Live blog: UN adds Russia to list of shame for 'killing children' in Ukraine

Thursday, June 22, 2023

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called out Russia for killing 136 children in Ukraine in 2022, adding its armed forces to a global list of offenders, according to a report to the UN Security Council.

The United Nations also verified that Russian armed forces and affiliated groups maimed 518 children and carried out 480 attacks on schools and hospitals. Russian armed forces also used 91 children as human shields, according to the report.

The report also verified that Ukrainian armed forces killed 80 children, maimed 175 children and carried out 212 attacks on schools and hospitals. The Ukrainian armed forces are not on the global offenders' list.

Guterres said in the report that he was "particularly shocked" by the high number of children killed and maimed and attacks on schools and hospitals by Russian armed forces.

He also said he was "particularly disturbed" by the high number of such offences against children by Ukrainian armed forces.

More updates:

1804 GMT — India 'completely ready' to help Ukraine 'peace': Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to work towards "peace" in Ukraine, on a visit to Washington which has hoped for New Delhi to break with Russia.

"From the very beginning of the events in Ukraine, India has put an emphasis on resolution of disputes, dialogue and diplomacy," Modi told reporters alongside President Joe Biden.

"We are completely ready to contribute in any way we can to restore peace."

1711 GMT — Diplomats from Western countries, developing economies to meet in Denmark for Ukraine talks

Denmark will host a meeting this weekend of national security advisers from Western countries backing Ukraine and countries that have refused to condemn the Russian offensive against Ukraine, officials said.

The US will send national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to the meeting in Copenhagen, which will focus on how to achieve a just peace in Ukraine, a Western official said on condition of anonymity because the trip hasn't been formally announced.

India, Brazil and South Africa, which have refused to condemn the attack and join Western sanctions on Moscow, have also been invited to the talks, the official said, but couldn’t say which countries would attend.

South Africa foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela confirmed the country would send national security adviser Sydney Mufamadi and Foreign Ministry Director-General Zane Dangor to the meeting in the Danish capital.

1614 GMT — Brazil's Lula discusses Ukraine conflict, BRICS with South African leader

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine and an upcoming BRICS summit with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa as they met in Paris.

Ramaphosa recently led a delegation of African leaders to Russia and Kiev seeking to share the continent's "perspective on finding peace in Ukraine," but key elements of their peace plan ended up being rebuffed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lula has also pitched himself as a peace broker to end the conflict, which began when Russia has started its offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.

The Brazilian leader irritated Western countries earlier this year when he suggested the West had been "encouraging" conflict by arming Ukraine.

1457 GMT — Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russia in Donetsk region continues

Fierce clashes between the Russian and Ukrainian forces on the front line in Ukraine's Donetsk region continue amid Kiev's ongoing counteroffensive against Moscow.

In early June, the Ukrainian army claimed the villages of Storozheve and Neskuchne were retaken from Russian control, and that all of the houses in the villages have been abandoned.

Amid frequent artillery and tank fire near the two villages, Ukrainian soldiers continue to fire mortars at Russian forces.

“These villages were liberated on June 11 as a result of the successful attacks of the Ukrainian soldiers. Russian soldiers tried to resist but failed,” Ivan Kapsamun, a military official in the region, said.

1439 GMT — Russia calls Ukrainian accusation of plans to attack Zaporizhzhia plant 'another lie’

Russia slammed as "lie" a claim by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Moscow's forces were considering carrying out a "terrorist attack" at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

"This is another lie. You know, there have just been contacts with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) on the spot. A very high assessment (of Russia's actions at the plant) by the IAEA. They saw everything - everything they wanted to see," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.

The spokesperson emphasized that Moscow and the IAEA are determined to continue dialogue regarding the situation at the Russian-controlled plant, which is Europe's biggest nuclear facility.

1408 GMT — Donors pledge $66B for Ukraine recovery at London conference

Foreign donors have pledged $66 billion of new financial support for Ukraine, the UK said, as an international conference aimed at funding the war-ravaged country's reconstruction ended.

"We had not envisaged this to be a pledging conference. Nevertheless, today at this conference, we can announce a combined 60 billion euros in support to Ukraine," said James Cleverly, foreign minister of the UK, which hosted the meeting.

"We had not envisaged this to be a pledging conference. Nevertheless, today at this conference, we can announce a combined 60 billion euros in support to Ukraine," said James Cleverly, foreign minister of the UK, which hosted the meeting.

The commitments from governments and international organisations target supporting Ukraine in the short- and medium-term, Cleverly said at the closing session of the London conference.

"This provides us with the medium-term predictable support that will unlock the macro-economic stability that Ukraine needs," he said, adding that efforts were now focused on unlocking "the enormous potential of the private sector".

1342 GMT — Russia: Ukraine forces 'regrouping' after 'heavy losses'

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed that Ukraine's counteroffensive has slowed following 16 days of combat activities, and the troops are regrouping after suffering "heavy losses."

"The opponent still has the strength to conduct further offensive actions, despite a large number of losses both in equipment and personnel," Shoigu told a meeting of the Russian Security Council summoned by President Vladimir Putin.

Asked about the Western arms supplies to Ukraine, the military chief claimed that they will not have a great impact on combat activities, noting that the overwhelming number of the delivered military equipment is outdated.

1342 GMT — Explosion damages bridge linking Ukraine's mainland to Crimea: Russia-backed officials

An explosion damaged a bridge that is one of the few links between Crimea and Ukraine's mainland, Russia-backed officials said, while Ukraine's prime minister appealed for patience as Kiev's armed forces move ahead with their closely watched counteroffensive.

The damage to the Chongar bridge was not severe and likely will be repaired within several days, according to Vladimir Konstantinov, chairman of Crimea’s parliament.

Vladimir Saldo, who heads the Russian-occupied parts of Kherson province, said the explosion appeared to have been caused by a type of long-range cruise missile that both France and the UK have given to Ukraine's military.

Russian forces in Crimea, which Russia annexed illegally in 2014, use the bridge to reach southern Ukraine’s Kherson province.

Russia and Ukraine control different sides of the province, which is a focus of fighting and attacks as Ukrainian troops try to reclaim Russian-occupied territory.

1330 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy signs law banning import of books from Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed into law a ban on the commercial import of books from Russia, the latest move to reduce cultural ties between the two countries following Moscow's attack.

"I believe the law is right," Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app, announcing he had signed a bill which also bans the commercial import of books printed in Belarus or in occupied Ukrainian territory.

The bill, adopted by parliament a year ago, also makes its a requirement to obtain special permission to import books in the Russian language from third countries.

1246 GMT — Olympic chief criticises Ukraine for 'sanctioning' its own athletes

As Moscow's assault on Ukraine stretches into a second year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recommended allowing athletes from Russia and Moscow ally Belarus to compete as individual neutrals in international competitions.

Their presence has led to boycotts by Ukrainian athletes.

"At the respective judo and taekwondo championships, the Ukrainian athletes were absent," Bach said in a speech to the 140th IOC Session in Lausanne.

"Why? Because they had not been allowed to participate following the instructions of the Ukrainian sports ministry. In other words, the Ukrainian athletes are being sanctioned by their own government for the war that has been started by the Russian and Belarusian governments."

Bach added: "It is really hard to understand why the Ukrainian government is depriving their own athletes of their chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and to make the Ukrainian people proud.

1144 GMT — Western defence firms wary on Ukraine's weapons production pitch

Western defence companies are interested in making weapons in Ukraine - but not until after the war, according to half a dozen executives contacted by Reuters at the Paris Airshow.

Ukraine is desperate to boost its weapons arsenal, from drones and munitions to tanks, as it battles to repel Russia's offensive. It's also looking to boost job opportunities and stabilise an economy ravaged by war.

On Monday, a Ukrainian deputy minister told Reuters that Kiev was in talks with defence companies in Germany, France, Italy and eastern Europe to potentially make weapons in Ukraine.

But company executives at the world's biggest aerospace industry gathering said there was currently too much risk.

1137 GMT — Ukraine PM says counter-offensive 'will take time'

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmygal has said that his country's counter-offensive against Russian forces "will take time" but said he was "optimistic" about its success.

Early this month, Kiev's military launched its highly anticipated counter-offensive in an effort to claw back territory lost since Moscow's troops attacked Ukraine in February last year.

"We will do very smart, offensive operations. And because of this, it (the counter-offensive) will take time," Shmygal said on the sidelines of a Ukraine reconstruction conference in London.

"But we have the intention to move and go ahead. We are going to go ahead... and I'm absolutely optimistic for the liberation of all our lands occupied by Russians," he added.

1125 GMT — Ukrainian athletes should have chance to qualify for Paris Games-IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has appealed to Ukraine to give their athletes the chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics despite a partial ban on competing against Russian and Belarusian athletes.

IOC President Thomas Bach said the Olympic body would support "every Ukrainian athlete" who wanted to take part in Olympic qualifying events in their respective sport.

"We want to make it possible for every Ukrainian athlete to qualify now and participate in the Olympic Games," Bach said at the star t of an IOC session.

"We will support every Ukrainian athlete in their preparation and participation in any competition they want to take part in," he said.

Ukraine in March banned its national sports teams from competing in Olympic, non-Olympic and Paralympic events that include competitors from Russia and Belarus.

1124 GMT — Russia warns US not to send NATO troops to Ukraine - RIA cites deputy foreign minister

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Thursday called on the United States not to make "mistakes with dangerous consequences" and send NATO troops to Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported.

1118 GMT — Ukraine says Russia fired 'Kinzhal' missiles in overnight air strike

Russia fired cruise and ballistic missiles and strike drones at targets in Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday, causing damage in the cities of Odesa and Kryvy Rih, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian air defences downed three of the four drones fired in the overnight attack involving three Kinzhal hypersonic and three cruise missiles, the Air Force said in a statement.

"...The enemy rockets did not reach their targets in the Dnipropetrovsk region... the occupiers are continuing their terror against the Ukrainian people, attacking Ukraine's critical infrastructure facilities," the air force said.

The drones were shot down over the Black Sea region of Odesa in southwestern Ukraine, but one of them struck a warehouse, regional administration spokesman Serhiy Bratchuk said.

In the Kryvy Rih area, a Russian missile strike damaged at least 10 homes, the regional administration said.

Russia has regularly carried out long-distance missile and drone attacks since October, and increased strikes in May as Ukraine prepared for a counteroffensive.

0604 GMT — Ukraine 'strikes' key Crimean bridge — Russian official

A strike has damaged a bridge linking the annexed Crimean peninsula to a region of southern Ukraine partially controlled by Russia, a Russian official has said.

"During the night a strike hit the Chongar bridge. There are no victims," Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-backed governor of Crimea, said on Telegram.

The bridge connects Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, to the Ukrainian region of Kherson.

The Russia-backed governor of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said that Ukrainian strikes had hit "bridges" near Chongar, next to photos of what appeared to be gaping holes on a bridge.

The strike came as Ukraine wages a counter-offensive to recapture territory controlled by Russian forces. Crimea has been regularly targeted by strikes, mostly using drones, over recent months.

G7 discusses support for Ukraine as war grinds on

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his meeting with the G7, has discussed support for Ukraine amid Russia's military campaign, according to the State Department.

Blinken met his counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the EU on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.

"They underscored their continued support for Ukraine in responding to Russia’s brutal war of aggression," it added.

He met Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and discussed the need for Ukraine to continue to implement reforms to establish an environment for investment, the State Department added.

For our live updates from Wednesday (June 21), click here.