UK summons Russian ambassador over British aid workerThe UK has summoned Russia’s ambassador to London, Andrei Kelin, to express “deep concern” over reports of the death of a British aid worker.
In a statement, Britain’s foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said:
I am shocked to hear reports of the death of British aid worker Paul Urey while in the custody of a Russian proxy in Ukraine. Russia must bear the full responsibility for this.
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A Ukrainian serviceman fires a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher as part of a training exercise not far from front line in Donbas, Ukraine. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/ReutersUkrainian servicemen fire from a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle as part of a training exercise in Donbas, Ukraine. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/ReutersA Ukrainian serviceman not far from the front line in Donbas, Ukraine. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/ReutersSummary of the day so farIt’s 6pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
At least 23 people, including three children, were killed and up to 66 others wounded after Russian missiles struck civilian buildings and a cultural centre in the city of Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine. The attack on Vinnytsia, far from the war’s front lines, occurred mid-morning on Thursday when the streets were full of people. Eleven bodies, including two children, remain unidentified after yesterday’s strike on Vinnytsia. Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the office of the president of Ukraine, said “more than 70 people are still in hospital” and “18 people are missing, and the rescue operation is going on.” Investigators are asking the relatives of those missing following the attack to submit DNA samples in order to confirm the identities of bodies.
Russia’s ministry of defence has claimed – without providing any evidence – that Thursday’s missile strike on Vinnytsia was aimed at a military target. In its daily operational briefing, the ministry claimed the strike hit a building housing a meeting of the Ukrainian air force command. Ukraine has rejected Russian claims that any military target was hit. A four-year-old girl was killed in the Vinnytsia strike with social media posts charting her life and death. Footage – which the Guardian is not publishing – showed Liza Dmitrieva lying dead in her overturned pushchair. “A girl is among the dead today in Vinnytsia, she was four years old, her name was Liza.” Zelenskiy said. “Her mother is in critical condition.” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called the Russian attack in Vinnytsia “an open act of terrorism”. In a video address at The Hague conference on Thursday, Zelenskiy urged European and international criminal court officials to open a “special tribunal” to investigate Russia’s invasion of his country. Four people were injured after a Russian missile strike hit two universities in the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, according to the head of the regional council, Hanna Zamazeyeva. Vitaliy Kim, governor of Mykolaiv, said Russian forces launched at least ten missiles at two of the biggest universities in the city. The message was accompanied by a video clip which appears to show buildings on fire.
Russian and pro-Russian Luhansk People’s Republic separatist forces claim to have entered the outskirts of Siversk in Ukraine’s Donbas, the UK Ministry of Defence has said. Acknowledging that reports have not corroborated, the ministry said Russian forces have been slowly advancing westwards and probing assaults towards Siversk from Lysychansk to open a pathway onward to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. The British aid worker Paul Urey, 45, has died while being held hostage by pro-Russia separatists in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR), a local official in the rebel-held territory has said. Urey was reportedly detained at a checkpoint in southern Ukraine in April with a fellow Briton, Dylan Healy. The two men were later charged with “mercenary activities” by separatists in the rebel-held DNR. The UK has summoned Russia’s ambassador to London, Andrei Kelin, to express “deep concern” over reports of the death of Urey. In a statement, Britain’s foreign secretary Liz Truss said Russia “must bear the full responsibility for” his death. Ukraine is “hurrying as fast as we can” to clinch a deal with Russia, Turkey and the UN next week to export grain via its Black Sea ports, according to a senior Ukrainian official. Russia’s defence ministry said an agreement aimed at resuming Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports was close. North Korea has slammed Ukraine’s decision to sever diplomatic ties between the two nations. Ukraine’s foreign ministry announced the decision after Pyongyang said it would officially recognise the pro-Russian self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine. New satellite images show an expanding mass grave site in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to a report published by the UK-based Centre for Information Resilience (CIR). Investigators at CIR used satellite images to determine that approximately 1,400 new graves were added at the Mariupol Starokrymske cemetery between 12 May and 29 June.
A court hearing for US basketballer Brittney Griner has been postponed until Tuesday, 26 July, after a request from Griner’s defence team. Griner’s lawyers told a Russian court today that she was prescribed medical cannabis in the US for a chronic injury, and later told reporters “ she just wants to take a rest”. Hello everyone, it’s Léonie Chao-Fong still with you to bring you all the latest developments from the war in Ukraine. I’m on Twitter or you can email me.
Ukraine is “hurrying as fast as we can” to clinch a deal with Russia, Turkey and the UN next week to export grain via its Black Sea ports, according to a senior Ukrainian official.
Reuters has cited the source as responding to a question about whether it was realistic for the deal to be signed next week.
The source, who asked not to be identified, replied:
We really hope so. We’re hurrying as fast as we can.
Russia’s defence ministry said earlier today that an agreement aimed at resuming Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports was close.
UK summons Russian ambassador over British aid workerThe UK has summoned Russia’s ambassador to London, Andrei Kelin, to express “deep concern” over reports of the death of a British aid worker.
In a statement, Britain’s foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said:
I am shocked to hear reports of the death of British aid worker Paul Urey while in the custody of a Russian proxy in Ukraine. Russia must bear the full responsibility for this.
Alex Lawson
Copper has suffered its worst weekly plunge in price since the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, in a stark indicator of the worsening state of the global economy.
The metal dropped below $7,000 (£5,913) a tonne for the first time since November 2020, as fears over a worldwide recession grew.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange is down 2.8% at $6,968 a tonne and the Bloomberg Industrial metals index has slumped to a 17-month low amid concerns that rampant inflation will curb spending by large manufacturers.
The commodity is known as “Dr Copper” because it is a good indicator for the health of the global economy as it is used as a raw material in a variety of products.
Its price has fallen about 35% in the last four months, wiping out gains made at the start of the war in Ukraine. Traders had anticipated the conflict might cause supply shortages. However, recession fears have since gripped financial markets, hitting demand.
Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest miners, warned on Friday that the global economic outlook was weakening because of the Russia-Ukraine war, tighter monetary policy to curb rising inflation and Covid-19 restrictions in China.
The UK government has said it is urgently seeking clarity about reports that the British aid worker, Paul Urey, has died while being held hostage by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine.
The Foreign Office released a statement following a Telegram post by a local official in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) that Urey died on 10 July as a result of “illness and stress”.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said:
We are urgently seeking clarification from the Russian government on media reports that a British aid worker has died in Ukraine.
Russia’s defence ministry said an agreement aimed at resuming Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports was close, following talks earlier this week between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN in Istanbul.
The ministry said Moscow’s proposals on how to bring about a resumption of Ukrainian grain exports were “largely supported” by negotiators, and that work on what it calls the “Black Sea Initiative” will be finalised soon.
Following Wednesday’s talks, Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar said Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN are due to sign a deal next week.
Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, told reporters on Thursday: “It was possible to formulate some elements of a possible agreement which Russia, Ukraine and Turkey are now discussing in their capitals through their military departments.”
A preliminary date for the next four-way meeting is 20 or 21 July, the Russian state-owned news agency Ria has reported. Turkey’s defence ministry said the date for the next meeting is not yet clear.
Footage from a security camera shows people running for cover and falling to the ground, as a Russian missile hit the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia.
CCTV shows debris flying into the air and a dark cloud enveloping the square in the aftermath of the strike.
People run for cover in Vinnytsia during Russian missile strike – videoBritish aid worker held by Russian-backed Ukraine separatists reported dead
Pjotr Sauer
The British aid worker Paul Urey, 45, has died while being held hostage by pro-Russia separatists in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR), a local official in the rebel-held territory has said.
His mother, Linda Urey, said she was “absolutely devastated”, according to Sky News.
On 29 April, the non-profit Presidium Network said Urey had been detained at a checkpoint in southern Ukraine with his fellow Briton Dylan Healy.
The two men were later charged with “mercenary activities” by separatists in the rebel-held DNR.
Paul Urey, who was captured in eastern Ukraine, died from ‘illness and stress’, an official in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic said. Photograph: Presidium Network/PADarya Morozova, DNR’s ombudsman who deals with prisoners’ rights, wrote on Telegram on Friday that Urey died on 10 July as a result of “illness and stress”.
“Already during the first medical examination, Paul Urey was diagnosed with a number of chronic diseases, including insulin-dependent diabetes, damage to the respiratory system, kidneys and a number of diseases of the cardiovascular system,” Morozova added.
“On our part, despite the severity of the alleged crime, Paul Urey was provided with appropriate medical assistance.”
Urey’s mother, Linda, previously told the BBC that her son was diabetic and needed insulin.
Morozova further claimed that the British Foreign Office had provided “no reaction” to Urey’s capture despite being notified of his situation. She claimed Urey was a “professional fighter” who had taken part in conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, leading “military operations”.
Read the full story here.
Four injured in Mykolaiv universities strikes, says officialThe number of people injured as a result of a Russian missile strike on the city of Mykolaiv has increased to four, according to the head of the regional council, Hanna Zamazeyeva.
At least 10 rockets hit two universities and civil infrastructure objects, damaging residential buildings, Zamazeyeva wrote on Telegram.
There were no children among the wounded, she added. All victims have been taken to medical facilities and are receiving the necessary aid.
Earlier this morning, Vitaliy Kim, governor of Mykolaiv, said the city’s universities had been struck by Russia.
He tweeted:
Today Russian terrorists attacked two biggest universities in Mykolayiv. At least ten missiles. Now they attack our education. I’m asking Universities of all democratic countries to claim Russia what it is really is – the Terrorist
The message was accompanied by a video clip, which appears to show buildings on fire.
Today russia-Terrorist attacked 2 biggest Universities in Mykolayiv. At least 10 missiles. Now they attack our education. I’m asking Universities of all democratic countries to claim russia what it is really is- the Terrorist pic.twitter.com/VNiRxNbT89
— Віталій Кім / Vitaliy Kim (@vitalij_kim) July 15, 2022 In an update, Kim said five S-300 missiles hit the National University of Shipbuilding and four hit the National University of Mykolaiv.
Two floors of the National University were destroyed, he said, adding that it was “impossible” to restore them before the beginning of the academic year.
A court hearing for US basketballer Brittney Griner has been postponed until Tuesday, 26 July, after a request from Griner’s defence team.
The WNBA star has been detained in Russia since February after she was arrested at the Russian capital’s Sheremetyevo Airport when customs officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage.
Griner acknowledged in court that she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent. She is facing up to 10 years in prison.
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted to a courtroom for a hearing in the Khimki district court, just outside Moscow, Russia on Friday. Photograph: Jim Heintz/APHer lawyers told a Russian court today that she was prescribed medical cannabis in the US for a chronic injury, Reuters reports.
Speaking to reporters outside the court after the hearing ended, one of Griner’s lawyers, Alexander Boykov, said:
Yesterday was quite an emotional day for her. She saw her general manager, her friend and teammate Evgeniya Belyakova for the first time in many months. And now she just wants to take a rest.
When asked how Griner feels, a second lawyer replied: “She’s tired.”
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, most commonly referred to in the west as North Korea, has responded to Ukraine’s decision to sever diplomatic ties between the two nations over its recognition of two pro-Russian occupied territories in the east of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it had cut ties with North Korea in response to Pyongyang recognising the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic.
In a statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said:
We consider this decision as an attempt by Pyongyang to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
A North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted by the state-owned news agency KCNA as saying:
Ukraine… has no right and qualification to take issue with the DPRK over its legitimate exercise of sovereignty.
The spokesperson also accused Kyiv of pursuing acts “contrary to impartiality and justice in the state-to-state relations while aligning itself with the US”, which they said had driven “unreasonable and illegal hostile policy” toward the North.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said North Korea’s decision said more about Moscow’s “toxicity” than Pyongyang’s.
Kuleba said:
Russia has no more allies in the world, except for countries that depend on it financially and politically, and the level of isolation of the Russian Federation will soon reach the level of isolation of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea). Ukraine will continue to respond as harshly as possible to encroachments on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Russia, Syria and North Korea are the only UN member states that recognise the DPR and LPR as legitimate authorities.
Mykhailo Podolyak, the head of Ukraine’s negotiating team and a key adviser to President Zelenskiy, has dismissed Russia’s claims that Ukrainian missiles attacked Donetsk and Kakhovka as “Z-propaganda”.
Russian-backed officials claimed earlier this week that at least seven people were killed and around 70 more injured by a Ukrainian missile strike on a large ammunition store in the town of Nova Kakhovka, in Russia-occupied Kherson.
Kyiv said it had launched artillery barrages that destroyed a Russian arms depot, hitting artillery, armoured vehicles “and a warehouse with ammunition”, and in addition carried out a “special operation” to free military captives in the Moscow-controlled region.
Russian-backed authorities accused Ukraine of damaging civilian infrastructure and claimed civilians had been hit.
Writing on Twitter today, Podolyak said Ukrainian troops attack “only military warehouses and command posts in temporarily occupied territories”.
In contrast, Russia “kills civilians for fun”, he said.
Z-propaganda says that Ukrainian missiles attacked Donetsk and Kakhovka. The reality: 🇺🇦 attacks only military warehouses and command posts in temporarily occupied territories. We are waging a liberation war against 🇷🇺 terrorists, freeing hostages. RF – kills civilians for fun.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) July 15, 2022 It has not been possible to independently verify the battlefield accounts.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here again, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or via email.
Summary of the day so far … At least 23 people, including three children, were killed and up to 66 others wounded after Russian missiles struck civilian buildings and a cultural centre in the city of Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine. The attack on Vinnytsia, far from the war’s front lines, occurred mid-morning on Thursday when the streets were full of people. Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the office of the president of Ukraine, said that “more than 70 people are still in hospital” and “18 people are missing, and the rescue operation is going on”. Eleven bodies, including two children, remain unidentified. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called the Russian attack in Vinnytsia “an open act of terrorism”. In a video address at The Hague conference, Zelenskiy urged European and international criminal court officials to open a “special tribunal” to investigate Russia’s invasion of his country. A top Ukrainian official said the missile attacks in Vinnytsia were an “approved military strategy” by Vladimir Putin. Mykhailo Podolyak, the head of Ukraine’s negotiating team and a key adviser to Zelenskiy, said Russian forces were attacking “peaceful” Ukrainian cities such as Vinnytsia, Kremenchuk, Chasiv Yar and Kharkiv in order to force Ukrainians to “peace at any price”, Podolyak wrote on Twitter. Russia’s attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities were not a mistake but an approved military strategy A four-year-old girl was killed in the Vinnytsia strike with social media posts charting her life and death. Footage – which the Guardian is not publishing – showed Liza Dmitrieva lying dead in her overturned pushchair. “A girl is among the dead today in Vinnytsia, she was four years old, her name was Liza. The child was four years old!” Zelenskiy said. “Her mother is in critical condition.” Vitaliy Kim, governor of Mykolaiv, has said that the city’s universities have been struck by Russia this morning. Russian and pro-Russian Luhansk People’s Republic separatist forces claim to have entered the outskirts of Siversk in Ukraine’s Donbas, the UK Ministry of Defence has said. Acknowledging that reports have not corroborated, the ministry said Russian forces have been slowly advancing westwards and probing assaults towards Siversk from Lysychansk to open a pathway onward to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Russia has banned investigative news outlet Bellingcat and its partner The Insider. Russia’s prosecutor general said their activities “posed a threat to… the security of the Russian federation”. A statement said both organisations will be added to Russia’s “undesirable” list, which bans them from operating in Russia and makes cooperating with them illegal for Russian organisations and individuals. Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins questioned how it can be applied, given that it has no official presence in Russia New satellite images show an expanding mass grave site in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to a report published by the UK-based Centre for Information Resilience (CIR). Investigators at CIR used satellite images to determine that approximately 1,400 new graves were added at the Mariupol Starokrymske cemetery between 12 May and 29 June. That’s it from me, Martin Belam in London. I will be back next week. Léonie Chao-Fong will be here shortly to continue our live coverage of Ukraine.
Over the last couple of days, some journalists have been allowed into areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian military authorities. Here are some of the images sent to us on the tightly-organised visit.
An armed Russian serviceman on a military vehicle keeping watch in a field near Melitopol, in an occupied area of Zaporizhia. Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPARussian servicemen guardian a grain storage facility in occupied Melitopol. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia and pro-Russian forces of stealing and exporting its grain. Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPAA woman at work during the uploading of Ukraine’s wheat at a grain storage facility in occupied Melitopol. Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPARussia’s ministry of defence has claimed without providing any evidence that yesterday’s missile strike on Vinnytsia was aimed at a military target – a meeting of Ukrainian air force command.
In its daily operational briefing, Russia claims:
On 14 July, Kalibr high-precision sea-based missiles hit the building of the garrison house of officers in the city of Vinnytsia.
At the time of the strike, a meeting of the command of the Ukrainian air force with representatives of foreign arms suppliers was held at this military facility on the issues of transferring the next batch of aircraft and weapons to the armed forces of Ukraine, as well as organising the repair of the Ukrainian aviation fleet. As a result of the strike, the meeting participants were destroyed.
More than 70 people remain in hospital after the strike on the central Ukrainian city, which killed at least 23 people, including three children. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has called the Russian attack in Vinnytsia “an open act of terrorism”.
Reuters have a quick snap, citing Russian news agency Tass, to say that Paul Urey, a British man who was captured by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine and accused of being a mercenary has died. Urey and another British man, Dylan Healy, were detained in April.
More details soon …