Image source, Getty Images

The Kremlin has announced that it does not expect Gazprom to cut gas supplies to any more European customers.

The Russian energy firm has already stopped supplies flowing to some countries, including Poland and Finland after they refused to make payments in Russian currency.

But the Kremlin says its roubles scheme - set up in response to Western sanctions - is functioning as intended, according to Reuters.

It also said no agreement has been reached with Turkey on exporting Ukrainian grain shipments across the Black Sea.

Turkey has been pushing for an agreement between Russia andUkraine on a plan to resume grain exports from Ukrainian ports.

President Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said work was continuing.

Over in the self-proclaimed "Luhansk People's Republic" (LPR), one of Ukraine’s breakaway regions, residents have been given a new deputy prime minister.

Vladislav Kuznetsov was formerly the deputy governor of Russia's Kurgan region. His new appointment was announced via the pro-Kremlin website Gazeta.ru, external.

The LPR is one of two separatist-controlled areas in Ukraine - founded in 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea - the other being the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised both statelets as independent in February, which many saw as a precursor to the war that ensued days later.

In the DPR, Vitaly Khotsenko from Russia's industry and trade ministry has been made head of the statelet's government, according to Interfax.

The Russian news agency said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the appointments of the former Russian officials.

Asked at a daily press briefing about the possibility of further similar appointments, Peskov is reported as saying: "This will depend on the choice of the people who live in these liberated areas.

"We live in a world where nothing can be ruled out."

Image source, .

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for Russia to be expelled from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"There can't be any discussion on prolonging Russia's membership in the FAO. What is there for Russia to do if they are causing hunger for at least 400 million, or potentially more than a billion people?" Zelensky is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

He was addressing a ministerial meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) group of countries in Paris by video link.

Western nations have accused Russia of creating the risk of a global famine by blocking Black Sea ports.

Image source, EPA

Ukraine is delaying exports of grain by not removing mines from its Black sea ports, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says, while also accusing Kyiv of "militaristic rhetoric".

Lavrov, speaking on Russian news channel Rossiya 24 while on a visit to the Armenian capital Yerevan, says unblocking the ports so foreign ships stuck there can leave and grain can be taken away by other ships should be "simplicity itself".

"The Russian military has, for over a month now, daily declared safe-passage corridors which can be used by any ship with no preconditions or hindrance or danger to themselves," he says.

Ukraine has said it needs "effective security guarantees" before it can start shipments, voicing concerns Moscow could use any potential corridors to attack from the sea.

Lavrov also says he hopes Ukraine will not again look towards the West for more arms deliveries.

"They should have stopped such rhetoric long ago, and stopped stirring things up in the media space in an effort to keep up their ratings," he says.

He also warns the West it "should realise that indulging in Kyiv's military mood will not lead to anything good".

Russia will gain control of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions soon, Moscow's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has told the BBC’s Hardtalk programme.

As we reported earlier, he says Russia is making progress in the two regions, which comprise Donbas.

Image source, Getty Images

We reported earlier on Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai's remarks about the situation in Severodonetsk. He said Ukrainian troops had been pushed back to the outskirts of the eastern city.

Haidai's added to that now, saying more than 90% of the region is "temporarily under Russian occupation", external, but repeated assurances that neighbouring Lysychansk remains out of Moscow's hands - for now.

Elsewhere, the head of Severodonetsk's military administration has described the fighting as "difficult but manageable". Oleksandr Stryuk said Ukrainian troops still held the industrial zone and adjacent areas in the city.

He added, in contrast to Haidai, that defence lines were holding but said it was now impossible to evacuate those still in Severodonetsk.

The BBC hasn't been able to independently verify these claims and it's important to note that as the fighting continues, views are likely to vary from official to official as they do their best to report what it is they're seeing and being told.

Image source, .

If you're just joining us, or need a refresher of what's been happening this morning, here's a round-up of today's main headlines from the war in Ukraine.

The battle for Severodonetsk

President Volodymyr Zelensky says the fate of the eastern Donbas region may be decided in the battle for Severodonetsk. Fighting there continues to be tough and Ukraine is suffering losses - but also inflicting heavy casualties on the Russians, he says. Ukrainian forces have been pushed back from the city and now control only its outskirts, Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk, says.

Food crisis

The latest major institution to voice concerns about the war's impact on global food supplies is the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organisation. it says blockades of Black Sea ports mean the world's most vulnerable countries are paying more for less food.

Mariupol bodies

Hundreds of bodies are being found in the debris of destroyed buildings in the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol, the local authorities say - but they suggest the controlling Russian forces are beginning to end the searches.

Image source, EPA

Imogen Foulkes
Reporting from Geneva

The United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has warned of growing food insecurity due to rising food and fuel prices in its twice yearly food outlook report, the first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Its findings are bleak: the FAO says the war in Ukraine and Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports mean the world's most vulnerable countries are paying more for less food.

Russia and Ukraine produce a third of the world’s wheat, while Russia is a leading supplier of fertilisers.

Global food import costs are expected to reach a new record of $1.8tn (£1.4tn) this year, not because of increased imports, but because of higher prices.

Many farmers in low-income countries can no longer afford Russian fertiliser, their crops are much reduced.

In Africa's Sahel region, where famine already threatens, UN aid agencies have had to cut rations - the money they have buys less food, and less fuel to transport it.

The UN urgently wants Russia to unblock Ukraine's Black Sea ports, to allow millions of tonnes of grain out, but an agreement - and demining the ports - could take months.

The FAO describes the situation as alarming; it is calling for a food-import financing facility to protect the poorest countries from rising prices.

Image source, EPA

Hundreds of bodies are being found in the debris of destroyed buildings in Mariupol, according to an adviser to the city's mayor.

Petro Andryushchenko spoke on Telegram of an "unending caravan of death" in the occupied port city, where between 50 and 100 bodies per block of flats are being retrieved from under the rubble and transported to morgues or - depending on the state the bodies are in - to landfill.

In the post, published yesterday, he said the debris of about two-fifths of buildings have been searched by the occupying forces so far.

Last month, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said 60% of buildings in Mariupol had been destroyed, of which 20% could not be rebuilt.

But in a follow-up post this morning, Andryushchenko says the searches in the Left Bank district have stopped, saying: "The occupiers finally switched to the practice of demolishing houses and refusing to search for the bodies of those killed under the rubble."

He says it will never be known how many Mariupol residents died and are still under the debris - and they will be buried alongside rubbish.

"No words. Only rage," he says.

Image source, .

Fighting has intensified in Severodonetsk and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the battle in the city would determine the future of the Donbas region.

Serhiy Haidai, governor for the Luhansk region, said if the West supplied long-range artillery, Ukraine would have the firepower it needs to push back Russian forces.

He said if Ukraine gets Western long-range weapons, Russia would "lose to the West, and our defenders will be able to clean up Severodonetsk in two to three days".

Haidai added that "silence in Severodonetsk lasts only when guns are reloaded" and evacuation from the city "is still impossible".

A city that will determine the fate of the region?published at 09:05 British Summer Time 9 June 2022

09:05 BST 9 June 2022

Joe Inwood
Reporting from Kyiv

"This is a very fierce battle, very difficult… I am grateful to everyone who defends this direction. In many ways, the fate of our Donbas is being decided there."

Those words from President Zelensky were describing the battle for Severodonetsk, the current focus of Russia’s invasion of the eastern Donbas region.

The old industrial city, almost the last part of the Luhansk oblast (region) controlled by his forces, has been characterised by huge artillery battles, fierce street fighting and heavy casualties on both sides.

Without doubt, both sides have thrown everything at Severodonetsk.

But, the suggestion that this city is crucial for the fate of the Donbas doesn’t tally with an interview we did with the Luhansk governor just a few days ago. Serhiy Haidai, so often the source of information on the conflict, told us that "Severodonetsk is of symbolic importance only, not military or strategic importance".

Indeed, he said it was the neighbouring city of Lysychansk that is the more strategically significant. "Lysychansk is much more important because it is located on the hill. It is easier for the military to defend and strike."

Image source, .

To understand why, we need to understand the geography of the region.

Severodonetsk is on relatively flat terrain on the eastern bank of a river called Siverskyi Donets, whereas Lysychansk sits on a hill overlooking on the western side. It is a far more defensible position, especially as approaching Lysychansk will involve crossing the river, something that has proved incredibly costly for Russia in the recent past.

People may remember some extraordinary images from a few weeks back, an entire battalion tactical group wiped out as it tried to bridge the Siverskyi Donets River.

Image source, Ukraine Armed Forces

Trying to cross that river once more will be the task which faces the Russians if they capture Severodonetsk.

It may be, therefore, that when President Zelensky says "the fate of our Donbas is being decided" in the battle for Severodonetsk, he is talking in symbolic not strategic terms.

Indeed, even if the Russians do capture the city, they will still face an uphill task to capture the rest of the Donbas, in more ways than one.

Image source, Reuters

The body of French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff - who was killed on 30 May after being hit by shrapnel near Severodonetsk - has arrived back in France.

It was around 3am when the plane carrying the remains landed at Le Bourget Airport from Kyiv. Leclerc-Imhoff's parents, partner, some of his relatives and France's Culture Minister, Rima Abdul-Malak, were all in attendance as his coffin was carried off an aircraft.

Officials from French TV channel BFMTV, where Leclerc-Imhoff had worked for six years, were also there. A tribute is due to be held for the reporter and cameraman in Paris at around 6.30pm on Friday, according to French media.

Initial reports suggested Leclerc-Imhoff, 32, suffered a fatal wound to the neck after shrapnel pierced an armoured vehicle he was travelling in. He was covering a civilian evacuation from the battle-hit region of eastern Ukraine when he died.

Image source, BFMTV Handout

Image source, Getty Images

Over to Indonesia now, where Russian Ambassador Lyudmila Vorobieva has refused to confirm whether President Vladimir Putin will attend a G20 summit in Bali later this year.

"We cannot yet ascertain whether President Putin will attend [the meeting] offline or online... We still have time to think about that and await developments," Vorobieva is quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

During a phone conversation with Indonesia President Joko Widodo in April, Putin said he would attend the G20 summit.

However, the US has since voiced opposition, saying "it can't be business as usual" with Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.

It's rare Putin is seen in public nowadays, with rumours swirling about this health. Former MI6 spy Christopher Steele told the BBC yesterday the Russian leader would likely be gone within six months, suggesting he may be "incapacitated" by then.

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has just published its latest defence intelligence update on the war in Ukraine., external

Its assessment is that Russia is seeking to regain momentum around Izyum to put further pressure on Severodonetsk.

Izyum sits on a key road into the Donbas region. The MoD says Russian advances in the city remained stalled since April, after Ukrainian forces "made good use" of the region's terrain to slow Russia's advance.

According to the MoD, gaining momentum in Izyum would give Russia the option of advancing deeper into the Donetsk Oblast.

Image source, Getty Images

Russian forces are progressing in the eastern Donbas region, Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has said

Speaking to the BBC, he dismissed comments about Moscow's operation stalling, or not moving as envisaged, saying "progress is being made".

"Nobody promised to deliver it [victory] in three or seven days."

Earlier this week, Nebenzia stormed out of a UN Security Council meeting after the European Council President Charles Michel blamed Russia's invasion of Ukraine for causing a global food crisis.

Image source, .

As we've been reporting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that fighting for the city of Severodonetsk may decide the outcome of the war in the Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine has claimed to be inflicting heavy casualties on Russian troops.

But Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region (which makes up the Donbas along with the neighbouring Donetsk region), said Ukrainian special forces had pulled back after Russia "started levelling the area with shelling and air strikes".

"Our [forces] now again control only the outskirts of the city," he told local media. "But the fighting is still going on, our [forces] are defending Severodonetsk."

"It is impossible to say the Russians completely control the city," he added.

The focus of the war switched to the east at the end of March, after Russian forces pulled back from the region around Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.

Large parts of the Donbas have been under the control of Russian-backed separatists since earlier fighting in 2014-15, when Russia annexed Crimea.

Haidai said some 15,000 civilians remained in Severodonetsk and the nearby city of Lysychansk.

Chris Partridge
BBC News

New satellite pictures show the aftermath of reported Russian attacks on large agricultural storage warehouses in southern Ukraine.

The strikes happened in the southern Black Sea port of Mykolaiv - a major hub for grain exports. Before and after images were taken on 31 May and 7 June.

Image source, Planet Labs PBC

Image source, Planet Labs PBC

Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of grain. It operates dozens of export terminals along the coast, where cities are regularly shelled.

Western countries have accused Russia of creating the risk of a global famine by shutting off Black Sea ports.

Yesterday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Turkish counterpart - in Ankara - on the crisis.

Lavrov said the onus was on Kyiv to solve the problem of shipments by de-mining its ports. Moscow also blames western sanctions for the drop in food exports.

Image source, Getty Images

We've been reporting on Ukraine's war-caused grain crisis over the last couple of days, including claims that Russia has been stealing - and exporting - certain products.

Moscow has denied the allegations, but the problem is - they came from Russian-appointed officials in occupied southern Ukraine.

This is on top of claims - which the BBC has not been able to verify - by Ukrainian officials who've accused Russia of stealing about 600,000 tonnes of its grain and exporting some of it.

Yevgeny Balitsky, in charge of Russian-held areas in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, said grain had left the region on freight trains bound for Crimea - which Russia annexed in 2014 - and, from there, the Middle East.

Read more here.

Joe Inwood
Reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Getty Images

The battle for Severodonetsk has been intensifying in recent weeks, with both sides claiming gains and losses.

In his nightly address, Ukraine's President Zelensky said his forces were inflicting heavy casualties on the Russians.

"In many respects, the fate of the Donbas is being decided there," he said.

And, according to the top official in the region, it may not be going in his favour. Serhiy Haidai said that Ukrainian forces had been pushed back by intense Russian shelling – and now only held the outskirts of Severodonetsk.

But, control over this city has ebbed and flowed in recent days – and with the more defensible city of Lysychansk sitting just across the river, Russia will not find its path into the Donbas an easy one.

We're resuming our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here's a rundown of the latest developments:

Severodonetsk: In his nightly address, Ukraine's President Zelensky said fighting for Severodonetsk may determine the future of the wider eastern Donbas region. Ukrainian forces have been pushed back from the city and now control only its outskirts, Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk, says.

Neighbouring Lysychansk: The situation in Lysychansk, next to Severodonetsk, is very different, according Haidai. Despite "chaotic" and "powerful" attacks by Russia, the official says Ukraine remains in complete control of the city.

Image source, .

Grain crisis: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has issued a fresh warning that the grain crisis - caused by Black Sea port blockades - threatens a global food shortage crisis. Talks between Russia and Turkey to allow exports to resume from Ukraine ended yesterday without a solution.

Captured soldiers: Two British men captured by Russian forces while fighting alongside Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol face 20 years in prison, according to a video shared by Russian state media. Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, appeared in court in the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic.