David Brown
BBC News

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Boris Johnson has called for more military support for Ukraine, as it battles Russian forces in the east of the country.

The UK prime minister said Russian troops were “continuing to chew through ground” in the Donbas region, making “slow, but I’m afraid palpable, progress.”

He said multiple launch rocket systems, which have been requested repeatedly by Kyiv, could help Ukraine defend itself against what he called “very brutal Russian artillery.”

The government has pledged £1.3bn ($1.6bn) for military support to Ukraine.

The UK has supplied thousands of items of equipment so far, including 5,000 Nlaw anti-tank weapons, which many analysts believe have had a major impact on the course of the conflict.

"Nlaw was absolutely critical to the defeat of Russian ground thrusts in the early stages of the war," according to Justin Bronk, of the Royal United Services Institute.

Other UK supplies to Ukraine include Brimstone 1 short-range missiles, Mastiff armoured vehicles, heavy lift drones, plastic explosives, air defence systems, night vision devices and small arms ammunition.

Read full-details here.

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Some more now on the battle over the city of Lyman in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, which earlier today Russian-backed separatists claimed to have taken control over.

Ukrainian officials are conceding that the city has been lost to pro-Russian forces, but not necessarily all of it.

A Kyiv defence official has told reporters that Ukrainian troops are currently battling to keep control of the city's north-western and south-eastern areas.

The BBC has not been able to verify any of these claims.

So the picture on the ground is unclear, and it's not possible to say for certain if Russian forces have taken full control of the city.

About 70 bodies have been discovered under the rubble of a former industrial building in the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol, an aide to the city's mayor says.

The bodies were found by Russian emergency workers and taken to a mass grave, Petro Andryushchenko said on Telegram.

He said they were people who had been trapped in the collapsed building after it was struck by shelling.

"No identification was carried out, but locals say there was basically nothing to identify given the condition of the bodies," Andryushchenko said.

Andryushchenko, the mayor and other local officials are no longer in the city and are posting updates from a location in Ukrainian-controlled territory.

On Tuesday Andryushchenko reported that nearly 200 severely decomposed bodies had been recovered from under the rubble of a residential building in the city.

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Paul Kirby
Digital Europe editor

Seizing Lyman represents a significant moment in the slow advance of Russia's proxy forces in eastern Ukraine. The battle for the city has been intense, even if Ukrainian forces started pulling back from it earlier this week. It's the second major success for Russia this week, following the fall of Svitlodarsk further south.

Lyman is not a big city in itself, but it gives Russia's proxies control of a key east-west road. It also means they are now within 20km (12 miles) of the city of Slovyansk, to the south-west. Slovyansk is a major transport and supply hub for Ukraine, even though the trains stopped running there weeks ago.

The other big battle is further to the east, where Russian forces are targeting the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. Local officials say there is heavy fighting on the outskirts of Severodonetsk and two-thirds of the city is surrounded.

Image source, Serhiy Haidai/Luhansk OVA

Although much of the population has fled, there are still thought to be more than 10,000 civilians sheltering there.

These are important cities in Ukraine's industrial heartland known as Donbas and losing them would be a signficant blow for the army.

Image source, Reuters

The total economic losses to Ukraine caused by Russia's invasion amount to $564-600bn (£447-476bn), according to the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE).

The measure includes direct damage to housing and other buildings, infrastructure and property as well as indirect damage in the form of GDP decline, lost investment, workers leaving and additional defence and social support costs, the KSE said.

Direct losses from the destruction of buildings and infrastructure are estimated at $105bn, with damaged housing accounting for about $40bn of that figure.

The cities of Mariupol - now under Russian control after a long siege - Kharkiv and Chernihiv - both heavily shelled by Russia before its forces withdrew - and Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in Donbas where heavy fighting is currently taking place have seen most damage to residential buildings, the KSE said.

Meanwhile Ukrainian companies have suffered $11bn of economic losses, including more than half a billion dollars in the past week alone. More than 200 Ukrainian companies, factories and plants have been destroyed, damaged or seized by Russia, the KSE says.

The KSE says Ukrainians can report the loss of physical infrastructure, including residential buildings, via its website.

Earlier today a former finance minister said Ukraine would need $750bn for reconstruction. Tymofiy Mylovanov told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme that the work could bring with it the chance to "build back better".

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us or need a catch-up, here are the latest developments in Ukraine:

• Russian-backed forces have taken control of the city of Lyman in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials have said
• An adviser to Ukraine's President Zelensky, Oleksiy Arestovych, said Russian forces attacking Lyman had been well organised
• Heavy fighting is ongoing on the outskirts of Severodonetsk as Russian troops try to capture the city which is under almost continuous shelling
• The city's mayor says 60% of the housing is completely destroyed and up to 90% of buildings are damaged
• Ten people have been killed and up to 35 wounded as a result of Russian missile strikes on a Ukrainian military base in the Dnipro district
• Ukraine's President Zelensky says his country is not "eager" to hold peace talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin - but it will have to anyway
• Russia in turn blamed Ukraine for the freeze in negotiations after spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it was unclear what Kyiv wanted, accusing Ukrainian leadership of "contradictory statements"

• Ukraine claims that Russia has scattered up to 500 old Soviet mines in the Black Sea, making it impossible to export goods from Ukraine's ports

More now on the news we reported earlier on the fall of the city of Lyman in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, appears to have also confirmed that Russian-backed separatists have control of the city.

"According to unverified data, we lost the town of Lyman," Arestovych said in a video, adding that the attack had been well organised.

"This shows, in principle, the increased level of operational management and tactical skills of the Russian army," he added.

His comments come as Ukrainian governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, told media outlet Hromadske that Lyman was "mainly controlled by Russian troops" but the Ukrainian military had taken up new fortified positions in the area.

Lyman is the site of a key railway hub and has long been a target of pro-Russian forces.

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News presenter and correspondent Zhanna Agalakova was one of the most famous faces on Russian state television until March, when she quit her job over the war in Ukraine.

Agalakova, who is now in exile, tells the BBC's Newsnight that Russian TV is a "brainwashing machine" and she wishes people would switch it off.

"It's like two different planets," she says, contrasting Russian TV telling viewers Vladimir Putin's invading forces are being cheered and handed flowers with the images of death and tragedy in Ukraine seen by viewers the rest of the world.

You can see more of her interview on Newsnight on BBC Two at 22:30 BST.

Robert Greenall
BBC News

Image source, EPA

Since Russia invaded in February, one of the overwhelming narratives in the Western media has been that of low morale among its troops.

The Ukrainian armed forces, on the other hand, have been portrayed as being highly motivated to fight to defend their country.

But that may not be the whole picture. In an article in today's Washington Post, two officers leading a company of volunteers describe their concerns, external about lack of support from senior commanders on the front line.

Company commander Serhiy Lapko says: "Our command takes no responsibility. They only take credit for our achievements. They give us no support.”

They are refusing to continue to fight, and face arrest and court-martial.

The Post also includes a video by a group which says it is part of the 115th brigade, 3rd battalion fighting at Severodonetsk. They say they are refusing to serve because they have "no battle commanders, no equipment, no respect".

"We have been waiting for reinforcements for two weeks now," one serviceman says. "We are being sent to certain death."

Cases of Ukrainian volunteers refusing to fight have been rare, and another group of fighters in the same battalion have countered with a video of their own, describing them as deserters who abandoned their colleagues.

"They thought they were on holiday," a service member says in the video.

Rumblings of dissatisfaction do appear to have become more common, though.

Members of a territorial defence battalion from the central Cherkasy region said that though they were willing to fight, they lacked the heavy weaponry they needed for combat., external

The video, which has the address of an unofficial military channel on Telegram, was posted by a pro-Russian blogger in recent days.

The channel says there has been a sharp rise in the number of similar videos since the beginning of May.

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We have more details now on the three explosions that reportedly happened overnight in Dnipro, a region in central-eastern Ukraine.

Ten people have been killed and 30-35 wounded as a result of Russian missile strikes against a National Guard base in the Dnipro district, according to the head of the Territorial Defence Centre, Hennadiy Korban.

He says three missiles were launched from the Rostov region of Russia.

Earlier, we reported rescuers were going through the rubble to look for people after explosions were heard overnight and several more were incoming, the region's governor Valentyn Reznichenko says.

Both sides have given a fresh assessment of whether peace talks can restart - having stalled for weeks.

President Zelensky says Ukraine is not "eager" to talk to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin - but it will have to anyway.

"We have to face the realities of what we are living through," Zelensky said in an address to an Indonesian think tank, according to the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin blames Ukraine for the freeze in negotiations. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday it was unclear what Kyiv wanted, Reuters reported separately.

Peskov accused the Ukrainian leadership of "contradictory statements".

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA Media

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Russian forces are continuing to "chew through ground" in the Donbas region of Ukraine, adding that Putin is making slow but palpable progress.

"I'm afraid that Putin, at great cost to himself and to the Russian military, is continuing to chew through ground in Donbas," he says in an interview with Bloomberg this morning.

"He's continuing to make gradual, slow, but I'm afraid palpable, progress and therefore it is absolutely vital that we continue to support the Ukrainians militarily."

Johnson says more offensive weapons are needed in Ukraine, including long-range multiple-launch rocket systems.

"I think it's very, very important that we do not get lulled because of the incredible heroism of the Ukrainians in pushing the Russians back from the gates of Kyiv," Johnson adds.

Recent images from Getty photojournalists have revealed the desperate conditions for civilians in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk - two besieged eastern cities which are on the front line of the Russian offensive.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

There has been heavy fighting on the outskirts of Severodonetsk - a key Russian target - as Russian troops attempt to capture the city in the Luhansk Region of Ukraine.

The city is under almost continuous shelling - 60% of the housing stock is completely destroyed and up to 90% of buildings are damaged and will need major repairs, the mayor, Oleksandr Stryuk, says.

Four civilians were killed in Severodonetsk on Thursday and 1,500 have died since the invasion began in February and the city's regional centre is being destroyed by Russian artillery and aircraft, head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Haidai says.

He says Russian troops tried to break into Severodonetsk from nearby towns, Purdivka and Shchedryshcheve, and attacked Ukrainian military positions.

Russian forces have been making sporadic breakthroughs against heavily entrenched Ukrainian positions in the Donbas since Moscow focussed its war efforts there.

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Image source, Reuters

Russian-backed separatists claim to have taken control of the city of Lyman in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

In a Telegram post, the armed forces of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic says 220 settlements are now under their control.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims.

Lyman is on the road to the Ukrainian city of Slovyansk - which is a key Russian target as Moscow tries to take full control of the Donbas.

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Image source, Reuters

A Ukrainian former finance minister estimates that Ukraine needs up to £600bn for reconstruction as a result of Russia's invasion.

Tymofiy Mylovanov tells the BBC World Service's Newsday programme that the work could bring with it the chance to "build back better."

He asks "whether we really need to rebuild what has been destroyed or whether we use this as an opportunity to modernise the country".

Mylovanov is in London for a conference exploring how to use resources available for rebuilding work.

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine claims that Russia has scattered between 400 and 500 old soviet mines in the Black Sea, which are being ripped off their anchors during storms and drifting - making it impossible to export goods from Ukraine's ports.

Odesa regional military administration spokesman, Serhiy Bratchuk, says Russia has "created a food crisis in the world" by blocking ports, adding that Russia is using an "information alibi" by blaming Ukraine for the food crisis.

Ukraine's Black Sea ports have been blocked since the beginning of the war on 24 February, suspending vital grain exports and officials say 20 million tonnes of grain are now stuck in the country.

The UN says some countries could face long-term famines if Ukraine's exports are not restored to pre-war levels. Russia has offered to open a corridor through the Black Sea for food shipments, in return for an easing of sanctions.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these claims.

Image source, Getty Images

When officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) arrived at an apartment on 17 May to carry out a search, it soon became clear that it was no ordinary property.

Stretching to 7,000 sq ft (650 sq m) the apartment - in one of London's wealthiest districts - had seven en-suite bedrooms spanning three floors, an internal lift, a transparent grand piano in the lounge and a private-access underground garage.

It was no ordinary property and this was no ordinary search. The target was not the owner of the property - even though the owner is a sanctioned Russian oligarch. The target was someone described in a piece of intelligence the NCA had received as the "domestic".

This is the work of a new team within the NCA called K-Cell - the K stands for kleptocracy, which is when rulers use their power to steal their country's resources.

Their mission is to make life difficult - or, as they put it, "introduce friction" - into the life of sanctioned oligarchs, super-rich businessmen close to the Kremlin.

The BBC was given exclusive access to the team's work - read more here.

Jeremy Bowen
Reporting from Slovyansk in Donbas

Image source, Reuters

I get the impression that almost everybody who wants to leave the Donbas, and is able to, has left.

Slovyansk, the place I’m standing now, has an alarm going. It’s a pretty big city, but it’s almost deserted.

I cross the road to an open shop. Inside are a couple of soldiers buying stuff.

One thing that’s here is an immense amount of sunflower oil. It’s made in the area, of course. They’ve got sausages, frozen chicken in the freezer and loads of tea. The shelves are actually groaning. There’s no shortage of food in Ukraine.

There’s a distant thunder coming from the battlefield. While the troops’ morale here is pretty good, the military situation is difficult.

There’s a very different feel now to how things were at the end of March and beginning of April, when the Russians pulled back from Kyiv because they had lost the battle for the capital.

It’s different here. The Russians are grinding forward. If they get Severodonetsk and Bakhmut, as well as this town and Kramatorsk, then basically they could say they’ve got the Donbas.

Putin at that point would be able to declare a certain victory in this part of the country.

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Image source, Hungarian PM Press Office

President Zelensky says lives are lost in Ukraine every moment the West delays putting more pressure on Russia.

"Just look at the situation now," he said in last night's video address. "Look at the number of weeks the European Union has been trying to agree on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia."

It's now nearly a month since European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced proposals to ban imports of Russian oil. But why's it taken the EU so long for such measures to be agreed?

Resistance from countries dependent on Russian oil - notably Hungary - has meant there's been no unanimous agreement. Slovakia and the Czech Republic are among the others that have expressed concern.

EU leaders meet on Monday - but our Brussels correspondent Jessica Parker writes that it's "doubtful" the unresolved oil issue, specifically, will be up for discussion.

Read more from Jessica here.

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