Live blog: Russian rockets hit east Ukraine restaurant, two dead: officials

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

At least two people have been killed and 22 wounded in Russian rocket strikes that hit a restaurant in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, the country's interior minister said.

"Two people died and 22 were injured, including a child. A restaurant and several houses were damaged", Igor Klymenko said on Telegram on Tuesday, adding that more victims may still be under the rubble.

Earlier, Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the eastern Donetsk region, said "Two rockets were fired at the city of Kramatorsk... at a food establishment in the centre of the city where there were a great number of civilians."

He said authorities would work to "establish the number of injured and possible victims."

Kramatorsk, once a city of 150,000 inhabitants, is the last major city under Ukrainian control in the east of the country. It lies about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the frontline.

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1820 GMT — US sending $500M in weapons, military aid to Ukraine

The Biden administration has announced that it is sending up to $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, including more than 50 heavily armoured vehicles and an infusion of missiles for air defence systems.

White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton said the new package “includes key capabilities that will support Ukraine’s counter-offensive operations” and would strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.

According to the Pentagon, the US has delivered more than $15 billion in weapons and equipment from its stocks to Ukraine since Russia began attacks, and has committed an additional $6.2 billion in supplies that haven't yet been identified.

1516 GMT — Lukashenko says told Putin not to kill Wagner chief

Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko has said he urged his ally President Vladimir Putin not to kill the head of the mercenary Wagner group, which last week attempted to topple Russia's top brass.

Lukashenko, a long-time ally of Putin, claimed to have negotiated an end to the armed insurrection and has said he will take in exiled rebels and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

"I said to Putin: we could waste (Prigozhin), no problem. If not on the first try, then on the second. I told him: don't do this," Lukashenko said during a meeting with security officials, according to state media.

Lukashenko earlier confirmed Prigozhin, who led the deadly march on Moscow last week, will be in Belarus on Tuesday, under a deal that ended his revolt.

1339 GMT — Putin endangering Russia with Ukraine war: German FM

Germany's foreign minister has said the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries last weekend shows that Putin placed Russia's security on the line by attacking Ukraine.

The revolt illustrates that Russia's war on Ukraine "is not only an attack on Ukraine" but that Putin has "also put the security of his own country in danger," Annalena Baerbock said in a visit to South Africa.

Baerbock reassured Germany's support for Ukraine "in humanitarian terms, with a view to the right to self-defence, and economically," and reiterated an "urgent" appeal for the war to end.

1258 GMT — Putin praises army for stopping 'civil war' during Wagner mutiny

Putin has thanked the country's security forces for upholding the constitutional order and demonstrating their loyalty to the people and military oath, saying they had stopped a civil war.

Putin said on Tuesday at a gathering in the Kremlin in front of defence and interior ministry units, the Russian Guard, Federal Security Service (FSB), and Federal Service of Guard (FSO), that they "ensured law and order at the time of the mutiny."

"You have protected the constitutional order, the life, security, and freedom of our citizens, saved our homeland from shocks, and actually stopped the civil war," he said.

This comes as Russia announced preparations to disarm Prigozhin's private force.

Asked whether Putin's power was diminished by the sight of rebel mercenaries seizing a military HQ, advancing on Moscow and shooting down military aircraft, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We don't agree."

1156 GMT — New Zealand PM hails 'constructive' role for China in Ukraine

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has said China could play a "constructive role" in the Ukraine conflict during a meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Hipkins is on a state visit to China aimed at boosting trade ties with the world's second-largest economy.

He spoke about "the constructive role China can play in addressing shared global challenges such as climate change and the war in Ukraine", according to a statement by the prime minister's office.

1110 GMT — Putin not weakened by Wagner mutiny: Hungarian PM

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said he does not believe the Wagner mutiny weakened Putin, calling it an "event of no major significance".

"If someone speculates that he (Putin) could fail or be replaced, then he does not understand the Russian people and Russian power structures," he said in an interview with media outlets Bild, Die Welt and Politico on Monday.

Orban said he based his assessment on the fact that Putin was popular and the structures underpinning his rule were strong, pointing to the army, the secret service and the police.

1049 GMT — Pope's Ukraine peace envoy heading to Moscow

Pope Francis' peace envoy to Ukraine will visit Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday, just weeks after visiting Kiev, the Vatican has said.

"On June 28 and 29, 2023, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi... accompanied by an official of the (Vatican) Secretary of State, will pay a visit to Moscow as envoy of Pope Francis," a Vatican statement said.

"The main purpose of the initiative is to encourage gestures of humanity, which can help promote a solution to the current tragic situation and find ways to achieve a just peace."

0843 GMT — Russia executed 77 civilian detainees in Ukraine: UN

Russia has executed 77 civilians being held in arbitrary detention in Ukraine, according to a United Nations report released today.

"We documented the summary execution of 77 civilians while they were arbitrarily detained by the Russian Federation," Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, told a press briefing in Geneva.

0830 GMT — Israel summons Ukraine envoy over pro-Russia accusation

The Israeli foreign ministry has said it was summoning the Ukrainian ambassador for a "clarification," after the Ukrainian embassy accused "the current Israeli government" of "a clear pro-Russian position".

Israel has adopted a cautious approach since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February last year, seeking to maintain neutrality between the warring sides.

It has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine during the conflict but stopped short of delivering weapons. On Sunday, the Ukrainian embassy charged that "the current Israeli government" had "opted for a path of close cooperation with the Russian Federation".

0827 GMT — Russia says preparing transfer of Wagner hardware to army

Russia is preparing to take over military hardware belonging to the Wagner mercenary group, which staged a rebellion over the weekend, to Moscow's regular army.

"Preparations are underway for the transfer of heavy military equipment from the private military company Wagner to units of the Russian armed forces," the defence ministry said in a statement online.

0800 GMT — Belarus leader says put army at ready during Russia's Wagner mutiny

Lukashenko has announced that he had ordered his army to be "combat ready" during an uprising in neighbouring Russia led by Wagner mercenary head Prigozhin.

"I gave all the orders to bring the army to full combat readiness," Lukashenko said in comments distributed by state media, after the long-serving statesman was credited with negotiating an end to Wagner's short-lived uprising.

0100 GMT — Ukraine making advances in all frontline sectors — Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine's military had made advances in all sectors of the front line.

"Today in all sectors, our soldiers made advances. It is a happy day," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, delivered from a train after visiting frontline positions.

"May I wish our boys more such days."

For our live updates from Monday (June 26), click here.