Chemical plant sheltering hundreds of civilians struck as fighting rages in Severodonetsk
The Telegraph - Maighna Nanu 12 JUNE 2022 • 1:40 PM
Live Russia-Ukraine latest news:
- The West must support Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’
- Inside the shady, secretive world of shipping Russia's tainted oil
- Comment: Europe must ensure the Kremlin's war in Ukraine fails
- Robert Tombs: Macron’s kowtowing to Russia is hardly a bolt from the blue
- New 'sanction-proof' Russian car panned as Soviet-era throwback
A Ukrainian chemical plant in Severodonetsk where hundreds of civilians are sheltering was set on fire by Russian shelling, the region's governor said today.
Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk, said Russian shelling had ignited a big fire at the Azot plant after an oil leak.
He said that Ukraine remained in control of the plant but conceded that Russian forces had taken most of Severodonetsk.
"Azot is not blocked, fighting is going on in the streets next to the plant," Serhiy Gaidai said on Ukraine's television.
It comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky said last night that "fierce street fights continue in Severodonetsk".
The Ukrainian president also said that the military was gradually liberating territory further west in the Kherson region.
Follow the latest updates below.
Former British soldier reportedly killed in Ukraine
A former British soldier has reportedly been killed fighting in Ukraine, The Mirror is reporting.
Jordan Gatley, who left the British Army in March this year, was reportedly shot and killed in Severodonetsk.
His father Dean Gatley wrote on Facebook: "Yesterday (10/06/22) we received the devastating news that our son, Jordan, has been shot and killed in the city of Severodonetsk, Ukraine.
"Jordan left the British Army in March this year to continue his career as a soldier in other areas. The war against Europe had begun so, after careful consideration, he went to Ukraine to help." (sic)
1:24 pm
Meet the ‘hedgehogs’ defending their neighbourhood in Russian-hit Irpin
Armed with AK-74s and clad in mismatched uniforms, the husbands and fathers of Irpin still patrol near the town’s shattered bridge.
It was here, early in the war, that Russian shelling killed dozens of fleeing civilians, turning the crossing into a symbol of human suffering.
The men’s patrols are voluntary but foreshadow what may still come for citizens of Irpin - a once-idyllic commuter town on the outskirts of Kyiv - who could be called up at any time to serve in the devastating war of attrition on the eastern front with Russia.
Read more from Nicola Smith and Illia Novikov here
Don't become accustomed to war in Ukraine, warns Pope
Pope Francis has cautioned people not to become accustomed to the war in Ukraine.
Speaking during his Sunday address before thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, he said: "The thought of the people of Ukraine, afflicted by war, remains vivid in my heart.
"Let the passage of time not temper our grief and concern for that suffering population.
"Please, let us not grow accustomed to this tragic situation! Let us always keep it in our hearts. Let us pray and strive for peace."
Scores of Ukraine Azovstal fighters' bodies still in Mariupol, ex-commander says
The bodies of scores of Ukrainian fighters killed during the siege of the Azovstal steelworks in the southern city of Mariupol are still awaiting retrieval, the former commander of Ukraine's Azov National Guard regiment has said.
Maksym Zhorin said that under the terms of a recent exchange, around 220 bodies of those killed in Azovstal had already been sent to Kyiv but "just as many bodies still remain in Mariupol".
"Talks are continuing about further exchanges, to return home all the bodies. Absolutely all bodies must be returned and this is something we will work on," Zorin added in a video posted on his Telegram channel.
He said a third of the dead were of the Azov battalion, while the others belonged to border patrol and naval officers as well as the police.
12:31pm
The UK urged to aid Moroccan facing death penalty in Ukraine war
The UK's government has come under pressure to win the release of a Moroccan man who has been sentenced to death alongside two Britons by a pro-Russian court in Ukraine.
Brahim Saadoun along with UK nationals Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were said to have surrendered in April after fighting with Ukrainian forces in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
British cabinet minister Brandon Lewis told Sky News the government was "fully engaged" with Ukrainian authorities in trying to help Aslin and Pinner after their "sham trial".
12:08pm
The UK says Russia is using its overmatch in force ratio and artillery to gradually seize territory in Severodonetsk
Russia is using its overmatch in force ratio and artillery to gradually seize territory in and around Ukraine's Sieverodonetsk, Britain's Defence Ministry said today.
Russia has likely started preparing to deploy the third battalion from some combat formations in recent weeks, the ministry said in its latest intelligence update posted on Twitter
11:47am
Pictured: A Ukrainian tank firing at Russian positions in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine
Macron’s shameful kowtowing to Russia is hardly a bolt from the blue
To many critics, it was incongruous, humiliating, even unethical, that the leader of a great Western democracy should make persistent efforts to woo Europe’s most aggressive autocratic state.
I might be referring to President Emmanuel Macron. Or to President Charles de Gaulle. Or indeed to President Sadi Carnot (1887-94).
All political acts have a mixture of motives, and Macron’s approaches to Putin have been ascribed to vanity, insistence that the EU must play a leading role, domestic politics and fear of nuclear escalation.
Read the full piece from Robert Tombs here
11:41am
Rebranded McDonald 'reopens' in Russia
Vkusno & tochka has reopened in Pushkin Square in what was McDonald's first restaurant in Soviet Moscow in 1990 when it sold as many as 30,000 burgers.
15 rebranded restaurants will open in and around the capital and another 200 restaurants by the end of June.
All 850 will reopen by the end of summer, executives said today.
McDonald's flagship Big Mac is missing, but other popular items are on a smaller menu selling at slightly lower prices.
A double cheeseburger was going for 129 roubles ($2.31) compared with roughly 160 under McDonald's and a fish burger for 169 roubles, compared with about 190 previously.
10:46am
Europe must ensure the Kremlin's war in Ukraine fails or worse will follow
Russia’s war in Ukraine will not end overnight, and peace will not break out tomorrow.
Russia is the most direct threat to European security right now. In fact, should it get away with its aggression, it would undermine peace and security around the world. If aggression pays off somewhere, it serves as an invitation to use it elsewhere.
That is the reason we are so committed to helping Ukraine push back Russian aggression. What we are defending is the very idea of freedom, territorial integrity and sovereignty – that is, the right to exist as a country and the right to live free from repression.
Read the full piece from Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minister of Estonia,
10:30 am
Friend of Moroccan man sentenced to death alongside Brits urges government to "save" him
A friend of the 21-year-old Moroccan man sentenced to death by a Russian proxy court has urged the government to "save" him.
Zina Kotenko, who first met Saaudun Brahim in a Kyiv nightclub, described him as a "kind", "open-minded" and "cheerful" person.
Asked by Sky News's Sophy Ridge about her message to the government, she said: "Please care about people who care about democracy.
Zina Kotenko, a Ukrainian refugee living in the UK, talks to @SophyRidgeSky about her Moroccan friend Brahim Saadoun - who was sentenced to death alongside two British nationals after fighting in Ukraine.#Ridge
📺 Sky 501, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/gNrt56FdFu June 12, 2022
"People are the voice, people are the face of the government, now the face of the government is sitting in prison... please save [him]".
Although the court found the Moroccan guilty of "mercenary activities", Ms Kotenko claimed he had been accepted into the Ukrainian army after several attempts.
10:28am
Zelensky warns of the food crisis
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged international pressure to end a Russian naval blockade of Black Sea ports that has choked off his country's grain exports, threatening a global food crisis.
"The world will face an acute and severe food crisis and famine, in many countries of Asia and Africa," Zelensky says in a video addressed to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.
10:02am
PM 'fully engaged' in trying to help Britons sentenced to death, says Brandon Lewis
Brandon Lewis said the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary are "fully engaged" in trying to help two Britons handed the death penalty for fighting Russian forces.
Boris Johnson has ordered ministers to do "everything in their power" to secure the release of Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28 after the pair were condemned to death in what the UK Government has described as "sham" sentencing.
Asked if there is anything Britain can actually do, the Northern Ireland Secretary told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "It's difficult to go into the details of any particular case. And, obviously, particularly without the consent of the individuals.
"But the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister, I know, are fully engaged on this, working with the Ukrainians because they were serving Ukrainian armed forces, and therefore they are protected by the Geneva Convention, something that all governments around the world have respected for decades now.
9:49am
At least 22 wounded in a Russian strike in western Ukraine
At least 22 people were wounded when Russia struck the Ukrainian town of Chortkiv, the regional governor said today, marking a rare attack in the west of the country.
"Yesterday at 19:46 (1645 GMT) Chortkiv was hit by four missiles, all fired from the Black Sea," Volodymyr Trush said in a Facebook post.
He said all 22 people wounded, who included seven women and a 12-year-old, had been hospitalised.
9:45 am
Russia alleges it has destroyed a large depot with western weapons in Ukraine
Russian forces allegedly fired Kalibr cruise missiles to destroy a large depot with U.S. and European weapons in Ukraine's Ternopil region, Interfax reported today, citing the Russian defence ministry.
Russian forces have also reportedly shot down three Ukrainian SU-25 fighter jets near Donetsk and Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry has claimed.
9:19am
European Commission to provide 'clear signal' on Ukraine's candidate status bid
The European Commission will provide a clear signal next week on Ukraine's EU candidate status bid, it's chief Ursula von der Leyen has said, as fighting raged in the east and south of the country.
Von der Leyen said talks she held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday "will enable us to finalise our assessment by the end of next week" - the first time the bloc has publicly given a sense of timing.
Zelensky has pressed for rapid admission to the European Union, but officials and leaders in the bloc caution that, even with candidacy status, membership could take years or even decades.
Despite reservations among some member states, EU leaders are expected to approve Ukraine's candidate status, though with strict conditions attached.
"Russia wants to ruin European unity, wants to leave Europe divided and wants to leave it weak. The entirety of Europe is a target for Russia.
9:07 am
Sri Lanka 'open to buying Russian oil'
Sri Lanka may be compelled to buy more oil from Russia as the nation faces shortages amid an unprecedented economic crisis, its prime minister told the Associated Press.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in an interview with the news agency yesterday, said he would first look to other sources but would be open to buying more crude from Moscow.
The country is in the midst of its worst financial crisis in seven decades and is severely strapped for dollars to pay for critical imports including food, fuel and medicine.
Long lines, sometimes kilometres long, are a common sight near petrol stations across the country, which has also been hit by rolling power cuts.
8:45 am
McDonald's in Russia reopens under new ownership, renamed 'Vkusno & tochka'
The first 15 restaurants of the former McDonald's Corp will reopen in Moscow today under new ownership and a new name, "Vkusno & tochka", which means "Tasty & that's it", the company said.
Another 50 restaurants will be open on Monday, Vkusno & tochka said.
Sunday marks a new dawn for Russia's fast-food lovers as restaurants formerly run by the hugely popular Western fast-food chain reopen under new branding and with renamed burgers, more than three decades after McDonald's first opened in Moscow.
8:44 am
New 'sanction-proof' Russian car panned as Soviet-era throwback
Russia’s much anticipated new 'sanction-proof' Lada has been derided as a flashback to the USSR without any airbags, an anti-lock braking system, modern seat belts or satellite navigation.
The Lada Granta Classic 2022 was designed to use components only from Russia and its allies, but it also means it has no anti-emissions kit, with Russian car journalists reporting that the new car will only meet European pollution standards imposed in 1996.
Online, the reaction from Russian car-watchers has been mixed. Some stoic Russians said that the launch of the new Lada was an important step to breaking the West’s economic grip over Russia. Others cut a more downbeat note.
Read more from James Kilner here
8:42 am
The West must put itself on a ‘war-footing’ and support Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’
The West must adopt a “war-footing” and arm Ukraine properly to defeat Russia, Latvia said on Saturday as Ukrainian officials warned that Vladimir Putin’s army could still win his war.
In separate interviews with The Telegraph, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvia’s foreign minister, warned that the West needed to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, said that the army needed more heavy weapons.
Mr Rinkēvičs said that Eastern European countries had now largely run out of Soviet-era tanks and weapons to send to Kyiv and that Western Europe needed to step up production to meet the threat from Russia.
Read more from James Crisp, Nicola Smith, and James Kilner
8:39 am
Pictured: A 67-year-old Ukrainian citizen is seen among the ruins of her completely demolished house
8:34 am
Ukraine remains in control of the Severodonetsk plant
Ukraine remains in control of the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk, the region's governor said today.
"Azot is not blocked, fighting is going on in the streets next to the plant," Serhiy Gaidai said on Ukrainian television.
He added that he expects Russian forces to use all their efforts to try to capture the city either on Sunday or on Monday.
8:33 am
Gazprom's gas exports to Europe via Ukraine are 'unchanged'
Gazprom, the Russian gas producer, said its supply of gas to Europe through Ukraine via the Sudzha entry point was seen at 41.9 million cubic metres (mcm) on Sunday, unchanged from Saturday.
An application to supply gas via another major entry point, Sokhranovka, was rejected by Ukraine, Gazprom said.
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WHO and WHAT is behind it all? : >
The bottom line is for the people to regain their original, moral principles, which have intentionally been watered out over the past generations by our press, TV, and other media owned by the Illuminati/Bilderberger Group, corrupting our morals by making misbehaviour acceptable to our society. Only in this way shall we conquer this oncoming wave of evil.
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