Russia Ukraine war live: Kyiv launches attack on Putin’s Black Sea naval base as 1 killed in Kharkiv strike

Russia’s use of air-dropped bombs with a larger range is a major reason civilian casualties in Ukraine increased between March and May, the UN warned.

The munitions also caused widespread damage to civilian property and infrastructure, particularly near the frontline, according to the United Nations.

“Increased use of powerful air-dropped bombs with a larger range by Russian armed forces was a significant reason for the rise in civilian casualties and massive destruction of civilian infrastructure in frontline communities,” it said.

The UN found that the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region alone killed 78 civilians killed and wounded 305 others from May 10-31. Between March and May, at least 436 civilians were killed and 1,760 injured in Ukraine.

Russian commanders are ordering their forces to kill surrendering Ukrainian soldiers in a plan to “terrify” droves of Russian troops into not giving themselves up.

Many newly conscripted and poorly trained Russian soldiers realise their lives are being squandered in human-wave attacks, according to Ukrainian officials.

Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson for Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, says orders to kill Ukrainians who could be taken prisoner come from the “highest level” – the Kremlin. The instructions are designed to “terrify” their own soldiers, he adds.

One person was killed and another four wounded in Russian attacks in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region on Wednesday, according to local authorities.

Kharkiv regional prosecutors said one person was killed and two wounded in an attack in the village of Borova that also damaged 10 homes, stores and an administrative building.

In the village of Ruska Lozova, two people were wounded and 10 homes damaged in a strike in the early hours that used two S-400 missiles, prosecutors said citing preliminary information.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians since launching a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said in June that attacks near the village of Borova had intensified as Russian forces sought to strike logistics and probe weaknesses in the Ukrainian defences.

There is no dialogue between Russia and Donald Trump about the conflict in Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the Kremlin’s spokesman.

Trump said last week during a debate against President Joe Biden that if he won the November U.S. election, he would have the war settled before he took office in January.

French researcher Laurent Vinatier, charged with failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting information on Russia’s military, pleaded guilty, Russia’s Investigative committee said on Wednesday.

Mr Vinatier, 47, could face up to five years in prison. He was placed in pre-trial custody until Aug. 5, despite a request to free him endorsed by the French embassy.

Russia is conducting a new recruitment drive for fighters in Africa for its war in Ukraine after suffering heavy casualties on the ground in lethal combat, according to Western intelligence officials.

The enrolment campaign has intensified following the rapid spread of Moscow’s influence on the continent, boosted by the overthrow of pro-Western governments in several countries by military regimes and the subsequent withdrawal of US and European forces.

Mercenaries formerly with the Wagner Group – which was disbanded after the failed coup attempt by its Russian leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was subsequently killed along with his senior hierarchy in an air crash – are training young men, some from tribal militias, for battle in Europe.

Russia’s defence systems destroyed 10 air drones that Ukraine launched at Russian territory, as well as two sea drones heading in the direction of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, the Russian defence ministry said this morning.

At least five air drones were destroyed over the Belgorod region, four over the Bryansk region and one over the Moscow region, the ministry said.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has urged Ukraine “to consider a quick ceasefire” during his first visit to the war-torn country since Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion.

After crunch talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, during which the two countries pledged to strengthen relations, Mr Orban urged Ukraine to halt fighting and enter negotiations with Russia, adding that the war was having a “very intense effect on the security of Europe”.

“We highly appreciate all the initiatives of President Zelensky for the sake of achieving peace,” he said. “I told Mr President that these initiatives take a long time. It is precisely because of the rules of international diplomacy that they are very complicated.