclear plant uses to keep operating.

We have some more footage of the Russian attack on Kharkiv

Below we have some more footage from the latest Russian glide bomb attack on Kharkiv.

The Putin-Kim bromance is a dangerous liaison

The Putin-Kim bromance is a dangerous liaison

A year ago, Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin challenged the Kremlin with a mutiny

A year ago, Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin challenged the Kremlin with a mutiny

Russian interference in UK general election will likely ramp up dramatically, warns senior US senator

Russian interference in UK election may ramp up dramatically, warns senior US senator

We have some more footage of the Russian attack on Kharkiv

We have some more footage of the Russian attack on Kharkiv

Below we have some more footage from the latest Russian glide bomb attack on Kharkiv.

Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine invasion comments

Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine comments

Russian-American ballerina who was arrested on treason charges after $51 Ukraine donation faces closed-doors trial

American Ksenia Karelina on trial after donating to charity for Ukraine

A Ukrainian author turned soldier has a stark warning for the West: ‘Be prepared for war with Russia’

Ukrainian author and soldier warns the West: ‘War is coming to you’

Ukraine claims three oil refinery strikes inside Russia as Moscow says naval attack thwarted

Ukraine claims three oil refinery strikes inside Russia as Moscow says naval attack thwarted

With its new pact with North Korea, Russia raises the stakes with the West over Ukraine

With its new pact with North Korea, Russia raises the stakes with the West over Ukraine

Ukraine sends over 30 drones into Russia after bombing of Kharkiv leaves 3 dead and dozens injured

Ukraine sends over 30 drones into Russia after bombing of Kharkiv leaves 3 dead and dozens injured

We have some of the latest photos from Ukraine

Below we have some of the latest photos from Ukraine.

Zelensky posts update on second Kharkiv strike in as many days

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has posted an update on X, formerly Twitter, on the situation in the country’s second largest city after it was hit by multiple glide bombs for the second day in a row.

One killed, ten wounded by Russian strikes on Kharkiv, official says

One person was killed and ten others wounded by Russian strikes on Ukraine‘s eastern city of Kharkiv on Sunday, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said.

“The occupiers have conducted strikes on the civilian infrastructure of Kharkiv,” Synehubov wrote on Telegram, adding that the strikes appeared to have been conducted with glide bombs.

Russia has regularly bombed Kharkiv throughout Moscow’s 28-month full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The governor said there were casualties at two separate strike sites in the city, two teenage children among them.

Two of the wounded victims were in a “severe condition”, he added.

Germany’s Scholz says he will keep social agenda in budget deal

Germany’s coalition government will stick to its social agenda and reconcile that with military aid to Ukraine in budget talks due to wrap up next month, chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a television interview on Sunday.

"We will defend the welfare state and develop it further," the head of Europe’s largest economy told public broadcaster ARD.

Germany’s three-way coalition is in negotiations that Scholz has said will be completed by July 3, ahead of a NATO summit on July 9.

"I am confident that we will be able to get the budget on its way in July," he said during an ARD summer interview series with politicians.

ICYMI: A year ago, Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin challenged the Kremlin with a mutiny

On a lazy summer weekend a year ago, Russia was jolted by the stunning news of an armed uprising. The swaggering chief of a Kremlin-sponsored mercenary army seized a military headquarters in the south and began marching toward Moscow to oust the Defense Ministry’s leaders, accusing them of starving his force of ammunition in Ukraine.

Full report:

A year ago, Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin challenged the Kremlin with a mutiny

A US envoy visits Hanoi days after Putin, saying US-Vietnam trust is at ‘all-time high’

A senior U.S. diplomat held talks in Vietnam on Saturday and said that the trust between the two countries was at an “all-time high,” just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s state visit to Hanoi.

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink insisted that his trip was unrelated to Putin’s visit on Thursday. Vietnam had elevated the United States to its highest diplomatic status, comprehensive strategic partner, last year, putting it at the same level as China and Russia.

The elevation of the U.S. ties suggested that Vietnam wanted to hedge its friendships as Western companies look to diversify their supply chains away from China.

Full report:

A U.S. envoy visits Hanoi days after Putin, saying US-Vietnam trust is at 'all-time high'

ICYMI: Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine invasion comments

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have led criticism of Nigel Farage after the Reform UK leader claimed that the West “provoked” Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It did not stop Mr Farage from doubling down on his comments, originally made in a BBC Panorama interview which aired on Friday night, in a column piece on Saturday afternoon for the Daily Telegraph, claiming that he should “not be blamed for telling the truth about Putin’s war”.

Full report:

Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine comments

Russia missile attack on Kyiv region injures two, damages houses, Ukraine says

Two people were injured and scores of residential and other buildings were damaged in a Russian missile attack on the Kyiv region overnight, the head of the region’s state administration said on Sunday.

Of the three missiles launched by Russia, Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed two over the Kyiv region, Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Sunday.

In his statement on the Telegram messaging app, Oleshchuk did not say what happened to the third missile.

Falling debris injured two people who did not require hospitalisation, Ruslan Kravchenko, head of the Kyiv region’s administration, said on Telegram.

Debris also damaged six multi-storey residential buildings and more than 20 private houses, Kravchenko added. In addition, a gas station, a pharmacy, an administrative building and three cars in the region were also damaged.

With its new pact with North Korea, Russia raises the stakes with the West over Ukraine

Behind the smiles, the balloons and the red-carpet pageantry of President Vladimir Putin‘s visit to North Korea last week, a strong signal came through: In the spiraling confrontation with the U.S. and its allies over Ukraine, the Russian leader is willing to challenge Western interests like never before.

The pact that he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un envisions mutual military assistance between Moscow and Pyongyang if either is attacked. Putin also announced for the first time that Russia could provide weapons to the isolated country, a move that could destabilize the Korean Peninsula and reverberate far beyond.

Full report:

With its new pact with North Korea, Russia raises the stakes with the West over Ukraine

Farage has been ‘infected with the virus of Putinism’ - Zelensky

Nigel Farage has been “infected by the virus of Putinism”,  Volodymyr Zelensky has said after the Reform leader suggested the West had provoked Russia into invading Ukraine.

“The virus of Putinism, unfortunately, infects people,” a source in the Ukraine president’s office told the BBC.

Mr Farage doubled down on the comments first made in an interview with the BBC, saying he was the only politician who has been “consistent” and “honest” about the war.

Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have led criticism of Nigel Farage after the Reform UK leader claimed that the West “provoked” Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It did not stop Mr Farage from doubling down on his comments, originally made in a BBC Panorama interview which aired on Friday night, in a column piece on Saturday afternoon for the Daily Telegraph, claiming that he should “not be blamed for telling the truth about Putin’s war”.

Asked about the remarks during an election campaign visit in London on Saturday, prime minister Mr Sunak suggested Mr Farage was “emboldening Putin”.

More here.

Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine comments

Russian lawmaker warns Moscow may change timing for use of nuclear weapons

Moscow may change the timing for use of its nuclear weapons if threats against Russia increase, the RIA state news agency cited Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the Russian lower house’s defence committee, as saying on Sunday.

The former general’s comments follow recent warnings by President Vladimir Putin that Moscow may change its nuclear doctrine, which lays out the conditions in which such weapons could be used.

"If we see that the challenges and threats increase, it means that we can correct something in (the doctrine) regarding the timing of the use of nuclear weapons and the decision to make this use," the agency quoted Kartapolov as saying.

"But of course, it’s too early to talk about specifics now."

Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine

Good morning.

Below are some of the latest photos coming from Chasiv Yar, a small city in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

The city has become a flashpoint on the frontline in recent months as Russian forces look to gain the strategic area, located on high ground.

Russia launched 2,400 guided bombs on Ukraine in June, says Zelensky

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has called for more help to deal with the growing threat of Russian guided bombs after an attack on Kharkiv killed three civilians.

In a nightly video address, the president said Russian forces had used more than 2,400 guided bombs on Ukrainian targets in June alone, with about 700 aimed at Kharkiv.

He said after US Congress gave delayed approval of a big aid package in April, Ukraine's replenished arms supplies had reduced the devastation and frequency of missile attacks and the same had to be done now to fend off these bombs.

"The significant reduction in Russian missile terror against Kharkiv and the region proves it is entirely possible to secure our cities and communities from Russian bombs," he said.

Ukraine, he said, needed promised military aid packages "without delay so that the agreements we reached with (US) president Biden can be realised."

Ukraine and the US signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement this month aimed at bolstering Ukraine's defense against Russia and getting Ukraine closer to Nato membership.

Russia has relied increasingly on relatively inexpensive guided bombs, dropped from a distance and involving fewer risks for its forces.

West ‘provoked’ Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nigel Farage claims

West ‘provoked’ Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nigel Farage claims

Ukraine ‘launches tens of drones on Russian territory'

Ukraine has launched tens of drones overnight targeting several Russian regions but with no reported damage, Russian officials said.

At least 23 drones were destroyed over Russia’s western region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, the governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz, said on Telegram.

Russia’s air defence systems also destroyed drones over the Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, governor of the region in Russia’s west, said on Telegram. It was not immediately clear how many drones were downed.

Sunak accuses Farage of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ with Ukraine comments

Sunak accuses Farage of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ with Ukraine comments

Russia launches air attack on Kyiv

Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region, forcing the engagement of air defence systems to repel the strikes, the mayor of Ukraine’s capital and the broader Kyiv region’s administration said on Telegram.

Witnesses told Reuters they heard several blasts in and around Kyiv that sounded like air defence systems hitting air weapons.

Putin’s best friend routine with Kim Jong-un is a clear and present danger to the West

Putin’s friendship with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is a clear danger to the West

US will move Ukraine to front of line for air defense missile deliveries, White House says

White House will prioritize weapons for Ukraine after new Russia attack

Taiwan says it is learning from Ukraine how a smaller country can stand up to invasion

Taiwan says it is learning from Ukraine how smaller country can stand up to invasion

Russia fires deputy defense minister jailed on bribery charges and extends his arrest

Russia fires deputy defense minister jailed on bribery charges and extends his arrest

A Ukrainian author turned soldier has a stark warning for the West: ‘Be prepared for war with Russia’

Ukrainian author and soldier warns the West: ‘War is coming to you’