PUTIN is growingly increasingly paranoid and distrusting, claims an expert, as the despotic dictator begins to see 'spies everywhere.'
According to the Daily Mail, an academic who had close ties to one of Putin's top scientists claims: 'Putin is seeing spies everywhere.
"Top scientists were officially urged to collaborate with top foreign partners [and] did so.
"Now they are being accused of espionage."
This comes as Russian troops begin to surround the Ukrainian city of Lysychansk, Ukraine's last major stronghold in the Luhansk region.
This would be a major loss for Ukrainian forces, who are looking to keep hold of some influence in nation's eastern region.
Read our Ukraine war live blog below for the latest up-to-date news…
- henry moore
President Zelenskyy heaps praise on the EU
Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukraine and the European Union were starting a new chapter of their history after Brussels formally accepted Ukraine’s candidacy to join the 27-nation bloc.
“A new (chapter) of history for the European Union and Ukraine has started. Now we’re not close. Now we are together,” Zelensky said addressing Ukraine’s parliament.
He said it was a “big honour and big responsibility” to work towards realising the “aspirations of our country”.
“We made a journey of 115 days to candidate status and our journey to membership shouldn’t take decades. We should make it down this road quickly,” Zelensky said.
“Ukraine is fighting to choose its values, to be in the European family,” he said.
- henry moore
Lysychansk is surrounded, reports claim
Breaking reports are emerging that the Ukrainian city of Lysychansk is surrounded by Russian troops.
This information is yet to be confirmed by the Ukrainian military.
This city marks a key stronghold in the region, and would be a blow for Ukraine should it fall.
- henry moore
Captured Azov fighters will face trial, Putin ally says
Captured members of Ukraine’s armed forces who served in the Azov battalion will face trial, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament said on Thursday.
“These nationalists, who hands are covered in blood, are not humans.
“They are awaiting trial,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, in a post on Telegram.
- henry moore
Russian losses as of July 3
Russia has continued to lose troops, equipment and weapons as its brutal invasion of Ukraine continue.
Presently, reports suggest the country has lost almost 36,000 soldiers.
217 planes have also been lost, as well as 1584 tanks, according to reports.
- henry moore
Ukrainian official admits Lysychansk could fall
As Russian forces continue their assault on the last free city in the region, an advisor to Zelenskyy has admitted the city could fall.
“This is indeed a threat. We shall see. I do not rule out any one of a number of outcomes here. Things will become much more clear within a day or two,” said Oleksiy Arestovych.
“If Lysychansk is taken, strategically it becomes more difficult for the Russians to continue their offensive. The front lines will be flatter and there will be a frontal attack rather than from the flanks.”
- henry moore
UK Intelligence provides update
British Intelligence provided another update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine this weekend.
The report notes that Russian forces are continuing their advance in the Lyschansk region.
The report also states that Russia could be running low on modern and accurate bombing equipment.
- henry moore
Putin slams Kyiv’s ‘dangerous and provocative nature’
Russia’s President condemned Kyiv for its “dangerous and provocative nature” as it blames the West for escalating the crisis in Ukraine.
According to Independent.co.uk, Vladimir Putin levelled the blame during his telephonic conversation with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“At the request of Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin gave an update on the key aspects of Russia’s ongoing special military operation and underscored the dangerous and provocative nature of the approach of the [Kyiv] regime and its Western patrons to escalate the crisis and torpedo efforts to resolve it by political and diplomatic methods,” said the Kremlin in a statement released on Friday.
- henry moore
Russia launching phosphorus bombs on Snake Island: Ukraine
The Ukrainian army has blamed Russia for carrying out attacks using incendiary phosphorus munitions on Snake Island, just a day after withdrawing its forces from there.
“Russian air force SU-30 planes twice conducted strikes with phosphorus bombs on Zmiinyi island,” it said in a statement, using another name for Snake Island, as reported by Al-Jazeera.
- Matt Snape
Emergency plan to do without Russian energy revealed by EU
The European Union’s executive arm on Friday revealed an emergency plan this month aimed at assisting member countries do without Russian energy in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
Independent.co.uk reports that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the plan would build on EU moves to ditch Russian coal, oil and natural gas and would help a bloc-wide push to accelerate the development of renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
She added the contingency plan, due around mid-July, would focus on two key points including having a “clear idea” of where to cut back on Russian energy supply and to do it “in a smart way” as well as to rally around EU nations facing supply squeezes.
- Matt Snape
Putin tells Modi Russia still reliable supplier of grain, fertiliser & energy
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is still a reliable producer and supplier of grains, fertilisers and energy, the Kremlin said in a readout of a phone call between the two leaders on Friday.
In detailed discussions on the global food market, Putin “drew attention to the systemic mistakes made by a number of countries that have disrupted free trade architecture in food goods and triggered significant rises in their prices”, the Kremlin said.
- Matt Snape
President Zelenskyy hails EU-Ukraine ties
Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukraine and the European Union were starting a new chapter of their history after Brussels formally accepted Ukraine’s candidacy to join the 27-nation bloc.
“A new (chapter) of history for the European Union and Ukraine has started. Now we’re not close. Now we are together,” Zelensky said addressing Ukraine’s parliament.
He said it was a “big honour and big responsibility” to work towards realising the “aspirations of our country”.
“We made a journey of 115 days to candidate status and our journey to membership shouldn’t take decades. We should make it down this road quickly,” Zelensky said.
“Ukraine is fighting to choose its values, to be in the European family,” he said.
- Matt Snape
Ukraine says Russia ramped up missile strikes during 2nd half of June
Oleksii Hromov, a brigadier general in Ukraine’s armed forces, said on Thursday that Russia had ramped up missile strikes in the second half of June.
Hromov told a news conference that more than half of the missiles were from Soviet reserves and less precise, adding that was why Russia was hitting residential buildings.
Russia has denied targeting civilians since invading Ukraine in late February. Reuters was not immediately able to verify Hromov’s remarks.
- Matt Snape
Captured Azov fighters will face trial, Putin ally says
Captured members of Ukraine’s armed forces who served in the Azov battalion will face trial, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament said on Thursday.
“These nationalists, who hands are covered in blood, are not humans.
“They are awaiting trial,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, in a post on Telegram.
- Matt Snape
Russia says forces have destroyed command centre near Dnipro
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday its forces had destroyed a Ukrainian military control centre near the city of Dnipro in a missile strike on Tuesday.
Alongside other regions of Ukraine, the central city of Dnipro and the surrounding Dnipropetrovsk region has seen an increase in Russian shelling in recent days.
- Matt Snape
Russia claims over 6,000 Ukrainian servicemen captured or surrendered
Russia says over 6,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been captured or surrendered, RIA news agency cited the defence ministry as saying on Thursday.
The ministry said the exchange of 144 prisoners of war with Ukraine, announced on Wednesday by Ukrainian intelligence, was organised by direct order of President Vladimir Putin, RIA cited the ministry as saying.
- Matt Snape
Putin: Russia is open to dialogue on nuclear non-proliferation
Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both Moscow and Washington have stressed the importance of maintaining communication on the issue of nuclear arms.
The two countries are by far the world’s largest nuclear powers with an estimated 11,000 nuclear warheads between them.
“Russia is open to dialogue on ensuring strategic stability, preserving non-proliferation regimes for weapons of mass destruction and improving the situation in the field of arms control,” Putin said in remarks to a legal forum in his home city of St. Petersburg.
He said the efforts would require “painstaking joint work” and would go towards preventing a repeat of “what is happening today in the Donbas”.
The Russian leader says Moscow invaded Ukraine to protect ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers in the eastern Donbas region from persecution from Kyiv. He repeated those claims on Thursday, accusing Ukraine of “crimes against humanity.”
Ukraine and the West say Russia’s invasion of its neighbour was an unprovoked act of aggression, aimed at seizing Ukrainian territory and toppling President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
- Matt Snape
Russian Duma passes law on retaliation against foreign media
Russia’s top prosecutor will be empowered to shut down media from countries that ban or restrict Russian news organisations under a law passed by the lower house of parliament on Thursday.
The bill – following bans by some Western governments on Russian media they regard as mouthpieces for President Vladimir Putin and cheerleaders for his war in Ukraine – creates a legal basis for Moscow to retaliate against the media of any country that restricts the activity of Russian journalists.
Under the bill, such media will lose their accreditation and be banned from operating in Russia or distributing content there. These measures would only be lifted when the country in question allows Russian media to work without restrictions.
“This law is very important. We are creating an instrument for symmetrical response measures in the event of liquidation of our media abroad,” said lawmaker Sergei Boyarsky, the bill’s co-author.
The move by the lower house, the State Duma, follows threats by Russia to strip U.S. news organisations of their accreditation in retaliation for alleged harassment of Russian reporters in the United States and the withdrawal of broadcasting licences for Russian channels there.
- Matt Snape
Where is Snake Island?
Snake Island, also known as Serpent Island or Zmiinyi Island, belongs to Ukraine.
It is located in the Black Sea, near the Danube Delta, just 30 miles from the coast.
The 46 acres of land are typically covered with rocks and grass, but following Russia’s invasion of the island, it was left “covered in fire,” according to The New York Times.
Prior to the invasion, it was known for its igneous rock formations and was home to an Odessa National University research facility, which students and scientists used to study flora, fauna, meteorology, geology, hydrobiology, and atmospheric chemistry, according to Ukraine.com.
It was also home to a popular lighthouse, which was built by the Russian Empire’s Black Sea Fleet in the fall of 1842.
At this time, it is unclear if Ukraine will restore the island.
- Matt Snape
Biden pledges to beef up military
Speaking at a Nato summit last night in Madrid, US president Joe Biden pledged to beef up US military might in Europe amid the growing threat of all-out war with Russia.
The US will also send two extra squadrons of F-35 jets to the UK, base two more destroyers in Spain and establish a permanent 5th Army headquarters in Poland.
- Louis Allwood
Russia ‘sinks its own warship’ with a mine in fresh humiliation
A Russian warship has been accidentally sunk by one of its own sea mines in a friendly fire fiasco – dealing a fresh blow to Vladimir Putin.
The colossal D-106 landing craft was reportedly blown-up by one of the Russian navy's own mines near the occupied southern port of Mariupol.
The crew is said to have survived the blunder – but Russian naval commanders will now be facing another rocket from tyrant Putin after their latest mistake.
- Louis Allwood
‘Big disaster’ for Putin
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said Russia had lost 25,000 troops in 120 days and added: “They’re grinding at First World War levels of advancement, a few metres a day.
“It’s a pretty big disaster and they haven’t even begun to occupy.”
It comes as Britain handed Ukraine a £1billion arms boost yesterday — as the West built its own Iron Curtain against Russia.
Sweden and Finland were cleared to join Nato, Britain put thousands more troops on stand-by in Estonia, and US President Joe Biden agreed to more planes at UK bases.
- Louis Allwood
Putin slams Kyiv’s ‘dangerous and provocative nature’
Russia’s President condemned Kyiv for its “dangerous and provocative nature” as it blames the West for escalating the crisis in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin levelled the blame during his telephonic conversation with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“At the request of Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin gave an update on the key aspects of Russia’s ongoing special military operation and underscored the dangerous and provocative nature of the approach of the [Kyiv] regime and its Western patrons to escalate the crisis and torpedo efforts to resolve it by political and diplomatic methods,” said the Kremlin in a statement released on Friday.
- Louis Allwood
'Chances of a fair trial are vanishingly small'
Responding to the reports about Mr Healy and Mr Hill, Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK's crisis response manager, said:
"As with Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Saaudun Brahim, this is a sham process designed to exert diplomatic pressure on the UK, not least as it comes shortly after Britain announced a large shipment of weapons for Ukraine.
"Under the Geneva Conventions, captured combatants and other protected persons should be humanely treated at all times.
"In exploiting their capture of Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill like this, Russia and its proxies in the Donetsk People's Republic are already adding to a huge catalogue of war crimes they're committing in this war.
"The chances of Healy and Hill receiving a fair trial in either the Donetsk People's Republic or in Russia itself are vanishingly small.
"Unless the authorities present clear evidence that Healy and Hill are implicated in war crimes, this sham judicial process should be halted immediately."
- Louis Allwood
'We condemn the exploitation of prisoners of war'
A pro-Kremlin website said Mr Healy and Mr Hill would face the same mercenary charges as Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, two British military volunteers captured in Mariupol who have been condemned to death in Donetsk.
It is understood the FCDO is actively investigating and is providing support to the men's families.
An FCDO spokesperson said: "We condemn the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilians for political purposes and have raised this with Russia.
"We are in constant contact with the government of Ukraine on their cases and are fully supportive of Ukraine in its efforts to get them released."
- Louis Allwood
Two more Brits captured in Ukraine facing DEATH PENALTY
Another two Brits who were captured in Ukraine are facing the death penalty as Russia is set to put them on trial as 'mercenaries'.
Cambridgeshire aid worker Dylan Healy, 22, and military volunteer Andrew Hill have been charged with carrying out "mercenary activities", officials in the Moscow-backed Donetsk People's Republic said, according to state media.
It comes as a video shown on Russian television in April, showed Andrew, a dad of four-from Plymouth stating his name while he appeared wounded with a head bandage and his left arm in a sling.
According to local media, both men refused to cooperate with the investigators.
The Foreign Office said it condemns the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilians for political purposes.
It comes after Brit fighters Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were sentenced to death after being accused of being mercenaries.
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