A RUSSIAN TV star has demanded that his nations forces invade Britain and seize Stonehenge in a mad rant live on air.
The personality with close links to Vladimir Putin has threatened Britain.
Firebrand anchorman, Vladimir Solovyov, known as ‘Putin’s Voice’, ranted that Russia could invade Britain and target Boris Johnson’s foreign secretary Liz Truss, the Daily Mirror reported.
When asked by the Ukrainian political analyst Vasil Vakarov where Putin’s savage regime would stop its war, he replied: “Well, when we have to, then we will.
“Where will we stop? Well, as I was saying today, maybe Stonehenge. Liz Truss says she's the one fighting the war.”
The British foreign secretary has been the target of Russian media in recent months due to her unwillingness to compromise with Putin.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the foreign secretary was taunted by her counterpart in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov, who claimed after talks with her that it was “like the conversation with a deaf person… who is here, but does not hear”.
Read our Ukraine war blog below for the latest rolling news and updates…
- Milica Cosic
Western sanctions on Kremlin 'aimed against ordinary citizens'
The former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has claimed that sanctions imposed on Russia are aimed "against ordinary citizens" and seek to make them "uncomfortable".
In a statement on Telegram, Mr Medvedev, who is also the deputy head of Russia's Security Council, said that Western sanctions on the country did not affect the Russian political elite and would not be "fatal" for big business.
He wrote: "The conclusion suggests itself disgusting – these sanctions are directed precisely against the people of Russia.
"And no matter what American and European grandparents mutter that we are punishing your bosses, but we love you, ordinary citizens, is pure nonsense.
"What is the purpose of the arrest of assets of the Central Bank of Russia and other state assets? Simple. To make the economy worse, to hit the rouble, increase inflation and unwind prices in stores, which means dropping the standard of living of an ordinary Russian.
"An embargo on the purchase of oil and gas from Russia? The same thing: to reduce budget revenues and force the state to abandon social obligations, including indexation of incomes. Hit the taxpayer in town and country.
"A ban on flights of our planes, on trips to many countries, a ban on the use of payment instruments – against whom? Again, against ordinary citizens, in order to make them uncomfortable."
- Milica Cosic
Putin could sacrifice his OWN army for victory
VLADIMIR Putin could collapse his own army in a bid for a hollow victory in Ukraine to save his skin despite losing more than 30,000 troops, a bombshell report has revealed.
A top secret analysis of the shambolic invasion says the Russian dictator believes 30,350 of his troops are a "price worth paying" for a small victory in eastern Ukraine.
But the new report – seen by senior UK government officials and obtained by The Mirror – warns Putin’s blood sacrifice may be a step too far for his troops.
The confidential report suggests Kremlin chiefs have desperately tried to persuade Putin that his invasion is a catastrophe – but the dictator believes he can still win a "partial victory".
The new report says: "Russia’s attempt to achieve a speedy and decisive victory in the Donbas has not yet succeeded. They are still grinding forward, gaining 1-2km a day.
"The Russians are now achieving what successes they have mostly by means of a slogging match with repeated, very costly, infantry attacks reminiscent of 1945 not 2022.
"The gross failures of the campaign Putin has so far been able to hide quite well from the Russian public, or to blame on various officials, who have been arrested and replaced.
"The Russian population until recently bought Putin’s disinformation.
"We have seen an attempt within the Kremlin to get a message across to Putin and his closest team that things are going wrong, perhaps even catastrophically wrong."
The chaotic invasion has caused devastating losses for Russia – and Putin has been warned to bring his troops back home or "risk more orphans".
Read more here.
Russian President Vladimir PutinCredit: Reuters A man looks at a destroyed Russian tank in Dmytrivka village near KyivCredit: The Mega Agency - Milica Cosic
'West must act to resolve food crisis'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today said it was up to the West and Kyiv to resolve a growing global food crisis provoked by the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia's offensive in Ukraine and Western sanctions have disrupted deliveries of wheat and other commodities from the two countries, fuelling concerns about the risk of hunger around the world.
Western countries "created a lot of artificial problems by closing their ports to Russian ships, disrupting logistics and financial chains," Lavrov told reporters during a visit to Bahrain.
"They need to seriously consider what is more important for them: to do PR on the issue of food security or to take concrete steps to solve this problem," he added.
- Milica Cosic
Ukraine: Russians control 'half' of Severodonetsk in east
Russian forces control half of the east Ukraine city of Severodonetsk, a Ukrainian military official said Tuesday, as Moscow's army continues an unrelenting push deeper into the Donbas region.
"Unfortunately, the front line divides the city in half. But the city is still defending itself, the city is still Ukrainian, our soldiers are defending it," said Oleksandr Stryuk, head of the city's military and civil administration, said in a live broadcast.
After failing to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in the early stages of the war, Russia has shifted its focus to the eastern Donbas region and is attempting to consolidate areas under its control.
Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday earlier described the situation in Severodonetsk as "extremely complicated" conceding that parts of the city were controlled by Russian forces.
- Milica Cosic
Senior Ukraine official says EU sanctions on Russia still 'not enough'
The latest European Union sanctions on Russia, which ban most imports of its oil, are "not enough", a senior official in the Ukrainian president's office said in a speech in Madrid today.
"If you ask me, I would say far too slow, far too late and definitely not enough," Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office, said.
Ukraine is also not happy with the pace of weapons deliveries from the West, he said.
"We are definitely not satisfied," Zhovkva said in response to a question after his speech.
"Had we been satisfied, we would have begun the liberation of Mariupol immediately and thrown away Russian forces from Donbas," he said. "We believe in promises."
- Milica Cosic
Ukrainian court sentences 2 Russian soldiers to jail for war crimes
A Ukrainian court sentenced two captured Russian soldiers to 11 and a half years in jail on Tuesday for shelling a town in eastern Ukraine, the second war crimes verdict since the start of Russia's invasion in February.
Alexander Bobikin and Alexander Ivanov, who listened to the verdict standing in a reinforced glass box at the Kotelevska district court in central Ukraine, both pleaded 'guilty' last week.
- Milica Cosic
Russia to hand over bodies of Ukrainian fighters from Azovstal
Russia said today it will hand over the bodies of 152 Ukrainian soldiers found underneath the Azovstal steel plant in the port city of Mariupol, now under Moscow's control.
Russia's defence ministry said its troops found "152 bodies of dead militants and servicemen of Ukraine's armed forces" that it claims were stored inside a cooling unit and that "four mines" were found underneath the bodies.
"The Russian side plans to hand over the bodies of Ukrainian militants and servicemen found on the territory of the Azovstal plant to representatives in Ukraine," the ministry added.
After Moscow took control of Mariupol in late April
- Milica Cosic
Evil Putin's brutal war machine 'CRIPPLED' by massive oil ban for Russia
THE EU has banned Russian oil imports by sea ‘to stop Putin war machine’, its president has announced.
EU leaders have agreed on to ban the export of Russian oil to the 27-nation bloc
“This immediately covers more than two thirds of oil imports from Russia, cutting a huge source of financing for its war machine,” EU Council president Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.
It comes as Russian fighters captured one third of Luhansk’s key city Sievierodonetsk.
A third of the key city is “already under our control”, Leonid Pasechnik, the leader of the Moscow-backed Luhansk People’s Republic told TASS news agency.
- Milica Cosic
Russia says it downed Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet in Mykolaiv region
Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had downed a Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet in Ukraine's Mykolaiv region and bombed a radar station and two ammunition depots in eastern Ukraine.
- Milica Cosic
Ship leaves Mariupol port for the first time
A ship has left a port in the besieged city of Mariupol for the first time since Kremlin forces captured the region.
It is heading east to Russia, Interfax news agency reports, citing the Russian-backed separatist leader of the Ukrainian breakaway region of Donetsk.
Denis Pushilin wrote on the Telegram messaging app: "Today 2,500 tonnes of hot-rolled sheets left the port of Mariupol.
"The ship headed for Rostov-on-Don."
- Milica Cosic
UK says Russia making slow inroads into Ukraine's Luhansk region
British military intelligence said this morning that Russia was advancing slowly into Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, adding that the massing of its forces in a small area raised risks for others elsewhere.
"Progress has been slow but gains are being held. Routes into the pocket likely remain under Ukrainian control," Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a Twitter update.
"Russia has achieved greater local successes than earlier in the campaign by massing forces and fires in a relatively small area. This forces Russia to accept risk elsewhere in occupied territory."
- Milica Cosic
Kremlin TV propagandist claims World War 3 has started with Russia
A Kremlin TV propagandist has claimed World War Three has begun – and Russia’s task is now to “demilitarise” NATO.
Rossiya-1 anchor Olga Skabeyeva is seen on video claiming that the much-vaunted Russian special military operation in Ukraine “is now over”.
She argued that the West’s provision of arms to Ukraine meant it was now a global conflict, as Ukraine showcased new British Wolfhound heavy tactical support vehicles.
“It's time to admit, perhaps, that Russia's special operation in Ukraine is now over,” said Skabeyeva.
“In the sense that a real war has started, World War III.
“We are being forced to demilitarise, not just Ukraine but NATO as a whole.
“Why am I talking about this?
“It was not only Smerch MLRS with cluster munitions that struck Donetsk.
“The strikes were carried out with…American M777 howitzers.”
- Louis Allwood
Chelsea officially confirm £4.25 BILLION takeover
Todd BOEHLY'S era as owner of Chelsea has officially begun after he beat 250 bidders to the purchase of the club.
The Blues have confirmed the consortium fronted by the 46-year-old American has assumed control of the club.
Roman Abramovich's 19-year association with Chelsea has finally come to an end after he decided to sell earlier this year following sanctions placed upon him amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Boehly's £4.25bn bid was approved by the Premier League and UK Government last week, and the deal has now been rubber-stamped.
The European Union have given the takeover the go-ahead after fears Abramovich's Portuguese passport could scupper the deal.
Russian billionaire Abramovich is on the EU sanctions list and there had been genuine worry European chiefs would block the move.
- Milica Cosic
Zelensky: Europe will have to give up Russian oil
Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday pushed for the termination of Russian oil’s flow into Europe. He also added the country should pay a higher price for its aggression.
“I am grateful to Charles Michel, President of the European Council, for supporting the interests of Ukraine, the interests of the whole of Europe and for trying to find the necessary compromises as soon as possible so that the European Union’s sixth sanctions package can be adopted. Russia must feel a much higher price for its aggression,” Mr Zelensky said.
“I believe that Europe will have to give up Russian oil and oil products in any case. Because this is about the independence of Europeans themselves from Russian energy weapons,” the Ukrainian president said.
He added that “the sooner this happens, the more complete the abandonment of Russian oil will be, the greater the benefit will be for Europe itself in the end.”
- Louis Allwood
French journalist killed by shrapnel
According to reports, Luhansk's regional governor Serhiy Haidai has shared graphic images showing a badly damaged lorry with a smashed windscreen and blood on the interior.
The body of Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff can be seen on the pavement, believed to be the French journalist Haidai says was killed by a Russian shell.
Officials say he suffered a fatal wound to the neck after shrapnel pierced the vehicle's armour.
- Milica Cosic
More mass graves found near Mariupol
THE MAYOR of the city of Mariupol says staff have discovered 25 new grave trenches where Vladimir Putin's troops have buried at least 16,000 residents.
The bodies have apparently been placed in “layers” as ruthless Russian occupiers have buried the citizens here in these mass graves near the city since the middle of April.
Mayor Vadym Boichenko, Mariupol City Council reports on Telegram: "We estimated the death toll at 22,000 people in Mariupol. But more and more facts show that the consequences of the Ruscist crime are much worse.
"This and the dire state of the local population under occupation need special attention of the global community," the mayor stressed.
In total, the City Council said that the invaders have buried at least 16,000 Mariupol residents in mass graves near the villages of Staryi Krym, Manhush and Vynohradne since mid-April.
Another 5,000 people were buried by municipal service by mid-March. Thousands of bodies still remain under the rubble, in natural cemeteries and in temporary mortuaries.
- Louis Allwood
Putin may already be using body doubles
Russian President Vladimir Putin may already be using body doubles appearances to hide his poor health, according to reports.
It has now been claimed that Putin could already be using tricks such as pre-recorded appearances and maybe even body doubles to stage manage his health.
Its widely been reported the Kremlin keeps careful tabs on Putin's appearances, and yesterday eagle eyed Russia watchers spotted Vlad appears to be reusing the same "actors" during televised meet and greets.
British intelligence officials said the Russian tyrant's cronies would have to keep his death a secret from the world for weeks – or even months, reports The Daily Star Sunday.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday denied speculation that President Vladimir Putin was ill, saying there were no signs pointing to any ailment.
Answering a question from France’s broadcaster TF1, Russia’s top diplomat said: “I don’t think that sane people can see in this person signs of some kind of illness or ailment.”
This comes after the Russian leader has long been rumoured to be battling illnesses such as cancer and Parkinson's.
- Louis Allwood
UK air defence system sent to help branded ‘fiasco’
Britain's Sky Sabre air defence system is not up and running a month after arriving in Poland.
More than 75 UK troops are stuck camping in a Polish sports hall while glitches are fixed.
It arrived to protect Polish airspace from Russia in April but will not be firing until August.
Sky Sabre was unveiled earlier this year as Britain’s most sophisticated anti-aircraft and drone kit.
It is meant to be so advanced it can hit a tennis ball travelling at three times the speed of sound.
But sources say it has been blighted software problems as it prepared for deployment in Eastern Europe.
Last night, the MoD claimed it was never going to be up and running until late summer but Whitehall insiders say plans were ripped up and delayed.
A defence source said: “The equipment is stationed alongside a US Patriot missile long-range air defence system that has been operational for several weeks.
“Our US counterparts are highly amused at the predicament facing us Brits.”
- Louis Allwood
Russia makes accusations against Ukraine
Ukrainian troops have been accused by Russia of "outrageous" attacks on civilian infrastructure while fighting in Donbas.
Russia's Interfax news agency reports that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Ukraine is striking targets which include "children's institutions".
He added that it was this kind of attack that Russian troops were fighting to prevent in the eastern region of Ukraine.
He says: "And it is precisely this – protecting people from these neo-Nazis who do this – this is precisely the main goal that is being pursued during the special military operation."
- Louis Allwood
Russia’s ‘best paratroop commander’ killed in Ukraine
Two more Russian colonels have been killed in Ukraine — including the country’s “best paratroop commander”.
Lt-Col Alexander Dosyagayev, 34, led an airborne battalion of the 104th paratroop regiment.
Some of his troops were said to have been in Bucha — scene of rape and torture atrocities.
His battalion, based in Pskov, was recognised as the best in Russia during checks on combat training and discipline.
The other dead commander is Col Vladimir Ivanov, 41 — who served in the Russian defence ministry’s department in charge of propaganda.
He and Dosyagayev are the 47th and 48th colonels known to have died fighting in Ukraine.
- Louis Allwood
Russians annihilate Ukrainian town ‘in 8 SECONDS’
This is the horrifying moment shockwaves rip through the air after Russia launched a vacuum bomb attack on a village in eastern Ukraine.
Dramatic footage shows a series of explosions as the Russian army annihilates a small Ukrainian town centre with thermobaric weapons in just eight seconds.
The drone video, published by pro-Russian Telegram channels, shows half a dozen huge explosions rocking the village of Novomykhailivka, in Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine.
The village is located some 40km from the centre of Donetsk city.
As the explosions go off, shockwaves can clearly be seen rippling through the air – in a new piece of evidence that Russia has been employing 'thermobaric' vacuum weapons.
Thermobaric, or vacuum, bombs are controversial as they cause a lot more damage to life and property than conventional bombs of similar size.
While there are no laws that ban thermobaric weapons from being used in warfare, their use against civilians is banned under the Geneva Convention and could constitute a war crime.
The catastrophic weapons are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons ever developed.
- Louis Allwood
Russian troops enter Severodonetsk
According to a Ukrainian news website, Severodonetsk city's district administration head, has been quoted as saying Russian forces had advanced into the centre, where fighting has raged for days.
Roman Vlasenko said: "The enemy was able to enter from two directions, Novoaydar and Starobilsk. It is controlling a strip of around 100m. They could not advance much deeper, our guys are holding the line."
Vlasenko also said Russian offensives were under way in nearby Lysychansk, but he claimed they were still limited to the countryside. "The guys are holding their ground," he said.
- Louis Allwood
Bucha killings 'must never happen again'
France's new foreign minister Catherine Colonna today condemned killings of civilians outside Kyiv during a visit to Ukraine in a show of support as Russian forces advance in the east.
"This should never have happened. It must never happen again," Colonna told reporters after visiting an Orthodox church in the town of Bucha outside the capital Kyiv, where Russian forces have been accused of killing civilians.
She said France stood with victims of alleged Russian atrocities and that her country would "do everything in its power to restore peace".
- Louis Allwood
Putin commander boasts how he 'enjoys' killing Ukrainians
A commander loyal to Vladimir Putin close ally warlord Ramzan Kadyrov has boasted that he “enjoys” killing Ukrainians.
Police colonel Zamid Chalaev, 40, has been awarded the Hero of Russia award by Putin, despite allegations of human rights abuses.
In a video reposted by Kadyrov – lead of Chechnya – the commander standing amidst a group of fighters said: “We want to say to all [Ukrainian] shaitans, Nazis, Banderovtsy – when we are killing you, we enjoy it
“Hopefully… you won't run away from Lisichansk just as you fled from Severodonetsk.”
Chalaev is said to be leading pro-Russian forces in part of an advance against Ukraine in Luhansk region.
Kadyrov praised the determination to Chaelaev’s forces “to destroy the bandits to the end and liberate the Donbas from the terrorists who have been oppressing its population for eight years.
“I am sure that these men will cope with the most difficult tasks at any cost, even if necessary – with their lives.
“They will achieve the victory of good over evil.”
- Louis Allwood
'NATO's support for Ukraine is unbreakable'
NATO's support for Ukraine is unbreakable, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not reach his objectives in Ukraine, Spanish Primer Minister Pedro Sanchez said tday.
"Supporting Ukraine with determination is the only way to ensure that the Europe and the world we have built has a certain future," he told an event marking Spain's 40th anniversary as part of the alliance.
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