Ukraine-Russia war – live: Kyiv strikes Crimea port as Biden lifts ban on using US missiles to defend Kharkiv

The United States has given Ukraine permission to use US-supplied weapons to target Russia, but solely for defending Ukraine’s embattled city of Kharkiv, an American official has said.

The decision amounts to a reversal by US president Joe Biden, who had until now steadfastly refused to let Ukraine use American weaponry for strikes inside Russia.

Ukrainian officials, most notably Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, have been increasingly vocal in arguing that the restriction was putting Ukrainian forces in an untenable situation as Russia has intensified attacks around the northeast Kharkiv region.

A Pentagon intelligence agency says analysis of debris imagery confirms that Russia has fielded North Korean missiles in its war in Ukraine, according to a report summary released in an unclassified form on Thursday.

The conclusions of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) follow US assertions that Russia received ballistic missiles and artillery rounds from North Korea after the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, met Russian president Vladimir Putin for a rare summit last September.

The DIA report showed different aspects of North Korean solid-propellant short-range ballistic missiles, comparing images published by North Korean state media to others showing missile debris in Ukraine‘s Kharkiv region in January.

“Analysis confirms that Russia used ballistic missiles produced in North Korea in its war against Ukraine. North Korean missile debris was found throughout Ukraine,” the DIA said in a statement accompanying the release of an unclassified summary of the report.

Russia’s embassy in Washington and North Korea’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied accusations that North Korea transferred weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022.

The Czech Republic will ask countries for further contributions to its drive to source ammunition supplies for Ukraine from around the world, foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said.

Earlier this week, Prague said it had contributions of more than €1.6 billion which could cover half a million shells this year.

Ukraine has struck a port in Crimea using Western-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).

Ukraine’s military said it had damaged two ferries in Russian-held Crimea and halted their operations between the peninsula and the Russian mainland.

A Russia-appointed official in Crimea, Nikolai Lukashenko, had earlier acknowledged the strike in the port of Kerch, saying debris from downed Ukrainian missiles had damaged the vessels and operations on the ferry line had been suspended.

Ukraine’s General Staff said the assault was carried out by Western-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).

“As a result of the strike, two ferries carrying out rail and vehicular transport suffered significant damage,” the statement said. “One of them ran aground, blocking the operations of the entire Kerch ferry crossing.”

“The military logistics of the occupiers on the peninsula have been significantly disrupted”.

Hungary‘s top diplomat visited Belarus on Wednesday for talks on expanding ties despite the European Union’s sanctions against the country.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó declared that “our position is clear: the fewer sanctions, the more cooperation!”

The EU has slapped an array of sweeping sanctions on Belarus for the repression, which followed mass protests fueled by the 2020 presidential election that was widely seen by the opposition and the West as rigged.

Sri Lanka and Russia are starting talks Thursday to resolve the issue of Sri Lankans fighting alongside Russians in the war against Ukraine, after at least 16 people were reported missing in action.

Junior Foreign Minister Tharaka Balasuriya said that the Sri Lankans, mostly retired soldiers, had been duped into traveling to Russia with promises of good salaries and privileges including Russian citizenship.

“The situation in Russia is very unfortunate,” Balasuriya told reporters, adding that he is working with the defense ministry to ascertain the number of people fighting in Russia.

Russian missiles struck three sites in Kharkiv, Ukraine‘s second-largest city, killing at least three people and injuring 16, local officials said early today.

The missiles hit a five-storey apartment block, a shop in a three-storey building and a sewing factory, according to various accounts.

The death toll is expected to rise further as people are feared buried under the rubble.

Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said the attacks on the city’s Novobazarskyi district, used the “double tap” technique that has occurred recently, delivering a second strike soon after an initial attack on a given site.

He said that, according to preliminary information, S-300 missiles were used.

“The third, fourth and fifth floors are destroyed, stairwells were destroyed, facades were destroyed,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov told public broadcaster Suspilne, describing damage to the apartment building.

Mr Syniehubov said at least two children were among those injured in the attack, which occurred at about midnight local time. He warned that residents could be trapped underneath rubble left by the strike.

Two people suffered injuries after a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil depot in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar caused a massive fire, officials in the region said. Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the fire was caused by falling drone debris and has been controlled since.

“The situation is more serious in the Temryuk district, the infrastructure of the oil depot there was damaged by an air strike,” he said on the Telegram messaging app.

The head of the Temryuk district of Krasnodar said on Telegram that two people suffered minor injuries as a result of the attack.

The extent of the fire is not yet known.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has said targeting Russia’s energy, military and transport infrastructure undermines Moscow’s overall war effort.

Russia has previously denounced Ukranian attacks on its civilian energy facilities and residential areas as terrorism.

The chief of Ukraine‘s army has said Russia is pushing more troops into the northeastern Kharkiv region where Moscow’s forces have made significant advances in a spring offensive.

Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence operation claimed that sea drones destroyed two Russian KS-701 patrol boats in the Black Sea off the Russia-annexed Crimean peninsula. Russian officials did not immediately comment on the claim.

The air force said the overnight attacks included eight S-300 ballistic missiles, 11 cruise missiles and 32 Shahed drones. All the drones and seven of the cruise missiles were shot down, the air force said but did not give other details.

China will not attend the Ukraine peace conference being hosted by Switzerland next month, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Beijing declined the invitation because the conditions for their participation were not met, including the inclusion of both Russia and Ukraine, three sources stated.

The Swiss government, which has a largely neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, is hosting a summit on 15-16 June and expecting a diverse turnout from various global regions to pave the way for a peace process in Ukraine.

The Swiss have not invited Moscow, casting doubts on what the conference could achieve without the participation of one of the parties to the war.

China has told diplomats this week that the conditions that called for the conference to recognise both Russia and Ukraine were not met, one source said.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday suggested that China could arrange a peace conference in which Russia and Ukraine could participate.