Russia-Ukraine war– live: Putin claims Russia ‘united’ days after mutiny pushes country to brink of civil war

Russian president Vladimir Putin has claimed that his country is more united than ever following last month’s mutiny as he tried to reassure his allies in Asia that Moscow remains stable. ‘The Russian people are consolidated as never before,’ Mr Putin told the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in his first speech on the international stage since Wagner mercenaries marched on Moscow, pushing Russia to the brink of civil war. “Russian political circles and the whole of society clearly demonstrated their unity and elevated sense of responsibility for the fate of the fatherland when they responded as a united front against an attempted armed mutiny,’ he added. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were also due to speak at the virtual event, which is being hosted by India, Earlier, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Russian troops are continuing to suffer from ‘key weaknesses’ amid Ukraine ‘s counteroffensive. The MoD said Kremlin forces were particularly affected by ‘overstretched units’ and a shortage of artillery munitions. Key Points Putin claims Russia ‘united’ days after mutiny Putin’s troops ‘suffering key weaknesses’ Moscow intercepts ‘5 drones’, one in neighbouring Kaluga region Putin’s forces ‘suffer losses during heavy fighting near Bakhmut’ Ukraine writer Victoria Amelina dies after Kramatorsk restaurant attack Several hundred Russians killed over weekend, says Ukrainian general Ukraine war having ‘corrosive’ effect on Vladimir Putin’s leadership, CIA director CIA director called Kremlin to say that US had no role in Wagner mutiny Russia heavily using anti-tank mines to slow Ukraine’s counteroffensive, says UK MoD 07:06 , Arpan Rai Russia has prioritised and refined tactics aimed at slowing Ukrainian armoured counter-offensive operations in southern Ukraine in recent weeks, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said today. ‘The core of this approach has been Russia’s very heavy use of anti-tank mines. In some areas the density of its minefields indicate that it has likely used many more mines than laid down in its military doctrine,’ the ministry said in its latest intelligence update. It added that having slowed the Ukrainian advance, Russia has now attempted to strike Ukrainian armoured vehicles with one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles, attack helicopters and artillery. ‘Although Russia has achieved some success with this approach in the early stages of Ukraine’s counter-offensive, its forces continue to suffer from key weaknesses, especially overstretched units and a shortage of artillery munitions,’ it added. Ukraine tells Georgian ambassador to go home for ‘consultatio 12:35 , Matt Mathers Ukraine’s foreign ministry summoned Georgia’s ambassador on Tuesday to protest against the treatment of jailed former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, and told him to go back to Tbilisi to resolve the situation. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged the Georgian authorities on Monday to allow Saakashvili, who has Ukrainian citizenship, to come to Kyiv for medical treatment. Zelensky made the appeal after a video circulated showing Saakashvili looking emaciated during a court hearing and lifting his shirt to show protruding ribs. “The Georgian diplomat (ambassador) was told that such treatment of Mikheil Saakashvili was absolutely unacceptable. The Georgian government should stop the abuse of the Ukrainian citizen,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement. “In this regard, it was proposed to Ambassador of Georgia to Ukraine George Zakarashvili to return to Tbilisi for consultations to find ways of solving the situation.” Masked assailants attack prominent Russian journalist and lawyer in Chechnya 11:24 , Matt Mathers Unidentified masked assailants in the Russian province of Chechnya attacked and beat a journalist and a lawyer. It was an assault that highlights a violent pattern of rampant human rights abuses in the region. Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov had just arrived in Chechnya to attend the trial of Zarema Musayeva, the mother of two local activists who have challenged Chechen authorities. Just outside the airport, their vehicle was blocked by several cars and they were beaten by several masked assailants, who put guns to their heads and broke their equipment. Novaya Gazeta said Ms Milashina sustained a brain injury and had several fingers broken, while Mr Nemov had a deep cut on his leg. They were taken to a hospital in Chechnya’s main city, Grozny, where Ms Milashina repeatedly lost consciousness, according to her newspaper. Russian human rights ombudsperson Tatyana Moskalkova asked investigators to look into the attack. NATO agrees to extend boss Stoltenberg’s term by a year 11:08 , Matt Mathers NATO decided on Tuesday to extend secretary seneral Jens Stoltenberg’s contract by a further year, opting to stick with an experienced leader as war rages on the alliance’s doorstep rather than try to agree on a successor. Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, has been the transatlantic security alliance’s leader since 2014 and his tenure had already been extended three previous times. The decision means continuity at the top of NATO as its 31 members grapple with the challenge of supporting Ukraine in repelling Moscow’s invasion while avoiding a direct conflict between NATO and Russian forces. Stoltenberg, 64, is widely seen across the alliance as a steady leader and patient consensus-builder. In a tweet, Stoltenberg said he was honoured by the decision to extend his term to October 1, 2024. “The transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security for nearly 75 years, and in a more dangerous world, our Alliance is more important than ever,” he said. Putin claims Russia more united than ever after mutiny 10:32 , Matt Mathers President Vladimir Putin told Asian leaders on Tuesday that the Russian people were more united than ever, in his first appearance at an international forum since a short-lived mutiny last month. “The Russian people are consolidated as never before,” Mr Putin told a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a group that also includes China and India, as he tried to reassure his allies at the summit that Russia remains a stable country. “Russian political circles and the whole of society clearly demonstrated their unity and elevated sense of responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland when they responded as a united front against an attempted armed mutiny,’ he added. India Russia China Summit (Sputnik) Modi avoids direction mention of Ukraine in speech 09:57 , Matt Mathers India’s prime minister on Tuesday took a veiled swipe at rival neighbor Pakistan and avoided mentioning the war in Ukraine while addressing a group of Asian countries led by China and Russia. In his opening speech to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Modi said the group should not hesitate to criticize countries that are “using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy.” “Terrorism poses a threat to regional peace and we need to take up a joint fight,” Modi said without naming Pakistan. India regularly accuses Pakistan of training and arming insurgent groups, a charge Islamabad denies. India Russia China Summit Key task of SCO is to support security in the East – Putin 09:38 , Matt Mathers A key task of the SCO is to support security in the East, Vladimir Putin has said in a speech to the summit. The Russian president, in his opening remarks, said the global potential for conflicts is rising and that Moscow would stand up to sanctions and what he described as provocations. We’ll have more from his address shortly. Russia will boost ties with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – Putin 09:32 , Matt Mathers Russia plans to boost tie with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Vladimir Putin has said. The Russian president is delivering an address to the SCO this morning. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has also spoken at the event via video link, Mr Putin appeared in at the event with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. India Russia China Summit (Sputnik) ICYMI: 09:20 , Matt Mathers Award-winning Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina was among those killed by a deadly Russian missile attack on a popular restaurant frequented by journalists and aid workers in eastern Ukraine, PEN America said. Amelina, 37, who had turned her attention from literature to document Russian war crimes after the invasion, died from her injuries after the June 27 strike in the city of Kramatorsk, the literature and human rights organization said Sunday in a statement. Full report: 09:05 , Matt Mathers President Vladimir Putin will participate this week in his first multilateral summit since an armed rebellion rattled Russia , as part of a rare international grouping in which his country still enjoys support. Leaders will convene virtually on Tuesday for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security grouping founded by Russia and China to counter Western alliances from East Asia to the Indian Ocean. This year’s event is hosted by India , which became a member in 2017. It’s the latest avenue for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to showcase the country’s growing global clout. Krutika Pathi reports: Senior Ukrainian official: Last few days ‘fruitful’ for military 08:29 , Matt Mathers A senior Ukrainian security official said on Tuesday that Kyiv’s troops are “fulfilling the number one task” in their counteroffensive against Russian forces and have had a “particularly fruitful” last few days. “At this stage of active hostilities, Ukraine’s defence forces are fulfilling the number one task – the maximum destruction of manpower, equipment, fuel depots, military vehicles, command posts, artillery and air defense forces of the russian army,” Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, wrote on Twitter. “The last few days have been particularly fruitful.” ICYMI: The damage caused by Ukraine’s devastated dam 08:16 , Matt Mathers War-torn Ukraine is still reeling from the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam on Tuesday 6 June, which caused its reservoir to burst and brought chaos for miles around. The catastrophe forced thousands of residents of nearby towns and villages to evacuate their homes as the floodwater barrelled towards them and left some climbing onto rooftops or into trees to escape the raging torrents. Hundreds of thousands more were left without access to clean drinking water in the region as a result of the eco-disaster on the Dnipro River, prompting relief workers to rush fresh supplies to the area while struggling with the problems of mass resettlement. Joe Sommerlad reports: Mapped: The damage caused by Ukraine’s devastated dam Russia says Moscow attacked with at least 5 drones 07:52 , Matt Mathers Flights from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport were diverted this morning after the capital was attacked by at least five drones, Russian news agencies report. A number of internal flights were also affected following the drone attacks, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has not accepted responsibility for the attacks. Moscow said four Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian air defences while a fifth was jammed and crashed into the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region. Russian news agencies reported that two drones were intercepted near a village 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the Kremlin. One drone was detected in the neighbouring Kaluga region. UK PM taking questions on Ukraine 07:23 , Matt Mathers UK prime minister Rishi Sunak will later today take questions from MPs on the war in Ukraine. Mr Sunak is up at the liaison super committee of Commons chairs, with Russia’s illegal invasion of its neighbour on the agenda. Britain has been a the forefront in support Kyiv since the war broke out in February last year, providing military aid and other support. Moscow airport resumes operations after drone attack 06:58 , Arpan Rai Operations at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport have resumed from 8am local time (0500 GMT) after several drones were intercepted, the city mayor Sergei Sobhyanin said. The resumption of operations was confirmed by Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsiya. Authorities had briefly restricted landings and takeoffs at the airport citing ‘technical reasons beyond the control of the airport’. Meanwhile, the mayor accused Ukraine of another drone attack on the Russian capital and its region, adding it had been repelled. Moscow’s mayor blames Ukraine for drone attack 06:35 , Arpan Rai The mayor of Moscow has blamed Ukraine for launching a drone attack on the Russian capital and its region, and said that all drones have been destroyed. ‘At this moment, the attacks have been repelled by air defence forces,’ mayor Sergei Sobhyanin said on Telegram. He called it another attempt from Ukraine to attack Moscow with drones. ‘All detected drones have been eliminated,’ he said, adding that no casualties or injuries have been reported. Several flights scheduled to land in Moscow diverted – Russian agencies 05:58 , Arpan Rai Several flights scheduled to land at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport this morning were sent to other airports, Russian agencies reported. No immediate reason given for the changes. It was not immediately known whether the changes were related to a number of drones being intercepted early on Tuesday near Moscow. Putin, Xi to attend virtual SCO summit hosted by Modi 05:25 , Arpan Rai Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will participate in the virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit with India’s Narendra Modi starting today. This will be Mr Putin’s first appearance at an international event after he was challenged by a brief and aborted mutiny by his private Wagner mercenary group in late June. The Russian president spoke to Mr Modi in a call last week to discuss the aftermath of the quashed mercenary mutiny. During the discussion Mr Modi reiterated a call for dialogue and diplomacy regarding the war in Ukraine. SCO member nations are expected to discuss Afghanistan, terrorism, regional security, climate change and digital inclusion, among other topics. Moscow intercepts two drones, one in neighbouring Kaluga region 04:49 , Arpan Rai Two drones were intercepted in the skies over the Moscow region and one in the neighbouring Kaluga region, emergency services in the capital city said, reported Russia’s TASS state news agency. ‘According to preliminary information, three drones were heading towards Moscow at different times,’ TASS cited a source with the services as saying. While the first two drones were intercepted in the Novaya Moskva district of the Moscow region, a third one was intercepted in the Kaluga region, just southwest of the Moscow region. The drones were shot down near the village of Valuevo, located 30 kilometres (19 miles) southwest of the Kremlin. No immediate casualties or damage have been reported. Dozens of German Leopard tanks set to reach Ukraine soon, says minister 04:29 , Arpan Rai Ukraine will soon receive ‘dozens’ of Leopard 1 tanks from Germany and Denmark, German defence minister Boris Pistorius said. ‘Dozens of Leopard-1A5 battle tanks provided by Germany and Denmark will arrive in Ukraine in the upcoming weeks,’ the minister said in an interview to Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita. The first batch of German Leopard 2 battle tanks were sent to Ukraine earlier this year in March,