Ukraine-Russia war LATEST: Bloodthirsty Putin issues CHILLING threat to Sweden as he aims ‘to take back historic land’

International order will be determined by Ukraine war, says Zelensky

The future of the international order will be determined by the Ukraine war, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Independent.co.uk reports that the Ukrainian leader stated it was therefore vital for the West to send more weapons to assist his country.

 “It is on the battlefields of Ukraine that the future rules of this world are being decided along with the boundaries of the possible,” he said.

Russia suggests it shot down three Ukrainian war planes

Russia stated on Saturday that it had shot down three Ukrainian war planes.

Independent.co.uk reports that the Kremlin stated its troops managed to target two MiG-29 planes in the Mikolayiv region and one Su-25 fighter jet in Kharkiv province.

Ukraine has so far refused to speculate on the claim.

Zelensky and von der Leyen meet in Kyiv

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to independent.co.uk, he will discuss Kyiv’s bid to become an EU member.

“With president Zelensky I will take stock of the joint work needed for reconstruction and of the progress made by Ukraine on its European path,” she tweeted.

Ukrainian Governor claims a person was killed in Sumy by Russian shelling

Ukrainian province Sumy’s Governor claims one person has been killed after Russian forces attacked communities there.

Independent.co.uk reports that Dmytro Zhyvytsky stated that substantial Russian artillery hit the Krasnopillia community at around 1pm on Friday.

UN: Donetsk death sentences are a ‘war crime’

The UN has stated the death sentences issued to two Britons and one Moroccan man by pro-Russian separatists are a “war crime”.

The sentence was announced on Thursday by a court in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), a breakaway region in Ukraine that’s not recognised by the international community.

Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Brahim Saadoun fought for the Ukrainian army, before they were captured in April.

Independent.co.uk reports that the UN human rights office said: “Such trials against prisoners of war amount to a war crime.”

Russian forces failed to advance into the south of Sievierodonetsk, Britain claims

Russian troops surrounding Ukraine’s Severodonetsk have failed to advance into the south of the city, Britain’s Defence Ministry has claimed in its daily intelligence update.

“Intense street to street fighting is ongoing and both sides are likely suffering high numbers of casualties,” the ministry wrote on Twitter.

Al-Jazeera reports that the Defence Ministry added Russian medium bombers have possibly launched dozens of Kh-22 (NATO designation, AS-4 KITCHEN) air-launched, heavy anti-ship missiles against land targets, which are “highly inaccurate and can therefore cause significant collateral damage and civilian casualties.”

Russian minister justifies death sentences handed to Brits

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has justified the decision to sentence three Brits to death, saying they had engaged in criminal activities.

His comments came after a pro-Russian separatist court handed down the sentences to the UK nationals Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner and the Moroccan national Brahim Saadoun on Thursday.

They were captured by Russian forces in April.

BBC News reports that the court that handed out the sentences in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic which is not recognised internationally.

Ukrainian military advanced the front line 5-7km from Zaporizhia, official suggested

Ivan Serhiyovych Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol, has suggested that over the past two weeks, “the Ukrainian military has pushed the front line 5-7km from Zaporizhia”.

Independent.co.uk reports that Ukrainian Pravda quoted him as saying that “there are facts: in the last two weeks, the front line has been moved 5-7km away from Zaporizhia, so there will be a deoccupation of Melitopol and other cities.”

Biden brags he was correct about Putin’s Ukraine invasion

US President Joe Biden bragged about being right about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intention to invade Ukraine at a massive fundraiser co-hosted by producer Jeffrey Katzenberg in Los Angeles Friday night. 

According to the Mail Online, he said: “I know a lot of people thought I was exaggerating. I knew we had data to sustain. He was gonna go into the border. And there was no doubt and Zelensky didn’t want to hear it nor did a lot of people.”

In January, Zelensky stated that warnings of an imminent invasion were “panic.” 

“I understand why they didn’t want to hear it, but he went in,” Biden added. 

Biden was headlining two LA fundraisers Friday.

Zelensky pushes for EU membership

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging the European Union to put his country on track to membership.

In a video address yesterday to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, Mr Zelenskyy said the EU should act quickly.

Mr Zelenskyy also urged the EU to show “that its words about the Ukrainian people being part of the European family aren’t a hollow sound”.

He deplored that “there are still some political skeptics who doubt whether we should be allowed to move to join the EU”.

Global chemical weapons watchdog ‘closely monitoring’ Ukraine

The world’s chemical weapons watchdog said Friday that it is keeping a close eye on Ukraine since Russia’s invasion to monitor “threats of use of toxic chemicals as weapons”.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons chief Fernando Arias met Ukraine’s parliamentary chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk to discuss “the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention,” the Hague-based organisation said.

“Since the beginning of the current conflict, the OPCW Technical Secretariat has been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine,” the OPCW said in a statement after the meeting.

Friday’s talks included “the threat of chemical weapons use and assistance and protection support from the OPCW Technical Secretariat as well as from States Parties to the convention,” it said.

The Chemical Weapons Convention is the treaty signed by most countries around the world – including Ukraine and Russia – banning the use of chemical weapons.

Sickly tyrant will be ‘incapacitated’ within 3 months

VLADIMIR Putin is gravely ill and will be incapacitated within as little as three months, a former MI6 agent has said.

Ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele has said he believes Putin could have just three to six months left.

Steele is known for his controversial spy dossier that claims Russia has compromising information on Donald Trump.

He said there are signs Putin is struggling with his health as he appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The World at One.

“I don’t see him [Putin] being in power for more than three-six months from now,” Steele said.

“There are signs his health is failing for a start which will be a factor in this.

“And if what we’re being told by the CIA and others and our own sources is true then it looks as though he could become incapacitated over that sort of period of time.

“This is a strongman regime where people have to have fear of the leader and if the leader is incapacitated medically then there will be a move against him, I’m sure.”

‘Cholera & other diseases could kill 1,000s in Mariupol’

Cholera and other deadly diseases could kill thousands of people in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol as corpses lie uncollected and summer brings warmer weather, its mayor said Friday.

Mayor Vadym Boichenko said wells had been contaminated by the corpses of people killed during weeks of Russian bombardment and siege, and that the collection of bodies by the city’s Russian occupiers was proceeding slowly.

“There is an outbreak of dysentery and cholera. This is unfortunately the assessment of our doctors: that the war which took over 20,000 residents … unfortunately, with these infection outbreaks, will claim thousands more Mariupolites,” he told national television.

Boichenko, who is based outside Mariupol, said the city had been placed into quarantine.

Ukraine: Russia can continue war ‘at current pace for another year’

Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate believes that Russia can continue its war at its current pace “for another year”.

It warned that Russia has the economic resources to continue its attack.

“The Kremlin leadership probably will try to freeze the war for a while in order to convince the West to lift sanctions, but then continue the aggression,” it said in a Telegram post.

“Russia’s economic resources will allow the occupying country to continue the war at its current pace for another year.”

Britons ‘will have to be traded with captured Russian’ to get freedom

Richard Goldstone, first chief prosecutor at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, spoke to Sky News yesterday about the two British men who have been sentenced to death in the Donbas.

He questioned the basis of the men’s conviction as mercenaries.

“In the case we’re dealing with at the moment, it seems to me we’re not dealing with mercenaries at all,” he said.

“As I understand, both the Britons were members of the Marines as the regular army of Ukraine and have both been living in Ukraine since 2018.

“Most of the commentary suggests that they should be afforded the protection of normal prisoners of war under international law.”

He said it was likely the men’s release would have to be secured by “trading the these prisoners for prisoners on the other side”. 

The men’s trial, he said, “seems to me to be reminiscent of the show trials of poor help during the Cold War in the Soviet Union… There’s no legality.”

He added: “If, for example, that they are put to death… the people who are guilty of doing that, if they can be identified, would be guilty of war crimes.”

Ministers to do “everything in their power” to release the Britons sentenced to death

Boris Johnson has ordered ministers to do “everything in their power” to secure the release of two Britons condemned to death for fighting Russian forces in a “sham” sentencing.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss discussed efforts to secure the release of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner with her Ukrainian counterpart on Friday after the judgment by a Russian proxy court.

A relative of Mr Aslin urged Britain and Ukraine to “do everything in their power to have them returned to us safely, and soon”.

They said Mr Aslin, 28, and Mr Pinner, 48, “are not, and never were, mercenaries” and should be treated as prisoners of war as they were fighting as part of the Ukrainian army.

A No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister was appalled at the sentencing of these men.

“He has been following the case closely and has asked ministers to do everything in their power to try and reunite them with their families as soon as we can.

“We completely condemn the sham sentencing of these men to death. There’s no justification at all for this breach of the protection they’re entitled to.”

Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund

Many of you want to help the five million caught in the chaos — and now you can, by donating to The Sun’s Ukraine Fund.

Give as little as £3 or as much as you can afford and every penny will be donated to the Red Cross on the ground helping women, children, the old, the infirm and the wounded.

Donate here to help The Sun’s fund

Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles

£3 — text SUN£3
£5 — text SUN£5
£10 — text SUN£10

Texts cost your chosen donation amount (e.g. £5) +1 standard message (we receive 100%). For full T&Cs visit redcross.org.uk/mobile

Putin given ‘urgent medical help’ 

VLADIMIR Putin was given “urgent medical assistance” earlier this week after being struck down by a “sharp sickness”, according to Kremlin insiders.

Russia’s president has reportedly been ordered by his doctors not to make any “lengthy” public appearances.

Vlad is said to have fallen ill while talking to his military chiefs and suffered “sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness” as he got up from his desk after a 90-minute virtual session.

The claims appeared on the General SVR channel on the messaging app Telegram, which is purportedly run by a Kremlin insider.

It said that Putin “needed urgent medical assistance” from doctors.

The channel said this sudden “dizziness” spell was the real reason Vlad’s annual “Direct Line” live broadcast had been postponed with no plans for rescheduling.

Britain is ‘prioritising talking to Ukraine rather than Russia’

Britain is prioritising talking to Ukraine rather than Russia on the situation of two jailed British men who have been sentenced to death, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman has said.

Foreign minister Liz Truss raised the issue with her Ukrainian counterpart in a call on Friday.

Asked if Britain would talk to Russia to secure their release, the spokesman said “we don’t have regular interaction with the Russians.”

“Our priority is working with the Ukrainian government to try and ensure their release as quickly as possible,” the spokesman said.

“They’re afforded protection under the Geneva Convention as members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which is why we want to continue working with them closely to try and get them freed as quickly as we can.”

Luhansk regional governor says ‘fierce street fights’ are ongoing

Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai wrote on Telegram that “fierce street fights” are taking place in the city.

He said: “We are exhausting the enemy.”

He added that Ukrainian forces are still in control of the regional centre of Luhansk.

Capture of the city and neighbouring Lysychansk would put all of Luhansk region under Russia’s control.

Global chemical weapons watchdog ‘closely monitoring’ Ukraine

The world’s chemical weapons watchdog said today that it is keeping a close eye on Ukraine since Russia’s invasion to monitor “threats of use of toxic chemicals as weapons”.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons chief Fernando Arias met Ukraine’s parliamentary chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk to discuss “the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention,” the Hague-based organisation said.

“Since the beginning of the current conflict, the OPCW Technical Secretariat has been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine,” the OPCW said in a statement after the meeting.

Friday’s talks included “the threat of chemical weapons use and assistance and protection support from the OPCW Technical Secretariat as well as from States Parties to the convention,” it said.

The Chemical Weapons Convention is the treaty signed by most countries around the world – including Ukraine and Russia – banning the use of chemical weapons.

Sickly tyrant will be ‘incapacitated’ within 3 months

VLADIMIR Putin is gravely ill and will be incapacitated within as little as three months, a former MI6 agent has said.

Ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele has said he believes Putin could have just three to six months left.

Steele is known for his controversial spy dossier that claims Russia has compromising information on Donald Trump.

He said there are signs Putin is struggling with his health as he appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The World at One.

“I don’t see him [Putin] being in power for more than three-six months from now,” Steele said.

“There are signs his health is failing for a start which will be a factor in this.

“And if what we’re being told by the CIA and others and our own sources is true then it looks as though he could become incapacitated over that sort of period of time.

“This is a strongman regime where people have to have fear of the leader and if the leader is incapacitated medically then there will be a move against him, I’m sure.”

Ukrainian foreign minister on call with Truss

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has tweeted details of his call with the UK’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

On Twitter, he said he “strongly condemned the sham trial against prisoners of war in the Russian-occupied Donetsk”.

He added: “As combatants, they are protected by international humanitarian law and must be treated accordingly. We keep working together to ensure their release.”

Zelensky pushes for EU membership

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging the European Union to put his country on track to membership.

In a video address today to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, Mr Zelenskyy said the EU should act quickly.

Mr Zelenskyy also urged the EU to show “that its words about the Ukrainian people being part of the European family aren’t a hollow sound”.

He deplored that “there are still some political skeptics who doubt whether we should be allowed to move to join the EU”.

Ukraine: Russia can continue war ‘at current pace for another year’

Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate believes that Russia can continue its war at its current pace “for another year”.

It warned that Russia has the economic resources to continue its attack.

“The Kremlin leadership probably will try to freeze the war for a while in order to convince the West to lift sanctions, but then continue the aggression,” it said in a Telegram post.

“Russia’s economic resources will allow the occupying country to continue the war at its current pace for another year.”