Heavy fighting continues in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, which Russian forces have been trying for weeks to capture
It comes as the battle for Donbas grinds on with neither side making major gains
A military analyst says the fighting in Ukraine has settled into a rhythm reminiscent of trench warfare in World War One
Justin Crump says Russia appears to have slight momentum but are “lucky to capture a field in 24 hours”
"Stalemate is not an option" for Ukraine, the country's president has said, as he again floated the idea of Nato membership
Volodymyr Zelensky said the country had lost too many people to "simply cede our territory"
Meanwhile, the bodies of some Ukrainian fighters killed at the Azovstal steelworks have been handed over to Kyiv, families of Ukraine's Azov unit say
Pictures published by Getty Images over the weekend have given a sense of heavy fire in Severodonestk - a key eastern city which Russian troops have been trying to take from Ukraine.
An explosion appears to have been caught on camera - and smoke has been seen billowing above rooftops.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesThe UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, and Ukraine's nuclear energy state operator, Energoatom, have been involved in what is developing into a very public row over a visit to the biggest nuclear plant in Europe, which is in Ukraine but under Russian occupation.
IAEA head Rafael Grossi tweeted on Monday that his team was "working to send an expert mission to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
"The biggest NPP in Europe is currently disconnected from IAEA safeguards communications systems. Ukraine requested us, we will go there."
But Energoatom responded on Tuesday, saying that no invitation was given to Grossi to visit the Zaporizhzhia plant.
In a Telegram post, it said it viewed Grossi's comments as another attempt "by any means to legitimise the stay of the [Russian] occupiers there and in fact to approve all their actions.
Energoatom said Grossi had previously been denied such a visit, stressing that it would only be possible "only when our country gets back control" over the plant.
Grossi is yet to publicly respond to Energoatom's latest comments.
In March, the Zaporizhzhia plant site was shelled by Russian troops, raising fears that a fire there could lead to radiation contamination in Europe.
Europe's largest nuclear plant shelled in Ukraine
So what's been happening so far today? Here's a quick recap of the latest events if you are just joining us:
Image source, ReutersUkraine's President Voloydymyr Zelensky must not be pressured by world powers into accepting a bad peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
Speaking at a meeting with cabinet ministers - the morning after he survived a vote of confidence in his leadership - Johnson said bad peace deals do not last, the PM's spokesman told reporters.
"He said the world must avoid any outcome where Putin's unwarranted aggression appears to have paid off," the spokesman said.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also told the cabinet meeting that London was preparing further sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the spokesman said.
Ukraine's government previously said it would not agree a ceasefire deal with Russia that involves giving up territory.
Image source, EPAVolodymyr Zelensky has insisted "stalemate is not an option" for Ukraine as he again spoke about the possibility of his country joining Nato.
Speaking at a digital conference run by the Financial Times, the Ukrainian president said his country had already lost "too many people to simply cede our territory", adding that Ukraine has to achieve "full control of our entire territory".
Zelensky also said the Nato military alliance should invite Ukraine to join if it wanted to, adding "there's no need to waste time in discussing its accession".
Russia has long opposed the idea of Ukraine joining Nato. It believes the military alliance has been encroaching into its area of political influence by accepting new members from eastern Europe - and thinks that admitting Ukraine would bring Nato into its backyard.
The Ukrainian president had previously said that he accepted his country could not join the alliance, saying: "It is clear that Ukraine is not a member of Nato. We understand this."
Ukraine's president also said he was "very happy" that Boris Johnson is still the UK prime minister, after the PM faced a confidence vote on Monday.
Joe Inwood
Reporting from Kyiv
Image source, Getty ImagesPeople often talk of “the fog of war” – the uncertainty that descends on those taking part in a conflict. There seems to be a thick cloud over Severodonetsk at the moment.
For days there have been conflicting, often contradictory, reports about what is happening in the eastern Donbas city, the current focus of Russia’s attempts to take the region. Last week the governor of Luhansk, Sergei Haidai, said that Russians had taken 80% of the city and that Ukrainian forces were making a strategic withdrawal.
Then, over the weekend, he told the BBC that his forces had counter-attacked, taking back half the city. Simultaneously, Russian sources spoke of their successes in the region, releasing videos of their fighters dancing in the streets of the city.
Almost at the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the incredibly difficult situation in the region, of tough days ahead… as reports came in of two Russian generals being killed on the frontlines.
This confusion was highlighted by the Institute for the Study of War, in its morning briefing, which said: “The nature of urban combat in Severodonetsk is likely obfuscating reports of control of terrain within the city."
This, combined with a demand for constant updates from a public and media grown accustomed to instant information, has led to a somewhat confused picture of what is going on.
One thing that has struck me, however, in covering this war is the wildly contradictory statements put out by both sides. They simply cannot all be telling the truth.
Maybe, the only way to know what is really happening is to wait, to see who has won the battle, once time has blown the fog of war away.
Image source, ReutersAs we've been reporting, Russia's UN ambassador walked out of a Security Council meeting on Monday after his country was blamed for causing a global food crisis by the EU.
European Council President Charles Michel said Russia was using food supplies as a "stealth missile" against the developing world, forcing people into poverty.
The war has left food stuck at Ukrainian ports.
Now, Turkey says it is working closely with Russia and Ukraine to agree a UN-driven plan that would restart grain exports from Ukrainian ports via a safe shipping corridor, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.
Akar said the four sides were working out how mines floating off the southern port of Odesa and elsewhere along Ukraine's coast would be cleared and who would safeguard the corridor.
"We are making efforts to conclude this as soon as possible," he told reporters in embargoed remarks after a cabinet meeting late on Monday.
Ukraine is a large exporter of cooking oil as well as cereals such as maize and wheat. Russia also exports vast amounts of grains as well as fertiliser. The lack of these exports has caused the price of alternatives to soar.
Image source, Nadya KarpovaKarpova has played 24 times for Russia and has relatives in Ukraine
Since the invasion in February, footballer Nadya Karpova has been posting anti-war messages on her Instagram account - where she has 143,000 followers.
She's one of just three professional players from Russia to voice their opposition - and is the only female star to have done so.
Karpova plays for Spanish club Espanyol - and says she feels a "special responsibility" to raise her voice.
"I can't just look at this inhumanity and stay silent," the 27-year-old tells the BBC.
Image source, ReutersUN official Pramila Patten said allegations were mounting
As we've been reporting, there was a fiery meeting of the UN Security Council yesterday.
But global food supplies were not the only item on the agenda in New York.
Vassily Nebenzia had earlier denied claims of sexual violence by Russian forces in Ukraine - claiming there was "no proof" of these, according to remarks quoted by the AFP agency.
But such allegations were "mounting", said top UN official Pramila Patten.
As of 3 June, the UN had received reports of 124 claims of conflict-related sexual violence across Ukraine.
Laura Bicker
Reporting from Dnipro
21-year-old Yuri was wounded in a rocket attack
Yuri has lost his foot, but not his will to fight.
He narrowly survived a shell blast. His sergeant major was killed on the spot.
Yuri managed to warn his brothers-in-arms to take cover, but did not make it himself. He was 10 metres away from shelter when the rocket hit.
"I was at the very epicentre of that strike," he tells me from his hospital bed in Dnipro, four hours from the frontline in the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine.
"If it was up to me, I would stand up right now and go fight. I am really upset that my guys are fighting there, and I am just lying here, unable to help," he says.
Read more about Yuri and other soldiers wounded in the fighting here.
Image source, Getty ImagesKherson was the first major Ukrainian city seized by Moscow
An official installed by Russia in Ukraine's southern region of Kherson has signalled that Moscow could attempt to stage a vote on annexation to Russia.
"It will most likely be a referendum," said Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the administration put in place by the Kremlin.
He gave no date for any potential vote. It seems unlikely that a credible vote could be held in a region in the middle of a war, and Ukrainian forces have launched a counter-offensive in Kherson.
The regional capital Kherson was the first major Ukrainian city to fall during the invasion - and Moscow has attempted to bring the Russian rouble into circulation there.
Russian officials have already spoken in favour of holding referendums in captured areas of southern Ukraine but there is little chance of any vote being viewed internationally as free or fair. A vote in 2014, which saw Russia annex Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, was condemned by Western nations as illegal and a sham.
Image source, ReutersThe bodies of some Ukrainian fighters killed defending the key port city of Mariupol from Russian forces at the Azovstal steel plant have been handed over to Kyiv, the families of Ukraine's Azov unit of the national guard have said, Reuters news agency reports.
Ukrainian forces defending Mariupol were holed up in the steelworks for weeks as Russian forces tried to capture the city.
They eventually surrendered last month and were taken into custody by Russian forces.
Image source, Getty ImagesA school is destroyed in Lysychansk
There seems to have been no let-up to the fighting in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk - which have become "dead cities" according to President Zelensky.
Battles for Severodonetsk are in "full swing", says the regional governor. Writing on the messaging app Telegram this morning, Serhiy Haidai adds that several more injuries have been reported in Lysychansk after Russian fire hit the likes of a market and school.
A morning update from the Ukrainian armed forces gives further confirmation of hostilities in the area.
It claims Russia's "main efforts" are focused on Severodonetsk - where the Ukrainians are inflicting damage on their enemy - and on nearby Bakhmut, where another counter-attack has been launched.
The update adds that ten attacks across the eastern Donbas region were repelled over the previous day.
It was not possible for the BBC to verify the details of the fighting.
Joe Inwood
Reporting from Kyiv
Image source, Getty ImagesColumns of smoke rise in Severodonetsk, as seen from Lysychansk
These two cities are now taking the full force of Russia’s invasion.
Sitting each side of a strategically important river, Severodonetsk and Lysychansk have been all but destroyed, as Russian artillery units try to pound the Ukrainian defenders into submission.
“They are dead cities,” said President Zelensky – all but devoid of life.
It is in Severodonetsk that the fighting is most intense, with conflicting reports about who controls the city. The Ukrainians had claimed a counter-offensive, recapturing half of the centre - but they appear to have fallen back once again.
In truth, knowing what is really happening in Severodonetsk is increasingly difficult.
On Monday, it was confirmed that Russia has lost another top commander. Russian state media said Major Gen Roman Kutuzov was killed leading an assault on a Ukrainian village.
Ukraine now claims to have killed 12 Russian generals – unprecedented in modern warfare.
Image source, ReutersA Russian helicopter flies above Popasna last week
Russia needs some sort of "breakthrough" on one of its axes of attack if it wants to control the whole eastern Donetsk region, according to the UK's Ministry of Defence.
Its morning update says:
Image source, .
Image source, Getty ImageGood morning and welcome back to our coverage of the war in the Ukraine.
Here’s a quick look at some of the latest updates.
Thanks for following our coverage of the war in Ukraine, we're going to pause live updates for now.
We'll be back tomorrow but in the meantime, here's a roundup of the key developments today.
Western weapons: Top Kremlin officials - including Russian President Vladimir Putin - warned the West over increasing arms supplies to Ukraine. Putin said his forces would strike new targets if the US gave Kyiv longer-range missiles, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country would respond by pushing back Ukraine's frontline.
Hope in the east: In the face of "fierce" fighting, Ukraine's President Zelensky said he believes there is "every chance" his country can hold Severodonetsk. His remarks came before the eastern city's mayor said Ukrainian troops would not surrender.
Image source, .On the ground: Despite Zelensky's optimism, reports suggest Russia's bombardment of eastern Ukraine continues at an alarming rate. An update from Ukrainian officials said Russian troops were firing on people along the "entire line of contact".
War to defend Johnson: In the UK, where PM Boris Johnson faces a vote of no confidence this evening, some of his allies have used Johnson's handling of the war in Ukraine to try to persuade people to vote in his favour. "He has delivered on ... supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said, external.
For the latest updates on Johnson's confidence vote, head to our live coverage here.
Earlier we reported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's comments about Russia holding more than 2,500 Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol as POWs.
Now it has emerged that dozens of corpses of Ukrainian soldiers who died defending the city's Azovstal steel plant have been returned to Kyiv, according to the Associated Press.
The remains are now being identified through DNA testing, Ukrainian military commander Maksym Zhorin said in an exclusive report by the agency.
For months Ukrainian soldiers camped out in the besieged steel plant prevented Russian forces from claiming control over all of Mariuopol.
But in May the site's defenders finally gave up the massive steel mill to Russian forces.
BBC Monitoring
The world through its media
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesUkraine lost the match 1-0
A popular Ukrainian streaming platform was hacked during the national team's World Cup playoff against Wales on Sunday evening and replaced with "Russian propaganda", the Ukrainian government said.
Oll.tv was streaming the match - which Ukraine lost 1-0 - when the feed cut to Russian news, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection said on Telegram.
Broadcasts on four TV channels - Football 1, Indigo Ukraine, Ukraine 24 and UA:First - were affected, it said.
"The attackers probably managed to gain unauthorised access to one of the CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) and redirect traffic," the state service said.
Ukrainian IT specialists "temporarily stopped the broadcast, localised the affected CDN and restarted traffic flows", it said.
The streaming service continued its work after the cyber-attack had been repelled, it said.
Image source, Getty ImagesRoman Abramovich (L) and Vladimir Putin pictured together at an event in Russia in 2016
Some news from the US. Authorities there have charged Russian businessman Roman Abramovich with flying two planes of US origin to Russia without a licence.
Federal prosecutors are now seeking to seize the two aircraft, court papers say.
A licence is required due to sanctions the US has imposed on Moscow in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich has been the target of UK sanctions. The sanctions hit Chelsea football club, which he owned and decided to sell as a result.