RUSSIA says it will launch a “proportional response” if Britain continues to provoke Ukraine after ministers backed strikes on Russia.
It comes after UK armed forces minister James Heappey said Ukrainian airstrikes on Russian soil were “completely legitimate”.
Confirming UK Government support for targeting logisitcal structures in Russia, Heappey told Times Radio: “It’s completely legitimate for Ukraine to be targeting in Russia’s depth in order to disrupt logistics that if they weren’t disrupted would directly contribute to death and carnage on Ukrainian soil,” Heappey said.
He added: “Things that the international community are now providing to Ukraine have the range to be used over the borders. When those bits of kit are used, you tend not to blame the country that manufactured it, you blame the country that fired it.”
But Russia’s defence minstry warned: “We would like to underline that London’s direct provocation of the Kyiv regime into such actions, if such actions are carried out, will immediately lead to our proportional response,”
“As we have warned, the Russian Armed Forces are in round-the-clock readiness to launch retaliatory strikes with high-precision long-range weapons at decision-making centres in Kyiv.”
Meanwhile – in what appears to be the latest tactical strike from Ukraine – a Russian ammunition depot was pictured in flames this morning.
The ammo dump in the Belgorod region was reportedly ablaze and pictures show a huge plume of fire and smoke billowing over the landscape.
Two more attacks were also suspected with reports of explosions in the regions of the Voronezh and Kursk.
Ukraine has not confirmed the strikes – but video appears to show anti-air missile being fired in the area.
Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…
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Russian ammunition depot explodes in suspected Ukrainian drone strike
A RUSSIAN ammunition depot has exploded in what is suspected to be another strike by Ukraine across the border as they push back against Vladimir Putin.
The ammo dump in the Belgorod region was reportedly ablaze and pictures show a huge plume of fire and smoke billowing over the landscape.
Two more attacks were also suspected with reports of explosions in the regions of the Voronezh and Kursk.
Ukraine has not confirmed the strikes – but video appears to show anti-air missile being fired in the area.
All three regions are along the border with Ukraine and the blasts come as Kyiv goes on the offensive.
Kyiv has been pushing the Russians back on a number of fronts as Putin failed in his plan to bulldoze his way to victory in a matter of days.
Read more here.
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Zelenskyy calls for meeting with Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday called for a meeting with Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, in an effort ‘to end the war’.
“I think that whoever started this war will be able to end it,” he told a news conference at a metro station in the heart of the Ukrainian capital.
He was “not afraid to meet” Putin if it would lead to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, he added.
“From the beginning, I have insisted on talks with the Russian president,” said Zelensky.
“It’s not that I want (to meet him), it’s that I have to meet him so as to settle this conflict by diplomatic means. We have confidence in our partners, but we have no confidence in Russia,” he added.
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Russia’s warning WW3 may break out
RUSSIA’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, yesterday warned there is a “real” danger of a third world war breaking out after a day of apparent Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil.
Speaking on the 61st day of the war, during a state television broadcast, Lavrov was asked about the importance of avoiding World War III.
“I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it,” Lavrov replied, Reuters has reported.
Lavrov also said the continual deliveries of supplies and weaponry to Ukraine means the NATO alliance has positioned itself as “in essence engaged in war with Russia“.
In the interview, he warned: “These weapons will be a legitimate target for Russia’s military acting within the context of the special operation.”
Lavrov went on: “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy.
“War means war.”
Responding to Lavrov’s comments, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted they were a bluff to “scare the world off supporting Ukraine.”
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Russia claims it has ‘liberated’ Kherson – reports
Russia’s defence ministry yesterday claimed its forces had liberated the entire Kherson region in the south of Ukraine.
Interfax news agency scited a senior official as saying that elsewhere in the south of Ukraine, Russian troops had taken parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv regions, as well as part of the Kharkiv region to the east of Kyiv
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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.
Donate here to help The Sun’s fund
Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles
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£10 — text SUN£10Texts cost your chosen donation amount (e.g. £5) +1 standard message (we receive 100%). For full T&Cs visit redcross.org.uk/mobile
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Putin agrees ‘in principle’ to UN involvement in evacuating civilians at Azovstal plant
Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” to U.N. and International Committee for the Red Cross involvement in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Ukraine’s Mariupol, the United Nations said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Follow-on discussions will be had with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Russian Defence Ministry,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement after Putin met with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow.
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Russia’s Gazprom to halt gas shipments to Poland via the Yamal pipeline
Russia’s Gazprom will halt gas shipments to Poland via the Yamal pipeline from Wednesday, Poland’s PGNiG gas firm said in a statement on Tuesday.
“On April 26, 2022, Gazprom informed PGNiG of its intention to completely suspend deliveries under the Yamal contract… on April 27,” PGNiG said.
The operator said that Poland was prepared to obtain necessary supplies from other sources.
“All deliveries to customers are being made according to their demand,” the company said.
The Polish government also said it was ready to face any interruption of supply from Russia.
“There will be no shortage of gas in Polish homes,” Climate Minister Anna Moskwa said on Twitter.
“Since the first day of the war we have declared that we are ready for full independence from Russian raw materials,” she said.
“Poland has the necessary gas reserves and sources of supply to protect our security. For years we have been successfully making ourselves independent from Russia,” she added.
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UK will not be distracted by Russian threats says Liz Truss
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said it is important not to be “distracted” by Russian threats and that she is determined to work with allies on a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild Ukraine.
Ms Truss was responding to a question in the House of Commons from Labour MP Graham Stringer about the “threat by Putin to use nuclear weapons” when she described the need not to be distracted or “put off our course by these threats from the Russian regime”.
Outlining a vision for longer-term support for Ukraine, she said that “looking to the future” when the war is over the UK would “continue to support a strong, sovereign Ukraine”.
And she said the UK is working on a joint commission with Poland to ensure Ukraine can defend itself in the “longer term”, including with Nato-standard weapons.
The Foreign Secretary said: “We will also help Ukraine to rebuild. I’m determined to work with the United States, with the EU and other partners, on a new Marshall Plan for the country.
“We need to see a landmark international effort to rebuild Ukraine’s towns and cities, regenerate their industries and secure their freedom. We will also ensure that Putin and his regime are held to account for their crimes in Ukraine.”
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Russia’s Gazprom to halt deliveries to Bulgaria
Russia’s gas giant Gazprom has told Bulgaria that it will halt its shipments of Russian gas from Wednesday, the Bulgarian economy ministry announced late Tuesday.
“Bulgargaz received a notification today, April 26, that natural gas supplies from Gazprom Export will be suspended starting April 27,” the ministry in the Balkan country, which is highly dependent on Russian gas, said in a statement.
“The Bulgarian side has fully met its obligations and has made all payments required under its current contract in a timely manner, strictly and in accordance with its terms,” it added.
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PM: Britain is ‘helping Ukrainians protect themselves’ as world unites
The invasion of Ukraine has seen nations unite against the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
He told TalkTV that Britain is “helping the Ukrainians to protect themselves in that conflict”.
He said: “We do not want the crisis to escalate beyond Ukraine’s borders but the Ukrainians plainly – as James Heappey (the Armed Forces minister) has said – they have a right to defend themselves.
“They are being attacked from within Russian territory.”
Mr Johnson added: “You are going to see sympathetic countries giving the Ukrainians the assurances, the commitment, that go with more Nato-grade weapons, more training and sharing of intelligence.”
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PM: Russian public ‘overwhelmingly’ back Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has “the political margin for manoeuvre within Russia” to be able to back down from the conflict in Ukraine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
The Russian public “overwhelmingly” back Mr Putin and he has the space to withdraw, according to Mr Johnson.
He told TalkTV: “I would say that given the massive Russian backing for what he is doing, given the apparent obliviousness of the Russian media about what is really happening in Ukraine – the paradox is that Putin has far more political space to back down (and) to withdraw.”
He could tell the Russian people that the military technical operation launched in Ukraine has been “accomplished”, it has been “technically a success” and they “had to go in to accomplish certain objectives”.
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Mission to examine Chernobyl nuclear power plant
According to reports the International Atomic Energy Authority has said it is launching a mission to Ukraine to examine the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the scene of fierce fighting earlier in the war and raised fears of a major radiation leak.
The team of safety experts are due to arrive on Tuesday at Chernobyl to deliver equipment, make assessments of radiation levels & help to restore safeguards and monitoring systems.
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Labour calls for emergency food summit to deal with food security
Labour shadow foreign secretary David Lammy called for an emergency global food summit to deal with the issue of food security linked to the war.
He said: “We need to put food security at the heart of our strategy. Does the Foreign Secretary agree with Labour that Britain should work with the United Nations to organise an emergency global food summit to put this at the very top of the international agenda?
“We need to secure commitments for action. The summit can be a focus for collaboration with major producers to increase supplies and meet growing needs.”
He also called on the Government to back Labour’s call “for a new US-style law to target those who act as proxies for sanctioned individuals and organisations”.
Mr Lammy also called on the Government to explore ideas “like a new UK-EU security pact”.
He said: “We can sit on the sidelines and allow a conversation between France and Berlin, or we can be part of that conversation. It must be vital to our own industry that we are part of that conversation.”
Conservative Julian Lewis (New Forest East) said he would want the effect to be “to help stop Germany paying for Russia’s war effort as it is unfortunately at the moment”.
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Putin tells UN he ‘has hope’ in Ukraine talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the visiting UN chief Tuesday that he still had hope for negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Putin told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was visiting Moscow: “Despite the fact that the military operation is ongoing, we still hope that we will be able to reach agreements on the diplomatic track.
“We are negotiating, we do not reject (talks),”
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Benedict Cumberbatch gives update on housing Ukrainian refugees (2/2)
“So I’ve been trying to help out with that financially in a couple of instances and working through a wonderful charity called Refugees At Home, which is a great gateway to the Government scheme, but also to offering further and wider support that’s needed for the psychological trauma that these people are suffering from, that they are coming into our homes with and that we’ll need further help with.
“However gentle and generous and welcoming we are as hosts, we don’t have the skills of the mental health profession to necessarily deal with those.
“I would urge people to seek out further help to bolster their efforts and people are doing an amazing amount.
“It makes me very proud of our country and very proud of what we can be at our best as a human race.”
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Benedict Cumberbatch gives update on housing Ukrainian refugees (1/2)
Benedict Cumberbatch has spoken about welcoming Ukrainian refugees into his home and being able to “give them some stability after the turmoil that they’ve experienced”.
The 45-year-old has signed up for the Homes For Ukraine scheme, but said the family have not yet moved in and he is “monitoring their progress every day”.
Speaking at a London photocall for his new film, Marvel’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, he said: “They’ve made it out of Ukraine (the family), but I’m monitoring their progress every day.
“Sadly they’re undergoing some medical treatment at the moment – to say anything more about that would be an invasion of their privacy, and too much about when they’re coming and how that’s being managed would invade mine.
“But I want to give them some stability after the turmoil that they’ve experienced, and that’s within my home.
“And then, from outside, I’ve been trying to help other Ukrainian families and nationals that are UK citizens, to house their extended families en masse, which … is very costly.
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Russia’s warning WW3 may break out
RUSSIA’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has warned there is a “real” danger of a third world war breaking out after a day of apparent Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil.
Speaking on the 61st day of the war, during a state television broadcast, Lavrov was asked about the importance of avoiding World War III.
“I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it,” Lavrov replied, Reuters has reported.
Lavrov also said the continual deliveries of supplies and weaponry to Ukraine means the NATO alliance has positioned itself as “in essence engaged in war with Russia“.
In the interview, he warned: “These weapons will be a legitimate target for Russia’s military acting within the context of the special operation.”
Lavrov went on: “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy.
“War means war.”
Responding to Lavrov’s comments, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted they were a bluff to “scare the world off supporting Ukraine.”
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White House won’t rule out sanctions for Russia’s ‘secret first lady’
White House press secretary Jen Psaki denied on Monday’s press briefing that the US was deliberately holding off on sanctioning the woman believed to be Putin’s girlfriend.
Alina Kabaeva is a 38-year old Olympic gold medalist
“We’re continuing to review sanctions,” Psaki said.
“No-one is safe from our sanctions,” Psaki continued.
“We’ve already of course sanctioned President Putin, but also his daughter and his closest cronies, and we will continue to review more,” she added.
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Anonymous hacks over one MILLION Russian emails
Anonymous claims to have published over 1.1million emails taken from Russian fuel and energy industries.
The emails are said to have been ‘stolen’ from a Russian firm called ALET.
ALET works with Russian companies that specialize in fuel and energy.
These companies handle important things like exports of coal and oil.
Industries like this are crucial to the Russian economy.
Popular Twitter account Anonymous TV tweeted: “JUST IN: #Anonymous hacked nearly 1.1 million emails (1.1 TB ) from ALET, a Russian customs broker for companies in the fuel and energy industries, handling exports and customs declarations for coal, crude oil, liquefied gases and petroleum products. #OpRussia #DDoSecrets.”
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‘Every chance’ Ukraine can ‘see Russians off’
The UK’s armed forces minister, James Heappey, spoke to Sky News earlier and said there is “every chance” that the Ukrainians will see off the Russian invaders.
Heappey told Sky News: “We’ll see a conflict between two forces that are much more evenly balanced, where the Ukrainians have the advantage of defensive positions that have been dug in and prepared over the last eight years and that’s going to make it an extraordinarily difficult nut for the Russians to crack.
“And with all the support that the Ukrainians are getting from around the world, there’s every chance the Ukrainians can see them off.”
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Putin & Erdogan discuss humanitarian corridors in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday discussed Moscow’s efforts to ensure the safety of civilians during its military operation in Ukraine.
According to a statement from the Kremlin, the two leaders talked about “efforts made by Russia on a constant basis to ensure safety of peaceful civilians, including the organisation of humanitarian corridors”.
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Russian court hands Wikipedia owner additional fine
A Russian court on Tuesday fined Wikipedia owner Wikimedia Foundation an additional 2 million roubles ($26,900) after an earlier penalty for not deleting articles Russia has demanded it remove, the TASS news agency reported.
Russia has objected to articles that it says contain inaccurate information about what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
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Putin calls suspension of Olympic swimming champion ‘absurd’
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the world swimming federation’s nine-month suspension of Russian Olympic champion Evgeny Rylov for attending a rally was “absurd”.
The Russian leader added Russian and Belarusian athletes had faced discrimination based on their nationality.
Swimming’s governing body FINA last week suspended Rylov for nine months for attending a rally in support of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, a move that drew an angry reaction from the Kremlin and Russian sports officials.
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My college Joe Gamp is now taking over the blog. He’ll be bringing you the latest news and updates until 10pm tonight.
Before I log off, I’ll leave you with a summary of the news from this morning:
- Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has warned there is a “real” danger of a third world war breaking out
- Russian forces still blocking Ukrainians at Mariupol steel plant, according to Ukraine’s Armed Forces
- Head of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is in Moscow and will meet with both the Russian foreign minister and Vladimir Putin today
- UK’s foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has announced today that Britain will send more ambulances and fire engines to Ukraine
- Liz Truss has also said said the UK wants new international agreement to make the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war a “red line”.
- Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, has imposed a nighttime curfew where civilians are being told not to walk the streets between 10pm and 5am this week
- Russian forces have set up a “concentration camp” in the city of Vovchansk, where civilians are being ‘tortured’ claims the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office
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Russian forces still blocking Ukrainians at Mariupol steel plant
According to the latest update from Ukraine’s Armed Forces, its troops are still holed up alongside civilians at the Azovstal plant in the southern city of Mariupol.
It said Russian soldiers are continuing to blockade the complex.
This is where the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol remains, as the rest of the port city is now under Russian control.
For context, over the weekend Ukrainian authorities said the plant was being “continuously attacked”.
