Sam Hancock
Live reporter

We're going to leave our live coverage of the war in Ukraine here for now, thanks for following along.

There's been a lot to digest today, so here's where to go if you want to keep reading.

Start here: A drone attack on Russia's Belgorod region, which killed three people, remained a key line throughout the day.

Another interesting development: One of Russia's leading military figures, Gen Sergei Surovikin, has reportedly been fired as air force chief after weeks of speculation about his disappearance from public view.

And if you started the day unsure what the Brics summit was, this video does a good job of explaining just that.

Today's page was written by Thomas Mackintosh, Malu Cursino, Liv McMahon, Jamie Moreland, Jacqueline Howard, Joel Guinto and Jack Burgess. It was edited by Jamie Whitehead and myself.

Image source, FAMILY HANDOUT

In the UK, an inquest in Oxford has heard how a former British paratrooper died from head and chest injuries while fighting for the Ukrainian army in Donetsk.

Simon Lingard was killed on 7 November, 2022, on the eastern frontline in Bakhmut.

The 38-year-old father died after being struck by fragments from artillery fire while trying to rescue Ukrainians, Oxford Coroner's Court heard today.

His ex-partner Stacey Longworth spoke to the PA news agency after the inquest and paid tribute to him as "an amazing dad and not just a soldier".

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

We reported earlier on Russian state media claiming that a senior general had been sacked from his latest role as head of Russia’s air force chief. Here's some more on that now.

For several months, Gen Sergei Surovikin was in charge of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine but he has not been seen since the Wagner mutiny in June. Observers believe his removal dates back to the botched rebellion.

During the hours Wagner mercenaries marched towards Moscow on 24 June, Gen Surovikin appeared in a video appealing to them to return to base.

Image source, Reuters

His awkward performance was later compared to a hostage-style video. The general was known to have good relations with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who reserved his loathing for other figures in the defence hierarchy.

In the weeks after the June revolt, there were unconfirmed reports by Russian military bloggers Gen Surovikin had been detained for questioning. But, officials denied he was being held in a pre-trial detention centre and one retired general said he was merely "resting" and unavailable.

Ria Novosti agency said he had been relieved of his post, citing a source.

• Read more on this here

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Damaged Russian armoured vehicles will be on display in Ukraine's capital tomorrow as the country marks its annual Independence Day.

It's been 32 years since Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union, following its collapse in 1991.

Seized vehicles are being placed along Khreshchatyk Street in Kyiv, as the government shows its citizens Russia's losses since it invaded their country last February.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Last year the public holiday took place six months after Russia's invasion and there were restrictions in place due to heightened security threats.

Those celebrations were also marked in many countries, including the UK, Germany and Greece.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

More from Ukraine now. Four educational workers have been killed and four other people injured in an attack on a school in the north of the country, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko says.

Rescuers found the bodies of the "school director, deputy director, secretary and librarian" under the rubble, he writes on Telegram, with accompanying images appearing to show the school in Romny destroyed and emergency workers carrying a body on a stretcher.

The regional military administration says a drone fired by Russia hit the school at 10:05 this morning (08:05 BST).

"The school building was destroyed - this is just before the school year, which unfortunately will never start for some," Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has said of the attack.

Throughout the war, Russian has denied deliberately targeting civilians.

If you're just joining us, or need an afternoon catch-up, here are some of the day's key developments.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed fellow Brics leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he accused the West of "unleashing" the war in Ukraine
• His Ukrainian counterpart Voldomyr Zelensky later vowed to reclaim Crimea - Ukrainian land which was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014
• This came after reports of a huge explosion in the village of Olenivka, in Crimea, which Ukrainian officials said was a Russian air defence missile system being hit. Russia is yet to confirm the reports
• There were also intense drone attacks in Odesa, southern Ukraine, which damaged 13,000 tonnes of grain
• And remember where we started the day - with shelling in Belgorod, near Russia's border with Ukraine, killing three people
• Moscow's skyscrapers were also the target of another drone attack

Footage released by Ukraine's military intelligence - and authenticated by BBC Verify - shows the moment a large explosion hits Russian-occupied territory in Crimea.

As we reported earlier, Ukrainian authorities said a Russian air defence missile system was hit in a strike near the village of Olenivka at about 10am local time (08:00 BST). The village sits in western Crimea, near the Tarkhankut peninsula.

Watch the short clip here:

Image source, Sergey Dolzhenko//EPA-EFE

In the last few minutes, Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken to reporters following a meeting with Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda during which the pair discussed the future of Crimea.

The Ukrainian leader vowed to end Russia's occupation of the Crimean peninsula and all other areas that Moscow controls in his country.

"Crimea will be de-occupied like all other parts of Ukraine that are unfortunately still under the occupier," he is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

The meeting formed part of an international conference, reported to have been attended virtually by a number of world leaders.

Crimea was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014 in a move not recognised by most other countries - there's more on that in our earlier post.

Image source, Oleksandr Kubrakov

An overnight attack on the port of Izmail, located on the Danube River in southern Ukraine, has reduced its export capacity by 15% and destroyed 13,000 tonnes of grain, a Ukrainian government official says.

Ukraine's minister for infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that 270,000 tonnes of grain have been destroyed since Russia's withdrawal from a UN-brokered deal ensuring the safe passage of exports across the Black Sea in July.

He said the attack was the eighth on Ukraine's port infrastructure since the deal's collapse.

"These are attacks on countries across Africa and Asia that are already running out of food as well as on global food markets, leading to a surge in wheat prices," Kubrakov said, adding:

• Read more on this topic here

Robert Greenall
Live reporter

While speaking to the Brics summit, Vladimir Putin once again set out his view of the events leading up to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 - and ultimately its full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years later.

The Russian president says that the overthrow of Kyiv's pro-Russian government in 2014 was instigated by the West. He describes those events, known as the Maidan Revolution, as a "coup d'etat", but here's a reminder of what actually happened.

Image source, Getty Images

They began with quite small protests against the government after it refused a deal on closer ties with the EU. But the demonstrations grew into the hundreds of thousands because of popular outrage at police brutality.

From discontent over a single policy, it became a genuine popular movement - a broad protest against a regime seen as authoritarian and corrupt.

Pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia after the revolution, continued to enjoy popular support in eastern parts of the country, at least while he was in office.

But for much of the country he was a figure of hate - probably more disliked for his lavish lifestyle and corrupt politics than for his pro-Russian stance.

Image source, Getty Images

As we said earlier, Vladimir Putin was not able to attend the Brics summit in person in South Africa because he's accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) - notably the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.

Here's a reminder of how that played out. The ICC says the crimes were allegedly committed in Ukraine from 24 February 2022 - when Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, is also wanted by the ICC for the same crimes. In the past, she has spoken openly of efforts to indoctrinate Ukrainian children taken to Russia.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan previously told the BBC: "Children can't be treated as the spoils of war, they can't be deported. This type of crime doesn't need one to be a lawyer, one needs to be human being to know how egregious it is."

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said any of the court's decisions were "null and void" and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev compared the warrant to toilet paper.

More on that reported strike in Crimea now.

A Russian air defence missile system has been hit in a strike near the village of Olenivka, which sits near Cape Tarkhankut on the Crimean peninsula, according to Ukrainian authorities.

They say there was an explosion around 10am local time (08:00 BST).

"This is a painful blow to the air defence system of the occupiers," Ukraine's defence ministry said in a short statement, external. Russia is yet to comment on the incident.

We'll bring you more on this when we have it.

Sam Hancock
Live reporter

It's just gone midday here in London and my colleagues who got this page up and running earlier have been instructed to enjoy a well-earned break.

I'm taking over editing now, and will guide you through our coverage of the war in Ukraine and any other developments at the Brics summit for the rest of the day. First, let's have a quick look at where things stand.

We've heard from all the major Brics players, including Russian President Vladimir Putin who used a virtual appearance to repeat claims he has long made that the West is responsible for the war in Ukraine, not him.

Meanwhile on the ground in Ukraine - in Russian-occupied Crimea, to be exact - a Russian air defence missile system has been hit in a strike near the village of Olenivka. We'll bring you more on that in our next post.

Not for the first time, Vladimir Putin has blamed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the West.

In his analysis, the crisis began with the change of government in Ukraine in 2014 - what Putin called a "coup d'etat" (read more about the beginning of the Ukrainian protests here).

After the change of government, Russia illegally annexed Crimea, had proxy forces capture parts of Ukraine's east, and launched its bloody full-scale invasion in 2022.

Image source, EPA

There was some confusion earlier over whether the Chinese President, Xi Jinping would actually speak today, but he has just addressed the group.

He began by saying they are gathered at a time where the world has entered “a new period of turbulence and transformation”.

Much of Xi’s speech was focused on peace and development, emphasising that Brics should “bring to the world more certainty, stability and positive energy.”

He spoke about China setting up a science and innovation park, as well as plans to work together on satellite network and artificial intelligence innovation.

The Chinese president then moved onto security. He said a “cold war mentality is still haunting our world”, urging members to keep to “peaceful development”.

Xi ended with an ancient Chinese saying: “Designs for justice prevail and acts for the benefit of the people succeed.”

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa took a moment to congratulate India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the country's upcoming attempt to land Chandrayaan-3 on the moon today.

"This for us, as the Brics family, is a momentous occasion and we rejoice with you," he said.

India is hoping to be the first country to land a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon today, our colleagues in Delhi are covering that live here

Image source, Reuters

It's India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's turn to speak, and he begins by congratulating the Brics bloc on its recent achievements.

These include the New Development Bank, which Modi says plays an important role in the development of the countries in the global south. "We have created a financial safety net," he says.

Cooperation in outer space is the first of Modi's suggestions for Brics to consider. He suggests the creation of a Brics satellite constellation, and a "Space Exploration Consortium".

Further suggestions from Modi include investment in technology to further education in Brics countries, better identification of the skills each member country brings to the table, a central repository of traditional medicines, and cooperation on protection of big cats.

To that, Ramophosa quips: "If you need more cheetahs, you have come to the home of cheetahs," eliciting laughs from the room.

Finally, Modi says India fully supports the expansion of Brics through extending memberships to other countries.

After blaming the West for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin says a priority for Brics is the establishment of new, sustainable, safe transport routes, such as the “north-south corridor” that would link Russian ports to sea terminals in the gulf and Indian ocean.

He also discusses "bolstered partnership in science and innovation, healthcare, education, the development of humanitarian ties in general, cultural and civilisational diversity".

And now, it's Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's turn to address the summit.

President Putin now claims some countries "promote colonialism" which led to a "dire crisis" in Ukraine.

He says Russia's actions in Ukraine are in response to a war "unleashed" by the West.

He says their "aspiration" to "preserve their hegemony in the world", led to a coup d'etat in Ukraine (in 2014).

"Russia decided to support people that fight for their culture, for their traditions, for their language, and for their future," he claims.

He says Russia's actions in Ukraine are desigined to put "put an end to the war that was unleashed by the West against people in Donbas [in eastern Ukraine]".

President Putin continues, saying the Brics summit "stands for world order based on international law and UN charter" - and the rights of people to their own development.