Putin’s troops outnumbered by Ukraine ‘who can mobilise 1M men’ as sick war passes 100 days

Russia says Kyiv strikes destroyed tanks donated by West

 Russia’s defense ministry said the military destroyed tanks donated by Ukraine’s allies and other armor in a barrage of missile strikes that shattered five weeks of eerie calm in Ukraine’s capital early Sunday.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Ukrainian side.

In a posting on the Telegram app, the Russian ministry said high-precision, long-range air-launched missiles were used.

It said the strikes destroyed on the outskirts of Kyiv destroyed T-72 tanks supplied by Eastern European countries and other armored vehicles located in buildings of a car-repair business.

Moscow to hit new targets if long-range missiles supplied to Ukraine, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that Moscow will strike new targets if the West supplies long-range missiles to Ukraine and said new arms deliveries to Kyiv were aimed at “prolonging the conflict”.

If Kyiv is supplied with long-range missiles, “we will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our arms…. to strike targets we haven’t hit before,” Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying, without specifying which targets he meant.

Putin doesn’t think the west sending advanced rocketing systems will help Ukraine

He threatened to target new regions of Ukraine if the US sends military weapons to Ukraine.

Putin told the state television channel Rossiya-1 that, if missiles are supplied by the west: “We will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting.”

Shock explosions have been reported in the east of Kyiv, for the first time in many weeks, dashing hopes that the city dwellers could return to some form of normality.

Kyiv hit with missiles fired from the Caspian Sea

Russian forces battered the east of Kyiv, with dark tunnels of clouds shooting up into the sky.

No deaths were immediately reported, but there are worries more strikes could follow as this is the first Ukrainians have seen in Kyiv in weeks.

Ukrainian air defences shot down one incoming missile at around 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT), the military said.

This is a devastating turn of events as the future of Kyiv was looking fleetingly hopeful.

Putin doesn’t think the west sending advanced rocketing systems will help Ukraine

He threatened to target new regions of Ukraine if the US sends military weapons to Ukraine.

Putin told the state television channel Rossiya-1 that, if missiles are supplied by the west: “We will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting.”

Shock explosions have been reported in the east of Kyiv, for the first time in many weeks, dashing hopes that the city dwellers could return to some form of normality.

Kyiv hit with missiles fired from the Caspian Sea

Russian forced battered the east of Kyiv, with dark tunnels of clouds shooting up into the sky.

No deaths were immediately reported, but there are worries more strikes could follow as this is the first Ukrainians have seen in Kyiv in weeks.

Ukrainian air defences shot down one incoming missile at around 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT), the military said.

This is a devastating turn of events as the future of Kyiv was looking fleetingly hopeful.

Kyiv’s chance of a ‘new normal’ shattered

The Russians had focused their brutal tirade on the Donbass region, leaving Kyiv to recuperate.

A man is pictured cutting his grass in his garden amidst the shrapnel and damage a bomb left.

While Ukrainians thought they had a chance of respite, further shelling has hit during the early hours of this morning (Sunday 5 June).

Black plumes of smoke have been spotted across the east of the city.

The Pope calls for ‘real negotiations’ for Ukraine

He said that it is an ‘increasingly dangerous escalation’ of the conflict in Ukraine.

The pontiff said from the window of the apostolic palace in St Peter’s Square: “As the fury of destruction and death rages and clashes flare, fuelling an escalation that is increasingly dangerous for all, I renew my appeal to the leaders of nations: Please do not lead humanity to destruction,”

On Saturday, the 85-year-old pope confirmed his desire to visit Ukraine, but said he wanted to wait for “the right moment”.

Russian sanctions against gas suppliers could cost German tax payer’s BILLIONS

The sanctions against Gazprom Germania could cost German taxpayers and gas users an extra 5 billion euros a year to pay for replacement gas, the Welt am Sonntag weekly reported.

In May, Russia decided to stop supplying Gazprom Germania, which had been the German subsidiary of Gazprom, after Berlin put the company under trustee management due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine says Russia using ‘phosphorus arms’ in village

Ukraine’s General Staff has accused Russian forces of using phosphorus munitions in the village of Cherkaski Tyshky in the Kharkiv region. The claim couldnt be independently verified.

The update also confirmed strikes on Kyiv, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday. It wasnt immediately clear from the statement which infrastructure facilities in Kyiv were hit.

The General Staff said Russian forces continue assault operations in Sievierodonetsk, one of two key cities left to be captured in the Luhansk region of the Donbas. The Russians control the eastern part of the city, the update said, and are focusing on trying to encircle Ukrainian forces in the area and blocking off main logistical routes.

Ukraine SLAMS Macron’s call to not humiliate Russia

Kyiv criticised Saturday comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently repeated that Moscow should not be humiliated to improve chances of diplomatically resolving the war in Ukraine.

“Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on social media.

He urged Russia instead to be “put in its place”, to “bring peace and save lives”.

Russia says western oil sanctions will have no effect

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday said Western sanctions would have no effect on the country’s oil exports and predicted a big jump in profits from energy shipments this year, Tass news agency reported.

“Considering the price level that has been established as a result of the West’s policies, we have suffered no budgetary losses.

“On the contrary, this year we will significantly increase the profits from the export of our energy resources,” Tass quoted Lavrov as telling a Bosnian television station

Battle for Severodonetsk rages on

In the east of Ukraine, the battle for control of Severodonetsk raged on.

The city is the largest still in Ukrainian hands in the Lugansk region of the Donbas, where Russian forces have been advancing gradually after retreating or being beaten back from other parts of the country, including Kyiv.

Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said that Russian forces had lost ground in the city and it was now “divided in two”.

“The Russians were in control of about 70 percent of the city, but have been forced back over the past two days,” he said on Telegram.

“They are afraid to move freely around the city.”

Russia’s army on Saturday claimed some Ukrainian military units were withdrawing from Severodonetsk, but Mayor Oleksandr Striuk said Ukrainian forces were fighting to retake the city.

Putin gives stark warning to West

President Vladimir Putin warned the West that Russia would strike new targets if the United States started supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles, the TASS news agency reported on Sunday.

If such missiles are supplied, “we will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting,” Putin was quoted as saying in an interview Rossiya-1 state television channel.

Putin did not name the targets Russia planned to pursue if Western countries began supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles.

Ukraine has been seeking Multiple Rocket Launch Systems (MLRS) such as the M270 and M142 HIMARS to strike troops and weapons stockpiles at the Russian forces’ rear.

Russia says Kyiv strikes destroyed tanks donated by West

 Russia’s defense ministry said the military destroyed tanks donated by Ukraine’s allies and other armor in a barrage of missile strikes that shattered five weeks of eerie calm in Ukraine’s capital early Sunday.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Ukrainian side.

In a posting on the Telegram app, the Russian ministry said high-precision, long-range air-launched missiles were used.

It said the strikes destroyed on the outskirts of Kyiv destroyed T-72 tanks supplied by Eastern European countries and other armored vehicles located in buildings of a car-repair business.

Russia says it destroyed tanks in Kyiv sent by European countries

Russian strikes destroyed tanks and other armoured vehicles on the outskirts of Kyiv that had been provided to Ukraine by European countries, Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry’s statement came after the Ukrainian capital was rocked by several explosions early on Sunday.

Spain to deliver anti-aircraft missiles and tanks to Ukraine

Spain is to supply Ukraine with anti-aircraft missiles and Leopard battle tanks in a step up of its military support to the country, according to government sources cited by newspaper El Pais on Sunday.

Spain will also provide essential training to the Ukrainian military in how to use the tanks. It would take place in Latvia, where the Spanish Army has deployed 500 soldiers within the framework of NATO’s Enhanced Advanced Presence operation.

A second phase of training could take place in Spain, according to the sources cited by El Pais.

The paper said Spain’s defence ministry is finalising a delivery to Kyiv of low-level Shorad Aspide anti-aircraft missiles, which the Spanish Army has replaced with a more advanced system.

Spain has so far supplied ammunition, individual protection equipment and light weapons.

Sources told El Pais the offer of increased support was raised when prime minister Pedro Sanchez visited Ukraine and met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 21, but had been delayed by the complexity of the operation.

Russian forces have lost ground in Severodonetsk, says regional mayor

Russian forces have lost ground in Severodonetsk, a key city in eastern Ukraine that has been the scene of ferocious fighting as Moscow seeks to gain control of Donbas, a regional governor said Sunday.

“The Russians were in control of about 70 percent of the city, but have been forced back over the past two days,” Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday wrote on Telegram.

He added: “The city is divided in two. They are afraid to move freely around the city.”

Russia shot down Ukrainian military plane near Odesa

Moscow claims its forces have shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane consisting of weapons and munitions near the Black Sea port of Odesa.

BBC News reports that the Russian defence ministry said that the plane was transporting weapons and munitions.

It also claimed a missile strike in the same region had hit an outpost for “foreign mercenaries”.