Zelensky says “counteroffensive actions” are taking place in Ukraine – live

Ukraine has “penetrated” the Russian first line of defense in some areas and is making “good progress” in its counter-offensive, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.

kyiv has carried out “significant operations” over the past 48 hours in the southern and eastern parts of the country, it added.

“In some areas, the Ukrainian forces have probably made good progress and have penetrated the first line of Russian defense,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“In others, Ukraine’s progress has been slower.” The Defense Ministry added that Russia’s progress in the war has been “mixed”.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that this counteroffensive action is underway.

The Ukrainian president spoke when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited kyiv and blamed Russia for flooding caused by the Kakhovka dam rupture.

He had previously said action was underway but was unable to provide any details.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa briefed Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the upcoming visit by African leaders to Russia and Ukraine in a bid to end hostilities, the South African presidency said on Saturday.

Chinese state broadcaster reported that the two leaders had a phone call on Friday. In a statement, the South African presidency said Ramaphosa told Xi that he took note of China’s proposed peace plan and affirmed African leaders’ support for initiatives aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“President Xi Jinping praised the initiative of the African continent and recognized the impact that the conflict has had on human lives and food security in Africa,” the presidential statement said.

It will be “very difficult” for Boris Johnson to return to politics, says a leading pollster.

Sir John Curtice argued that “a very significant part of the public decided that they no longer believe what Boris is saying” and because of this, he believes that the former prime minister will find it difficult to play a significant role in British politics in the future.

appearing in GB News, Curtice told Anne Diamond and Stephen Dixon: “The honest truth is that I think it’s going to be very, very difficult for him to come back. The fundamental difficulty facing Mr. Johnson is that, despite the fact that he is very charismatic and at least at one point was a very effective activist, he was, in the wake of the party gate and other accusations, a very important part of the public has decided that it no longer believes what it says.

“If you take a YouGov poll that was published just two or three days ago, in that poll only 5% of people said they didn’t believe Mr Johnson had lied to the House of Commons about the various meetings. at the party gates. Even a charismatic politician, even a politician who is brilliant and has the ability to command a lot of people, a politician whose relationship with the truth is considered too lax by significant sectors is a politician who will find it very difficult to pass. or find a way back to a truly significant role in British politics in the future.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a trip to Kiev on Saturday that Canada would take part in a multinational effort to train Ukrainian fighter pilots and announced $375 million worth of military aid to the country.

Trudeau also told a news conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Canada was seizing a Russian-owned Antonov cargo plane that landed in Canada last year and starting the process of seizing the plane from Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that counter-offensive and defensive operations were underway in Ukraine, but told reporters he would not say what stage they were at.

Zelensky shrugged and raised his eyebrows dismissively at a news conference in Kiev when asked to respond after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Kiev’s forces had indeed begun their much-vaunted counteroffensive.

Earlier, counterattacking Ukrainian forces said they had advanced up to 1,400 meters on various sections of the front line near the eastern city of Bakhmut in the past day.

parts of houses Kherson they have washed up more than 100 miles away on a beach in Odessa, a Ukrainian lawmaker said. patrick holly reports:

Images posted by Oleksiy Goncharenko on Friday June 9 show a roof at Dolphin Beach near Malyi Fontan.

Hundreds of Ukrainians have been rescued after water from the collapsed Nova Kakhovka dam submerged villages, fields and roads in south Kherson.

Ukraine It has accused Russia of sinking the dam and its hydroelectric power plant, which was under Kremlin control.

Moscow has accused Ukraine of bombing the dam.

The UK will provide an additional £16 million of humanitarian aid to Ukraine after the collapse of a dam in the south of the country.

Floods caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam near Kherson it has directly affected 32,000 people.

Ukraine has accused Russia to blow up the prey.

New Zealand’s state broadcaster launched an investigation after it was discovered that some stories about the Ukraine-Russia war were edited to reflect the “pro-Russian view”.

Local media reported that state-funded Radio New Zealand, [RNZ] published at least four articles attributed to the Reuters wire service that had been “improperly” edited to add the pro-Kremlin tone.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports: