Russia's FSB security services launched a criminal probe into calls to stage "armed mutiny" after the head of the Wagner mercenary group vowed to resist Moscow's military leadership, officials said Friday. The announcement follows statements from Yevgeny Prigozhin accusing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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10:33pm: Putin hoping for 'long-lasting' war, says Macron
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is hoping for a "long-lasting war" in Ukraine and believes time is on his side, French President Emmanuel Macron told CNN on Friday.
In an interview with the American channel, he added that Ukraine's ongoing counter-offensive would be crucial in bringing the Kremlin leader to the negotiating table.
"I think the purpose of this counteroffensive is to push the Russians to negotiate and come back at the table at obviously better conditions for the Ukrainians," Macron said, speaking in English.
Asked if Putin might be ready to accept concessions, Macron replied: "If there is a big change due to the counteroffensive, this is possible.
10:08pm: Kyiv suggests main push in counteroffensive is yet to come
One of the top Ukrainian commanders of the ground forces in the east of the country said in a interview today that Ukraine had not yet committed its main troops to the counteroffensive. He "confirmed what we already knew", which is that "we haven't seen anything yet in terms of the force that Ukraine has amassed to carry out this counteroffensive", said FRANCE 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Watch Cragg’s full report in the player below.
10:08pm: Putin 'aware' of Wagner claims, 'necessary measures' being taken, says Kremlin
President Vladimir Putin is aware of mercenary group Wagner's claims that Russian forces attacked a base belonging to the private fighting outfit, the Kremlin said Friday, adding that "necessary measures" were being taken.
"President Putin has been made aware of all the events surrounding (Wagner head Yevgeny) Prigozhin. Necessary measures are being taken," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in comments carried by Russian news agencies.
10:07pm: Russian authorities launch criminal probe into Wagner Group over threats to oust defense minister
Authorities in Russia launched a criminal probe Friday against the owner of the Wagner Group military contractor over his alleged threats to oust Russia’s defense minister.
The announcement follows a statement from owner Yevgeny Prigozhin accusing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine where its soldiers are fighting on behalf of Russia against Ukranian forces.
Prigozhin said that his troops would now move to punish Shoigu and urged the army not to offer resistance. Prigozhin declared that “this is not an armed rebellion, but a march of justice.”
9:56pm: Details emerge of alleged Russian attack on Wagner forces
Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday accused the Russian military of attacking his Wagner forces, saying details of what had occurred were just emerging, but alleging that "the minister of defence arrived specially in Rostov to carry out an operation to destroy the Wagner PMC (private military company)."
An unverified video posted on the "Razgruzka Wagner" (Wagner's Combat Vest) Telegram channel showed a scene in a forest where small fires were burning and trees appeared to have been broken by force.
It carried the caption: "A missile attack was launched on the camps of PMC Wagner. Many victims. According to eyewitnesses, the strike was delivered from the rear, that is, it was delivered by the military of the Russian Ministry of Defence."
Prigozhin vowed to avenge the incident: "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country." But he also added: "This is not a military coup."
9:27pm: Russian defence ministry denies strikes on Wagner forces
Russia's military leadership on Friday denied claims by the chief of mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that it had ordered strikes on his forces.
The Russian defence ministry said that the statements "do not correspond to reality", calling them a "provocation".
"The Russian armed forces continue to carry out combat missions" in Ukraine, the ministry added.
9:15pm: Russian mercenary boss vows to avenge army 'destruction' of his force; Moscow denies accusation
Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday accused the Russian military of destroying his fighters, without explaining his accusation, and vowed to stop the "evil" of the military leadership.
In a series of audio messages on his official Telegram channel, Prigozhin said the "evil" of the Russian military leadership "must be stopped", adding:
"Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance."
6:57pm: Ukraine's president tells other nations to act before Russia attacks the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Ukraine wants other countries to heed its warning that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelensky said that he expected other nations to “give appropriate signals and exert pressure” on Moscow.
“Our principle is simple: The world must know what the occupier is preparing. Everyone who knows must act,” Zelensky said late Thursday. “The world has enough power to prevent any radiation incidents, let alone a radiation catastrophe.”
6:56pm: EU fund bankrolling Ukraine arms to get €3.5 billion boost
European Union foreign ministers will approve a boost of €3.5 billion ($3.81 billion) to a military aid fund used to bankroll weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, officials said on Friday.
The ministers are expected to raise the financial ceiling on the European Peace Facility (EPF) – a fund that has already allocated some €5.6 billion in military aid for Ukraine – at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
However, Hungary continues to block the allocation of another 500 million-euro tranche of the fund for Ukraine, according to officials.
Budapest has said it will not lift its block until Kyiv removes Hungarian bank OTP from a list of companies it deems "international sponsors" of Russia's war in Ukraine. Hungary has branded the bank's inclusion "scandalous".
6:00pm: Ukraine's Zelensky orders audit of heads of military draft offices in regions
President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the creation of a special commission on Friday to carry out an audit of heads of military draft offices in regions across Ukraine.
After meeting his top military commanders, Zelensky said the commission would be headed by General Oleksandr Pavliuk, who is first deputy defence minister. The decision follows Ukrainian media reports of corruption allegations against the head of a draft office.
The decision follows Ukrainian media reports of corruption allegations against the head of a draft office.
5:57pm: Russia-held bridge 'unusable for movement' after Ukraine strike, says pro-Kremlin official
A Russian-held bridge that connects southern Ukraine to the annexed Crimean peninsula has been badly damaged and is "unusable" now, a Moscow-installed official said on Friday.
"It is unusable for movement," said Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-installed governor of the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, adding that the Chonhar bridge would be closed to traffic for around 20 days.
4:53pm: Ukraine's defence minister wants NATO membership 'formula' at Vilnius summit
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday he expected Kyiv to receive a clear signal and "formula" for it to become a member of NATO when the military alliance holds a summit in Vilnius next month.
"I expect them to give us a clear, understandable signal and formula for us, obviously, to become a NATO member," Reznikov was quoted as saying by Ukraine's military press centre.
4:50pm: Ukraine warns against 'panic' after alleged nuclear threat
Kyiv has urged Ukrainians not to panic or stockpile iodine tablets after President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged that Russia planned to organise a radiation leak at an occupied nuclear plant.
Zelensky said this week that Russian forces controlling Zaporizhzhia – Europe's biggest nuclear plant – were planning a "terror attack" by orchestrating a radiation leak.
The Kremlin said it was a "lie" but the president's warning put many Ukrainians on alert and sent demand for iodine at many pharmacies skyrocketing.
"Read and share but don't panic! Don't play the enemy's game. President Zelensky said nothing new," the Ukrainian health ministry said late on Thursday.
4:40pm: EU governments converge on options to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine
European Union governments are supportive of the idea to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to help finance Ukraine and they are converging on possible options, the European Commission said on Friday.
The 27-nation EU immobilised over 200 billion euros of assets of the Russian central bank and another 30 billion in private assets of Russian oligarchs over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday the EU executive arm would come up with a proposal on how to use these assets for Ukraine "before the summer break", which in EU jargon means before August.
4:12pm: US issues sanctions on two Russian individuals
The United States issued sanctions on Friday targeting two Russian individuals, according to the Treasury Department's website.
4:02pm: Zelensky touts personnel changes after inquest into Ukraine bomb shelters
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday there would be personnel changes following an inquest into the state of Ukraine's bomb shelters.
The investigation was launched after the deaths of three people who were locked out of a bomb shelter in Kyiv during a Russian missile strike.
"There will be personnel decisions," Zelensky said in a statement, without saying who the changes would affect.
3:42pm: Ukraine to bring officials to justice over bomb shelter deaths, says Zelensky
Ukraine's top security body decided on Friday to bring officials to justice over the deaths of three people who were locked out of a bomb shelter during a Russian missile strike, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday.
Zelensky said the National Security and Defence Council had met and discussed the security of the Ukrainian people, judicial reforms and Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
"A quarter of bomb shelters in Ukraine and a third in Kyiv are unfit for use," Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app, citing an audit of air raid shelters that he ordered following the three deaths on June 1.
"The decision of the National Security Council is to bring the guilty to justice, and to get all protective structures in the proper condition."
2:42pm: Russia asks IAEA to ensure Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant security
Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday to ensure Ukraine does not shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely.
Alexei Likhachev, chief executive of the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, made the comments at a meeting with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in the Russian city of Kaliningrad, Rosatom said in a statement, after Grossi visited the plant last week.
"We expect concrete steps from the IAEA aimed at preventing strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, both on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and on adjacent territory and critical infrastructure facilities," Rosatom quoted its chief as saying in a statement.
The IAEA said this week that the power plant was "grappling with ... water-related challenges" after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam emptied the vast reservoir on whose southern bank the plant sits.
2:22pm: Russia says bars entry to more EU officials over fresh sanctions
Russia said Friday it was adding more European officials to a list of individuals barred from entering the country in response to the EU's decision to slap new sanctions on Moscow.
"In response to these unfriendly actions, the Russian side has significantly expanded the list of representatives of European institutions and EU member states, who... are prohibited from entering the territory of our state," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It did not specify the number of officials that were being sanctioned or give their names.
1:36pm: Russia won't say how many nuclear weapons it is placing in Belarus, deputy minister says
Russia will not disclose any details about the nuclear weapons it is deploying on the territory of Belarus, the Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Friday.
Ryabkov also said Russia had no plans to inform the United States about tests of its nuclear-powered underwater drone, Poseidon, because they did not fall under existing verification agreements, according to the state news agency TASS.
1:31pm: Carlsberg sells its Russian business
Denmark's Carlsberg has signed an agreement to sell its Russian business, the Danish brewer said in a statement on Friday.
12:19pm: Kremlin rejects Macron's accusation that Russia is 'a destabilising influence in Africa'
The Kremlin dismissed on Friday comments by French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia was playing a destabilising role in Africa.
Macron made the accusation in an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 that aired earlier on Friday, in which he cited atrocities committed by Wagner Group mercenaries in the Central African Republic.
"Russia is developing friendly, constructive relations based on mutual respect and concern for each others' problems. Our relations with all African countries are not directed – and cannot be directed – against third countries," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
12:16pm: Reports of arms supplied to Ukraine appearing abroad show risk of trafficking, Kremlin says
Reports that arms supplied to Ukraine by the West are finding their way to other countries show the risk of such weapons being sold by criminal groups, the Kremlin said on Friday.
12:09pm: Ukraine says its offensive operations are to shape battlefield
A senior Ukrainian presidential official said on Friday that offensive operations launched by Kyiv against occupying Russian forces were designed to shape the battlefield.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also said on Twitter that the Ukrainian military continued their attacks in a number of areas.
11:58am: NATO completes unprecedented European air drill
NATO on Friday concluded its largest-ever air deployment exercise in Europe in a show of force against potential threats. The German-led "Air Defender 23" manoeuvres brought together some 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO member and partner countries including Japan and Sweden, which is bidding to join the alliance.
Up to 10,000 service members participated in the drills, which were intended to boost interoperability and preparedness against drones and cruise missiles in the case of an attack within NATO territory.
"We wanted to show that these 25 different nations could operate together from day one and we managed it," the head of the German air force Ingo Gerhartz said on broadcaster NTV.
The exercise was a "complete success" on a tactical and organisational level, Gerhartz said from the Jagel airbase in northern Germany. Of the 2,000 flights planned, around 1,800 had been executed, Gerhartz said, a "record" completion rate for this kind of exercise.
"Air Defender" was conceived in 2018 in part as a response to the Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine four years before, though Gerhartz previously insisted it was "not targeted at anyone". By contrast, US Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said the exercise would show "beyond a shadow of a doubt the agility and the swiftness of our allied force" and was intended to send a message to countries including Russia.
"I would be pretty surprised if any world leader was not taking note of what this shows in terms of the spirit of this alliance, which means the strength of this alliance, and that includes Mr Putin," Gutmann told reporters.
11:29am: Wagner chief says Russia 'retreating' from Ukraine attacks
Moscow's forces are retreating in Ukraine's east and south following Kyiv's counteroffensive, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said Friday.
The comments contradict recent assessments by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine was suffering "catastrophic" losses and that there was a lull in fighting.
"On the ground now ... the Russian army is retreating on the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are pushing back the Russian army," Yevgeny Prigozhin said on social media.
The Kremlin last year claimed to have annexed the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions despite not fully controlling them, and Ukraine has posted limited gains there recently.
"We are washing ourselves in blood. No one is bringing reserves. What they tell us is the deepest deception," Prigozhin added, referring to the Russian military and political leadership.
11:10am: Two people killed in Russian attack on Kherson city, Ukraine says
At least two people were killed in a Russian attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Friday, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
Prokudin said in an initial post on Telegram that a municipal transport company had been hit in the attack. A 55-year-old man was killed on the spot and five others were taken to hospital, he said.
In a later post, he said a 43-year-old man had also died of his wounds in hospital.
10:42am: Russia is 'training combat dolphins' in Crimea, UK says
British military spies on Friday said Russia appears to be training combat dolphins near the annexed Crimean peninsula to counter Ukrainian forces. In its latest update on the war, UK defence intelligence said the Russian Navy had invested heavily in security – including "trained marine mammals" – at the Black Sea Fleet's main base at Sevastopol since last year.
The security includes "at least four layers of nets and booms across the harbour entrance. In recent weeks, these defences have highly likely also been augmented by an increased number of trained marine mammals," it added.
"Imagery shows a near doubling of floating mammal pens in the harbour which highly likely contain bottle-nosed dolphins." The animals were "likely intended to counter enemy divers", it said.
The Russian Navy has used Beluga whales and seals for a range of missions in Arctic waters, the update said. A harness-wearing whale that turned up in Norway in 2019, sparking speculation it was being used for surveillance, reappeared off Sweden's coast last month.
9:54am: Ukraine says it advances in south, stops Russian attack in east
Ukraine's armed forces have halted a Russian offensive towards the cities of Kupiansk and Lyman in the east of the country, and are advancing in the south, a senior Ukrainian defence official said on Friday.
"We had very fierce battles in the Kupiansk and Lyman directions, but our soldiers stopped the enemy there," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian television.
"Every day we are advancing, every day. Yes, it is gradual, but our forces are gaining a foothold on these borders and they are advancing steadily."
9:17am: Ukraine says it downed 13 Russian cruise missiles
Ukrainian forces downed 13 Russian cruise missiles in the early hours of Friday that were headed towards a military airfield in the western Khmelnitskyi region, Ukraine's air force said in a statement.
The missiles had been launched by Russian strategic bombers from the Caspian Sea area, it said.
8:42am: Russia says Ukrainian shelling kills one in Zaporizhzhia region
One person was killed and one injured on Friday as Ukrainian forces shelled a road in the southern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, which Moscow now considers part of its own territory, Russia's TASS news agency cited emergency services as saying.
The incident took place near the village of Novohorivka, it said.
2:15am: Drone downed in Russia's Kursk region, governor says
Anti-aircraft fire downed a drone late on Thursday over the southern Russian city of Kursk, near the Ukrainian border, the regional governor said.
Roman Starovoit, writing on Telegram, said anti-aircraft systems had been in action twice. He made no mention of damage or casualties and asked residents to avoid any fallen debris.
A series of attacks from the air have been launched across the Ukrainian border into southern Russia. There have also been armed incursions for which groups saying they oppose the Kremlin have claimed responsibility.
Ukraine routinely declines to comment on such attacks or incursions.
11:40pm, June 22: Council of Europe demands Olympic ban for Russia and Belarus
Europe's leading human rights watchdog on Thursday demanded a total ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics "as long as Russia's war of aggression" in Ukraine continues.
The Council of Europe urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its constituent sports federations to uphold "its position expressed in 2022 and to ban the participation" of these athletes from the next Olympics, as well as "all other major sporting events".
Athletes from Russia and Belarus have faced sanctions in a multitude of sports since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.
11:35pm: Russia is hiding bodies of victims of Kakhovka dam breach, Zelensky says
Russia has formed special groups to collect and hide bodies of people killed in the aftermath of the breach this month of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
"The Russian evil has formed special groups there to remove and, obviously, hide the victims' bodies," Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
Zelensky described the situation in Russian-occupied parts of the region as "catastrophic to put it mildly".
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of being behind the breach.
Key developments from Thursday, June 22:
An international conference in London aimed at funding Ukraine’s reconstruction closed with foreign donors pledging €60 billion in new financial support, according to UK Foreign Minister James Cleverley.
Ukrainian forces carried out a missile strike on the Chonhar bridge connecting Russian-held parts of the Kherson region and Crimea, Russian-appointed governors in both regions said.
Read yesterday's liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
