International investigators visit war-torn areas near Kyiv – as it happened

Putin: sanctions against Russia ‘reckless and insane’

Putin accuses western allies of thinking that the rest of the world “is their own backyard” and of trying to isolate or cancel “wrong” states.

Western countries are treating those countries “as their colonies” and as “second rate”, he says, adding:

This is the nature of the current bout of Russophobia in the west, as well as the regular sanctions against Russia.

He describes western sanctions against Russia as “reckless and insane” and of trying to “crush the Russian economy in one go by force”.

Putin says that in order to be successful, Russia must be independent and “draw our own conclusions”.

Updated at 09.12 EDT

We will be pausing our live coverage of the war in Ukraine and returning in a few hours to bring you all the latest developments. You can find a summary of where things stand here.

Summary

It’s 2am in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:

That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as I hand over the blog to my colleagues in Australia, who will bring you the latest updates. I’ll be back tomorrow, thank you.

A Ukrainian paramedic has been released from Russian captivity, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced in his nightly address.

Updated at 18.51 EDT

The Biden administration’s plan to sell four large, armable drones to Ukraine has been paused on the fear its sophisticated surveillance equipment might fall into enemy hands, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Reuters reports:

The technical objection to the sale was raised during a deeper review by the Pentagon’s Defense Technology Security Administration charged with keeping high value technology safe from enemy hands. Previously the plan, which has been circulating since March, had been approved by the White House, three people said.

The objection to the export of the drones arose due to concerns the radar and surveillance equipment on the drones could create a security risk for the United States if it fell into Russian hands.

The sources said this consideration had been overlooked in the initial review but came up in meetings at the Pentagon late last week.

“Technology security reviews are a standard practice for the transfer of U.S. defense articles to all international partners. All cases are reviewed individually on their own merit. Through the established process, national security concerns are elevated to the appropriate approving authority,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough.

The decision on whether or not to continue with the deal is now being reviewed higher up the chain of command at the Pentagon, but the timing of any decision is uncertain, one of the people a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.

One solution to move the sale forward would be to swap out the existing radar and sensor package for something less sophisticated, but that could take months to complete, one of the sources.

If the case to sell the drones is allowed to progress, Congress would be given a chance to block it, though that was seen as unlikely.

The four General Atomics-made Gray Eagle drones were originally slated to go to the U.S. Army, people familiar with the process said.According to Army budget documents, the Gray Eagles cost $10 million each.

MC-1C Gray Eagle drone, belonging to the 82nd Airborne Division, deployed to Poland to reassure NATO Allies and deter Russian aggression, is seen at an operating base near Mielec, Poland, February 18, 2022. Photograph: Bryan Woolston/Reuters

Viktoria Apanasenko, a civic volunteer from Chernihiv, Ukraine has been chosen to represent the country at the 2022 Miss Universe pageant, Euromaidan Press reports.

“She is actively fighting for Ukraine’s victory on the information front and is volunteering. Victoria helps the capital Naíve [a Kyiv-based restaurant] cook food for battalions of the Armed Forces and the elderly. She and her friend are engaged in addressing food, medicine and hygiene products for children, the elderly and internally displaced people,” said a statement by Ukraine’s Miss Universe organization.

Updated at 18.00 EDT

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty released aerial footage on Saturday showcasing contrasting images of Mariupol before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

Dozens of Ukrainian civilians performed military exercises on Friday in fortified positions left by Russian troops in Bucha, a town synonymous with war crimes blamed on Moscow’s forces.

Agence France-Presse reports:

Wielding rifles and wearing balaclavas, the volunteers are trained by the Ukrainian army and have signed up to defend their country against Russia’s onslaught.

“Most of those who are here aren’t soldiers. They’re just civilians who want to defend their country – 50 percent of them have never held a weapon until today,” said a sergeant known as “Ticha”.

Russian troops invaded Bucha, a northwestern suburb of Kyiv, three days after their offensive in Ukraine began on February 24.

They withdrew in April as part of a major redeployment to the east, leaving a trail of civilian corpses – some with their hands bound – behind them, sparking accusations of war crimes.

Many of the Ukrainians who have swelled the ranks of the army following the invasion have received training in a forest previously occupied by Russian soldiers.

The volunteers have reclaimed the area, now pockmarked by piles of earth, shelters and gigantic holes after the invading troops abandoned the site.

“The Russians dug these holes, 7,000 big holes for armoured vehicles, tanks, tankers. It’s a lot, and they were preparing to stay here for a long time,” said Ukrainian territorial defence force spokesman Valentyn Kalachnyk.

Ticha told AFP the exercises, which took place under the watchful eye of Ukrainian army staff, would leave the locals better prepared if Moscow’s forces invaded Bucha again.

“If the Orcs (Russian soldiers) come back, God forbid, we will be able to deal with them, unlike the first time. We weren’t prepared for that,” he said.

“We teach them what we know, more than what you learn from the instructors sent by NATO.”

Fighters of the territorial defence unit, a support force to the regular Ukrainian army, take part in an exercise as part of the regular combat tactics classes, not far from the Ukrainian town of Bucha, Kyiv region on June 17, 2022. Photograph: Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 17.05 EDT

Ukraine has received a $733 million loan from Canada.

In a statement released on Friday, Ukraine’s finance ministry said that funds, which were “raised in accordance with the loan agreement between Ukraine and Canada”, will be “directed to the state budget to finance priority expenditures, in particular, to ensure priority social and humanitarian expenditures”.

Ukraine’s minister of finance, Sergii Marchenko, thanked the Canadian government for the loan, saying: “I am grateful to the government of Canada and personally to the deputy prime minister, minister of finance of Canada Chrystia Freeland for the unwavering support for Ukraine in the fight for our freedom. This decision once again demonstrates Canada’s leadership in supporting the Ukrainian people and crucial timeliness to help Ukraine.”

Updated at 16.51 EDT

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it is “absolutely necessary” for leaders to speak directly with Russian president Vladimir Putin in attempts to end the war.

Speaking to German news agency DPA on Friday, Scholz said, “It is absolutely necessary to speak to Putin, and I will continue to do so – as the French president will also.”

Scholz’s comments came a day after he and several other European leaders visited Ukraine and held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

There are some countries needed, and some leaders needed, that speak to him – and it is necessary that they are clear,” he said. “When I speak to Putin, I say, for instance, the same things I said to you … Please understand that there will be no dictate(d) peace, and if you really believe that you will rob some land and then hope that the times will change and all the things will become normal again, this is a mistake.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks in his office at the Chancellery in Berlin. Photograph: Michael Kappeler/AP

Updated at 16.18 EDT

Russian media has supposedly shown images of two US citizens captured in Ukraine.

On Friday, the Izvestia newspaper showed footage of what it said was an interview with Andy Huynh, 27. The Russian channel RT also posted a photo of a man that it identified as Alexander Drueke, 39.

Both men lived in Alabama and volunteered alongside Ukrainian forces. According to their family members, the two men have been missing in Ukraine for a week.

In a six-second video uploaded onto Telegram and reviewed by Reuters, a man with a beard and an American accent speaks into a camera and says, “My name is Alexander Drueke, I am against war.”

In another video, the man Izvestia identified as Huynh says in Russian, “I am against war.”

Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, are US military veterans living in Alabama who volunteered to go to Ukraine to assist with war efforts. Both have gone missing. Composite: Reuters/Associated Press

Updated at 16.07 EDT

A group of international investigators and experts have visited war-torn areas near Kyiv, including a burnt-out school, as part of Ukraine’s ongoing investigation into alleged war crimes.

The scale of these crimes, the systematic nature of them, it very clearly appears to be crimes against humanity … it runs the whole gamut of violations of international humanitarian law,” one expert told Reuters.

Updated at 15.11 EDT

A major highway leading out of the bombarded city of Lysychansk has been the target of such severe Russian shelling that it is no longer passable, said Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai on Friday.

The road links Lysychansk and the town of Bakhmut some 55 km to the south west. Haidai said Lysychansk was still completely under Ukrainian control.

A destroyed school in the village of Bilogorivka, not far from Lysychansk. Photograph: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 14.58 EDT

UK prime minister Boris Johnson visits Ukraine and president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, marking his second visit to the country since Russia’s invasion in February.

Boris Johnson and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Kyiv. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office of Ukrainian/PA The pair lighting candles at a cathedral. Photograph: Ukrainian presidential press-ser/AFP/Getty Images Johnson gave Zelenskiy a biography of the Queen during his surprise visit to Kyiv. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office of Ukrainian/PA

Updated at 14.58 EDT

Summary

It’s 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:

That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, today. I’ll be back on Monday. My colleague, Maya Yang, will be here shortly with the latest from Ukraine.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she spoke with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, following the Commission’s recommendation to grant Ukraine EU candidate status.

She said Ukrainians “can count on” the Commission’s support “as they move along the path to the European Union”.

Rival plans to export Ukraine’s vitally needed grain have been drawn up by France and Turkey, as concern grows over the potential impact on the world’s poorest people of failures so far to get the grain out of the country.

The Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, said it was vital a timeline to release the grain is prepared by the time the G7 summit starts next weekend. “A series of deadlines are fast approaching and the drama of a world famine naturally concentrated in the poorest parts of the world, especially Africa, is approaching,” he said following talks with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on Thursday.

Italy is backing the idea of a UN resolution, so far rejected by Russia, that would allow a UN convoy to police grain ships that left the Ukrainian-held Black Sea port of Odesa and other ports and then sailed towards the Bosphorus. But the French president, Emmanuel Macron, is sceptical that a UN resolution will be agreed and is proposing instead a massive stepping up of grain exports out of Romanian ports.

In a change of tack, Turkey is now promoting the option of safe routes out of three Ukrainian ports, even though the ports have not been de-mined. Previously it had been assumed that more than 400 mines would need to be removed, but Ukraine is wary of clearing a passage for Russian ships to enter its ports unless it has cast-iron UN security guarantees if Russia was to mount a surprise attack.

The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, claimed on Wednesday that “since the location of the mines is known certain safe lines would be established at three ports”. He said commercial ships, possibly guided by Ukrainians, could come and go safely without a need to clear the mines. Officials under Turkish monitoring would be able to inspect the commercial ships for smuggled weaponry on Russia’s behalf.

Read the full article here: France and Turkey propose rival plans to get grain out of Ukraine

Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, has hit back at Vladimir Putin’s speech earlier today in St Petersburg, accusing the Russian president of making up a new explanation for his “cannibalistic” war.

Putin earlier said Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine “has become a lifeline” for the west and allowed it to blame all of its problems on Russia.

Poldoyak tweeted:

You attack Ukraine, wipe off the map entire cities, commit mass executions, turn Russia into the middle ages, and then call it a … “lifeline for the west”?

Updated at 13.32 EDT

Putin: Russia has ‘nothing against’ Ukraine joining EU

Vladimir Putin said he has no objections to Ukraine joining the EU following the European Commission’s decision to back Kyiv’s bid to become a member of the bloc.

The Russian president was speaking at the St Petersburg international economic forum, when he was asked about the prospects of Ukraine joining the EU.

Putin replied:

We have nothing against it. It is not a military bloc. It’s the right of any country to join economic unions.

However, he questioned whether it was “advisable” for the EU to permit Ukraine to join, saying Kyiv would need huge economic subsidies that other EU members may not be willing to give.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, at the St Petersburg international economic forum. Photograph: Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images

Earlier today, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was closely following Ukraine’s efforts to become an EU member.

The issue “requires our heightened attention, because we are all aware of the intensification of discussions in Europe on the subject of strengthening the defence component of the EU”, Peskov said in a briefing with reporters.

Updated at 13.27 EDT

China’s president, Xi Jinping, spoke in a video address at the St Petersburg international economic forum, where he said Chinese-Russian cooperation was showing good momentum across the board.

Speaking after Xi’s pre-recorded address, Vladimir Putin said Russia’s close relations with China were unrelated to “recent geopolitical events”.

Updated at 13.28 EDT