Ukraine war live: Kyiv flies drones 1,100 miles to hit Russian supersonic bombers at Arctic base

Russian president Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow would exit the unilateral moratorium on deploying intermediate-range weapons if Washington begins deployment of such weapons in Germany.

Speaking at a naval parade in St Petersburg, Mr Putin vowed “mirror measures” after the US earlier this month announced that it will start deploying the weapons in 2026.

The US said it was to affirm its commitment to Nato and European defence following Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“If the US implements such plans, we will consider ourselves free from the previously imposed unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and shorter-range strike weapons, including increasing the capability of the coastal forces of our navy,” Mr Putin said. He added that Moscow’s development of suitable systems is “in its final stage.”

Both Washington and Moscow have in recent weeks signaled readiness to deploy intermediate-range ground-based weapons that were banned for decades under a 1987 US-Soviet treaty.

The US pulled out of the agreement in 2019, accusing Moscow of conducting missile tests that violated it.

Russia‘s state-run Tass news agency said the Olympic organising committee revoked accreditation for four of its journalists in Paris on Sunday and that the committee attributed the move to a decision by French authorities, but gave Moscow no further explanation.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin’s office declined to comment on the case but noted that decisions to withdraw accreditation lie with the Games’ organiser, Paris 2024, based on information provided by the government.

Paris 2024 organisers had no immediate comment.

One of the four Tass reporters told Reuters they had been informed by Paris 2024 organisers that they would no longer be accredited for the Games. The four journalists are two reporters and one photographer who had come to cover the Games as well as one reporter who works in France.

“They (the organisers) said it had to do with security,” the reporter told Reuters. He said he still had his accreditation but when he tried to go through the security check it was no longer valid. He said the decision left one Tass photographer accredited.

Tass quoted its own public communications and international projects department as saying the move came as a surprise and that the four had entered Paris without incident. Three of those affected had covered the opening ceremony and some other events without any complaints from organisers, it added.

The Quad meeting of foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States has begun in Tokyo as diplomats discussed issues pertaining to the security of the Indo-Pacific region.

However, it is expected to be overshadowed by the war in Ukraine.

The talks are being attended by Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan’s Yoko Kamikawa and Antony Blinken from the US, following security discussions between Tokyo and Washington on Sunday where the allies labelled China the “greatest strategic challenge” facing the region.

“We are charting a course for a more secure and open Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region by bolstering maritime security and domain awareness,” Mr Blinken said in remarks to the press after the meeting.

“It means strengthening the capacity of partners across the region to know what’s happening in their own waters,” he added.

Japan’s Ms Kamikawa said: “Uncertainty surrounding the international order as well as the international situation has been increasing with Russia continuing its aggression in Ukraine, attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea.”

She highlighted the need to build up cybersecurity capability and provide training opportunities in maritime security to protect and develop prosperity in Indo-Pacific.

Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed one guided missile this morning, Ukraine’s air force said.

The country’s air defences also shot down nine out of 10 drones launched overnight, it added.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken stressed the importance of a “just and enduring peace” for Ukraine in a meeting with Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Quad summit in Tokyo.

“Secretary Blinken underscored the importance of realizing a just and enduring peace for Ukraine consistent with the UN Charter,” the State Department said in a statement on Sunday on the meeting between Mr Blinken and Mr Jaishankar.

It comes ahead of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Ukraine in August, various Indian media outlets have reported in recent days. It would mark the Indian leader’s first visit to the country since the war began.

Social media posts from both Mr Blinken and Mr Jaishankar on Sunday mentioned their meeting but did not specifically mention Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones flew 1,100 miles to strike a supersonic long-range missile carrier in an Arctic base in Russia’s far north, according to reports.

The drones targeted a Tupolev Tu-22M3 Tupolev Tu-22M3, a long-range supersonic missile carrier bomber, which was stationed at the “strategic aviation” base, Ukrainian Pravda reported, citing Ukraine’s intelligence unit.

Russia has not commented on the attack yet.

The attack saw Ukrainian drones operating just 200km from the Finnish border.

Finland’s president Alexander Stubb said: “We have no cause for concern in Finland. We have the situation under control and are able to respond”.

The Olenya airfield has been blamed for Russian cruise missile attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. The bomber that was attacked was behind the bombing of the children’s hospital in Kyiv less than a month ago.

Volodymyr Zelensky did not mention the strike directly in his evening address, but said: “Each destroyed Russian airbase, each destroyed Russian military aircraft — whether on the ground or in the air — means saving Ukrainian lives”.

A utility infrastructure facility in the Voronezh region caught fire briefly from the falling debris of a destroyed Ukraine-launched drone, the governor of the southwestern Russian region that borders Ukraine said on Monday.

“The fire has already been extinguished,” Alexander Gusev, the governor, said on the Telegram messaging app. “According to preliminary information, there are no injuries.”