Ukraine-Russia war live: Kremlin lashes out after Zelensky brings home ‘hero’ commanders on 500th day of war

Volodymyr Zelensky has returned home after a visit to Turkey along with five commanders from Ukraine ‘s former garrison in Mariupol, something Russia has termed a ‘direct violation’ of a prisoner exchange deal from last year. The commanders had led last year’s defence of Mariupol, the biggest Ukrainian city captured by Russia. Thousands of Ukrainians have either died or left the city. On Saturday, Mr Zelensky posted video of his trip back home on Saturday, that marked the 500th day of the invasion. ‘We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home,’ he said after meeting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Elsewhere, Ukraine’s forces have made ‘tactically significant gains’ against Russian troops in Bakhmut , said a US think tank. The Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine made progress against Vladimir Putin ‘s forces in ‘at least three other sectors of the front,’ including north and south of Bakhmut. This comes after Rishi Sunak made clear Britain ‘discourages’ the use of cluster munitions after Joe Biden agreed to send the bombs to Ukraine . Key Points Mariupol commanders coming back to Ukraine is ‘direct violation’ of prisoner exchange deal, Russia says 05:10 , Peony Hirwani Russia has accused Ukraine and Turkey of violating agreements by releasing the commanders who had led last year’s defence of Mariupol, the biggest Ukrainian city captured by Russia. ‘The return of the leaders of the Azovites from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of the existing agreements. Moreover, in this case, the terms were violated by both the Ukrainian side and the Turkish side,’ said Kremlin spokesperson Mr Peskov. ‘No one informed us about this. According to the agreements, these ringleaders were to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict,’ he said. Minister claims Russia’s war has caused $56bn ‘ecocide’ 07:05 , Peony Hirwani Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate said Russia’s full-scale invasion has caused $55.9bn in environmental damage. On Saturday, Ruslan Strilets, minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, said: ‘Russia will pay for every day of this war. For every tree it burns. For every piece of Ukrainian land desecrated. That is why we are uniting with the whole civilised world and working towards the recognition of ecocide in international law.’ According to Mr Strilets, a single day of war causes $111m in environmental damage. Ukraine’s defence minister weighs in on Kyiv’s Nato stance 06:15 , Peony Hirwani Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov has weighed in on the country’s Nato stance. On Saturday, during a national television interview, Mr Reznikov said: ‘If Russia is the main threat to Nato, I have a simple question for my fellow defense ministers. If only one country in the world has modern, effective, successful experience with countering the Russian army, what other arguments do you need to invite Ukraine to the Alliance?’ ‘I am convinced – Ukraine is a de facto Nato country and will become a de jure Nato country,’ the minister said. In photos: Zelensky brings home Azovstal commanders from Turkey 05:45 , Peony Hirwani Twitter Blue accounts allegedly spreading Ukraine War misinformation 05:30 , Peony Hirwani Misleading posts about the Ukraine war seem to be going viral on Twitter. In the last week, one post, featuring a screengrab of what appeared to be a headline from a news website along with an image of two rifles, was shared by many accounts with Twitter Blue subscriptions. ‘French police are fired upon with American rifles that may have come from Ukraine,’ read the headline. The BBC traced the article back to pro-Kremlin channels on the Telegram messaging app. The image used in the post appears in a Russian military blog from 2012 about a shooting competition held on a firing range in Moscow. The outlet claimed that it wasn’t able to find any evidence of weapons provided to Ukraine by the US have been used during the recent riots in France. Zelensky brings home Azovstal commanders from Turkey 04:05 , Peony Hirwani Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has returned home from a visit to Turkey, with five commanders of Ukraine’s former garrison in Mariupol. This is a move Russia said violated the terms of a prisoner exchange deal engineered last year. The five commanders, established as heroes in Ukraine, led last year’s defence of the southern port of Mariupol, the biggest city Russia has captured in its invasion. ‘We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home,’ Mr Zelensky said in a video. ‘Ukrainian soldiers Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, Denys Shleha. They will finally be with their relatives.’ Tobias Ellwood urges the US to ‘reconsider’ cluster bombs Sunday 9 July 2023 00:00 , Matt Drake Joe Biden made the controversial decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. The move has divided the Conservative Party with Rishi Sunak refusing to offer support while Boris Johnson tweeted to say that Mr Biden was ‘right’ to make his ‘brave’ decision. But Commons Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood urged the US to ‘reconsider’ its decision. The Tory MP tweeted: ‘This is the wrong call and will alienate international good will. ‘Their use leaves deadly unexploded ordnance over the battlefield, killing & injuring civilians long after the war is over.’ ‘Thousands’ gather in Lviv to welcome home Zelensky and Azovstal defender Saturday 8 July 2023 23:00 , Matt Drake Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy returned from a visit to Turkey on Saturday, bringing home five former commanders of Ukraine’s garrison in Mariupol. They were greeted by a large crowd who cheered and clapped upon their arrival. The men were captured by Russia in May 2022 after they defended the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Pictured, Polish troops move closer to the border over Wagner concerns Saturday 8 July 2023 22:00 , Matt Drake Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country on Saturday, according to defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak. It comes amid rising concern that the presence of Wagner Group fighters in Belarus could increase tensions on Poland’s border. Last Sunday Poland said it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus (via REUTERS) There are fears the Wagner group could stoke tension on the border (via REUTERS) 1,000 troops are moving amid fears of the Wagner group’s presence (via REUTERS) Polish army troops stand guard, as part of the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country (via REUTERS) Boris Johnson says Biden was ‘right’ to provide cluster bombs Saturday 8 July 2023 21:00 , Matt Drake The former Prime Minister wrote on Twitter that Joe Biden made a “brave” decision by supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine. He said: ‘Joe Biden has taken a difficult but brave decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine. He is right. ‘These are terrible weapons. But they have been used by Putin for over a year in his programme of indiscriminate slaughter of an entirely innocent people. ‘The faster we help the Ukrainians to win, the more lives we will save all round. And never forget – it is the Ukrainians who will use these weapons on their own soil, and to protect themselves.’ Russian artillery shelling kills 8 civilians in Ukraine’s Lyman Saturday 8 July 2023 20:32 , Matt Drake Russian artillery shelling killed at least eight civilians and wounded 13 in Lyman in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Saturday, the military said, The general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in its evening report, also said Russian forces had made unsuccessful attempts to advance in the Lyman sector. At least 10 towns and villages had been shelled. Donetsk Regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko had earlier reported shelling in Lyman at about 10am with a residential area hit in the small city. He said at least six civilians had died. Writing on the Telegram messaging app, he said: ‘A house and a shop were damaged. Police are working on the site.’ The city of Lyman is a key railway junction in the eastern Donetsk region. The Ukrainian military said in its daily military update that it had repelled Russian troops’ assault attempts near Lyman. Ukraine’s Zelenskiy brings home Azovstal commanders released to Turkey Saturday 8 July 2023 20:15 , Matt Drake Five commanders of the defence of the Azovstal steel plant, a gruelling months-long siege early in the war, were returning from Turkey on the plane with Zelenskyy (AP) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy returned from a visit to Turkey on Saturday, bringing home five former commanders of Ukraine’s garrison in Mariupol despite a prisoner exchange last year under which the men were meant to remain in Turkey. Russia immediately denounced the release of the men. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Turkey had violated the prisoner exchange terms and had failed to inform Moscow. The commanders, lionised as heroes in Ukraine, led last year’s defence of the port, the biggest city Russia captured in its invasion. Thousands of civilians were killed inside Mariupol when Russian forces laid the city to waste during a three-month siege. The Ukrainian defenders held out in tunnels and bunkers under the Azovstal steel plant, until they were finally ordered by Kyiv to surrender in May last year. Moscow freed some of them in September in a prisoner swap brokered by Ankara, under terms that required the commanders to remain in Turkey until the end of the war. ‘We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home,’ said Zelenskiy who met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for talks in Istanbul on Friday. ‘Ukrainian soldiers Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, Denys Shleha. They will finally be with their relatives,’ he said on the Telegram messaging app. Peskov told Russia’s RIA news agency: ‘No one informed us about this. According to the agreements, these ringleaders were to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict.’ Kremlin: Turkey violated agreements by releasing Ukrainian fighters Saturday 8 July 2023 19:45 , Matt Drake Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Turkey violated agreements by releasing detained commanders (RIA NOVOSTI/AFP via Getty Images) Turkey violated agreements by releasing detained commanders of a unit that for weeks defended a steelworks in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. Peskov, quoted by RIA news agency, said under the terms of a prisoner exchange the fighters were to remain in Turkey until the end of the war. Russia had not been informed of their release, he said. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy returned to Ukraine from Turkey on Saturday and brought with him five commanders of the former garrison in Mariupol, saying he was ‘bringing our heroes home’. Hardliner sworn in as Latvia Foreign Minister Saturday 8 July 2023 19:19 , Matt Drake Latvia’s long-serving foreign minister, known for his tough line on neighbouring Russia and strong support for Ukraine, has been sworn in as the Baltic nation’s president for a four-year term. Edgars Rinkevics, who has served as Latvia’s top diplomat since 2011, took the oath of office in ceremonies at an extraordinary session of the parliament, or Saeima, in the capital, Riga. He succeeds Egils Levits, who did not seek re-election. Mr Rinkevics, 49, was elected by legislators in late May in a race against two other candidates. He ran as the candidate of his and Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins’ New Unity party. He is the seventh president of Latvia, a nation of 1.8 million that is a member of the European Union and Nato, since it regained its independence in 1991. Zelenskyy hails Ukraine’s soldiers from Black Sea island to mark 500 days of war Saturday 8 July 2023 19:15 , Matt Drake Ukrainian President Zelensky’s visit to the Zmiinyi Island near Odesa (EPA) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the 500th day of the war Saturday by hailing the country’s soldiers in a video from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraine’s resilience in the face of the Russian invasion. Speaking from Snake Island, Zelenskyy honored the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country, saying that reclaiming control of the island ‘is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory’. ‘I want to thank – from here, from this place of victory – each of our soldiers for these 500 days,’ Zelenskyy said, ‘thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine!’ It was unclear when the video was filmed. Zelenskyy was returning from Turkey on Saturday. Poland moves troops to eastern border amid Wagner fears Saturday 8 July 2023 18:45 , Matt Drake Mariusz Blaszczak said Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country on Saturday (REUTERS) Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country on Saturday, according to defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak. It comes amid rising concern that the presence of Wagner Group fighters in Belarus could increase tensions on Poland’s border. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to offer mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner group the choice of relocating to Belarus has led to fears among eastern NATO members that their presence will cause greater instability in the region. ‘Over 1,000 soldiers and almost 200 units of equipment from the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country,’ Mr Blaszczak wrote on Twitter. ‘This is a demonstration of our readiness to respond to attempts at destabilisation near the border of our country.’ Last Sunday Poland said it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus. Poland h