Ukraine-Russia war – live news: Putin’s forces launch mass missile and drone assault on Ukraine’s energy grid

A fake news report that appeared on Poland’s national news agency saying that Prime Minister Donald Tusk was mobilizing 200,000 men starting on July 1 was probably the work of Russia-sponsored hackers and was designed to interfere with the upcoming European Parliament election, authorities said.

“Everything indicates that we are dealing with a cyberattack directed from the Russian side,” said Krzysztof Gawkowski, a deputy prime minister who also holds the digital affairs portfolio. “The goal is disinformation ahead of (European Parliament) elections and a paralysis of the society.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US politicians at a defence conference in Singapore on Saturday to discuss further assistance for Ukraine.

He said: “We talked about the frontline situation and military assistance, particularly additional systems and missiles to strengthen our air defense. We paid special attention to increasing sanctions against Russia.

“I thank the United States for its support and important decisions. I appreciate the significant bicameral and bipartisan support of Congress, President Joe Biden, and the American people.”

Created by Stepan Barna in the wake of the death on the front line of his older brother Oleh, its drone operators claim to have achieved more than 100 kills.

Read Askold’s piece in full here:

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky arrived in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue conference earlier on Saturday, where he planned to meet US defence secretary Lloyd Austin and discuss support for his embattled country in an address to delegates.

After arriving at the conference venue in a motorcade amid heavy security, Zelensky said in a statement on the social media platform X that he had come to gather support from the Asia-Pacific region for a peace summit planned for June 15-16 in Switzerland.

“Global security is impossible when the world’s largest country disregards recognised borders, international law, and the UN Charter, resorts to hunger, darkness, and nuclear blackmail,” the statement said, referring to Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The statement said Zelensky planned to hold several meetings, including with Singapore’s president Tharman Shanmugaratnam and prime ninister Lawrence Wong, Timor-Leste president Jose Ramos-Horta, Austin, and Singaporean investors.

A US official said Zelensky and Ukrainian defence minster Rustem Umerov would meet Austin “to discuss the current battlefield situation in Ukraine and to underscore the US commitment to ensuring Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression”.

DTEK, one of Ukraine’s largest energy companies, said two of its power plants were badly damaged in Russia’s attacks,

The firm said was unable to provide more details for security reasons.

DTEK is the largest private investor in the energy industry in Ukraine and it generates electricity at solar, wind and thermal power plants.

At least 19 people have been injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Injuries were reported by officials across the country, including in Ukraine’s western Lviv region and the central Dnipropetrovsk region.

Twelve people, including eight children, were admitted to hospital after a strike close to two houses where they were sheltering in the Kharkiv region, said governor Oleh Syniehubov.

The strikes were part of a series of sustained attacks by Russia against Ukraine’s power grid, which has been ongoing since March.

Five civilians have died amid Ukrainian shelling in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, said the area’s Moscow-installed leader Denis Pushilin. Another three people were injured, he said.

The Russian Defence Ministry also said that it had shot down two Ukrainian drones on Saturday morning over Russia’s Belgorod region. No casualties were reported.

Outgunned and outmanned on the battlefield, Kyiv has been increasing pressure on its Western allies to be able to launch offensive strikes at military targets inside Russia.

“I think that using any weapon, Western kind of weapon, on the territory of Russia is a question of time. Otherwise, it is not about just peace,” President Volodymr Zelensky said on Friday.

Forest fires have engulfed more than 3,700 hectares (9,140 acres) of forest in Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region, the country’s State Emergency Service has said.

There were at least nine separate fires, most of which were started by Russian strikes, the State Emergency Service said. Six of the fires, encompassing around 2,300 hectares (5,680 acres) were contained.

Italy’s foreign minister has repeated his opposition to Ukraine using weapons supplied by his country inside Russia, warning of a “delicate” situation where “rash” moves must be avoided.

There has been a growing movement to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia, but Italy has been cautious.

“It is a very delicate moment, we must not make false steps” and must avoid “rash steps and declarations”, Antonio Tajani told a meeting in Rapallo, northwest Italy, according to the AGI and ANSA news agencies.