Summary

  • Ukraine’s president has denounced a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping centre as one of the "most brazen terrorist acts in European history"

  • Around 1,000 people were in the building when the attack happened, Volodymyr Zelensky says

  • At least 13 have been killed, but it's feared the number of victims could increase

  • G7 leaders, meeting in Germany, have described the missile strike as "abominable"

  • They say indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime, adding Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account

  • Earlier they pledged to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" and told Russia it must allow free passage of food from Ukraine

  1. More explosions heard in Kyivpublished at 10:13 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Sophie Williams
    Reporting from Kyiv

    More explosions currently heard here in Kyiv - we're taking shelter in a bunker. A local official has confirmed there have been at least six blasts in the Kyiv region.

  2. G7 face battle for unity as cost of war mountspublished at 10:00 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    James Landale
    Diplomatic correspondent

    Unexploded bomb in KharkivImage source, EPA

    The Russian war against Ukraine will inevitably dominate the summit of G7 nations in Bavaria.

    And the leaders of the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan face a difficult challenge.

    They are aiming to put on a show of unity and resolve over the war. In recent months, the Western alliance has shown signs of strain and fatigue.

    Some voices - particularly in France, Germany and Italy - have asked if it might not be better for the war to end, even if it came at the cost of Ukraine having to cede territory.

    A recent cross-Europe opinion poll suggested some voters put solving the cost-of-living crisis ahead of punishing Russia. Others argue about the need to salvage some kind of relationship with Russia in the future.

    Countries like the UK, Poland and the three Baltic States have been resisting these arguments, saying any peace deal with Moscow that is not on Ukraine's terms would lead to further Russian aggression in the future.

    Read the full story from James Landale

  3. Now not time to give up on Ukraine, Johnson to tell G7published at 09:46 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Boris Johnson at the G7 summit in GermanyImage source, PA Media

    UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will promise further financial support for Ukraine as he meets world leaders at a series of summits.

    He is expected to urge allies to continue backing Kyiv against Moscow's "barbarism," saying now is not the time to give up on Ukraine.

    And Johnson is set to pledge £429m in guarantees for World Bank lending.

    He's attending the G7 summit in Germany today and Nato's meeting in a few days - with Ukraine set to be high on the agenda for both organisations.

    Ahead of those meetings, Johnson said: "Future generations will be awed and inspired by the truly heroic Ukrainian resistance in the face of Putin's barbarism.

    "Ukraine can win and it will win. But they need our backing to do so. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine."

    He warned Ukrainians should not be encouraged to "settle for a bad peace" where they were "invited to give up chunks of their territory in return for a ceasefire" in the war against Russia.

    You can read more here

  4. Air raid sirens go off again in Kyivpublished at 09:35 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Sophie Williams
    Reporting from Kyiv

    The missile strike on Kyiv comes as G7 leaders are gathering in Germany.

    They are expected to promise fresh military support for Kyiv and impose more sanctions on Russia.

    Here in Kyiv, the air raid sirens have gone off again.

  5. Russia taking Severodonetsk a significant achievement - UKpublished at 09:30 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Russia's capture of the eastern city of Severodonetsk is a significant achievement in the context of its revised and reduced ambitions, the UK's ministry of Defence says.

    In April, two months into the invasion, Russia revised its immediate campaign plan from aiming to occupy the majority of Ukraine, to a more focused offensive in the Donbas.

    Capturing Severodonetsk was a key part of that plan because it's a major industrial centre and occupies a strategic position on the Siverskyi Donets River.

    However, the MoD says in its daily Ukraine update, "it is only one of several challenging objectives Russia will need to achieve to occupy the whole of the Donbas region".

    "These include advancing on the major centre of Kramatorsk and securing the main supply routes to Donetsk city," it says.

    Map showing bridges to Severodonetsk destroyedImage source, .
  6. Fall of Severodonetsk predictable but painfulpublished at 09:17 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Joe Inwood
    BBC News, Kyiv

    SeverodonetskImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Ukrainian authorities admitted this weekend Russia has full control of the city

    The fall of the key eastern city of Severodonetsk, even if expected, will be painful.

    Ukrainian troops spent many days pulling back to the neighbouring city of Lysychansk, no longer able to defend ruins.

    But even that city is now coming under increasing pressure.

    In his nightly address, President Zelensky said it was a “morally and emotionally difficult stage in the war” – but vowed to take Severodonetsk back.

    If Ukraine does, it will be in the face of overwhelming Russian firepower – some of which was unleashed on the capital this morning when a number of missiles struck the Shevchenkivski district.

    Map showing east of UkraineImage source, .
  7. Attack an attempt to intimidate Ukraine before summits - Klitschkopublished at 08:41 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    We've got a bit more information on the missile attack on a building in Kyiv now.

    Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said two people are known to be wounded and called it an attempt to intimidate Ukraine ahead of international summits this week.

    Our correspondent Nick Beake says firefighters are damping down the nine storey residential building, where windows have been blasted out and the top floor is partially collapsed.

    He says authorities say it's too early to say if anyone has been killed.

    One of the missiles launched by Russia was shot down and landed on a village not far from Kyiv, the head of the regional military administration Oleksiy Kuleba says on Telegram.

    The attacked building in Kyiv
  8. Rescuers try to free trapped womanpublished at 08:18 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Sophie Williams
    Reporting from Kyiv

    As rescuers work at the scene to try and find a trapped woman.

    Firefighters are using a crane to try and access the woman but it's a hard job - they’re moving large chunks of debris with others falling to the ground as they make their attempt.

    It’s hoped that the woman will be pulled from the rubble soon.

    Damaged building
  9. Young child pulled from rubblepublished at 08:10 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Sophie Williams
    Reporting from Kyiv

    Building damaged

    Here in Kyiv, rescuers are at the scene of a missile strike on an apartment building.

    According to police, a young child was pulled from the rubble and taken to hospital and they are working to save his mother.

    Rescuers are hopeful that she will be okay.

    Here at the scene, you can still smell the smoke coming from the building.

  10. Many people injured after missile attack on Kyiv – Klitschkopublished at 08:06 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko says "we have a lot of injuries" following the rocket attack, which struck a residential building around 6:30 in the morning, local time.

    "We are doing everything we can to stop the fire and take people out of the destroyed buildings," he says.

    "We hope nobody has died but the final information we will have in a couple of hours."

    Mayor Vitali Klitschko
  11. What's happening?published at 07:57 British Summer Time 26 June 2022

    Hello and welcome as we resume our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here's the latest:

    • Several cruise missiles have struck the Ukrainian capital Kyiv causing large explosions and damaging a residential building
    • They hit the district of Shevchenkivskiy, mayor Vitali Klitshko says, and ambulances and rescuers have been sent to the scene
    • The attacks came hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky made a renewed plea for air defence systems from Ukraine's allies
    • Zelensky has warned that the war is entering a "morally and emotionally difficult stage"
    • His words come after the key eastern city of Severodonetsk – the centre of heavy fighting for weeks - fell fully to Russian control on Saturday
    • Leaders from the G7 group of industrialised nations - gathering in Germany - are expected to promise fresh military support for Kyiv and to impose more sanctions on Moscow