Storm Shadow missile strike damages Crimea bridge

Ukrainian forces have carried out a missile strike on a bridge connecting Ukraine’s Kherson region and Crimea, Russia-appointed officials in both regions said.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russia-appointed Kherson governor, said the bridge was likely to have been attacked by Storm Shadow missiles that damaged the road, but traffic has been diverted to a different route. No casualties have been reported.

Crimea’s governor, Sergey Aksyonov, said specialists were examining the site to determine when traffic over the bridge could resume.

Known as “the gate to Crimea”, the Chongar bridge is one of a handful of bridges linking Crimea – which was annexed by Russia in 2014 – with the mainland. The bridges provide an alternative to the narrow isthmus connecting the peninsula and the continent.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates.

08:57 AM BST

Scholz urges Nato summit to focus on boosting Ukraine fighting strength

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Nato leaders meeting in Vilnius in July to focus on ramping up Ukraine’s fighting capacity during its ongoing counteroffensive against Russia.

A key question to be raised at the gathering on July 11-12 will be the future relationship between Ukraine and Nato, Mr Scholz said.

“We should look soberly at the current situation,” Mr Scholz told lawmakers in Berlin, noting that Kyiv “has itself said that a Nato membership is not in the question while Russia is carrying out its war against Ukraine”.

“That’s why I am putting forward that we focus in Vilnius on what is now an absolute priority – that is, to strengthen the fighting power of Ukraine.”

08:17 AM BST

Pictured: An injured Ukrainian soldier at the Campus Virchow Clinic in Berlin

Thousands of wounded Ukrainian soldiers are being treated across the EU as part of a civil protection programme set up by the European Commission.

Germany alone has taken in 800 injured Ukrainian soldiers since the start of the war, including about 50 at the Berlin hospital unit specialising in muscular and skeletal wounds.

Story continues

08:15 AM BST

Ben Wallace says he’s out of the running for Nato top job

Defence secretary Ben Wallace does not expect to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as Nato secretary general, The Economist has reported, amid claims the US wants the current leader to stay.

“It’s not going to happen,” Mr Wallace, who has previously said that he would like the job, told the magazine in an interview.

“Maybe they want a prime minister,” he added.

Mr Stoltenberg is due to step down in September after nine years as secretary general of the military alliance, but the bloc has struggled to decide on a replacement ahead of a mid-July summit in Lithuania.

Read more here

08:02 AM BST

Listen to Ukraine the Latest

We report on the news that a British Challenger 2 has been seen on the battlefield for the first time – and the announcements coming out of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.

Plus, we talk again to the founder of Vans of Borders about their latest work in Ukraine, delivering aid and documenting life for civilians caught up in the violence.

07:57 AM BST

Russia gas flows through Ukraine ‘could stop next year’

One of the last arteries carrying Russian gas to Europe could be shut off by the end of next year when Ukraine’s supply contract with Gazprom expires, the Financial Times is reporting, citing an interview with Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko.

The chances of Kyiv and Moscow agreeing the renewal of the five-year transit contract first signed in 2019 were slim, even though the route through Ukraine accounts for almost 5 per cent of Europe’s total gas imports, the newspaper reported the energy minister as saying.

07:48 AM BST

Latest MoD update

07:42 AM BST

Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk

07:39 AM BST

Top US security adviser to attend Ukraine-organized meeting in Denmark

Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, will attend a Ukraine-organized meeting this weekend in Denmark, alongside representatives of multiple countries, including some that have remained neutral on Russia’s invasion, a Western official told AFP on Wednesday.

The meeting in Copenhagen aims to discuss ways of achieving a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, the source said.

The invitees include top security officials of the United States, the European Union, and other countries that have backed Ukraine since Russia invaded last year, as well as those that have not condemned the invasion, the source added, without specifying which states.

The as-yet-unannounced meeting was first reported by the Financial Times, which cited sources familiar with the plans, saying that the meeting could include officials from India, Brazil and South Africa, though the attendees were not finalised.

07:38 AM BST

First shots of Chongarsky bridge after arrival

07:35 AM BST

Britain ‘very, very supportive’ of Ukraine fast-track Nato entry

Britain would support speedy Nato accession for Ukraine at the alliance’s summit in Vilnius next month, the Foreign Secretary indicated.

James Cleverly said that Britain would be “very, very supportive” of allowing Ukraine to skip the membership action plan, a lengthy reform process that prospective Nato allies are meant to undergo before they are allowed to apply for membership.

The remarks reflected a growing consensus in western Europe that Ukraine must join Nato after the war, but signals a possible rift between London and Washington over the timetable.

Read more from Roland Oliphant here

07:34 AM BST

Ukraine counter-offensive is not like Hollywood, says Zelensky, as he admits slow progress

Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that Ukraine’s counter-offensive is going “slower than desired” as he warned observers that it wasn’t a “Hollywood movie”.

A little more than two weeks into the attack, Ukraine has recaptured eight villages in the south, but in recent days the advance has slowed.

Ukrainian forces have had “partial success” as they continue attacking on the southern front and have weather a major assault in the east, according to a senior Ukrainian defence official.

Read more here

06:41 AM BST

First pictures emerge

06:24 AM BST

Good morning

Reports are emerging a key bridge connecting the Ukrainian mainland to Crimea has been damaged.

Russia is blaming Ukraine.

Our reporters will have more information on this today. Follow our live updates.

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