Ukraine war latest: Russia claims full control over Ukrainian region for first time since war began

Ukrainian jets destroyed more than 600 targets in June, Kyiv says

Ukrainian jets destroyed more than 600 targets throughout the month of June, Kyiv's air force says.

These included command posts, logistics facilities as well as "places of concentration of enemy manpower and equipment", it added.

Meanwhile, the air force says Ukrainian air defence systems destroyed 4,750 targets, which included several types of Russian drones and missiles.

Zelenskyy takes next step in establishing tribunal to try crimes of Russian aggression in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has signed the documents needed to ratify a new special tribunal to try crimes of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The tribunal has been established by the Council of Europe and the Ukrainian government.

It will focus on senior political and military leaders who are responsible for planning, preparing, initiating, or executing the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

"Russia must already feel this year that its accountability for the crime of aggression is inevitable — and that the international legal process to bring it to justice has truly begun," Zelenskyy said.

What about the ICC?

The International Criminal Court has the jurisdiction to investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Ukraine. 

However, it cannot currently examine the crime of aggression in this case due to jurisdictional limitations for the crime of aggression. The new tribunal will fill this gap.

Official confirms Ukrainian strike on drone production facility deep inside Russia

An official in Ukraine's domestic security service has confirmed to the Reuters news agency that Ukrainian drones successfully struck a military facility in the Russian city of Izhevsk.

As we mentioned in our 10.05 post, the city is 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) from Ukraine's border, making it one of the deepest targets inside Russian territory struck by Ukraine.

At least two long-range drones struck the Kupol plant this morning, which Ukraine's security services said produces air-defence systems and drones, and caused a fire.

Three people were killed in as a result of the strike, regional head Alexander Brechalov said on his Telegram channel. Another 35 people were hospitalised, including 10 in serious condition, he added. 

Kremlin denies it's stalling for time over Ukraine peace talks

The Kremlin has rebuffed a claim from Donald Trump's senior envoy to Ukraine that Russia is stalling for time over peace talks.

Keith Kellogg said yesterday that Russia cannot keep delaying peace talks "while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine".

Asked about the remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was grateful to Trump's team for helping to facilitate talks, but that Moscow was not stalling.

"No one is delaying anything here," he said. 

"We are naturally in favour of achieving the goals that we are trying to achieve through the special military operation via political and diplomatic means. Therefore, we are not interested in drawing out anything." 

Peskov noted that the dates of the third round of peace talks with Ukraine still need to be agreed. 

Ukraine's army chief bans tent camps at training sites after Russian strikes

The head of Ukraine's army has ordered a ban on the concentration of troops and equipment at training facilities to better protect against Russian missile attacks.

The command follows a string of deadly strikes on Ukrainian military training facilities, leading to public backlash and increased scrutiny of military command.

Ukraine's former ground forces commander had promised to address the issue but resigned after an attack on a training facility killed 12 and injured 60 last month.

A similar Russian missile attack on a shooting range killed six soldiers in Sumy only weeks prior.

Oleksandr Syrskyi announced the ban on troop concentration at training sites on social media, which includes soldiers gathering in tent camps.

Putin to host Kyrgyz president tomorrow, Kremlin says

Vladimir Putin will hold talks in Moscow tomorrow with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, the Kremlin says.

The two leaders will discuss "the relationship between Russia and Kyrgyzstan in politics, trade and economy, and cultural and humanitarian affairs".

They last met less than a week ago at the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Minsk.

For context: A former Soviet satellite state, the Kyrgyz Republic is a close ally of Russia thanks to its historical and cultural ties and its current economic and political cooperation with Moscow.

Japarov has maintained a neutral approach to Russia's war in Ukraine, though some of his actions - like his attendance at May's Red Square Victory Parade in Moscow - have been interpreted as tacitly pro-Russian.

Kyrgyzstan was also the first foreign country Putin visited after the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against him was issued in 2023 for war crimes in Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones hit target 800 miles deep into Russia - report

Ukrainian drones have reportedly struck a Russian facility over 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) from its border, according to officials and local Telegram channels.

Residents in the city of Izhevsk reported explosions early this morning, while local authorities confirmed a drone strike on a facility in the city. 

Alexander Brechalov, head of Russia's Udmurt Republic, said emergency services had responded to the attack and that further information would be provided as it became available.

Russia's aviation agency temporarily suspended flights in and out of the city's airport following the incident.

The city was previously targeted last November when a strike damaged a factory known for producing air defence systems.

Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack.

At least four killed by Russian strikes in last 24 hours, Ukraine says

Russian strikes across Ukrainian regions killed at least four civilians and injured at least 15 over the past day, regional authorities said.

Two people died and five others were injured in the Kherson region, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said, while two others were killed in the Mykolaiv area of southern Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, Dnipropetrovsk governor Serhii Lysak says there are dead and wounded in the city of Kamianske after a Russian strike this morning. He says official figures will be released in due time.

In total, Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 52 drones at Ukraine overnight, with defences shooting down and misdirecting 47 of them.

Aftermath of shelling in Donetsk

We mentioned in our last post that Ukraine had reportedly struck a military base in occupied Donestk overnight.

Here are the latest images from the region, showing firefighters tackling a blaze at a market which local Russian-installed authorities said was from a Ukrainian strike.

Russia says it downed 60 Ukrainian drones overnight

Russian air defence units destroyed 60 Ukrainian drones overnight, Moscow's defence ministry said.

Most of the drones were destroyed over regions in southwest Russia and over the Crimean Peninsula, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, it added. 

Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a Russian logistics hub and an oil depot in Russian-occupied Luhansk and a military base in occupied Donetsk, with fires breaking out in the two cities.

"Russian logistics in temporarily occupied Luhansk are burning," said Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's centre for countering disinformation.

Russia says it now occupies all of Ukraine's Luhansk region

A Russian-backed official in occupied Luhansk claims Moscow's forces have now taken the whole of the region that it illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2022.

Leonid Pasechnik, the Kremlin-appointed leader of the region, told Russian state media that Luhansk was now "fully liberated - 100%".

If confirmed, it would make Luhansk the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Russian defence ministry or from Ukraine. 

Ukraine says Russia's claims to Luhansk and other regions of the country are groundless and illegal, and has promised to never recognise Russian sovereignty over the areas. 

-SKY NEWS