A top Russian general leading troops in southern Ukraine has been killed in a missile strike, pro-Russian military bloggers have said.
Major General Sergei Goryachev, the chief of staff of the 35th Combined Arms Army, was reportedly killed on June 12 amid heavy fighting around the so-called “Vremivka Ledge” region in southern Donetsk, where Ukraine has liberated four villages in their counter-offensive.
Goryachev, who is at least the fifth high-ranking Russian general to die in Ukraine, had previously served in Transnistria, the self-declared militarised region of Moldova, and Tajikistan.
Ukraine has launched a counter offensive in recent days aimed a recapturing territory from Russian forces.
09:01 AM
Fire broke out at Russian oil refinery
An oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region caught fire on Tuesday as a result of a technical fault with flaring equipment, RIA Novosti state news agency said.
The fire has since been extinguished, according to a local emergency task force, and RIA reported that the refinery was operating as normal.
The Krasnodar region is located in southern Russia and is close to Crimea.
Oil refineries and energy facilities in southern Russia have regularly been the target of drone attacks in recent months, which have often caused fires. The Afipsky and Ilsky refineries were both allegedly attacked by drones last month.
08:42 AM
Pictured: Vladimir Putin meets with Russian servicemen injured in the Ukraine war at a military hospital in Moscow
08:27 AM
Zelensky says Russia ‘will never be forgiven’ following Kryvyi Rih strike
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia “will be held accountable for every missile they launch” after the strike on his hometown of Kryvyi Rih.
Mr Zelensky shared a video of rescuers working to put out fires in a burning building in the central Ukrainian city, surrounded by destroyed cars, on Twitter on Tuesday morning, and wrote: “More terrorist missiles, Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people.
“Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. The rescue operation in Kryvyi Rih continues. My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones! Russian terrorists will never be forgiven, and they will be held accountable for every missile they launch.
08:08 AM
Death toll rises to six in Kryvyi Rih missile strike
At least six people have been killed in a Russian missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, the city mayor has said.
Oleksandr Vilkul said on the Telegram: “Unfortunately, there are already six dead. The rescue operation continues.”
Mr Vikul had previously said that three people had died and that more were trapped under the rubble of a five-storey apartment building.
07:58 AM
Latest MoD update
07:48 AM
Watch: Russian missile strike hits Zelensky’s hometown Kryvyi Rih
07:47 AM
‘Massive’ missile attack on Kryvyi Rih overnight
Russia launched a “massive missile attack” overnight on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing and wounding people and damaging civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.
Serhiy Lisak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region where Kryvyi Rih is located, said on the Telegram messaging app that there had been a “massive missile attack” and that “there are dead and wounded.”
Russian air strikes hit several civilian buildings in the city, including a five-storey building, the mayor of Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said earlier.
“Likely, there are people under the rubble,” Mr Vilkul said on Telegram.
07:42 AM
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to today’s Ukraine liveblog.
We will be guiding you through all the latest updates from Ukraine.