Ukraine-Russia war – live: Kyiv breaks through Putin’s defences in ‘surprise raid’ across Dnipro River

Ukrainian forces broke through some of Russia ‘s defensive lines after launching a surprise raid across the Dnipro River as monitors of Moscow ‘s full-scale invasion reported clear signs of a major battle. The Dnipro River divides liberated Ukrainian territory on one bank and Russian-occupied land on the other, and for months it has served as part of the front line in southern Ukraine . Up to seven boats, each carrying up to six troops, arrived on the Russian-occupied bank, apparently under the cover of darkness, and advanced 800m, the Russian military bloggers said. Blogger Trinadtsatyi, posting on the Telegram messaging app to more than 150,000 followers, said a number of Russian soldiers were allegedly killed or taken captive during the raid. Images circulating on social media appeared to show captured soldiers. This latest surprise raid appears to be the most significant since the launch of a similar operation by Ukraine ‘s 73rd marine special operations unit. Key Points Russia claims two Ukrainian drones downed near Moscow New Wagner ‘tent city’ being built 15 miles from Belarus-Ukraine border, Kyiv group claims Ukraine detains woman accused of spying on Zelensky for Russia Independent TV: Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska’s interview with Bel Trew Ukraine and Russia confirm Kyiv hits Chonhar bridge to Crimea Forty-five injured in blast at optics factory northeast of Moscow 09:20 , Eleanor Noyce Establishing accurate data on the number of military casualties sustained since Russia ‘s invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022 is difficult for two reasons. The severity of the fighting on the ground and the fact that both sides are inclined to keep their cards close to their chests to avoid damaging morale – especially at a time when the war is entering a pivotal new stage. The Kremlin , in particular, is unlikely to admit to high fatality rates among its troops because to do so would amount to a confession that Vladimir Putin ‘s spurious war to ‘de-Nazify’ Russia’s neighbour state is not going according to plan and, in fact, represents a monumental miscalculation on the part of its leader, who is already under pressure at home over the attempted uprising by Wagner Group mercenaries. Moscow is more likely to downplay its own (rarely offered) numbers – putting the official number at around 6,000 – and accuse its enemies of dishonestly briefing against it whenever outside estimates are offered that imply significant Russian losses. Joe Sommerlad reports: Three dead after Russian attack on Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia 09:05 , Eleanor Noyce Two young women and a man were killed and nine other people were wounded in a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia late on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. A Reuters reporter at the scene saw emergency workers lifting a body, putting it on a stretcher, and wrapping it into a black body bag. Rescuers sifted through debris and an ambulance was parked near damaged buildings. ‘Three people dead and nine people injured including an 11-month baby – this is the result of the strike on the regional centre,’ a statement from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said. ‘The Russian shell took away the lives of a 43-year-old man and young women who were 19 and 21.’ Officials said two of the people had been killed on the spot and a woman had died overnight at a hospital. A video posted by Zelensky showed smoke rising from burning and badly damaged buildings next to a church. Zaporizhzhia city council secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said the church had been destroyed and about 15 high-rise buildings had been damaged. The authorities received requests from residents of at least 400 apartments to repair smashed windows and damaged balconies. Pictures posted by city officials on the Telegram messaging app showed several buses and a row of foldable tables and chairs set up outside near damaged buildings where residents and city workers were filling in papers to record the damages. Ukrainian officials have reported a recent increase in the amount of Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia region in the south. Zelensky’s office said the Russian military over the past 24 hours had conducted 82 strikes on 21 villages and towns across the Zaporizhzhia region, using artillery, missiles and drones. The Ukrainian military launched an offensive on occupying Russian forces in the key Zaporizhzhia region at the start of the summer and reported steady advances in that direction. Ukrainian Emergency Service shows rescuers working outside of a damaged church after Russian missiles struck Zaporizhzhia (UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE/AFP) A view shows a burning damaged building in the aftermath of a Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine (via REUTERS) A strike killed two people in the southern frontline city of Zaporizhzhia (UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE/AFP) Wagner tracker: Charting Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenary group through the Ukraine war 08:50 , Eleanor Noyce Since Vladimir Putin rose to power as Russia ‘s president 23 years ago, few things have rocked his leadership as much as Saturday 24 June when Wagner mercenaries barrelled towards Moscow. The ‘army within an army’ who had been ruthlessly grinding away for months at the vanguard of some of the bloodiest fighting in eastern flanks Ukraine were now on the verge of triggering a war within a war – this time, against the Kremlin. But the Russian president was spared that when the mutiny was halted in its tracks about 125 miles from the capital, in a deal between the leader of the mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin and Putin – brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Prigozhin himself was due to head to Belarus – although he has been pictured in Russia since – with an invitation for Wagner fighters to gather in Belarus. Thousands are set to enter the country since. Charting Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary group through the Ukraine war Russia shot down two military drones heading towards Moscow – mayor 08:40 , Eleanor Noyce Russia’s air defence systems shot down two military drones heading towards Moscow on Thursday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Air defence systems shot down two combat drones flying towards the city, Sobyanin said on his official channel in Telegram. Sobyanin said the drones were shot down around 4 a.m. Moscow time (0100 GMT), one of them near the town of Kaluga, and the second over Central Ring Highway surrounding the Russian capital. A couple sit in a park in Moscow with the Gazprom to send 42.4 mcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday 08:35 , Eleanor Noyce Russia’s Gazprom said it would send 42.4 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday versus 42.3 million cubic metres a day earlier. Kyiv says Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant switched to reserve power line 08:29 , Eleanor Noyce Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant again lost connection to its last remaining main external power line overnight and was switched to a reserve line, state-owned power generating company Energoatom said on Thursday. Energoatom said that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was on the verge of a blackout as the reserve line had less than half of the power capacity of the main power line. ‘Such a regime is difficult for the reactor plant, its duration is limited by the project’s design and it can result in failure of the main equipment of the energy unit,’ Energoatom said on Telegram. Zaporizhizhia nuclear power plant with its six reactors has been controlled by the Russian military since the early days of Moscow’s invasion in February 2022. The plant has become one of the focal points of the conflict, with both sides blaming each other for shelling around the plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been trying to set up a safety mechanism to prevent accidents. None of the plant’s six reactors produce electricity. A Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (REUTERS) 08:19 , Tara Cobham Poland is planning to move up to 10,000 additional troops to the border with Belarus to support the Border Guard, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Thursday. “About 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, of which 4,000 will directly support the Border Guard and 6,000 will be in the reserve,” the minister said in an interview for public radio. “We move the army closer to the border with Belarus to scare away the aggressor so that it does not dare to attack us.’ Deputy interior minister Maciej Wasik said on Wednesday that Poland would send 2,000 additional troops to its frontier with Belarus. Poland has worried increasingly about the border area since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus continues its military exercises near the border this week, and President Alexander Lukashenko has said several times that he was restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland. Poland has also seen an increase in the number of mainly Middle Eastern and African migrants trying to cross the border in recent months. The head of the Border Guard, Tomasz Praga, said earlier this week that 19,000 people have tried to cross the Polish-Belarusian border illegally this year, up from 16,000 last year. How Ukraine’s first lady struck a hammer blow against Putin via the UK 07:38 , Bel Trew in Kyiv Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska has repeatedly said that one of the most unexpected outcomes for Moscow after invading Ukraine is that ‘soft power fought back’. I hadn’t quite appreciated what she meant until I interviewed her from the heart of Kyiv. There I learned firsthand how soft diplomacy can have an instant impact on the world stage. Sitting in the bunker-like command centre in Kyiv, Mrs Zelenska was clear that one of the keys to ending this war was ending sanctions dodging by countries trading with Moscow through third nations. Without cutting this funding to the Kremlin’s war machine, the invasion will drag on endlessly – undermining the money and weapons being poured into Ukraine’s military by Western allies. And, ultimately, meaning Moscow might win. How Ukraine’s first lady struck a hammer blow against Putin via the UK Russia says 13 Ukrainian drones downed near Crimea and Moscow 06:52 , Arpan Rai At least 13 drones headed towards illegally-occuiped Crimea and Moscow, officials in Moscow said. Of these, two drones were hit by air defences near Sevastopol, the city in Crimea which serves as Russia’s Black Sea navy base, and nine more were jammed and crashed into the Black Sea. ‘Today… attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles were thwarted,’ the defence ministry said. It said there were no casualties due to the drones. One drone was shot down as it approached the Russian capital over the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, and another was shot down over the prestigious Odintsovo district of Moscow region, the defence ministry said. Ukraine typically does not comment on who is behind attacks on Russian territory, although officials have publicly expressed satisfaction over them. In recent days, Ukrainian remotely piloted boats, also referred to as drones, have attacked a Russian fuel tanker and a navy base at Russia’s Novorossiysk port on the Black Sea. Russian drones destroy fuel depot in Ukraine, says governor 05:34 , Arpan Rai Russian drones destroyed a fuel depot in Ukraine’s western Rivne region tdaoy, governor Vitaly Koval wrote on the Telegram messaging app. There were no casualties from the attack, he said. Ukrainian troops launch surprise raid across Dnipro River, break through some of Russia’s defences 04:50 , Arpan Rai Ukrainian forces broke through Russia’s defensive lines after launching a surprise raid across the Dnipro River. The river divides liberated Ukrainian territory on one bank and Russian-occupied land on the other, and for months it has served as part of the front line in southern Ukraine. Russian military bloggers said that up to seven boats, each carrying up to six troops, arrived on the Russian-occupied bank, apparently under the cover of darkness, and advanced 800m. Blogger Trinadtsatyi, posting on the Telegram messaging app to more than 150,000 followers, said a number of Russian soldiers were allegedly killed or taken captive during the raid. Images circulating on social media appeared to show captured soldiers. Chris Stevenson reports: Ukraine’s troops launch surprise raid across Dnipro River Russia says 11 drones downed near Sevastopol, blames Ukraine 04:21 , Arpan Rai Russian forces downed 11 Ukrainian drones near Sevastopol, the city in Crimea which serves as Russia’s Black Sea navy base, the Russian defence ministry claimed today. Two drones were hit by air defences and nine more by electronic countermeasures, it said, reported RIA news agency. Ukraine to get more Patriot air defence systems from Germany, says Zelensky 04:07 , Arpan Rai Ukraine will be supplied additional Patriot air defence missile systems under a deal with Germany, president Volodymyr Zelensky said last night. ‘Today we have good news from Germany – exactly what we agreed upon with Olaf Scholz. We have additional Patriot launching stations. Thank you very much, Olaf, for this – it is necessary to protect our people from Russian terror,’ Mr Zelensky said. Earlier in the day, Germany announced its decision to ship two more Patriot launchers to Ukraine. ‘This will definitely bring us closer to creating a full-fledged air shield for Ukraine. This will help people, cities, villages,’ the war-time president said. Raytheon’s Patriot, among the West’s top ground-based air defence systems, are built to intercept incoming missiles. They are, however, in short supply across Nato since many allies scaled down the number of air defence units after the Cold War. Poland doubles troops at Belarus border amid illegal migration fears 04:00 , Jane Dalton The Polish government announced Wednesday that it is planning to deploy an additional 2,000 troops to its border with Belarus , twice the number the Border Guard agency had requested, as fears of illegal migration rise: Blaze reported near major Russian airport – RIA 03:46 , Arpan Rai A blaze near one of Russia’s major airports was reported in the early hours today after an auto repair shop caught fire in Domodedovo, reported RIA news agency. The size of the fire is 1,000 square metres, the report added. It gave the address of the repair shop, which is 10 kilometres away from the Domodedovo airport. Videos of the fire posted online show thick black smoke and a flame, seen from hundreds of metres away. Two explosions were heard before the fire, according to posts on Russian social media. Russia shot down two military drones heading towards Moscow – mayor 03:39 , Arpan Rai At least two military drones headed towards Moscow have been downed in the early hours today by Russia’s air defence systems, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The two combat drones were flying towards the city, the mayor said. ‘At about four o’clock in the morning, air defense shot down two strike UAVs flying towards the city. One in the Kaluga region, the other in the Central Ring Road,’ the mayor wrote on his Telegram channel. This is the second such attack in 24 hours as the defence ministry had said a similar interception was made yester