Russia-Ukraine war – live: Unesco sounds alarm as historic cathedral badly damaged in deadly Odesa airstrikes

Unesco has condemned Russia’s missile strikes targeting Odesa’s city centre that includes several historical buildings such as the Transfiguration Cathedral founded in 1794. Missile attacks in the world heritage site have significantly damaged several buildings including the Odesa Archaeological Museum and the Odesa Maritime Museum. ‘Unesco calls for a cessation of attacks against cultural property protected by widely ratified international normative instruments,’ the UN body said. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian attack drone blasted a Russian ammunition depot in central Crimea on Saturday, sparking a major explosion. Authorities evacuated a 5km radius after the drone attack. Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that there have been no immediate reports of casualties, but that authorities were evacuating civilians. The Ukrainian military seemed to confirm it had launched the drone strike, after it claimed that it had destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses in the Krasnohvardiiske region of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the bridge linking Crimea to Russia was a legitimate target as it was used by Moscow ‘to feed the war with ammunition.’ Key Points Zelensky says counteroffensive about to ‘gain pace’ Putin gives chilling warning to Poland as Moscow ready to defend Belarus Ukraine using US cluster bombs ‘effectively,’ White House says Video shows first confirmed use of US clusterbombs by Ukraine Russia restricts movements of British diplomats in response to ‘hostile actions’ Ukraine ‘attempts drone strike in Crimea’, Russia claims British Ministry of Defence responds to arrest of Putin critic Saturday 22 July 2023 13:29 , Matt Drake Prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who publicly accused president Vladimir Putin and the army top brass of not pursuing the war in Ukraine harshly or effectively enough, was remanded in custody on Friday on charges of inciting extremism. His arrest earlier suggests authorities have wearied of his criticism of what they call Russia’s ‘special military operation’. The MOD said the move is likely to ‘spark fury’. Russian war reporter’s death sparks outrage against Ukraine’s clusterbomb use 07:00 , Vishwam Sankaran The death of a Russian war reporter yesterday has prompted outrage from Moscow over Ukraine’s use of cluster munitions. These bombs have been banned in over 100 countries as they rain shrapnel over a wide area and the unexploded ones, in particular, can stay behind for years, posing a risk to civilians. ‘Those responsible for the brutal reprisal against a Russian journalist will inevitably suffer well-deserved punishment. The entire measure of responsibility will be shared by those who supplied cluster munitions to their Kyiv proteges,’ Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Drone attack in Crimea prompts evacuation 06:30 , Vishwam Sankaran Authorities evacuated a 5km radius in Crimea after a drone attack on an ammunition depot. Road traffic was also suspended on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia after Ukraine destroyed an oil depot and Russian army warehouses in what Kyiv called ‘temporarily occupied’ district of Oktiabrske in central Crimea. The region’s Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said the drone attack caused an ammunition depot to explode, adding that there were no deaths reported. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the bridge linking Crimea to Russia was a legitimate target as was a military supply route for Moscow. ‘This is the route used to feed the war with ammunition and this is being done on a daily basis,’ he said. Belarusian president arrives in St Petersburg to meet with Putin 06:00 , Vishwam Sankaran Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has arrived in St Petersburg to meet with Vladimir Putin, just days after the Russian president warned that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia. Mr Putin’s staunch words came as Poland decided to move its military units closer to its border with Belarus earlier this week in response to the arrival of Russia’s Wagner Group forces to Belarus. Since Russia full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Moscow and Minsk have maintained their strong ties, holding multiple joint military exercises, and Mr Lukashenko allowing Russia to use Belarus as a base for Russian nuclear weapons. The Kremlin said Mr Lukashenko would talk to the Russian president about further development of the two countries’ ‘strategic partnership’ in his recent visit, according to Reuters. Unesco condemns Russian attacks on world heritage site 05:30 , Vishwam Sankaran Unesco has issued a statement condemning Russian missile attacks that damaged Odesa’s historic city centre. Russia’s missile and drone attacks in Odesa damaged several museums including the Odesa Archaeological Museum and the Odesa Maritime Museum. Missile attacks by Russian forces also destroyed Odesa’s historic Transfiguration Cathedral. ‘Once again, Unesco calls for a cessation of attacks against cultural property protected by widely ratified international normative instruments. This war represents an ever-increasing threat to Ukrainian culture,’ the UN body said. Ukraine’s allies shifting focus from donating weapons to fixing them – report 05:00 , Vishwam Sankaran The West’s support for Ukraine’s war efforts is shifting from donating more weapons to repairing and maintaining ones already provided, a shift in strategy likely due to a perception that the war could grind on for months to come. ‘We’re setting up repair facilities in Europe, we’re translating training and repair manuals, we have to do much more together, so there’s going to be more of a focus on that,’ Pentagon’s acquisition and sustainment chief William LaPlante told Politico. Some of The West’s donated war equipment such as the US-made Bradley fighting vehicles and German tanks have been either damaged or destroyed over the duration of the war in Ukraine. And Ukraine’s counteroffensive has also met with a hurdle as forces are finding it harder to penetrate areas covered by mines. Repairing and fixing armoured vehicles for Ukrainian soldiers to navigate these minefields is seen as a priority, according to Politico. Area of Ukraine size of Florida dotted with mines – report 04:30 , Vishwam Sankaran Land mines placed by Russian forces across Ukraine currently pose one of the most daunting challenges for Kyiv’s counteroffensive. Ukraine is currently the most mined country in the world with mines dotting the country across an area roughly the size of Florida, the Washington Post reported. These mines pose strategic challenges for Ukrainian troops fighting to push back occupying Russian forces, and data from the Ukrainian government and mine clearance organisations suggests these mines may last for generations to come. ‘The sheer quantity of ordnance in Ukraine is just unprecedented in the last 30 years. There’s nothing like it,’ Greg Crowther, the director of programs for the NGO Mines Advisory Group told The Post. Polish deputy foreign minister recalls Russian ambassador following territorial ambitions allegations 04:00 , Nick Ferris The Polish deputy foreign minister, Pawel Jablonski, held a ‘very brief’ meeting with the country’s Russian ambassador in Warsaw on Saturday, following allegations that Poland harbours territorial ambitions in Ukraine and Belarus. ‘The frontiers between countries are absolutely untouchable and Poland is opposed to any kind of revision thereof,’ Jablonski said. Meanwhile, Russian ambassador Sergei Andreev spoke of discord at the meeting to Russian state-owned Tass media. ‘The meeting went as expected. The Deputy Foreign Minister Jablonski presented the complaints of the Polish side over the things that the Russian President said about Poland during the Security Council meeting yesterday’, he said. ‘We registered a complete lack of mutual understanding and completely different approaches to both issues of today’s politics and issues of history’. The Polish deputy foreign minister and Russian ambassador met in Warsaw on Saturday (istock) 03:15 , Nick Ferris NATO and Ukraine will discuss security in the Black Sea next week at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the NATO said on Saturday. NATO spokesperson Oanu Lungescu said the NATO-Ukraine Council, set up at this month’s alliance summit, would discuss the situation following Russia’s withdrawal from the year-old deal overseeing grain exports from Ukrainian ports. Zelenskiy said he had requested the meeting in a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Lungescu said the two men discussed Russia’s pullout from the deal and its ‘continued attempts to weaponise food, which are affecting millions of vulnerable people around the world’. The meeting, she said, would take place at the level of ambassadors. The council’s inaugural meeting, at NATO’s summit in Vilnius, was attended by heads of state or government. Earlier on Saturday, Zelenskiy confirmed via Twitter that unblocking the Black Sea grain corridor was ‘a priority’. ICYMI: Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s fuel margins have more than doubled since start of Ukraine war 02:30 , Nick Ferris Supermarkets have more than doubled their margins on fuel since the start of the war in Ukraine , new analysis suggests. The RAC said Asda , Tesco , Morrisons and Sainsbury’s were making an average of around 4.7p per litre on fuel sales when the Russian invasion began in February 2022. The motoring services company found this had increased to around 10p per litre, leading to higher pump prices. Supermarket fuel margins were 2.3p per litre in 2016. Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s fuel profits have doubled since Ukraine war Nato and Ukraine to discussion operation of a corridor for grain exports next week 01:27 , Holly Bancroft Nato and Ukraine are to discuss security in the Black Sea next week, particularly the operation of a corridor for grain exports, at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Western alliance said on Saturday. Nato spokesperson Oanu Lungescu said the Nato-Ukraine Council, set up at this month’s alliance summit, would discuss the situation following Russia’s withdrawal from the year-old deal overseeing grain exports from Ukrainian ports. Zelenskiy said he had requested the meeting in a telephone conversation with Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Lungescu said the two men discussed Russia’s pullout from the deal and its ‘continued attempts to weaponise food, which are affecting millions of vulnerable people around the world’. The meeting, she said, would take place at the level of ambassadors. The council’s inaugural meeting, at Nato’s summit in Vilnius, was attended by heads of state or government. ICYMI: Drone attack on Crimea ammunition depot prompts evacuation, Moscow-installed governor says Sunday 23 July 2023 00:43 , Holly Bancroft A drone attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea prompted authorities to evacuate a 5-km (3-mile) radius and briefly suspend road traffic on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia, the region’s Moscow-installed governor said on Saturday. Ukraine said its army had destroyed an oil depot and Russian army warehouses in what it called the ‘temporarily occupied’ district of Oktiabrske in central Crimea. The attack caused an ammunition depot to explode, said Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov, adding there was no reported damage or casualties. Footage shared by state media showed a thick cloud of grey smoke at the site. Aksyonov later said that all rail traffic in the affected area, temporarily disrupted, was back to normal operation. Russian news agencies quoted the Health Ministry as saying 12 people required medical assistance and four were taken to hospital. Russia seized and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion of the country. The brief halting of traffic on the Crimean Bridge, about 180 km (110 miles) to the east of the drone incident, came five days after explosions there killed two people and damaged a section of roadway – the second major attack on the bridge since the start of the war. The 19 km (12 mile) road and rail bridge is a vital logistics link for Russian forces, and is also heavily used by Russian tourists who flock to Crimea in summer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the bridge was a legitimate target because it was a military supply route for Russia. ‘This is the route used to feed the war with ammunition and this is being done on a daily basis,’ he said. Russia is on high alert for incidents at the bridge, and an official Telegram channel tells people not to panic in the event of an alarm. In a further sign of security concerns in Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to Aksyonov, warned people not to post images of critical infrastructure on the internet. He urged people who knew the authors of such posts to report them to the interior ministry or the FSB security service. ‘Remember that a video posted on the web of military or other critical facilities is work for the enemy,’ he said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the bridge was a legitimate target because it was a military supply route for Russia. (EPA) Poland says tanks maintenance hub damaged in Ukraine conflict Saturday 22 July 2023 23:40 , Holly Bancroft Poland said on Saturday that a maintenance hub for tanks damaged in Ukraine during the conflict with Russia had begun operating in its southern city of Gliwice. Poland, one of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s biggest allies since Russia’s invasion last year, had been negotiating with Germany to create a joint workshop for Leopard tanks, but no common position has been announced. ‘The maintenance hub in Gliwice has started operating! The first two Leopards have already arrived from Ukraine to the Bumar plant,’ Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter. It was not immediately clear if that hub was the mooted joint initiative with Germany. Russian special forces kill gun man who broke into private house near Moscow Saturday 22 July 2023 22:30 , Nick Ferris Russian security forces have killed a heavily-armed gunman on Saturday who had broken into a private house in the suburbs of Moscow. The gunman was spotted by guards after he had broken into an unoccupied house in an elite village in the Istra region, about 30 miles west of Moscow. He held them at gunpoint, but they managed to escape, according to Russian media. For several hours the authorities negotiated with the gunman, who was in combat fatigues and had a Kalashnikov rifle. The man claimed he came from the front lines in Ukraine and was driven by God to march on the Kremlin, the seat of the government in Moscow. He refused to surrender, fired at t