Ukraine-Russia war LATEST: Bloodthirsty Putin issues CHILLING threat to Sweden as he aims ‘to take back historic land’
VLADIMIR Putin has issued a fresh chilling threat to Sweden as he compared himself to Russian tyrant Peter the Great and bragged about ‘reclaiming’ land in new footage.
Putin, referenced the Great Northern war which saw an anti-Sweden coalition led by Moscow during his talk to mark the 350th anniversary of Tsar Peter’s birth.
Speaking to the audience with a smirk on his face, Putin said: “It seemed [Peter] was fighting with Sweden and seizing territories.”
“He wasn’t seizing anything! He was taking them back!” he added.
Referencing the Battle of Narva, he said: “Why did he go there? He went there to take it back and to strengthen it, that’s what he was doing.
“It has fallen to us to take back and strengthen. And if we take these values as fundamental to our existence, we will prevail in the issues we are facing.”
The news comes as Putin’s ‘brutal’ battle for the key city of Severodonetsk will determine the fate of the Donbas region according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian forces were holding their positions in intense street fighting and under day and night shelling in Sievierodonetsk, officials said.
Russia pushes to control the bombed-out city, key to its objective of controlling eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Security Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said on Thursday the situation in Sievierodonetsk was “extremely complicated” and Russian forces were focusing all of their might in the area.
Read our Ukraine war live blog below for the latest news & updates…
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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.”
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‘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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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Zelensky: Ukraine must not be left in EU bid ‘grey zone’
Ukraine’s president today appealed for his country not to be left in a “grey zone” with its EU membership bid, ahead of a summit set to decide on its candidacy.
“The first thing is to finally remove this grey zone,” Volodymyr Zelensky said, addressing the 2022 Copenhagen Democracy Summit by video-link.
“In the coming weeks, the European Union could take a historic step that will prove that the words on the membership of the Ukrainian people in the European family are not in vain,” he added.
The European Commission is expected to give its opinion on the issue in the coming days, before EU leaders decide whether to grant Ukraine official candidate status at a European Council summit on June 23-24.
Zelensky said he wondered why some member states were still hesitant about allowing Ukraine to join and cutting ties with Russia.
“Why, if the polls show that 71 percent of Europeans consider Ukraine as part of the European family, are there still political sceptics who hesitate to allow us to join the European Union?” he asked.
“The European system could lose if words are not accompanied by deeds,” Zelensky said.
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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.
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Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund
PICTURES of women and children fleeing the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities have moved Sun readers to tears.
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.
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Ukraine and Poland discuss weapons
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, has said he’s spoken to his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau to discuss the future deliveries of heavy weapons to Ukraine.
Kuleba tweeted that they also spoke about future sanctions by the EU against Russia.
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Hundreds of Russian mercenaries incinerated in Ukrainian blitz
Hundreds of Russian mercenaries have reportedly been killed in an artillery strike by Ukraine.
Footage appears to show an ammo dump burning after it was allegedly hit – reportedly leaving just one survivor.
Private soldiers from Russia’s infamous Wagner Group were reportedly using the sports arena as a base in Kadiivka, eastern Ukraine.
It is claimed up to 300 mercenaries died in the onslaught in what would be one of the biggest losses of life since the war began in February.
Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk province, said that Ukrainian forces shelled the mercenary headquarters.
He said: “The Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a well-aimed attack on it. Only one occupier survived.”
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Ukraine celebrates win over Armenia
Ukraine have beaten Armenia 3-0 in their UEFA nations league match this afternoon.
Seven-year-old Amelia Anisovich sang the country’s national anthem before the game, after going viral when a video of her in a bomb shelter in Kyiv singing Let it Go from the movie Frozen went viral,
Ukraine’s thumping of Armenia earlier today means they occupy first place with maximum points from two games, but Scotland could join them with a second win of their own.
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Ukraine ‘will swap Russian prisoners’ to free captured Brits
UKRAINE says it is ready to swap Russian prisoners of war to secure the release of hero fighters Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner.
The Britons – both serving members of Ukraine’s army – were sentenced to death by a kangaroo court after reportedly being tricked to admit they are terrorists.
Expats Aiden, 28, and Shaun, 48, were captured after running out of ammo during the brutal siege of Mariupol.
They were convicted of being illegal mercenaries in a sham trial by Putin’s proxies in the occupied Donetsk region.
Ukraine says they were soldiers who should be protected as prisoners of war under international law.
And last night the country’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, suggested they will be freed in a prisoner swap deal with Russia.
In return Putin could demand the release of a number of pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politicians who have been detained for alleged spying.
“It will be a swap,” Mr Prystaiko told BBC News.
“The important question is what will be the price for this, because the Russians were talking about some Ukrainian MPs being swapped for them, especially for those who, I now understand, were working for them for all these years.”
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EU to finalise opinion next week on Ukraine’s application
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, has said that her executive will finalise its opinion on whether Ukraine should be given candidate status to join the EU “by the end of next week”.
Speaking to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint news conference in Kyiv, she said the recent discussions will help make their decision.
She said: “The discussions today will enable us to finalise our assessment by the end of next week.”
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No concessions to Russia, France insists
France will not make concessions to Russia and wants Ukraine to win the war against Moscow, a French presidential official has told Al-Jazeera, as Paris seeks to assuage anxieties over its position in the conflict.
President Emmanuel Macron has been criticised by Ukraine and eastern European allies after an interview quoted him as saying it was crucial not to “humiliate” Russia so that when the fighting ends there could be a diplomatic solution.
“As the president has said, we want a Ukrainian victory. We want Ukraine’s territorial integrity to be restored,” the official confirmed.
“There is no spirit of concession towards Putin or Russia in what the president says. When he speaks to him directly, it is not compromise, but to say how we see things.”
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Czech citizen killed whilst fighting in Ukraine, confirms Minister
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has said a Czech citizen has died in Ukraine whilst fighting as a volunteer.
Al-Jazeera reports that Mr Lipavsky said: “I can confirm that a Czech citizen has died in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The body should be transported to Kharkiv region tomorrow.”
More than a hundred Czechs have joined Ukrainian armed forces, with permission from local authorities.
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End food crisis by lifting Russian blockade, Zelenskyy warns
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for international support to halt a Russian naval blockade of Black Sea ports that has damaged his country’s grain exports, threatening a global food crisis.
Al-Jazeera reports that he said in a video address to the Shangri-La dialogue security summit in Singapore: “The shortage of foodstuffs will inexorably lead to political chaos, which can result in the [collapse] of many governments and the ousting of many politicians.”
“This looming threat is plain to see by just looking at the skyrocketing prices of basic products in the world markets and in certain countries. This is the direct consequence of the acts of the Russian state.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.”
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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.
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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.”
