Putin challenges West to defeat Russia on the battlefield

• Don’t make decisions without me, Zelensky orders general

• Russia rages over French leak of Putin’s ‘ice hockey’ phone call

• China ‘cushioning itself from sanctions’ ahead of threatened Taiwan invasion

• Listen to the latest episode of our daily Ukraine podcast

Vladimir Putin has challenged the West to defeat Russia on the battlefield saying  that "it was welcome to try".

"Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What can you say, let them try," the Russian president said in televised remarks.

"We have heard many times that the West wants to fight us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it seems that everything is heading towards this".

Separately, Putin warned Kyiv and its Western allies that Moscow has not even started its military campaign in Ukraine "in earnest."

"Everyone should know that we have not started in earnest yet," he said.

For the latest updates see today's live blog.

07:01 PM

And that's all for today..

Thanks for following today's liveblog.

Here are five key updates from today:

• Russia launched a "deliberate attack on civilians" in Kramatorsk after a missile strike left one person dead and six wounded.

• Boris Johnson spoke to Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky "to reiterate the United Kingdom's steadfast support" as he quit as Tory leader.

• Germany has said it doesn’t want to “plunder its own military” as it refuses to send armoured vehicles to Ukraine.

• At least seven civilians were killed and two others injured in Russian strikes in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

• German minister Annalena Baerbock and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ruled out separate meetings with Sergei Lavrov in Bali.

Please follow tomorrow for more updates.

06:47 PM

Why exhausted Russian forces cannot risk an 'operational pause'

The correct thing for the Russian army to do now in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine is to pause and reconstitute its forces.

There will be some, chief amongst them probably Vladimir Putin, who will want the slow, grinding advance west to continue. They will be more concerned about the western-supplied heavy weapons flowing into Ukraine than the likely casualties that will be taken by continuing to push on.

However, since the fall of Lysychansk earlier this week, Russian forces have seemingly preferred to remain in the areas they have taken, relying on artillery to continue to pulverise the towns and villages they say they are there to ‘liberate’.

Read the full story from Dom Nicholls here

06:38 PM

Putin warns Russia has not started Ukraine campaign 'in earnest'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on warned Kyiv and its Western allies that Moscow has not even started its military campaign in Ukraine "in earnest."

"Everyone should know that we have not started in earnest yet," he told senior lawmakers. "At the same time we are not refusing to hold peace negotiations but those who are refusing should know that it will be harder to come to an agreement with us" at a later stage.

06:08 PM

Russia launch 'deliberate attack on civilians' as apartments stuck by missiles

Russia launched a "deliberate attack on civilians" in Kramatorsk after a missile strike left one person dead and six wounded.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said the missile had damaged six buildings including a hotel and an apartment bloc in the large industrial hub.

"A Russian missile hit the centre of Kramatorsk. It's known for sure that one person was killed and six wounded, but these figures may change," he said.

"This is a deliberate attack on civilians. ... This will continue until we drive them out."

06:07 PM

If West wants to beat us on battlefield let them try, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that if the West wanted to defeat Russia on the battlefield, it was welcome to try.

"Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What can you say, let them try. We have heard many times that the West wants to fight us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it seems that everything is heading towards this," Putin said in televised remarks to parliamentary leaders.

05:41 PM

UK backing for Ukraine set to outlive Johnson

British support for Ukraine will continue after Boris Johnson's resignation, experts have said.

Peter Ricketts, a former UK national security advisor, said: "Boris Johnson has been the frontman for this policy, but it's whole-of-British-government policy.

"Whoever was prime minister would have done much the same thing," although "Johnson brought his own particular style to it," Ricketts added.

05:18 PM

Defence Secretary talks about how PM's resignation could affect war in Ukraine

05:10 PM

Germany refuses to ‘plunder its own military’ for the sake of Ukraine

Germany has said it doesn’t want to “plunder its own military” as it refuses to send armoured vehicles to Ukraine.

Berlin has rejected a request to deliver around 200 Fuchs armoured personnel carriers to Kyiv, citing a need to preserve the country’s own security interests.

“We support Ukraine with everything that is possible and responsible. But we have to ensure Germany’s ability to defend itself,” Christine Lambrecht, the German defence minister, told the German Press Agency on Thursday.

Read the full story from Daniel Wighton here

04:32 PM

Ukraine is infinitely grateful to you for everything you have done for us, says Ukrainian MP

04:23 PM

Ukraine claims control of Snake Island

The Ukrainian army said Thursday it had regained control of the symbolic Snake Island in the Black Sea, after raising its flag there this week following the withdrawal of Russian forces.

"We have effectively reestablished our control over Snake Island," a senior Ukraine military official, Oleksiy Gromov, said according to Ukraine's Interfax news agency.

Ukrainian forces have "physical control" of the island, he said.

04:23 PM

We backed Ukraine under Boris' leadership, says Truss

03:36 PM

Germany refuses to ‘plunder its own military’ for the sake of Ukraine

Germany has said it doesn’t want to “plunder its own military” as it refuses to send armoured vehicles to Ukraine.

Berlin has rejected a request to deliver around 200 Fuchs armoured personnel carriers to Kyiv, citing a need to preserve the country’s own security interests.

“We support Ukraine with everything that is possible and responsible. But we have to ensure Germany’s ability to defend itself,” Christine Lambrecht, the German defence minister, told the German Press Agency on Thursday.

Read the full story here

03:18 PM

A privilege to visit Kyiv, says Admiral Tony Radakin

03:06 PM

'You're a hero, everybody loves you', Johnson tells Zelensky

In a phonecall to the Ukrainian president as he quit as Tory leader, Boris Johnson "thanked President Zelensky for everything he's doing to stick up for freedom, for his friendship and for the kindness of the Ukrainian people", a Downing Street spokesman said.

"President Zelensky thanked the Prime Minister for his decisive action on Ukraine, and said the Ukrainian people were grateful for the UK's efforts.

"The Prime Minister finished the call by praising President Zelensky, saying: 'You're a hero, everybody loves you'."

03:04 PM

Boris Johnson spoke to Zelensky as he quit

Boris Johnson spoke to Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky "to reiterate the United Kingdom's steadfast support" as he quit as Tory leader.

"The Prime Minister highlighted the UK's unwavering cross-party support for President Zelensky's people, and said the UK would continue to supply vital defensive aid for as long as needed," a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

"The Prime Minister added that he would continue to work at pace with partners to try and end the grain blockade in the coming weeks.

03:04 PM

'Atrocity crimes in Ukraine must be met with robust response'

Joe Collins, a representative from Yet Again UK, an organisation committed to tackling modern atrocity, spoke at an exhibit in Parliament about the need to tackle modern atrocity.

He said: "The exhibition demonstrated the current generations collective defiance against apathy and how atrocity crimes, whether committed in Ukraine, Tigray, or Xinjiang will be met with a robust response".

03:00 PM

Watch: Ukraine drops home-made bomb directly into Russian tank hatch

Ukrainian forces have destroyed a Russian tank by dropping a hand grenade from a drone through its hatch.

In an unverified video posted on Twitter the drone flies above the T62-M tank, one of the Russian army's favourite battlefield weapons, and then releases its tiny bomb.

The grenade, which is encased in a plastic case shaped like a missile, is called a "fish bait bomb". It falls directly through the hatch of the tank which is dubbed with the letter Z -- Russia's pro-war military insignia. There is a small explosion and a then puff of smoke.

Read more from James Kilner here

02:33 PM

Zelensky advisor thanks Boris Johnson for helping Ukraine as PM resigns

02:31 PM

Deadly wave of strikes as Russia grinds towards Sloviansk

Russian forces left a trail of destruction in their wake Thursday as they grinded deeper into Donbas with their sights set on the industrial hub of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine as their next target.

Moscow's slow push came as diplomatic tensions mounted between Ankara and Kyiv, where Ukrainian officials accused Turkey of ignoring calls to seize grain being transported by a Russian ship.

Russian forces killed at least seven civilians and injured others in the last 24 hours throughout the battle-scarred Donetsk region, the region's head Pavlo Kyrylenko said Thursday, in Moscow's latest wave of deadly attacks.

01:29 PM

Russia reacts to Boris Johnson's downfall with glee

Russian officials lined up to celebrate the downfall of Boris Johnson on Thursday, with a leading tycoon casting the British leader as a "stupid clown" who had finally got his just reward for arming Ukraine against Russia.

The Kremlin said it hopes "more professional people" will come to power in Britain after it was reported that Mr Johnson would resign as Conservative party leader.

"We would like to hope that some day in Great Britain more professional people who can make decisions through dialogue will come to power,"  Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, said  "But at the moment there is little hope for that."

Read the full story from Roland Oliphant here

01:09 PM

'Thanks Boris Johnson for realising the threat of Russian monster and always being at the forefront of supporting Ukraine', says Zelensky adviser

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Office of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, tweeted: "To be a leader - to call Russian evil an evil and to take responsibility in the hardest times. To be a leader - to be the first to arrive in Kyiv, despite missile attacks.

"Thanks Boris Johnson for realising the threat of Russian monster and always being at the forefront of supporting Ukraine."

In a video posted with the tweet, he spoke to the camera and added: "Today we have everything we need for the effective defence of the country: weapons, partnership and coalition, and thanks to Mr Johnson, we understand that victory is a real symbol of the future in Ukraine ... we are extremely grateful to our partners, Mr Johnson, for the opportunity to do our work effectively."

12:27 PM

Russian missile hits tanker drifting in Black Sea, Ukraine says

A Russian missile has hit a tanker that has been drifting in the Black Sea for over four months and had been carrying diesel, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Thursday, citing Ukraine's military which called the ship an "ecological bomb".

The Moldova-flagged tanker Millennial Spirit has now been struck twice since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

It was first hit with a missile fired from a warship days after the invasion. Moldova said at the time that the ship had a Russian crew and two were seriously wounded.

12:13 PM

Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk hit by air strike, casualties reported

Russian forces fired missiles at the centre of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in an air strike on Thursday, and there were casualties, the city's mayor said.

"Air strike with missiles on central parts of Kramatorsk, there are casualties," Mayor Oleksandr Goncharenko wrote on Facebook, without providing details of the casualties. He urged residents to remain in shelters.

11:54 AM

Russia rejoices at Boris Johnson's fall

Russian officials lined up to celebrate the downfall of Boris Johnson with a leading tycoon casting the British leader as a "stupid clown" who had finally got his just reward for arming Ukraine against Russia.

Johnson was expected to announce his resignation after he was abandoned by ministers and his Conservative Party's lawmakers who said he was no longer fit to govern.

The Kremlin said it too was no fan of the British leader, whose parents named him Boris after a White Russian emigre.

"He doesn't like us, we don't like him either," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said reports that Johnson would shortly resign as prime minister were of little concern for the Kremlin.

11:51 AM

Seven killed in Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region, says governor

At least seven civilians have been killed and two others injured in Russian strikes in the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, the regional governor said Thursday.

The region is next in Russian troops' line of fire as they step up their offensive after capturing Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in the neighbouring region of Lugansk.

"The Russians killed seven civilians: three in the city of Toretsk, two in Avdiivka, one in Kodema and one in Siversk," regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram, providing the region's toll for the past 24 hours.

11:37 AM

Pictured: Ukraine soldiers receive tanks aided by Poland and the Czech Republic

11:36 AM

US and Germany will not meet Lavrov in Bali

German minister Annalena Baerbock and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have ruled out separate meetings with Sergei Lavrov in Bali.

Some U.S. and European officials have stressed the gathering would not be "business as a usual", with a spokesperson for the German foreign minister saying G7 countries would coordinate their response to Lavrov.

11:23 AM

China's Wang meets Lavrov in Bali ahead of G20 talks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Bali Thursday for talks ahead of a G20 ministerial meeting overshadowed by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The pair were pictured holding a bilateral meeting on the Indonesian resort island as the world's top economies gather to discuss the most pressing global issues on Friday, with the Ukraine war at the top of the agenda.

Despite criticism, Beijing has upheld friendly ties with Russia as Western nations have sought to isolate President Vladimir Putin's government from the global financial and diplomatic order over the military assault on its neighbour.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in attendance and is set to hold bilateral talks with Wang on Saturday.

11:03 AM

In pictures: the latest from Donetsk

Heavy shelling continued along the Donetsk front line, but with few advances being made by Russia. Here are the most recent images to come out of the area:

10:42 AM

Ukrainian servicemen killed on Snake Island, Russia claims

Russia's defence ministry has claimed that Ukrainian servicemen attempting to raise the Ukrainian flag on Snake Island have been killed. The claims have not been independently verified.

Against the backdrop of military failures and a massive retreat of Ukrainian troops in the Donbas, on the night of 7 July, the Kyiv regime attempted to symbolically deliver the flag to Snake Island.

They said:

10:20 AM

Ukraine summons Turkish ambassador after Russian ship leaves port

Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Thursday a Russian ship carrying Ukrainian grain had been allowed to leave the Turkish port of Karasu, calling it an "unacceptable situation and summoning Turkey's ambassador.

"We regret that Russia's ship Zhibek Zholy, which was full of stolen Ukrainian grain, was allowed to leave Karasu port despite criminal evidence presented to the Turkish authorities," foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Twitter.

"Türkiye's Ambassador in Kyiv will be invited to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify this unacceptable situation."

10:10 AM

Snake Island hit by Russian strike, according to reports

Ukraine's Snake Island was hit by a Russian strike overnight that caused "significantly damaging", according to authorities.

Two missiles hit two agricultural harvesters, destroying 35 tons of grain, a blow amid a global food crisis.

Snake Island, which sits 80km off Ukraine’s southern coast, was seized by Russian forces early on in the war. It has become the site of numerous bombing raids.

The strategic island became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after an expletive-ridden radio exchange went viral at the start of the war, in which defenders refused demands from the Russian warship Moskva to surrender.

09:49 AM

Finland passes laws to strengthen security on Russian border

Finland's parliament on Thursday voted in favour of legislation that would allow barriers on the country's border with Russia and enable the closure of the 1,300-km (800 miles) frontier from asylum seekers in case of exceptional circumstances.

The bill on preparedness, while contested in terms of European Union asylum rules, was passed by a supermajority that allows parliament to fast-track laws, amid fears Russia could retaliate over Finland's plans to join the NATO military alliance.

It will also allow the government to decide to build fences or other barriers near Finnish borders and direct all asylum applications to one or several border crossings, such as an airport.

09:30 AM

Slovyansk’s ‘remainers’ prepare for last stand against Russian invaders

The message from Slovyansk’s leaders to their people has been loud and clear for weeks: leave now, unless you want to meet Vladimir Putin’s army.

The Donbas city of 100,000 sits about 50 miles west of Severodonetsk, where Russia’s superior artillery has slowly ground down Ukrainian forces over the past month.

Now with Severodonetsk finally in Moscow’s hands, Slovyansk is next in the firing line. And for residents who have yet to heed the warnings, the Russians added one of their own on Tuesday.

To read more, take a look at our dispatch by Colin Freeman here.

08:54 AM

Russia doubles down on push for Donbas

Russia has redoubled its push for Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, with the Ukrainian military claiming to have repelled some advances and both sides reporting casualties.

The Ukrainian armed forces General Staff said troops stopped enemy units advancing towards Sloviansk, a city in Donetsk, one of two provinces in the Donbas whose capture is among Moscow's main goals.

It also claimed to have repelled Russian attacks on a town and village north of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv.

In Donetsk, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said two people died in the city of Avdiivka; the cities of Sloviansk, Krasnohorivka and Kurakhove each reported one civilian killed.

"Every crime will be punished," he wrote on social media.

Mr Kyrylenko has urged the province's more than 350,000 remaining residents to flee, saying that evacuating Donetsk was necessary to save lives and allow the Ukrainian army to put up a better defence against the Russian advance.

08:31 AM

Sri Lanka president asks Putin for help to buy fuel

Sri Lanka's president has asked Vladimir Putin to help the struggling nation to import food amid its worst economic crisis in decades.

Talks between Putin and Gotabaya Rajapaksa were "very productive", the Sri Lankan leader said.

"We unanimously agreed that strengthening bilateral relations in sectors such as tourism, trade and culture was paramount in reinforcing the friendship our two nations share," he added.

It follows warnings by Sri Lanka's energy minister that the country was edging closer to running out of petrol.

Yesterday, hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against the government. Attempts by Mr Rajapaksa to resolve the crisis, including support from India and China, have so far failed.

08:10 AM

Ministry of Defence issues daily assessment

The Ministry of Defence has released its daily assessment of the situation in Ukraine. It says:

The MoD also commented on moves by the Kremlin to divert resources without announcing the full mobilisation of the economy. They added:

07:49 AM

Inflation pushed 71M people into poverty since Ukraine war

A staggering 71 million more people around the world are experiencing poverty as a result of soaring food and energy prices that climbed in the weeks following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations Development Program said in a report Thursday.

The UNDP estimates that 51.6 million more people fell into poverty in the first three months after the war, living off $1.90 a day or less. This pushed the total number globally at this threshold to 9 per cent of the world's population. An additional 20 million people slipped to the poverty line of $3.20 a day.

In low-income countries, families spend 42 per cent of their household incomes on food but as Western nations moved to sanction Russia, the price fuel and staple food items like wheat, sugar and cooking oil soared. Ukraine's blocked ports and its inability to export grains to low-income countries further drove up prices, pushing tens of millions quickly into poverty.

07:05 AM

Plastic surgery sector feels pinch from Western sanctions

Russia's plastic surgery sector could be in strife from Western sanctions, with many fearing products such as botox and breast implants could become increasingly hard to get hold of.

Anastasia Yermakova, 37, who had her last injection of botox in February to reduce facial wrinkles, said she was concerned, claiming local botox replacements were of inferior quality.

"My beautician assures us that she still has stocks of botox," she told AFP.

"But I worry."

05:44 AM

G20 meeting set to be dominated by Russia-Ukraine war

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has flown to Bali for a meeting of G20 foreign ministers, which is set to be riddled with tension triggered by Russia's war on Ukraine.

The G20 gathering runs until Friday in Indonesia and is taking place in Bali's Nusa Dua area.

Speaking ahead of her arrival, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russia must not be allowed to use the G20 meeting as a platform due to its war on Ukraine.

"It is in the interest of us all to ensure that international law is respected and adhered to. That is the common denominator," Ms Baerbock said.

04:01 AM

What history can tell us about how the invasion could end

In today's Ukraine: The Latest podcast, we speak to historian Sergey Radchenko on the Cold War, Eastern European history, Russian imperialism and how history can help us better understand the modern day invasion of Ukraine.

03:38 AM

Russian rage over 'ice hockey' leak

Russian officials have criticised France for “breaching diplomatic etiquette” after it recorded and published a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron on the eve of the Ukraine war, James Kilner reports.

During the phone conversation, made public in a documentary by the broadcaster France 2, the Russian president said he would rather play ice hockey than meet Joe Biden, his US counterpart, for last-ditch peace talks.

The publication of the Feb 20 call has dented relations between Putin and Mr Macron, and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, made his irritation clear.

“I think that diplomatic ethics, of course, does not imply such a one-sided leak of records,” Mr Lavrov told reporters.

“We in principle lead negotiations in such a way that we never have anything to be ashamed of. We always say what we think and are ready to answer for these words and explain our position.”

Read more: Russia rages over French leak of Vladimir Putin’s ‘ice hockey’ phone call

03:07 AM

Former Russian president threatens West over nuclear weapons

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has said attempts by the West to punish a nuclear power such as Russia for the war in Ukraine risked endangering humanity.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most serious crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when many people feared the world was on the brink of nuclear war.

Joe Biden has accused Vladimir Putin of being a war criminal and has led the West in arming Ukraine and imposing crippling sanctions on Russia.

Mr Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said: "The idea of punishing a country that has one of the largest nuclear potentials is absurd. And potentially poses a threat to the existence of humanity."

02:52 AM

Zelensky: Worst fighting of the war in Donbas now

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskky, in his nightly video address Wednesday, said that of all the battles in his country, "the most brutal confrontation" is raging in the Donbas.

North of Donetsk, Russian forces hit Kharkiv with missile strikes on Wednesday. Kharkiv's regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said that one person was killed and three, including a toddler, were injured. First responders crunched through the debris of a Kharkiv university, where Mr Zelensky said the main building, lecture halls, museum and library were destroyed.

"When it comes to the definition of barbarism, this strike fits the bill the most," the Ukrainian president said.

"Only an enemy of civilisation and humanity can do such things – strike missiles at a university, a university for teachers."

02:38 AM

Today's top stories

• Russia redoubled its push for Ukraine's eastern Donbas region Wednesday, with the Ukrainian military claiming to have repelled some advances and both sides reporting casualties

• Russian rocket strikes wounded four people in the town of Pokrovska in Ukraine's eastern Dnipropetrovsk region

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union needs to make emergency plans to prepare for a complete cut-off of Russian gas

• A court in Russia ordered a pipeline bringing oil from Kazakhstan to Europe to be halted for 30 days for what it said were environmental violations, Russian media reported

• A top Russian official warned the United States could face the "wrath of God" if it works to help establish an international tribunal to investigate Russia's actions in Ukraine

• The head of the FBI has warned that China is protecting itself from sanctions ahead of a threatened invasion of Taiwan, potentially causing a worldwide economic catastrophe. In the first-ever publicly shared platform with the head of MI5, Chris Wray, director of the FBI, warned that China was “drawing lessons from what’s happening with Russia and its invasion of Ukraine”