Russia Ukraine war live: Kyiv says it’s retaken Klishchiivka as drones target Crimea and Moscow

The general in command of Ukraine’s ground forces said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had recaptured the eastern village of Klishchiivka on the southern flank of Bakhmut, which the Russians claimed control of in January.

“Klishchiivka was cleared of the Russians and liberated,” Alexander Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko also confirmed on Telegram that the village was recaptured in heavy fighting by the “Liut” national police united assault brigade, the 80th airborne assault brigade and the 5th assault brigade. Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield report.

Klishchiivka is around six miles (nine km) south of Bakhmut and had a pre-war population of around 400 people. It is several miles (kilometres) north of Andriivka, which was recaptured earlier this week.

Both settlements were substantially destroyed in months of fighting for Bakhmut.

Fresh explosions struck Sevastopol and smoke was seen rising from a prominent landmark just kilometres away from the Crimean city as Ukrainian forces announced they were carrying out a joint intelligence operation in the region illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Pro-Russian Telegram channel ChP Sevastopol reported explosions in the area of Cape Fiolent late on Sunday night, while another Telegram channel reporting on Crimea shared visuals of an explosion and smoke arising from the same area.

The location, on the Crimean peninsula’s southern coast about 16km away from Sevastopol, has a marine radio engineering unit and a radio engineering station with a dozen radar antennas, an unnamed intelligence source told Ukraine’s Suspilne public broadcaster.

The United States saw some “limited” signs that China may allow some communications between the countries’ militaries during 12 hours of talks between senior diplomats in Malta this weekend, according to a senior Biden administration official.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan also raised concerns over China’s assistance to Russia and recent actions by Beijing in the Taiwan Strait during his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the official said.

Ukraine’s department for defence has released a video which it claims shows two Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile systems being destroyed.

“And right after, the headquarters of the brigade and division of the Airborne Forces of the occupiers, which they were covering, were also annihilated,” the statement on Twitter added.

The world must recommit to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals if the ambitious targets are to be met, UK ministers and diplomats will urge at a UN summit next week.

Prime ministerRishi Sunak has been accused of snubbing the gathering in New York, blaming diary pressures for his absence and instead sending a team headed by his deputy Oliver Dowden.

He is not the only world leader expected to miss the summit, which is set to see discussions on the war in Ukraine, artificial intelligence and the threat of climate change.

Ukraine’s president has congratulated his country’s record 34 medals in the Invictus Games – a competition set up by Prince Harry for those injured in service.

Mr Zelensky wrote on Twitter: “I applaud our team: Nazar Vozniuk, Volodymyr Tovkys, Mykola Zaritskyi, Yuliia Shevchuk, and Maksym Zubov.

“They exemplify Ukrainian invincibility.”

Ukraine’s defence ministry has released a video of a soldier returning from battle being reunited with his adoring dog.

“True happiness,” the caption read of the video which was released at 6pm on Sunday.

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser met with China’s foreign minister over the past two days for talks.

The White House said in a statement that Jake Sullivan and Chinese envoy Wang Yi had “candid, substantive and constructive discussions” as the world’s two largest economies try “to maintain open lines of communication.”

The White House said Mr Sullivan and Mr Wang discussed the relationship between the two countries, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Taiwan Strait.

“The United States noted the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The two sides committed to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas between the United States and the People’s Republic of China in the coming months,” according to the statement.

Donald Trump has said he was pleased to hear Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks praising him for suggesting that he were elected to the White House again, he would negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Mr Putin on Tuesday said Trump’s statements were “good” and brought “happiness.”

“Well, I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right,” Mr Trump said on NBC.

Mr Trump said he had had a good relationship with Putin, something he has said several times before, and denied that any deal he would seek in Ukraine would be a win for Russia and allow it to keep territory it has seized.

“That’s something that could have been negotiated,” Mr Trump said. He went on and said, “They could have made a deal where there’s lesser territory right now than Russia’s already taken, to be honest.”

One farm worker died and another was injured on Sunday in Ukraine‘s southern Kherson region after their tractor hit a mine while ploughing a field, Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Liberated after a long Russian occupation, the Kherson region is heavily mined and farmers risk their lives trying to work in fields that have not yet been cleared of mines.

“I’m once again appealing to the residents of the region. Do not start any work until the fields have been inspected by sappers. Take care of your safety,” Mr Prokudin said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmygal earlier this year said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had created the world’s largest minefield with an area of 250,000 square kilometres (96,525 square miles).