Russia Ukraine war live: Moscow strike hits Ukraine’s largest dam amid overnight missile bombardment

The ballistic and cruise missiles, the first fired on the Ukrainian capital in 44 days, were knocked out of the sky, but at least 17 people were injured in Kyiv and the surrounding area by falling debris. Schools, residential buildings and industrial facilities were also damaged, Ukrainian officials said.

One person was killed by Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s Belgorod region this morning, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

The Russian defence ministry in a statement claimed it shot down eight Vampire rockets launched by Ukraine towards Belgorod.

Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to take part in the traditional parade at the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics, the IOC said Tuesday.

The opening ceremony on July 26 will see thousands of athletes travel on boats down the River Seine for several miles (kilometers) toward the Eiffel Tower, instead of the normal parade of teams inside a stadium.

The Russian-controlled management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, said this morning that one of the two high-voltage lines, supplying it with electricity, was down.

There are no safety threats, it added.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said the sanctions imposed on Russia were “not yet sufficient” as the missiles used by Vladimir Putin’s forces against Kyiv contained at least 1,500 components of foreign origin.

A child was among more than a dozen people who sustained injuries yesterday as the Ukraine air defence foiled one of the biggest Russian air attacks on Kyiv in weeks.

The Ukraine air force said Russia launched 31 missiles, including two ballistic missiles, and 29 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles.

“Every Russian missile used by these savages to attack our country contains components manufactured by companies from other countries – not from Russia,” Mr Zelensky said in his evening address.

“A significant part of them are manufactured by companies in the free world and imported to Russia through various ‘gray’ schemes,” the president added.

Vladimir Putin has appointed a new commander of the Russian navy as he looks to fight back against Ukraine’s sweeping attacks on his prized naval fleet in occupied Crimea.

Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev, who commanded the Crimean Black Sea fleet (BSF) for a year back in 2018, was appointed to what some analysts say is Russia’s most difficult military role during a ceremony in Putin’s hometown of St Petersburg.

Russia and Ukraine believe that their crisis will be solved through talks, even as both are adamant on their positions and have huge differences when it comes to peace talks, China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs said on Friday.

Li Hui said Russia appreciates China’s efforts in its latest round of shuttle diplomacy to Europe, while Ukraine viewed his recent visit as important.

Despite differences in their views of peace talks between the warring parties, Mr Li said “still they all believe that ultimately this crisis will be resolved” by those means.“

All agree that the war will ultimately be carried out through negotiations, not guns,” he told reporters.

He said China wishes for an international peace conference recognised by both Russia and Ukraine, with both participating equally.

Switzerland plans to host a peace conference this year, which Moscow said is doomed to fail without its participation.

An 11-year-old child was among more than a dozen people injured in Russia’s largest missile strike on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.

Russia fired 31 missiles towards Kyiv, which were all drowned by Ukraine’s air defences.

Two people with severe injuries were rushed to a hospital yesterday, said Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko.Falling missile debris triggered fires and damaged schools, residential buildings and industrial facilities in the capital