Ukraine war – live: Putin’s troops launch fresh strikes after Kyiv’s Crimea Bridge ‘attack’

Russia has carried out preventive strikes after what Moscow called a Ukrainian “terrorist attack” that damaged the Crimean Bridge, president Vladimir Putin said on Saturday. A Russian couple was killed and their 14-year-old daughter was wounded last week in what Moscow said was a Ukrainian attack that knocked out the road part of the bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. His comments come after Kyiv ‘s forces are set to enter Crimea ‘soon’, the head of Ukraine ‘s intelligence directorate has said. Speaking to Ukrainian news site TSN, Kyrylo Budanov said troops could begin their military operation to liberate Crimea shortly, although he did not give a specific timeframe. Crimea is a key target of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which appears to be ramping up after months of slow progress. It comes as one person died and five were injured in a Russian rocket attack on an education facility in the northeastern city of Sumy on Saturday night, Ukraine’s interior ministry said. Key Points Russia carried out preventive strikes after attack on Crimean bridge, Putin claims Ukrainian forces set to enter Russian-occupied Crimea ‘soon’, says top defence official Zelensky moves Christmas to 25 December At least 9 injured in missile attack in Dnipro, Ukrainian military official says Russia carried out preventive strikes after attack on Crimean bridge – Putin claims Saturday 29 July 2023 23:08 , Matt Drake Russia has carried out some preventive strikes after what Moscow called a Ukrainian ‘terrorist attack’ that damaged the Crimean Bridge, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday. A Russian couple was killed and their 14-year-old daughter wounded last week in what Moscow said was a Ukrainian attack that knocked out the road part of the bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russia’s President Putin attends a press conference in St Petersburg (via REUTERS) Russia says it brought down three Ukrainian drones attempting to attack Moscow 07:36 , Stuti Mishra Russia’s defence ministry said it had brought down three Ukrainian drones in the early hours today that had been trying to carry out what it called “a terrorist attack” on Moscow. Nobody was hurt and there was only minor damage to the façade of two office buildings in the Moskva-Citi business district, Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow’s mayor, said. The area, several miles from the Kremlin, is known for its modern high-rise towers. The fact that hostile drones have in recent months begun reaching the heart of the Russian capital, even if they do not inflict serious damage, is uncomfortable for the authorities who have told the public that Russia is in full control of what they call its “special military operation” against Ukraine. “There were no casualties or injuries,” Mr Sobyanin said in a short statement on the incident. The defence ministry said two drones had crashed in the Moskva-Citi district after being brought down using radio-electronic equipment. Air defences had shot down one more in the air over the Odintsovo area in the Moscow region, it said. “On the morning of 30th July, an attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime using unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in the city of Moscow was foiled,” the ministry said in its statement. Saudi Arabia to host a Ukrainian-organised peace summit in August, official says 07:00 , Stuti Mishra Saudi Arabia will host a Ukrainian-organised peace summit in early August seeking to find a way to start negotiations over Russia’s war on the country, an official said Saturday night, according to Associated Press. The kingdom and Kyiv did not immediately acknowledge the planned talks. The summit will be held in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as no authorisation had been given to publicly discuss the summit. Those taking part in the summit will include Ukraine, as well as Brazil, India, South Africa and several other countries, the official said. A high-level official from US president Joe Biden’s administration also is expected to attend, the official said. Planning for the event is being overseen by Kyiv and Russia is not invited, the official said. Moscow airport shut after drone attack 06:00 , Stuti Mishra A drone attack in Moscow damaged two office blocks, its mayor said early morning today. Russia’s government officials alleged the attack was carried out by Ukraine. The drone attack led to an airport in the Russian capital reportedly closed to traffic. ‘Facades of two city office towers were slightly damaged. There are no victims or injured,’ Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin posted on Telegram, AFP reported. Russia does not reject African proposal of peace talks, Putin claims 05:00 , Stuti Mishra Russian president Vladimir Putin said an initiative by African countries could be a basis for peace amid the war on Ukraine but claimed attacks from Kyiv made a cessation of hostilities ‘virtually impossible’. Mr Putin was addressing a press conference yesterday after holding a meeting with African leaders in St Petersburg and listening to their calls for Moscow to take steps ahead with their plan. ‘There are provisions of this peace initiative that are being implemented. But there are things that are difficult or impossible to implement,’ he said. He said the ceasefire was one of the points in the African initiative. ‘But the Ukrainian army is on the offensive, they are attacking, they are implementing a large-scale strategic offensive operation… We cannot cease fire when we are under attack,’ he said. Ukrainian commandos train in UK for special exercises 04:00 , Matt Drake Ukrainian special forces have received training on Dartmoor in Britain. According to the Sunday Express, 2,000 soldiers arrived in a remote location for specialist exercises. Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov confirmed forces would enter Crimea ‘soon’. The operation will involve airstrikes we well as strikes on land and sea with Ukrainian commandos using technology to undermine and paralyse Russian troops. Russian diplomat claims US position is blocking possibility of peace talks 03:00 , Matt Drake Maria Zakharova said the US’ position against Russia is blocking the possibility of peace talks on Ukraine. Moscow’s foreign ministry spokeswoman told TASS that the Ukraine conflict is extremely profitable for the US. Speaking at the Russia-Africa Summit, she said: “This is a principled stance by the US administration which not simply thinks about but made it its mission – the necessity of not simply achieving results but a strategic defeat of our country on the battlefield.” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends the plenary session of the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg (TASS Host Photo Agency/AFP via G) 02:00 , Matt Drake Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russia did not seek to seize property and that the country was friendly to partners who did not want to leave. He was speaking at a press conference after meeting African leaders in St Petersburg on Friday. Russia’s President Putin attends a press conference in St Petersburg (via REUTERS) 01:00 , Matt Drake Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 from Jan. 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it. The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to ‘abandon the Russian heritage,’ including that of ‘imposing the celebration of Christmas’ on Jan. 7, and cited Ukrainians’ ‘relentless, successful struggle for their identity’ and ‘the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays,’ fueled by Russia’s 17-month-old aggression against the country. Last year, some Ukrainians already observed Christmas on Dec. 25, in a gesture that represented separation from Russia, its culture and religious traditions. The law also moves the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15 from July 28, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine to Oct. 1 from Oct. 14. Ukrainian soldiers fired UK-donated AS90 self-propelled artillery guns to mark the end of their training in south-west England Sunday 30 July 2023 00:00 , Matt Drake Uniformed troops wearing ear defenders blasted rounds into the air as Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag was pictured flying above one of the artillery units on Thursday. British Army instructors taught the 72 Ukrainian army personnel how to operate and maintain the guns when in combat, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The photos were taken at the end of their seven-week training course and the troops will soon return home. More than 1,000 UK service personnel have been involved in running the programme, taking place at MoD sites across the North West, South West and South East, as part of the UK Government’s support for Ukraine following its invasion by Russia in February 2022. Ukrainian artillery recruits undergo a live fire training exercise on the AS90 155mm self-propelled gun (Getty Images) Russian rocket hits Sumy in north Ukraine, one killed, Kyiv says Saturday 29 July 2023 23:50 , Matt Drake A Russian rocket attack killed one civilian and injured five more in the northeastern city of Sumy late on Saturday, Ukraine’s interior ministry said. ‘During the evening of July 29, an enemy missile hit an educational institution,’ the ministry said on Telegram. ‘At least one civilian was killed and 5 civilians were wounded.’ Russian forces crossed into the Sumy region shortly after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, but Ukrainian forces took back control of the region a few weeks later. Ukraine’s national police posted video on Telegram showing one person being carried away in a stretcher, a building in rubble and trees splintered. Russian companies will get more profit thanks to withdrawal from Black Sea grain deal, Putin claims Saturday 29 July 2023 23:00 , Matt Drake Russian companies will get more profit thanks to Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal as grain prices have risen, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday. The president added that Russia will share the profit with the poorest countries thanks to free delivery of its grain. Putin claimed that Russian companies will benefit more from Moscow withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal (AP) Saturday 29 July 2023 22:00 , Matt Drake Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to December 25 from January 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it. The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to ‘abandon the Russian heritage,’ including that of ‘imposing the celebration of Christmas’ on January 7, and cited Ukrainians’ ‘relentless, successful struggle for their identity’ and ‘the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays,’ fueled by Russia’s 17-month-old aggression against the country. Last year, some Ukrainians already observed Christmas on December 25, in a gesture that represented separation from Russia, its culture and religious traditions. The law also moves the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15 from July 28, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine to October 1 from October 14. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas day (AP) Putin said Russia did not reject talks on Ukraine Saturday 29 July 2023 21:33 , Matt Drake Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russia did not reject talks on Ukraine and that an African peace initiative as well as a Chinese one could be a basis for peace. He added that there were no serious changes and no intensification of actions on the Ukrainian front for now. He was speaking at a press conference after meeting African leaders in Moscow on Friday. Putin claimed Ukraine had lost 415 tanks and 1,300 armoured vehicles since June 4. Reuters could not verify the numbers cited by Putin. He also said that it was hard to implement a ceasefire when the Ukrainian army was on the offensive. Putin was speaking at a press conference after meeting African leaders in Moscow (TASS Host Photo Agency) Guinea embassy staff member wears Vladimir Putin shirt Saturday 29 July 2023 21:00 , Matt Drake A staff member was pictured wearing a shirt with the Russian president’s face on it at a summit in St Petersburg yesterday. Lama Jacques Sevoba was seen taking selfies with people while wearing the controversial item of clothing. Guinean embassy staff member Lama Jacques Sevoba, left, wearing a T-shirt with images of Russian President Vladimir Putin poses for a photo (AP) Saturday 29 July 2023 20:00 , Matt Drake Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister said Saturday. Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference that the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland. Poland is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and it has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border. Ukrainian president Zelenskyy shares message on anniversary of Russia crime Saturday 29 July 2023 19:30 , Matt Drake Mr Zelenskyy tweeted on the year anniversary of the Olenivka prison attack. Around 50 people were killed after Ukrainian prisoners of war being held in the facility were hit by a blast. Kyiv accused Russia of intentionally destroying it to cover up its ill-treatment of them. Speaking on Twitter, he said: “Let every loss of Russia be retribution for its evil and let every occupier, every Russian murderer, all those responsible for this terror against Ukraine and Ukrainians know – while they are still alive – that justice wins. Ukraine will win.” Saudi Arabia to host Ukraine peace talks Saturday 29 July 2023 19:00 , Matt Drake Saudi Arabia announced that it will host peace talks among Western countries, Ukraine and key developing countries including India and Brazil next month. It comes as Europe and Washington Intensify efforts to consolidate international support for Ukraine’s peace demands, the Wallstreet Journal reported. The meeting would bring senior officials from up to 30 countries to Jeddah on Aug 5 and 6. Saudi Arabia announced it will host Ukraine peace talks (SPA/AFP via Getty Images) Saturday 29 July 2023 18:28 , Matt Drake Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the bo