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       Senate GOP delegation meets Zelensky in Ukraine

       Ukrainian soldiers defending the city of Kharkiv have reached the Russian border in a counter-attack, the regional governor has claimed.

       In a message posted on Telegram, Oleh Sinegubov, the governor of Kharkiv region, said troops from the 227th Battalion had restored a sign at the border.

       "We thank everyone who, risking their lives, liberates Ukraine from Russian invaders," he wrote.

       Mr Sinegubov’s account could not be immediately verified, and it is unclear how many soldiers are reported to have arrived at the border.

       In other developments, Vladimir Putin may have lost a third of his troops that have invaded Ukraine, according to British military intelligence.

       In its latest assessment, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russia’s campaign in separatist-controlled Donbas region of eastern Ukraine has “lost momentum” and was now “significantly behind schedule”.

       “Russian forces are increasingly constrained by degraded enabling capabilities, continued low morale and reduced combat effectiveness,” it added.

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       Key Points Ukrainian troops succeed in Kharkiv counter-attack, claims governor Vladimir Putin likely to have lost third of his invasion force, says MoD ‘Best thing’ for Sweden’s security is to ‘join Nato’, says Swedish PM US embassy will resume operations in Kyiv, says Blinken Turkey expresses objections to Finland and Sweden Nato membership

       Show latest update 1652702709 Lukashenko accuses West of hoping to prolong Ukraine war to weaken Russia

       The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has accused the West of hoping to prolong the conflict in Ukraine to try to weaken Russia as much as possible.

       Speaking at a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a Russian-dominated military alliance, Mr Lukashenko said “hellish sanctions” against his country and Moscow could have been avoided if the group had spoken with one voice.

       In televised opening remarks, addressing Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, he said: “Without a united front, the collective West will build up pressure on the post-Soviet space.”

       Andy Gregory 16 May 2022 13:05

       1652701842 Vladimir Putin is ‘quite seriously ill’, says former spy who wrote Trump Russia dossier

       The former British spy Christopher Steele, who wrote a dossier on Donald Trump and alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US elections, has claimed that Vladimir Putin is “quite seriously ill”, my colleague Maroosha Muzaffar reports.

       “Certainly, from what we’re hearing from sources in Russia and elsewhere, is that Putin is, in fact, quite seriously ill,” the former British spy said in an interview with Sky News on Sunday.

       “It’s not clear exactly what this illness is — whether it’s incurable or terminal, or whatever. But certainly, I think it’s part of the equation,” he added.

       The remarks come after US magazine New Lines claimed to have obtained an audio recording of a Russian oligarch with close ties to Mr Putin telling a western venture capitalist that the Russian leader is “very ill with blood cancer”.

       Putin is ‘quite seriously ill’, ex-British spy says ‘It’s not clear exactly what this illness is — whether it’s incurable or terminal, or whatever’

       Andy Gregory 16 May 2022 12:50

       1652701594 EU cuts forecasts for economic growth

       The European Union has slashed its forecasts for economic growth in the bloc amid disruptions to energy supplies and the prospect of a drawn out war in Ukraine.

       In its first economic predictions since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission predicted that the EU’s GDP will expand 2.7 per cent this year and 2.3 per cent in 2023.

       This is down significantly from its previous forecast for growth of 4 per cent this year and 2.8 per cent in 2023.

       The EU economy expanded 5.4 per cent last year following a deep recession prompted by the pandemic, after GDP shrank 5.9 per cent in 2020.

       “Russia's invasion of Ukraine has posed new challenges, just as the union had recovered from the economic impacts of the pandemic,” the commission said when releasing the forecast. “The war is exacerbating pre-existing headwinds to growth.”

       Andy Gregory 16 May 2022 12:46

       1652700613 Zelensky replaces head of Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces

       Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced the head of Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces nearly three months into the war with Russia.

       The president has appointed Major General Ihor Tantsyura to take over from Yuriy Halushkin as the forces’ commander, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said, describing Mr Tantsyura as an experienced officer who was previously chief of staff of Ukraine's ground forces.

       The ministry said the Territorial Defence Forces had grown rapidly since being established shortly before the invasion and were playing an important role in the conflict with Russia – with one of its battalions credited by Kyiv as having advanced as far as the border after repelling Russian troops attacking Kharkiv.

       “The explosive growth of the structure, especially in conditions of intense combat, is a huge experience, [with] mistakes and achievements. There are successes and, unfortunately, losses,” the ministry said in a statement.

       Andy Gregory 16 May 2022 12:30

       1652699958 What is Russia’s Satan-2 intercontinental nuclear missile?

       Speaking about Sweden and Finland’s aspirations towards joining the protective embrace of Nato in light of the war in Ukraine, Russia’s defence committee deputy chairman, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, has suggested Russia could unleash its RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), nicknamed “Satan-2”, to strike back at those nations and at the UK and US.

       The Sarmat ICBM measures approximately 116 feet in length, weighs 220 tonnes and can carry 15 light nuclear warheads at once, arranged as Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs), meaning a single rocket can hit an array of targets at once.

       The missile was developed as a successor to the original “Satan” ICBM, otherwise known as the R-36 or Voevada, which dates from the Soviet era and could carry only 10 warheads and cover a range of 6,340 to 9,940 miles, compared with Satan-2’s superior 6,200-11,180 miles, according to US Center for Strategic and International Studies data.

       My colleague Joe Sommerlad has these details and more in this explainer on the missiles:

       What is Russia’s Satan-2 intercontinental nuclear missile? Moscow’s defence committee deputy chairman issues latest threat against West

       Andy Gregory 16 May 2022 12:19

       1652698833 Map of Russian invasion

       Here’s the extent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as of 15 May:

       This map shows the scale of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

       (Press Association Images)

       Rory Sullivan 16 May 2022 12:00

       1652697633 Ukraine repels Russian reconnaissance mission in Sumy, according to regional governor

       Ukrainian border guards thwarted an incursion by a Russian reconnaissance mission in the northeast region of Sumy on Monday, the governor has said.

       Dmytro Zhyvytsky said Moscow’s forces retreated soon after entering Ukrainian territory.

       His claim could not be independently verified.

       Rory Sullivan 16 May 2022 11:40

       1652696433 Ukrainian foreign minister calls on EU to impose Russian oil embargo and deliver more weapons

       Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba is in Brussels, attempting to persuade EU leaders to deliver more weapons to Ukraine and to implement an embargo on Russian oil.

       He also hopes to convince them that Ukraine’s application to join the bloc should be given an “individual and merit based assessment”.

       Here’s Mr Kuleba’s latest tweet:

       Rory Sullivan 16 May 2022 11:20

       1652695233 Latest EU sanctions against Russia will be agreed in ‘coming days’, says Germany

       The EU needs a few more days to reach an agreement on its latest sanctions against Russia, the German foreign minister has said.

       Annalena Baerbock said: “As Germans, we know that this [an oil embargo] is not an easy step. Certain issues still need to be resolved, and this will not happen today.”

       “But I am confident that we will find agreement in the coming days”, she added.

       This comes as a Bloomberg report suggested that Germany will stop all Russian oil imports by the end of the year, regardless of whether the EU decides to back the measure.

       Rory Sullivan 16 May 2022 11:00

       1652694033 Ukrainian Eurovision winning group to auction off trophy

       Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian winners of Eurovision, have said they will auction off their trophy to raise funds for Ukraine.

       The folk-rap group told local reporters on a Zoom call about their plans to give away their statuette.

       Back in the Ukrainian city of Kalush, residents expressed their delight at the band’s victory in Saturday’s competition.

       “With all my soul, all my love, I love my Kalush. My wife and I have been watching until 1 a.m. And we were happy to win. I was jumping. I was in seventh heaven,” said 74-year-old resident Petro Yugan.

       “But I also want us to end the war as fast as possible, and it would be an even bigger victory,” he added.

       Rory Sullivan 16 May 2022 10:40

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