Ukrainian forces retreat from Lysychansk as Russia claims strategic city
From 3 Jul 2022 19.09 Ukrainian forces withdraw from Lysychansk The Ukrainian army retreated from the strategic city of Lysychansk on Sunday as Russia claimed a major victory by seizing control of the entire eastern Luhansk region. Agence France-Presse reports: The Ukrainian withdrawal followed weeks of fierce fighting and marked a decisive breakthrough for Moscow’s forces more than four months after their invasion and after turning their focus away from the capital, Kyiv. Lysychansk had been the last major city in the Luhansk area of the eastern Donbas region still in Ukrainian hands and its capture frees up Moscow’s forces to advance on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in neighbouring Donetsk. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had earlier denied Russian claims of Lysychansk’s fall before the Ukrainian army announced the retreat on Sunday evening. “The continuation of the defence of the city would lead to fatal consequences” in the face of Russia’s superiority in numbers and equipment, the army said in a statement. “In order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, a decision was made to withdraw. “Unfortunately, steel will and patriotism are not enough for success – material and technical resources are needed.” Russian forces seized Lysychansk’s twin city of Sievierodonetsk last week after weeks of intense fighting. The latest blow to Ukrainian resistance came after the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Sunday pledged further military support including armoured vehicles and drones during a meeting with Zelenskiy in Kyiv.

Updated at 19.22 BST

4 Jul 2022 01.15 Summary Thank you for joining us for today’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. We will be pausing our live reporting overnight and returning in the morning. In the meantime, you can read our comprehensive summary of the day’s events below. Ukrainian forces have retreated from Lysychansk as Russia claims it is now in control of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region. The Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said Moscow’s forces had established “full control” over Lysychansk and several nearby settlements. Ukraine’s military command confirmed on Sunday evening that its troops had been forced to pull back from the city, saying there would otherwise be “fatal consequences”. Lysychansk was the last Ukrainian-controlled city in the Luhansk region. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, vowed to regain Lysychansk with the help of long-range western weapons. “We will return thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons. Ukraine does not give anything up,” he said in an evening address. The eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region was hit by powerful shelling from multiple rocket launchers on Sunday, killing six people and injuring 20 others, the city’s mayor Vadim Lyakh said. In the post-2014 regional capital of Kramatorsk, a missile destroyed a hotel, according to its mayor Oleksandr Goncharenko. He said three rockets hit the town on Sunday and that there were no reported victims so far. At least three people were killed and dozens of residential buildings damaged in the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border on Sunday, the region’s governor said. Vyacheslav Gladkov said at least 11 apartment buildings and 39 private residential houses were damaged, including five houses destroyed. Australia will send more than $100m in new aid to Ukraine including military equipment, as well as levelling sanctions on 16 new Russian officials, following prime minister Anthony Albanese’s secret trip to Kyiv. Albanese visited Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, three towns in the Kyiv region where evidence of mass killings and torture was uncovered after the withdrawal of Russian forces. Britain will host a 2023 recovery conference to help Ukraine rebuild from the damage caused by Russia’s invasion. The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022) will begin on Monday in Lugano, Switzerland, to discuss how to rebuild Ukraine, bringing together a Ukrainian delegation with representatives of other countries, international organisations and civil society, the UK foreign office said. The UK may follow the example of Canada and seize the assets of Russians in Britain in order to give them to Ukraine. Foreign secretary, Liz Truss, told MPs she was supportive of the idea that the government could seize frozen Russian assets in the UK and redistribute them to victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine. A new New York Times investigation has revealed that Nazism references spiked to record-high levels the day Russia invaded Ukraine. The outlet surveyed eight million articles about Ukraine collected from over 8,000 Russian websites since 2014, and found that since 2014, references to Nazism were “relatively flat for eight years and then spiked to unprecedented levels on February 24” of this year. The president of Belarus and Vladimir Putin’s closest ally has said his ex-Soviet state stands fully behind Russia, adding that the country’s “have practically a unified army”. Alexander Lukashenko said he had thrown his weight behind Putin’s campaign against Ukraine “from the very first day” in late February. “We are being criticised for being the only country in the world to support Russia in its fight against Nazism,” a video on the state BelTA news agency showed Lukashenko telling a gathering. “We will remain together with fraternal Russia.” Turkish customs authorities have detained a Russian cargo ship carrying grain allegedly stolen from Ukraine, the Ukrainian ambassador to the country has said. “We have full co-operation. The ship is currently standing at the entrance to the port, it has been detained by the customs authorities of Turkey,” ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said on Ukrainian national television.

Updated at 01.19 BST

3 Jul 2022 00.53 The president of Belarus and Vladimir Putin’s closest ally says his ex-Soviet state stands fully behind Russia in its military drive in Ukraine as part of its longstanding commitment to a “union state” with Moscow. Addressing a ceremony marking the anniversary of the World War Two liberation of Minsk by Soviet troops, Alexander Lukashenko said he had thrown his weight behind Putin’s campaign against Ukraine “from the very first day” in late February. Today, we are being criticised for being the only country in the world to support Russia in its fight against Nazism. We support and will continue to support Russia,” a video on the state BelTA news agency showed Lukashenko telling the gathering. And those who criticise us, do they not know that we have such a close union with the Russian Federation?…That we have practically a unified army. But you knew all this. We will remain together with fraternal Russia.” Lukashenko has allowed Russian troops to use his country’s territory in invading Ukraine. Some Ukrainian officials suggest Belarus could soon become directly involved in the conflict. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the Belarusian leader’s statement amounted to a “signal”, with his actions to be watched carefully. Zelenskiy, quoted by Ukrainian media, told reporters in Kyiv that Lukashenko’s comments were a “dangerous” development. Lukashenko’s statement about a unified army with Russia is, above all, dangerous for the Belarusian people. He must not drag Belarus into a Russian war of invasion against Ukraine. I believe this is a dangerous signal. And I believe that we will all see the results of this signal.”



3 Jul 2022 00.21 Patrick Wintour The UK wants to follow the example of Canada and seize the assets of Russians in the UK in order to give them to Ukraine, foreign secretary Liz Truss has said. It comes as Truss is due to give a speech on Monday to a Ukraine reconstruction conference in Lugano, Switzerland, which will be attended either in person or virtually by most of Ukraine’s senior political leadership. It is estimated that more than 120,000 homes in Ukraine have been destroyed during the Russian invasion, creating the need for billions in income to restore the country economically and make it a Europe-faced economy. Truss told MPs last week she was supportive of the idea that the government could seize frozen Russian assets in the UK and redistribute them to victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine. She said: “I am supportive of the concept. We are looking at it very closely. The Canadians have in fact just passed legislation This is an issue that we are working on jointly with the Home Office and the Treasury, but I certainly agree with the concept. We just need to get the specifics of it right.” She said the initiative would “most probably” need legislation but not necessarily. Liz Truss mulls seizure of Russian assets in UK to give to Ukraine Read more



3 Jul 2022 23.50 Australia will send more than $100m in new aid to Ukraine including military equipment, as well as levelling sanctions on 16 new Russian officials, following prime minister Anthony Albanese’s secret trip to Kyiv. Albanese tacked on a day visit to Ukraine at the end of his European trip for the Nato summit, where he met the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and toured parts of the country devastated by Russia’s aggression. Albanese visited Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, three towns in the Kyiv region that became synonymous with the brutality of Vladimir Putin’s invasion when evidence of mass killings and torture was uncovered after the withdrawal of Russian forces. The PM said in a statement following his trip:

Russia’s brutal invasion is a gross violation of international law. I saw first-hand the devastation and trauma it has inflicted on the people of Ukraine ... My visit to Kyiv and recent visits by other world leaders sends a clear message that democratic nations like Australia will stand side by side with the Ukrainian people in their time of need.

01:24 Russian attacks on Irpin are war crimes, says Australian prime minister – video Albanese committed $99.5m in military assistance, including 14 armoured personnel carriers, 20 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles and other military equipment; a contribution to Nato’s Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package Trust Fund; and $8.7m to assist Ukraine’s Border Guard Service to upgrade border management equipment, cybersecurity and border operations in the field.

Australia will also impose new financial sanctions and travel bans on 16 further Russian ministers and oligarchs, as well as plans to intervene at the international court of justice in support of Ukraine in its case against Russia. The government will also allow duty-free access to Australia for Ukrainian imports, and prohibit the import of Russian gold. Albanese said the new contributions bring Australia’s total military assistance to Ukraine to approximately A$388m. Zelenskiy acknowledged Albanese’s visit as a “historical moment”. Australia is one of the top countries in terms of its level of support. We have already received significant defence assistance from it.” Australian PM visits sites of alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine Read more



3 Jul 2022 23.26 Zelenskiy vows to regain Lysychansk Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, earlier vowed to regain the eastern city of Lysychansk after Ukrainian troops were forced to withdraw. In an address broadcast shortly before midnight, local time, he said: And if the command of our army withdraws people from certain points of the front where the enemy has the greatest fire superiority, in particular this applies to Lysychansk, it means only one thing: we will return thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons. Ukraine does not give anything up. And when someone over there in Moscow reports something about the Luhansk region - let them remember their reports and promises before February 24, in the first days of this invasion, in the spring and now. Let them really evaluate what they got over this time and how much they paid for it. Because their current reports will turn into dust just as the previous ones. We are gradually moving forward - in the Kharkiv region, in the Kherson region and at sea: Zmiinyi is a good example of this. There will be a day when we will say the same about Donbas.”



3 Jul 2022 23.00 Summary It’s 1am in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand: Britain will host a conference next year focused on helping Ukraine recover from the damage caused by Russia’s invasion, the foreign office said, as nations gather in Switzerland for this year’s event. The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022) beginning on Monday in Lugano will discuss how to rebuild Ukraine, bringing together a Ukrainian delegation with representatives of other countries, international organisations and civil society.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022) beginning on Monday in Lugano will discuss how to rebuild Ukraine, bringing together a Ukrainian delegation with representatives of other countries, international organisations and civil society. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has met with the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach on Sunday. The meeting comes as at least 89 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed and 13 have been captured since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

The meeting comes as at least 89 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed and 13 have been captured since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. A new New York Times investigation has revealed that out of eight million articles about Ukraine collected from over 8,000 Russian websites since 2014, Nazism references spiked to record-high levels the day Russia invaded Ukraine. According to the outlet, since 2014, references to Nazism were “relatively flat for eight years and then spiked to unprecedented levels on February 24” of this year.



According to the outlet, since 2014, references to Nazism were “relatively flat for eight years and then spiked to unprecedented levels on February 24” of this year. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from Lysychansk in Donbas, but vowed to restore control over the area thanks to the army’s tactics and the prospect of new, improved weaponry. “If the commanders of our army withdraw people from certain points at the front, where the enemy has the greatest advantage in fire power, and this also applies to Lysychansk, it means only one thing,” Zelenskiy said in his evening video address.

“If the commanders of our army withdraw people from certain points at the front, where the enemy has the greatest advantage in fire power, and this also applies to Lysychansk, it means only one thing,” Zelenskiy said in his evening video address. The French region of Île-de-France has offered to rebuild the destroyed Ukrainian city of Borodyanka as an ecological city, Euromaidan Press reports. “ Borodyanka should become an ecological city with “systems working on modern energy-saving technologies,” said the president of the region.

Borodyanka should become an ecological city with “systems working on modern energy-saving technologies,” said the president of the region. Ukraine received 17 border guards released during a prisoner exchange on 29 June, Euromaidan reports. In a video released by Ukraine’s State Border Service, the guards, said to have serious injuries, are shown leaving ambulances and entering hospitals.



In a video released by Ukraine’s State Border Service, the guards, said to have serious injuries, are shown leaving ambulances and entering hospitals. The Ukrainian army retreated from the strategic city of Lysychansk on Sunday as Russia claimed a major victory by seizing control of the entire eastern Luhansk region. The Ukrainian withdrawal followed weeks of fierce fighting and marked a decisive breakthrough for Moscow’s forces more than four months after their invasion and after turning their focus away from the capital, Kyiv.

The Ukrainian withdrawal followed weeks of fierce fighting and marked a decisive breakthrough for Moscow’s forces more than four months after their invasion and after turning their focus away from the capital, Kyiv. Germany is one of the countries that is doing the most to provide military aid to Ukraine, said the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, while defending his country’s delays in delivering weapons. The long delays for German weapons, compared with the speedy deliveries of American ones, are because of the need to train Ukrainian soldiers in Germany, Scholz told CBS News on Sunday.



The long delays for German weapons, compared with the speedy deliveries of American ones, are because of the need to train Ukrainian soldiers in Germany, Scholz told CBS News on Sunday. Volodymyr Zelenskiy has cast doubt on Russia’s claim that Russian forces have captured and taken over Lysychansk, a strategic eastern city in Ukraine. “We cannot say today that Lysychansk is under [Russian] control. There is fighting on the outskirts,” Zelenskiy said on Sunday at a press conference with the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese. That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as I hand the blog over to my Australian colleagues who will bring you the latest updates. Thank you.



3 Jul 2022 22.53 Britain will host a conference next year focused on helping Ukraine recover from the damage caused by Russia’s invasion, the foreign office said, as nations gather in Switzerland for this year’s event. Reuters reports: The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022) beginning on Monday in Lugano will discuss how to rebuild Ukraine, bringing together a Ukrainian delegation with representatives of other countries, international organisations and civil society. Britain said it was working with Ukraine and others to host next year’s conference, and it would sit on a supervisory board to help coordinate between Ukraine and its allies on recovery measures. An office will be set up in London. “We have led on support for Ukraine during the war and will continue to lead in supporting the Ukrainian Government*s Reconstruction and Development Plan,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement. “Ukraine’s recovery from Russia*s war of aggression will be a symbol of the power of democracy over autocracy. It will show [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that his attempts to destroy Ukraine have only produced a stronger, more prosperous and more united nation.” Russia says what it calls a “special military operation” aims to protect Ukraine’s Russian-speakers from nationalist or neo-Nazi persecution. Ukraine and its Western allies say this is a baseless pretext for a war of imperial conquest. The Foreign Office said Britain had been asked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to champion the recovery of Kyiv and the surrounding region. Britain pledged to use its financial sector expertise to help draw investment into Ukraine.



3 Jul 2022 22.32 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has met with the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach on Sunday. The meeting comes as at least 89 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed and 13 have been captured since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. “Many Ukrainian athletes joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend our country, to defend it on the battlefield. Some 89 athletes and coaches have been killed in hostilities. Thirteen were captured and are in Russian captivity,” Zelenskiy said. He added that over 100,000 athletes have been unable to train and multiple sports facilities have been destroyed. “Russia’s invasion has become a cruel blow to Ukrainian sports. More than 100,000 Ukrainian athletes do not have the opportunity to train today. Many infrastructure facilities have been destroyed. These are large objects of sports infrastructure and objects at our schools and Ukrainian universities, at sports clubs,” Zelenskiy said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach shake hands before a meeting, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, during a parliament session in Kyiv, Ukraine July 3, 2022. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters



3 Jul 2022 21.57 A new New York Times investigation has revealed that out of eight million articles about Ukraine collected from over 8,000 Russian websites since 2014, Nazism references spiked to record-high levels the day Russia invaded Ukraine. According to the outlet, since 2014, references to Nazism were “relatively flat for eight years and then spiked to unprecedented levels on February 24” of this year. “News stories have falsely claimed that Ukrainian Nazis are using noncombatants as human shields, killing Ukrainian civilians and planning a genocide of Russians,” the outlet said. According to Larissa Doroshenko, a Northeastern University disinformation researcher who spoke to the New York Times, the strategy was most likely to intended to justify the Kremlin’s goal of a quick ouster of the Ukrainian government. “It would help to explain why they’re establishing this new country in a sense...Because the previous government were Nazis, therefore they had to be replaced,” she said.



3 Jul 2022 21.20 President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from Lysychansk in Donbas, but vowed to restore control over the area thanks to the army’s tactics and the prospect of new, improved weaponry. “If the commanders of our army withdraw people from certain points at the front, where the enemy has the greatest advantage in fire power, and this also applies to Lysychansk, it means only one thing,” Zelenskiy said in his evening video address. “That we will return thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons,” he added.

Updated at 21.21 BST

3 Jul 2022 20.40 The French region of Île-de-France has offered to rebuild the destroyed Ukrainian city of Borodyanka as an ecological city, Euromaidan Press reports. Borodyanka should become an ecological city with “systems working on modern energy-saving technologies,” said the president of the region. Experts from France will conduct an official assessment of the area and participate in the development of the master plan, the president added. The French region of Île-de-France offered to rebuild the destroyed Borodyanka as an ecological city



According to the President of the region, Borodyanka should become an ecological city with "systems working on modern energy-saving technologies" https://t.co/yIoTfavsHq pic.twitter.com/jctbtDh6hB — Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 3, 2022



3 Jul 2022 19.56 Ukraine received 17 border guards released during a prisoner exchange on 29 June, Euromaidan reports. In a video released by Ukraine’s State Border Service, the guards, said to have serious injuries, are shown leaving ambulances and entering hospitals. Ukraine met 17 border guards released during the largest exchange of prisoners on June 29th.



They all have serious injuries, currently under medical supervision.



🎥: 🇺🇦 State Border Service pic.twitter.com/rTU1ppTBvh — Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 3, 2022 “There was hope. There was always hope, I knew that I had to return, I knew for whom, for my wife, for my daughter, that they are waiting for me and I need to return,” one border guard said.

Updated at 20.07 BST

3 Jul 2022 19.09 Ukrainian forces withdraw from Lysychansk The Ukrainian army retreated from the strategic city of Lysychansk on Sunday as Russia claimed a major victory by seizing control of the entire eastern Luhansk region. Agence France-Presse reports: The Ukrainian withdrawal followed weeks of fierce fighting and marked a decisive breakthrough for Moscow’s forces more than four months after their invasion and after turning their focus away from the capital, Kyiv. Lysychansk had been the last major city in the Luhansk area of the eastern Donbas region still in Ukrainian hands and its capture frees up Moscow’s forces to advance on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in neighbouring Donetsk. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had earlier denied Russian claims of Lysychansk’s fall before the Ukrainian army announced the retreat on Sunday evening. “The continuation of the defence of the city would lead to fatal consequences” in the face of Russia’s superiority in numbers and equipment, the army said in a statement. “In order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, a decision was made to withdraw. “Unfortunately, steel will and patriotism are not enough for success – material and technical resources are needed.” Russian forces seized Lysychansk’s twin city of Sievierodonetsk last week after weeks of intense fighting. The latest blow to Ukrainian resistance came after the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Sunday pledged further military support including armoured vehicles and drones during a meeting with Zelenskiy in Kyiv.

Updated at 19.22 BST