The Washington Post

22 August 2023 13:35

How Ukraine is exploiting Biden’s cluster bomb gamble

KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine — A few feet away from a pile of U.S.-made cluster bombs, an earsplitting boom goes off 50 times a day, marking the latest volley from a Ukrainian artillery crew seeking to hold back advancing Russian forces.

“When we start firing the cluster munitions, the Russians disappear under hard cover. They won’t even poke their noses out,” said Stanislav, a Ukrainian military official standing a few miles from the front line in a blackened forest still smoldering from Russian shelling.

The artillery crew first received U.S.-made cluster munitions a few weeks ago following President Biden’s decision to send the weapon in the most controversial arms transfer of his presidency. The bombs are outlawed in more than 120 countries under a 2008 international treaty, but not in the United States, Russia and Ukraine.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

21 August 2023 21:07

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called a pledge by the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “powerful” and “historic” as he continued his diplomatic tour of several European countries.

- Russian officials said two people were injured after drones flew over the Moscow region early Monday and were destroyed by air defense systems.

- Dozens of Ukrainian pilots, engineers and others will be trained to use F-16 fighter jets in Denmark, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said.

- Britain’s Defense Ministry said it is “highly likely” that Russia will form a new military unit “to focus on defensive security operations in the south of Ukraine.”

- Russian attacks in the Kherson region killed at least two people and injured three others, its governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said.

- Rescue operations for a deadly Saturday attack on Chernihiv have ended, with seven dead and 156 injured, Ukraine’s operational armed forces said.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

21 August 2023 11:11

Here's the latest from Ukraine:

- The Netherlands and Denmark pledged to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, a move that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “powerful” and “historic” as he wrapped up a diplomatic tour to several European countries this weekend.

- Ukraine will receive 42 F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and 19 from Denmark, Zelensky said on Telegram.

- Rescue operations for the deadly Saturday attack on Chernihiv have ended, with seven dead and 156 injured, Ukraine’s operational armed forces said Sunday, adding that 66 residential buildings were damaged.

- E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned Russia’s strike on Chernihiv as “cowardly and deliberate” in a social media post. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the incident a “horrific missile attack on innocent civilians.”

- Russian attacks in the Kherson region killed at least two people and injured three others, its governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said Monday.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

20 August 2023 17:25

As Ukraine flies through artillery rounds, U.S. races to keep up

The Biden administration’s sprint to supply Ukraine with weapons central to its military success against Russia has yielded a promising acceleration of arms production, including the standard NATO artillery round, output of which is expected soon to reach double its prewar U.S. rate of 14,000 a month.

The stakes in the U.S. effort to shake up a sclerotic defense acquisition system are particularly high as Kyiv tries to claw back territory from Russian control in a slow-moving counteroffensive whose fate, U.S. officials now say, hinges on the West’s ability to satisfy Ukraine’s astonishing hunger for artillery ammunition.

But industry experts warn of major challenges in sustaining an elevated output of arms and equipment needed not just to aid Ukraine but to ensure the United States’ own security in potential conflicts with Russia or China.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

20 August 2023 09:40

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- The Chernihiv strike “probably” involved a ballistic missile, the regional governor said. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, condemned the attack, saying in a statement that it “is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians.”

- Videos verified by The Washington Post showed an explosion on the roof of the theater before a fiery projectile slammed into a building about 320 feet away.

- Kyiv has an agreement with Stockholm to produce armored vehicles known as CV-90s inside Ukraine, Zelensky said in his nightly address. He did not specify how many, or what the agreement entailed.

- Five people were injured after a drone attack on a train station in Russia not far from the Ukrainian border.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

19 August 2023 13:56

Russia recruited operatives online to target weapons crossing Poland

WARSAW — The cryptic job listings began appearing online early this year.

The tasks were menial — posting fliers or hanging signs in public spaces — and the pay meager. But for a handful of refugees from eastern Ukraine, the promise of quick cash was too good to pass up.

Respondents soon realized there was a catch: The jobs involved distributing pro-Russian propaganda on behalf of an anonymous employer. For those willing to complete the assignments anyway, the work then took a more ominous turn.

Within weeks, recruits were tasked with scouting Polish seaports, placing cameras along railways and hiding tracking devices in military cargo, according to Polish investigators. Then, in March, came startling new orders to derail trains carrying weapons to Ukraine.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

18 August 2023 21:03

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- U.S. intelligence officials don’t expect Ukraine to reach the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in its counteroffensive, according to people familiar with a classified forecast.

- In Moscow, officials reported early Friday that a drone was shot down. Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching “another terrorist attack.”

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed legislation extending martial law until mid-November.

- A large fire broke out at a cargo terminal in the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

- Russia is attempting to “erode Ukrainian national identity” in the areas it occupies, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.

- Ukraine will host a defense industries forum in the fall, Zelensky said.

- A new Pentagon review of biological threats says Russia probably maintains the ability to create deadly toxins and pathogens, The Post reported.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

18 August 2023 09:30

Here's the latest from Ukraine:

- Ukraine’s forces, which are pushing toward Melitopol from the town of Robotyne more than 50 miles away, will remain several miles outside the city, U.S. officials predicted. If they fail to eject Russian troops from Melitopol, it will mean Ukraine will fail to achieve one of its key goals in the ongoing counteroffensive: to sever the land bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow seized from Kyiv in 2014.

- In Moscow, officials reported early Friday that a drone was shot down. Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of “launching a terrorist attack.” There were no casualties or fires resulting from the interception, the ministry said.

- Germany unveiled a new security assistance package to Ukraine. Berlin will send Kyiv two IRIS-T SLS air defense systems, 10 ground surveillance radars and several thousand rounds of smoke ammunition, according to an updated list of Germany’s military aid to Ukraine.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

17 August 2023 19:30

Zelensky extends martial law, casting doubt on fall parliamentary elections

KYIV — As Russian forces continued to bombard regions across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed legislation extending martial law and a general military mobilization until mid-November. If martial law is not lifted, it would require postponing national parliamentary elections scheduled to take place this fall.

Under Ukrainian legislation, martial law must be prolonged every 90 days — a process put into motion on the first day of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. While in effect, political activity is curtailed and elections cannot be held.

The constitution stipulates that parliamentary elections should take place no later than Oct. 29 and presidential elections early next year. However, in an interview with The Post in May, Zelensky said, “If we have martial law, we cannot have elections. … If there is no martial law, then there will be [elections].”

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

17 August 2023 14:03

Exclusive: Inside the Russian effort to build 6,000 attack drones with Iran’s help

The engineers at a once-bustling industrial hub deep inside Russia were busy planning. The team had been secretly tasked with building a production line that would operate around-the-clock churning out self-detonating drones, weapons that President Vladimir Putin’s forces could use to bombard Ukrainian cities.

A retired official of Russia’s Federal Security Service was put in charge of security for the program. The passports of highly skilled employees were seized so they could not leave the country. In correspondence and other documents, engineers used coded language: Drones were “boats,” their explosives were “bumpers,” and Iran was “Ireland” or “Belarus.”

This was Russia’s billion-dollar weapons deal with Iran coming to life in November, 500 miles east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. Its aim is to domestically build 6,000 drones by summer 2025.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

16 August 2023 21:57

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said Wednesday that a Hong Kong-flagged ship carrying food had successfully left Ukraine’s Odessa port — the first container since Russia withdrew from the grain deal to use a new “temporary” shipping corridor through the Black Sea.

- A NATO official on Wednesday apologized for saying that Ukraine should cede land to become a member of the military alliance and called his controversy-causing comments “a mistake,” Dutch media outlets reported.

- Russian forces carried out several “waves” of drone attacks in southern Ukraine overnight, destroying warehouses and granaries at the Danube River port of Reni that is part of the country’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor said.

- The European Union will redirect $147 million from programs planned for Russia and Belarus toward projects aimed at boosting ties between Ukraine and Moldova.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

16 August 2023 13:41

Russian central bank hikes interest rates to 12 percent after ruble’s decline

Russia’s Central Bank on Tuesday raised the country’s key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a significant increase that was preceded by the ruble’s tumbling to its lowest point in 17 months.

The Russian currency has lost almost a quarter of its value against the U.S. dollar since President Vladimir Putin began an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and it has decreased steadily against major world currencies in recent weeks. The country’s economy has been battered by Western sanctions, inflation and an acute labor shortage, caused in part by men fleeing abroad to avoid military conscription.

In a statement, following an emergency meeting, the central bank did not mention the drop in the value of the ruble. Instead, the bank attributed the interest-rate hike to “inflationary pressure” caused by “steady growth in domestic demand surpassing the capacity to expand output.”

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

16 August 2023 09:36

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- Poland touted state-of-the-art fighter jets and other weaponry at its largest military parade since the Cold War — a display of strength as vicious fighting continues next door between Russia and Ukraine. The parade was meant to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, when Polish troops beat Bolshevik forces that were trying to advance on Europe.

- Overnight strikes on Odessa damaged warehouses and granaries at a Danube port that is part of Ukraine’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor reported. No one was injured, he said.

- A former high-ranking FBI official accused of secretly working on behalf of a Russian oligarch pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday. The former official, Charles McGonigal, is accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and of laundering money while working to the benefit of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, whom he was tasked with investigating.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

15 August 2023 17:15

Russia’s new history textbooks teach Putin’s alternate reality

RIGA, Latvia — When classes begin next month, Russian high-schoolers will get fresh history textbooks rewritten to carry Kremlin-approved narratives about the “special military operation” in Ukraine and the rivalry with the West — part of a wider government effort to shape how young generations of Russians think about the war and Russia’s place in the world.

The new manuscript — aimed at graduating 17-year-olds and covering the time period from 1945 until now — blames the United States for the ongoing war in Ukraine and includes a quote from President Vladimir Putin in which he falsely asserts that: “Russia did not start any military actions but is trying to end them.”

It includes telling sections that include “confrontation with the West,” “Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state” and “Russia is a country of heroes,” according to scans of the new book posted by Russian state media.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

15 August 2023 10:54

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- Explosions rang out in Lviv and Lutsk overnight amid Russian missile strikes in Western Ukraine. In Lutsk, an industrial plant was hit, and in Lviv, residential buildings were targeted, officials said. Three people were killed in the Lutsk strike, the city’s mayor said, citing preliminary information.

- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.

- The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, met with jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Monday at Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, the newspaper reported.

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, amid the ongoing counteroffensive.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

22 August 2023 11:52

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a news conference in Athens that Greece would take part in training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, although he did not offer details.
- Russian officials said two people were injured after drones flew over the Moscow region early Monday and were destroyed by air defense systems.

- The U.S. Embassy in Belarus urged Americans to leave the country “immediately,” citing spillover risks from the war in Ukraine, including a buildup of Russian troops in Belarus.

- The U.S. is ready to authorize the third-party transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine when “certain criteria” are met, including English-language training and logistics, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said at a Monday briefing.

- Russian air defense forces intercepted two drones near Moscow on Tuesday, Moscow regional Gov. Andrey Vorobyov wrote on Telegram.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

21 August 2023 16:06

Ukraine running out of options to retake significant territory

Ukraine appears to be running out of options in a counteroffensive that officials originally framed as Kyiv’s crucial operation to retake significant territory from occupying Russian forces this year.

More than two months into the fight, the counteroffensive shows signs of stalling. Kyiv’s advances remain isolated to a handful of villages, Russian troops are pushing forward in the north and a plan to train Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16s is delayed.

Ukraine’s inability to demonstrate decisive success on the battlefield is stoking fears that the conflict is becoming a stalemate and international support could erode. A new, classified U.S. intelligence report has predicted that the counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol this year.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

20 August 2023 20:14

Here's the latest from Ukraine:

- Ukraine will get F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark, the Dutch prime minister and Danish Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday. The announcement came during a visit to the Netherlands by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and after the Biden administration said it would green-light such transfers once Ukrainian pilots are trained to use the American-made aircraft.

- Russian officials reported drone strikes in four regions of western and southern Russia, and blamed Ukraine. An uptick in attacks deep inside Russian territory likely means Russian military leaders are under pressure to tighten air defenses, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.

- Zelensky said the military would “respond tangibly” to an attack on Chernihiv, which killed at least seven people, including a 6-year-old child. Ukrainian authorities said 144 people were injured in the daytime strike on a theater in the northern city.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

20 August 2023 12:55

Russian court dissolves Sakharov Center, a prominent human rights group

A court in Russia on Friday ordered the dissolution of the Sakharov Center, an organization that ran a renowned museum and cultural space in Moscow, the Associated Press reported, amid an ongoing purge of human rights groups in Russia.

The Moscow City Court ruled in favor of the Ministry of Justice, which had demanded the center’s liquidation in July alleging “violations” following an unscheduled inspection, Russia’s state-run Tass news agency said.

Separately, the Ministry of Justice on Friday designated six Russians, including academics and activists, as “foreign agents” for opposing the Ukraine war.

The crackdown on human rights groups and critics under Russian President Vladimir Putin has been expanding for years, but has escalated since the invasion of Ukraine. The authorities have brought in laws and measures described by Human Rights Watch as an “all-out drive to eradicate public dissent” in Russia.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

19 August 2023 21:24

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- A strike on a theater in the northern city of Chernihiv killed at least seven people, including a 6-year-old child, and injured 140, Ukrainian authorities said Saturday.

- Chernihiv will observe three days of mourning, from Saturday to Monday, acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said on Telegram. The injured included bystanders, the region’s administration said on Telegram. The city was besieged by Russian troops for weeks early in the war, with more than half the city’s population fleeing — but Ukrainian troops regained control.

- Videos verified by The Washington Post showed an explosion on the roof of the theater before a fiery projectile slammed into a building about 320 feet away. The venue reportedly hosted a gathering for drone demonstrations on Saturday.

- Zelensky is visiting Sweden for meetings with the country’s leaders, including Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and King Carl XVI.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

19 August 2023 10:01

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said he hopes as much as 60 percent of Ukraine’s grain exports might pass through Romania following the new agreement, Reuters reported.

- Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra welcomed Washington’s decision to pave the way for sending F-16s to Ukraine, calling it “a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and its country” on social media.

- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended Moscow’s nuclear weapons, claiming they are for security purposes only in an interview published on the foreign ministry website Saturday.

- It is “premature to make assessments about the overall success” of Kyiv’s counteroffensive, the Institute for the Study of War said a report Friday.

- A court in Russia on Friday ordered the dissolution of the Sakharov Center.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

18 August 2023 16:06

U.S. intelligence says Ukraine will fail to meet offensive’s key goal

The U.S. intelligence community assesses that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol, people familiar with the classified forecast told The Washington Post, a finding that, should it prove correct, would mean Kyiv won’t fulfill its principal objective of severing Russia’s land bridge to Crimea in this year’s push.

The grim assessment is based on Russia’s brutal proficiency in defending occupied territory through a phalanx of minefields and trenches, and is likely to prompt finger pointing inside Kyiv and Western capitals about why a counteroffensive that saw tens of billions of dollars of Western weapons and military equipment fell short of its goals.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

17 August 2023 21:40

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed legislation extending martial law and a general military mobilization until mid-November.

- Ukrainian officials said they do not expect to be able to deploy U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets before the end of the year.

- The State Department condemned what it called Moscow’s “continued attacks on Ukrainian grain infrastructure,” after reports of Russian drones targeting Ukrainian grain warehouses near Danube ports this week.

- Russia and Iran are working to expand the Kremlin’s drone program, according to leaked documents seen by The Post.

- NATO official Stian Jenssen apologized and withdrew his suggestion that Ukraine cede land to Russia to make peace and join the military alliance, Dutch media outlets reported.

- Two Russian Ka-52 helicopters shot down Thursday in Ukraine had “high-tech components from Western countries and Asian countries,” said Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

17 August 2023 17:45

‘A jumble of tendons, bones and muscles’: Mine injuries haunt doctors in Ukraine

Bodies ripped to pieces. Arms and legs mangled beyond recognition.

The mental anguish of amputating limb after limb after limb is a grim reality of Ukraine’s counteroffensive for doctors working in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Heavily mined Russian defenses have slowed Ukraine’s attack to a bloody, painstaking crawl, and hard-won gains come at the cost of mine blast injuries more abundant than some medical professionals say they have seen in the war thus far. With Russian forces having dug in over months, any push to regain territory means traversing land dense with mines — even as civilians far from the front lines also grapple with a diffusion of mines and other explosives in previously contested areas across much of the country.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

17 August 2023 10:20

Here's the latest from Ukraine:

- Ukrainian troops have recaptured the village of Urozhaine in the southeastern Donetsk region, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday, as the country continues a slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian forces.

- Ukraine does not expect to use F-16 advanced fighter jets this fall or winter, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air force, said on Wednesday.

- Russia launched eight missiles and 82 airstrikes against Ukraine in the past day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. The casualties include children, the statement said.

- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Wednesday to Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia, CNN reported. Whelan, a Marine turned corporate security executive, was convicted of espionage and sentenced in 2020 in a trial he argued was politically motivated.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

16 August 2023 20:02

Ukrainian ship carrying grain sails from Odessa, testing Russian threat

KYIV — Officials here said a first ship carrying Ukrainian agricultural cargo set sail Wednesday from the southern port of Odessa — despite threats by Russia to forcibly stop vessels in the Black Sea after Moscow unilaterally terminated a U.N.-sponsored agreement allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments.

Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the container ship Joseph Schulte, flying a Hong Kong flag, left the port “and is proceeding through a temporary corridor established for civilian vessels” on its way to the Bosporus.

Kubrakov, posting on Facebook, said the ship was “carrying more than 30,000 tons of cargo, including food products” and had been in the Odessa port since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly 18 months ago.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

16 August 2023 11:00

North Korea’s Kim, in letter to Putin, vows solidarity with Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen relations with Russia so the two countries could continue to “smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony,” according to a state media report.

Kim made the promise in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, in the latest sign that Pyongyang and Moscow are deepening their bonds.

Kim said the North’s relations with Russia will be “further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship” in his message to Putin.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

15 August 2023 21:07

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.

- Russian missiles struck two western Ukrainian cities overnight, damaging an industrial plant in Lutsk and residential buildings in Lviv, officials said.

- A Moscow court on Tuesday convicted a pro-war, retired Russian colonel of discrediting the military, as the Kremlin seeks to bring nationalist pro-war critics to heel.

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

- The Swedish government on Tuesday pledged a new support package for Ukraine, valued at $314 million and containing spare parts and ammunition for equipment previously sent by the Swedes.

More live updates here.

The Washington Post

15 August 2023 13:25

The ruble takes a dive, underscoring pressure on Russia’s war economy

The Russian ruble tumbled to its lowest point in 17 months Monday, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar and prompting the country’s Central Bank to call an extraordinary meeting Tuesday to discuss the level of its key interest rate.

The ruble has lost roughly a quarter of its value against the dollar since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Western sanctions have harmed Russia’s trade balance and military spending has soared as the lightning offensive originally envisioned by the Kremlin has turned into a grueling battle of attrition with no end in sight.

Russia’s central bank said Monday that the sudden drop in value would not threaten the country’s overall financial stability and blamed the fall on lagging exports alongside an increased demand for imports.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

14 August 2023 21:13

Here is the latest from Ukraine:

- Russia attacked Odessa in “three waves” overnight, launching drones and cruise missiles at the heart of the key Ukrainian port city, according to its regional governor.

- The U.S. ambassador to Russia met Monday with detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison for the third time since the journalist’s arrest in March on espionage charges.

- Kyiv called on the international community to protect trade through the Black Sea after a Russian warship shot at a Ukraine-bound cargo vessel on Sunday.

- The Biden administration is set to provide another $200 million in assistance “to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs,” in its forty-fourth military aid installment since August of 2021.

- A drone damaged an apartment building in the western Russian city of Belgorod, injuring a child, a Russian official said.

More live updates here.