VLADIMIR Putin's forces have shelled the city near where Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is located, the Ukrainian state nuclear company has said.
The ongoing shelling from Russian forces is increasing the threat of a nuclear disaster in Ukraine region of Zaporizhzhia.
It comes as Joe Biden warned the world is facing nuclear "Armageddon" if Vladimir Putin uses his arsenal- and said the despot "isn't joking".
After Russia's invasion eight months ago, Putin has made thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons if he feels he has run out of options in his bid to seize swaths of Ukrainian territory in the face of stiff resistance by Western-back Kyiv.
"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis" in 1962, Biden said Thursday in New York, adding that "we're trying to figure out what is Putin's off-ramp".
Read our Ukraine-Russia live blog below for the latest updates…
- Louis Allwood
Pro Putin propagandist cries on TV after hitting out at Russians refusing to fight
A pro-Putin propagandist has cried live on state TV after slamming Russian’s that have refused to fight as “a lost cause”.
Boris Korchevnikov claimed some Russians are “decay & garbage” because they “don’t understand what this war is for”.
“If you can’t change your attitude towards your country even then, you’re a lost cause, you’re nothing, you’re zero. No need to teach patriotism or love to mankind. You’re decay, you’re garbage,” he added.
- Louis Allwood
UK’s MoD release latest intelligence update
The UK’s Ministry Of Defence have released their latest intelligence update.
The Ministry have claimed that “a large proportion of Ukraine’s military hardware” is made up of “re-purposed captured Russian equipment.”
The MoD said: “Ukraine has likely captured at least 440 Russian Main Battle Tanks, and around 650 other armoured vehicles since the invasion. Over half of Ukraine’s currently fielded tank fleet potentially consists of captured vehicles.
“The failure of Russian crews to destroy intact equipment before withdrawing or surrendering highlights their poor state of training and low levels of battle discipline.
“With Russian formations under severe strain in several sectors and increasingly demoralised troops, Russia will likely continue to lose heavy weaponry.”
- Louis Allwood
UK’s MoD release latest intelligence map
The Ministry of Defence have issued their latest intelligence map suggesting that there is “likely Russian advances” continuing in the Donbas region.
Russia are currently focusing their advances in this area after Ukraine have made significant progress towards Kherson.
- Louis Allwood
Putin’s only birthday message
Vladimir Putin turns 70 today, and has only received one birthday message from his ally and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
He said: “Today, Russia is reliably defending the dignity of the state and its fundamental interests from the challenges and threats by the US and its vassal forces.
“Such reality is unthinkable without your distinguished leadership and strong will.”
- Louis Allwood
Nobel Peace Prize given to Belarusian human rights activist
Ales Bialiatski, a Belarusian human rights activist has been awarded with this year’s Nobel Peace prize.
Bialiatski is currently being held in pre-trial detention and is the founder of the country’s Viasna (Spring) Human Rights Centre.
Following the announcement the chairwoman was quizzed on whether the recipients were intended to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Berit Reiss-Andersen denied the committee was “addressing President Putin” saying the prize was “not against anyone” but given for positive actions.
- Louis Allwood
Russian soldiers are being ‘sent into a trap’ according to Ukrainian defence minister
Oleksii Reznikov, the Ukrainian defence minister has claimed Russian soldiers were “promised an easy walk” but have actually been “sent in to a trap”.
In a recorded address shared on Telegram, Mr Reznikov called on them to save Russia.
He went on to say: “You are destroying entire cities. How will you go down in history?”
- Louis Allwood
Russia face heavy losses
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence have released their latest update on Russian losses.
They have claimed that a further 350 Russian troops were killed in the past 24 hours taking the total losses to 61,680.
A further 17 tanks and 31 artillery vehicles were destroyed according to the Ministry.
- Louis Allwood
Ukrainian Human Rights Group ‘proud’ after receiving Nobel Peace Prize
The Ukrainian human rights organisation the Center for Civil Liberties were just one of three recipients of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
They have taken to Twitter to express how proud they are of receiving the award for recognition “of work of many human rights activists in Ukraine and not only in Ukraine”.
- Louis Allwood
Desperate journey
Two Russian’s have sailed 300 miles to America to flee the war in Ukraine after Putin’s mobilisation.
The pair fled Russia to avoid military service and requested asylum in the US.
Karina Borger, a spokesperson for the Alaska Republican senator, said that the office has been in communication with the US Coast Guard and Border Protection and that the Russian nationals reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service.
- Louis Allwood
Footage emerges of Russian soldiers opening ‘goody bags’ from local authorities
Footage has emerged of Russian mobilised soldiers in Yakutia opening bags of items to prepare them for the war.
However, within the goody bags, there is no specialist equipment, just a “a first aid kit, a chocolate bar, and sanitary pads (apparently a makeshift bullet wound dressing)”.
In the video, shared by the BBC’s Francis Scarr, the men are heard laughing as they view the bags contents.
- Louis Allwood
Biden warns world of ‘Armageddon’
In a chilling warning, Biden said Putin’s plan to unleash nuclear weapons is the biggest such threat since the Cuban Missile Crisis – one of the most dangerous periods of the Cold War.
Speaking on Thursday night, Biden said the United States was “trying to figure out” Putin’s way out of the war as Ukraine continues to blitz across the country.
He warned the Russian leader was “not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons, because his military is… significantly underperforming”.
“For the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, we have a direct threat to the use of nuclear weapons, if in fact things continue down the path they’d been going,” Biden said.
“We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
- Louis Allwood
Putin ally rages that Russian Defence Minister should shoot himself
General Sergei Shoigu has come under fire after experiencing a series of defeats on the battlefield and displaying a sluggish strategy.
In a video shared on social media, Kirill Stremousov fumed: “A lot of people say that the defence minister, as an officer who let that happen, could shoot himself.
“But you know what, the word ‘officer’ is not familiar for some people.”
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