VLADIMIR Putin health fears have escalated after the tyrant appeared to fall asleep during a meeting at the Kremlin with his defence minister.
The Russian leader appeared bloated and is rumoured to be undergoing debilitating cancer treatment.
He was seen slumped over and bleary-eyed in the incredible footage – which mysteriously cut away as he appeared to drift off.
Putin, 69, is seen in the Kremlin hunched over his desk as he unenthusiastically congratulates his troops on "liberating" the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk.
Sitting in a staged televised meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, a worn-out Putin tells his forces who fought in the campaign to capture the strategically-important region to "rest and develop their combat capabilities".
Read our Ukraine war live blog below for the latest up-to-date news…
- Louis Allwood
Putin refuses
VLADIMIR Putin has REFUSED to congratulate US president Joe Biden on Independence Day because of Washington's "unfriendly" actions.
The Russian tyrant's hypocritical stance comes amid his brutal war in Ukraine and is responsible for the horrific bloodshed of civilians and soldiers.
But the Kremlin has viewed the annual July 4 celebrations in the US as a perfect opportunity to throw a petty dig at the West.
"Congratulations this year can hardly be considered appropriate," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
"The United States' unfriendly policies are the reason."
- Louis Allwood
10,000 people left in Luhansk
According to reports Serhiy Haidai, head of Luhansk regional administration, says that more than 10,000 people are left in Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine.
The remarks were made during an interview with Ukrainian media.
Lysychansk is the latest city to have been taken by Russian troops.
- Louis Allwood
The UK's Ministry of Defence latest update
The UK's Ministry of Defence have said that Ukrainian forces have "withdrawn" from the Lysychansk region.
The Ministry said: "Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Lysychansk, likely falling back to prepared defensive positions. Russia’s Ministry of Defence had earlier claimed to have completed the encirclement of Lysychansk and secured full control of the city.
"Fighting in and around the city in Luhansk Oblast has intensified over the past week with Russian forces making steady progress.
"The city was the last remaining major population centre in Luhansk Oblast under Ukrainian control. Russia’s focus will now almost certainly switch to capturing Donetsk Oblast, a large portion of which remain under the control of Ukrainian forces."
- Louis Allwood
Two more Brits have been indicted on charges that could lead to the death penalty
Two more British captives in the hands of the DPR have been indicted on charges that could lead to the death penalty.
Andrew Hill, 35, and Dylan Healy, 22, face an upcoming trial.
Hill, a father of four from Plymouth, was allegedly a “mercenary” fighting for the Ukrainians.
Healy, from Cambridgeshire, was previously described as a civilian volunteer seeking to evacuate people from war-ravaged Ukraine.
The Aid worker, 22, has been accused of being a terrorist and a mercenary.
He was detained with Brit helper Paul Urey, 45, near Zaporizhzhia on April 25. They face trial.
A humanitarian aid group insists pictures posted online with witness statements and documents prove he was on a mercy mission.
- Louis Allwood
Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner's best hope is a prisoner exchange
Their best hope is that a prisoner exchange leads to them being swapped with Russian soldiers captured in Ukraine.
"A cassation appeal against the verdict was filed today," said the lawyer representing Aslin, Pavel Kosovan, today.
The Britons were sentenced to death along with Moroccan Brahim Saadoun for "mercenary activities" by fighting for Ukraine.
- Louis Allwood
Russia aims to 'undermine Ukraine's existence'
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has said the Kremlin's goal is the destruction of Ukraine.
She said Russia wanted to undermine Ukraine's very existence.
The EU will set up a reconstruction platform to co-ordinate the rebuilding of Ukraine once the war ends, she added.
- Louis Allwood
'Hope about the future'
Liz Truss, the British Foreign Minister,has called for a new Marshall Plan to re-build Ukraine.
Truss said the new aid program needs to be driven by Ukraine itself.
She went on to add that there should be an immediate push to support Ukrainians' return to their homeland.
The main aim would be giving Ukrainians "hope about the future".
Truss said the UK would be hosting next year's Ukraine Reconstruction Conference.
- Louis Allwood
Lysychansk falls into Russian hands today
The strategically important city of Lysychansk fell into Russian hands today, completing a long-held objective by Moscow to capture the whole of the Donbas region which consists of neighbouring Donetsk.
Just before the invasion on February 24, Putin recognised the so-called independent states of Luhansk and Donetsk where Russian proxies have been fighting an insurgency since 2014.
The capture of Lysuchansk, sealing the rest of Luhansk for Moscow, was a major military goal set out by the Kremlin when it invaded earlier this year and rounds off a dismal campaign to capture the whole of Ukraine.
- Louis Allwood
Putin struggles to stay awake during war meeting
THIS is the moment slumped "cancer-ridden" Vladimir Putin struggles to stay awake during a war meeting before the camera mysteriously cuts out.
The ailing autocrat is hunched over his desk as he unenthusiastically congratulates his troops on "liberating" the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk.
Sitting in a televised meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, warn-out Putin tells his forces who fought in the campaign to capture the strategically-important region to "rest and develop their combat capabilities".
The Russian leader – who's rumoured to have Parkinson's or terminal cancer- staggered through his speech and appeared to almost doze off.
In a hearse voice, Putin says: "Other military units, including the East group and the West group, must carry out their tasks according to previously approved plans."
- Louis Allwood
Aiden Aslin lodges appeal according to Russian media
Aiden Aslin, a British man sentenced to death, has lodged an appeal against his sentence, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
In the report, a man said to be his lawyer is quoted as saying that the appeal was for charges that carried the death penalty.
According to the report, the purpose of the appeal is to "avoid execution".
According to reports the other Briton sentenced to death in Donetsk on 9 June, Shaun Pinner, lodged an appeal earlier.
- Louis Allwood
Brittney Griner has been abandoned by US says WNBA coach
WNBA coach James Wade has suggested that Brittney Griner has been abandoned by the US as she misses another game for the Phoenix Mercury.
Brittney has been detained for more than 130 days after a scan of her belongings at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport allegedly revealed that she had cartridges containing liquid with hashish oil.
Wade, who coaches the Chicago Sky, made the comments on July 2 – as reported by the Chicago Sun Times – as his team faced off against Griner's in her absence – and one day after her trial began in Russia.
"We have a woman who represents everything that we’re supposed to stand for that’s sitting in a prison," Wade said.
"And we’re just making posts. She’s played for our country and brought our country glory, and this is how we’re treating her. It’s disgusting."
- Louis Allwood
What tennis stars are missing Wimbledon due to the Russian ban?
World number one Daniil Medvedev will play no part at Wimbledon.
The US Open champion is banned along with all players who represent Russia.
Aslan Karatsev is excluded from Wimbledon as part of the Russian ban as well as Karen Khachanov.
World number six Aryna Sabalenka, a national of Belarus, is the highest ranked WTA player to be banned from Wimbledon.
Though a resident of Boca Raton, Florida, former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka has been banned due to her Belarussian nationality.
- Louis Allwood
Wimbledon lodge appeal against fine for player ban
This year Wimbledon is taking place without any Russian or Belarusian players taking part following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Officials at the tennis tournament say they've lodged an appeal against an estimated £827,000 fine issued by the WTA women's tour, which opposed Wimbledon's ban.
A spokesperson for Wimbledon organisers, the All England Club, told the BBC they were appealing the fine – but refused to confirm the amount handed down by the WTA.
Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton told the AFP news agency: "It's subject to a legal process so I can't comment specifically but what I will say is that we stand by the decision we made.
"It was difficult and challenging and we thought about the ramifications. But it was the right decision for us."
- Joseph Gamp
Ukraine renews invitation for Pope Francis to visit war-torn country
Ukraine renews its invitation for Pope Francis to visit Ukraine and urges the pontiff to continue praying for the Ukrainian people, a Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
"It is time to deepen connections with those who sincerely desire it. We renew the invitation to Pope Francis to visit our country and urge you to continue praying for the Ukrainian people," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said when asked for comment about an interview Francis gave to Reuters.
The pope said in the interview that he hoped he would be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv after a trip to Canada as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
- Joseph Gamp
Ukraine says Russia ramped up missile strikes during 2nd half of June
Oleksii Hromov, a brigadier general in Ukraine’s armed forces, said on Thursday that Russia had ramped up missile strikes in the second half of June.
Hromov told a news conference that more than half of the missiles were from Soviet reserves and less precise, adding that was why Russia was hitting residential buildings.
Russia has denied targeting civilians since invading Ukraine in late February. Reuters was not immediately able to verify Hromov’s remarks.
- Joseph Gamp
Putin orders Ukraine offensive to continue after capture of Lugansk
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to press ahead with Moscow's offensive in Ukraine after troops took control of the entire Lugansk region.
"Military units, including the East group and the West group, must carry out their tasks according to previously approved plans," Putin told Shoigu.
"I hope that everything will continue in their direction as has happened in Lugansk so far."
Shoigu told Putin this weekend that Moscow's forces were now in full control of the Lugansk region, a major victory for the Kremlin more than four months after its leader sent troops into Ukraine.
Putin said on Monday that troops that took part in the Lugansk campaign should "rest and rebuild their combat capabilities".
After giving up on its initial aim of capturing the capital, Kyiv, following tough Ukrainian resistance, Russia has focused its efforts on securing full control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine.
- Joseph Gamp
Russia will respond in kind to Bulgarai's expulsion of diplomats
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow would respond in kind to Bulgaria's expulsion of 70 Russian diplomats.
Russia's ambassador to Bulgaria, an EU and NATO member state and once a close ally of Russia, said last week she would ask Moscow to close its embassy in Sofia over the expulsions.
- Joseph Gamp
Ukrainian official admits Lysychansk could fall
As Russian forces continue their assault on the last free city in the region, an advisor to Zelenskyy has admitted the city could fall.
“This is indeed a threat. We shall see. I do not rule out any one of a number of outcomes here. Things will become much more clear within a day or two,” said Oleksiy Arestovych.
“If Lysychansk is taken, strategically it becomes more difficult for the Russians to continue their offensive. The front lines will be flatter and there will be a frontal attack rather than from the flanks.”
- Joseph Gamp
Putin REFUSES TO congratulate Biden on Independence Day
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not congratulate his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Monday's U.S. Independence Day because of Washington's "unfriendly" actions towards Moscow, the Kremlin said.
"Congratulations this year can hardly be considered appropriate," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
"The United States' unfriendly policies are the reason."
- Joseph Gamp
Kremlin says unrest in Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan region is domestic issue
The Kremlin said on Monday that the deadly unrest that has broken out in Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan region was an "internal matter" for Tashkent.
Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia considered Uzbekistan a "friendly country" and had no doubt that its leadership would work to resolve the issue.
Eighteen people were killed and 243 wounded during unrest in Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan province last week over plans to curtail its autonomy, Uzbek authorities said on Monday.
- Joseph Gamp
Russian hockey star detained for allegedly dodging military draft
Russian hockey star Ivan Fedotov has been detained for allegedly trying to dodge military service and sent to the country's Far North to serve, Russian media reported on Monday.
One-year military service is mandatory in Russia but is relatively unpopular, and many now fear it due to the prospect of being sent to Ukraine.
Fedotov, the 25-year-old goalkeeper of the Russian national hockey team, had recently signed a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers and was due to leave soon for the United States.
He was detained in Saint Petersburg on Friday evening because he was suspected of wanting to evade military service, several Russian media outlets said.
Several outlets said the hockey star was admitted to hospital after his detention because he felt unwell.
Fedotov's lawyer and the TASS news agency said he was sent to Severomorsk in the Murmansk region of the Arctic, which is also home to a major naval base.
Other media, including sports newspaper Sport-Express and the Fontanka website, said Fedotov was sent to Severodvinsk, in the neighbouring Arkhangelsk region.
His lawyer confirmed he had been hospitalised.
- Joseph Gamp
Luhansk governor says Russia will shift main focus to Donetsk region
Russia will shift the main focus of its war in Ukraine to trying to seize all of the Donetsk region after capturing neighbouring Luhansk, the Luhansk region's governor said on Monday.
Governor Serhiy Gaidai told Reuters in an interview that he expected the city of Sloviansk and the town of Bakhmut in particular to come under attack as Russia tries to take full control of what is known as the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.
Russia says it has established full control over the Luhansk region following a withdrawal by Ukrainian forces from the bombed-out city of Lysychansk.
"In terms of the military, it is bad to leave positions, but there is nothing critical (in the loss of Lysychansk). We need to win the war, not the battle for Lysychansk," Gaidai said.
"It hurts a lot, but it's not losing the war."
He said the withdrawal from Lysychansk had been "centralised", indicating that it had been planned and orderly, but that Ukrainian forces had risked being surrounded.
"Still, for them (Russian forces) goal number 1 is the Donetsk region. Sloviansk and Bakhmut will come under attack – Bakhmut has already started being shelled very hard," he said.
- Joseph Gamp
Russian cargo ship detained
A Russian cargo ship has been detained by Turkish customs authorities after it was reportedly carrying stolen grain from Ukraine.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, said “We have full co-operation. The ship is currently standing at the entrance to the port, it has been detained by the customs authorities of Turkey”.
He says that the ship’s fate will be decided by a meeting of investigators tomorrow.
- Joseph Gamp
Captured Azov fighters will face trial, Putin ally says
Captured members of Ukraine’s armed forces who served in the Azov battalion will face trial, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament said on Thursday.
“These nationalists, who hands are covered in blood, are not humans.
“They are awaiting trial,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, in a post on Telegram.
- Louis Allwood
Putin could claim his forces have seized Luhansk
The Russian defence ministry earlier said its troops have taken full control of Lysychansk, although Ukraine denies the claim.
Russia specialist Prof Mark Galeotti has told the BBC that Lysychansk's fall to the Russians would enable Putin to say his forces have seized Luhansk – one of the two regions that make up the Donbas.
If Russia took control of the Donbas it will be something Putin “will be able to spin as a victory, and probably that is the point at which he would feel comfortable with how the war has gone”.
He says the Russian's attack on Lysychansk is part of a "slow, grinding offensive".
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