Ukraine LIVE: Troops told to flee for their lives from major city as Putin's army advances

Vladimir Putin's support appears to be on the brink in Russia as 115 soldiers refused to fight in his twisted war in Ukraine.

Court documents show that 115 national guardsmen, a force also known as Rosgvardia, were fired for "refusing to perform an official assignment" to fight in Ukraine.

The soldiers instead returned to a duty station. Rosgvardia is a militarized force separate from the army, created in 2016 to fight terrorism and maintain public order.

It is often referred to as Vladimir Putin’s "private army", as it is regularly used in crackdowns on anti-government protests.

More US weapons are arriving in Ukraine, the country's foreign minister has said. 

Following a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken,  Dmytro Kuleba said heavy weapons were on the “top of the agenda” of discussions.

Russia's military is preparing for a "long war", an international security expert has said. 

Dr Neil Melvin, Director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute, told  Express.co.uk: "There is some evidence that the military is preparing for a long war.

"They are starting to feel now that they will have to fight for many months, maybe even years. It is going to become harder and harder to overcome Ukrainian resistance.

"The question really becomes about whether Russia on one side has the resources and the will to keep fighting, and whether Ukraine is willing to pay the price for the war."

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Ukrainian troops are being told to prepare to fully retreat from Severodonetsk in order to evade being captured, the governor of Luhansk has said as Putin's army advances further into the Donbas.

In a post on the Telegram messaging service, Serhiy Gaidai said: "We have enough strength and resources to defend ourselves. However, it is possible that in order not to be surrounded we will have to retreat."

He added that the "Russians will not be able to capture Luhansk region in the coming days as analysts have predicted".

Russia has captured the city of Lyman and encircled most of Severodonetsk in its mission to take complete control of the Donbas.

Vladimir Putin close ally Ramzan Kadyrov has threatened to attack Poland in response to its support for Ukraine.

The leader of the Chechen Republic warned Russia can show Poland "what we're capable of in six seconds if there is an order".

He added: "You better take away your weapons and your mercenaries and officially apologise to our ambassador".

It comes after protestors threw red paint over Russian ambassador Sergey Andreev in Warsaw on Russia's Victory Day. Poland has been a fierce ally to Ukraine since the invasion began, taking in millions of Ukrainians who have fled to conflict

Ukraine's Moscow-led church has publicly disagreed with Patriarch Kirill over Russia's war.

In a statement, the “Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate” said it condemns the war and “disagrees with Patriarch Kirill on the war in Ukraine.”

The Kremlin is considering another attack on Kyiv, Meduza has reported. 

Sources close to the Kremlin told the news site that advances in eastern Ukraine and the expectation that Russia can win a war of attrition against Kyiv have revived Putin's hope that a full-scale victory is possible by the end of the year. 

The sources added that Russia has a "minimum" and "maximum" threshold for declaring victory in Ukraine - the minimum being taking control of the Donbas and the maximum being capturing Kyiv. 

A NATO defence meeting including Sweden, finland and Georgia will take place from June 15- 16, NEXTA has reported. 

Lithuania has raised 3.3 million euros in two days to buy Bayraktar drones for Ukraine.

 According to Lithuanian TV presenter Andrius Tapina the campaign raised about 1500 euros a minute. 

\u26a1\ufe0f Lithuania fundraises 3.3 million euros within 2 days to buy Bayraktar drones for Ukraine.

The fundraising campaign attracted money at a rate of about 1,500 euros per minute, according to Lithuanian TV presenter Andrius Tapina.

\u2014 The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 27, 2022

The Donbas region of Ukraine refers to the old coal and steel-producing areas in the east. 

The regions, Luhansk and Donetsk, run from outside Mariupol in the south all the way to the northern border. 

Russia formally recognises these breakaway areas as independent from Ukraine. 

Russian forces seized more than a third of the area after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Donbas is predominantly Russian-speaking and Putin has repeatedly spoken about "liberating" it completely.

Despite sharing a language, these areas are no longer pro-Russian. 

Defence specialist Konrad Muzyka, head of Rochan Consulting, said: "Mariupol was one of the most pro-Russian cities in Ukraine and to level it is beyond my comprehension."

Ukraine's military may have to retreat from Luhansk - now almost completely under Russian control - in order to avoid being captured, the region's governor has said. 

In a post on the Telegram messaging service, Serhiy Gaidai said: "The Russians will not be able to capture Luhansk region in the coming days as analysts have predicted.

"We will have enough strength and resources to defend ourselves. However it is possible that in order not to be surrounded we will have to retreat."

Liz Truss has dismissed claims emanating from Germany that NATO members are prevented from delivering heavy weaponry to Ukraine.

Some German ministers have justified the slow pace of German arms support to Ukraine by claiming that an agreement exists preventing Nato from sending high-quality heavy weapons to the country.

However, speaking in Prague, Ms Truss said: "I want to be clear. Those rumours are completely untrue. We are very clear it is completely legitimate to be supporting Ukraine with tanks and planes and we are very supportive of the work Czech Republic has done sending tanks to Ukraine."

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Mr Zelensky tweeted that the pair discussed the issue of food supply and ways to prevent a food crisis. 

He added that countries need to work together to unblock Ukrainian ports. 

Had a phone conversation with \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9 Prime Minister #MarioDraghi. Informed about the situation on the frontline. We expect further defense support from our partners. Raised the issue of fuel supply. Ways to prevent the food crisis were discussed. We have to unblock \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 ports together.

\u2014 \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) May 27, 2022

Boris Johnson has stated that more military support for Ukraine is needed. 

Speaking to Bloomberg he said that multiple rocket launch systems needed to be provided. 

He added that Russia is making slow but "palpable progress" in the Donbas.

Vladimir Putin started the invasion of his southwestern neighbour on February 24, 2022. 

He told the Russian people his goal was to "demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine". 

Putin’s declared aim was to protect people subjected to what he called eight years of bullying and genocide by Ukraine's government.

But this escalation came after years of rhetoric claiming that Ukraine rightfully belonged to Russia. 

Putin also claimed the invasion was necessary to protect Russia from the possibility of Ukraine joining the Western defensive alliance NATO. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Ukraine is "sabotaging" negotiating processes between the two countries, the Kremlin said, citing comments made by Putin during a phone call with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Friday.

In a statement, the Kremlin added that Putin informed Mr Nehammer about actions  Russia was taking to secure safe passage for vessels in the Azov and Black Seas.

Good afternoon, I'm Olivia Stringer and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the crisis in Ukraine for the next eight hours. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.

Email: olivia.stringer@reachplc.com 

Twitter: @Livstringer_

NATO has intercepted two Russian jets near Finland's border with Norway.

The Russian aircraft were spotted off the coast of Finnmark in the north of Norway by two F-35 fighter planes on Thursday, May 26. 

The Kremlin planes, a Mikoyan MiG-31 ‘Foxhound’ and Sukhoi Su-24 ‘Fencer’ retreated east after they were intercepted by Norway’s jets. 

Stine Barclay Gaasland, spokesperson for the Norwegian Air Force, said the Russian jets could have provoked “more aggressive action” if they entered Norway's airspace.

READ MORE HERE.

Ukraine is fighting to keep control of the northwestern and southeastern parts of Lyman. 

Defence ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said troops were "counteracting attempts" by Russia to push its offensive towards the key Ukrainian town of Sloviansk. 

US volunteer troops have filmed themselves destroying a Russian tank in rare point of view footage

A number of US soldiers scramble through the forest, with the soldier on whose head the camera is mounted shouting to a fellow troop: “Go, go, go!” 

The soldier breaks through the trees to find a Russian tank desperately trying to run for cover. 

They use shoulder-mounted anti-tank missiles, a weapon that has become symbolic of Ukraine’s fight against Russia, to immobilise the vehicle.

READ MORE HERE. 

More than 4,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine so far, according to the UN Human rights office. 

In total, 4,031 people have been killed, including nearly 200 children, the office said in a statement on Friday. 

Most were killed by explosive weapons with a wide impact such as shelling from heavy artillery or airstrikes.

Russia has denied targeting civilians in the conflict.

Russian lawmakers have reportedly called with the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine. 

The Kyiv Independent reports that four regional lawmakers of the legislature of Primorye Krai in Russia’s Far East have called on dictator Vladimir Putin to end the war.

During the meeting of the legislature, Leonid Vasyukevich, one of the members, said Russian troops are suffering heavy losses and failing to achieve military success.

\u26a1\ufe0fRussian regional lawmakers call for withdrawal of troops from Ukraine.

Four Communist members of the legislature of Primorye Krai in Russia\u2019s Far East have called on dictator Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

\u2014 The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 27, 2022

Vladimir Solovyov has admitted on Russian state TV that he and a colleague are watched over by armed guards. 

The TV host noted that a fellow presenter on the state-run channel Russia1 was also being guarded by Russian security forces in an eye-opening look behind the Kremlin's iron curtain. 

Solovyov told his Russia1 co-hosts: "Due to the circumstance you are aware of, I communicate a lot with the guys who are forced to guard us.

"They are officers of the National Guard."

READ MORE HERE.

Russia State TV host Vladimir Solovyov guarded by soldiers

Boris Johnson has stressed the "vital" need to provide Ukraine with fresh military support including long-range rocket launchers as Russian forces slowly "chew through ground" in eastern Ukraine.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the Prime Minister warned said Putin must accept that his so-called "de-Nazification" has finished so he can "withdraw with dignity and honour".

On peace talks, the Prime Minister said: "How can you deal with a crocodile when it's in the middle of eating your left leg? What's the negotiation, and that's what Putin is doing. He will try to freeze the conflict, he will try to call a ceasefire..."

"The guy's completely not to be trusted."

Russia has lost 29,750 troops, Ukraine's Armed Forces has claimed. 

In its latest update, the force estimates Russia has lost 1,322 tanks, 206 planes, 120 helicopters, 623 artillery systems, and 115 cruise missiles.

These are the indicative estimates of Russia\u2019s combat losses as of May 27, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/T1ueYmgLF3

\u2014 The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 27, 2022

Russia has scattered up to six hundred mines in the waters of the Black Sea, Kyiv claims. 

Some four to six hundred mines were thrown into Ukraine's sea zone by Russia, Sergey Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa Regional Military Administration, said on Telegram.

Stormy weather brought some of these to the surface, with NATO mine-hunting warships discovering the mines as far away as the territorial waters of Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania, the official added.

READ MORE HERE.

Russia is making "slow" but "palpable" progress, Boris Johnson has warned.

The Prime Minister said it is "very important we do not get lulled" by Ukraine's fierce resistance so far. 

He added: "I'm afraid that Putin - at great cost to himself and Russian military - is continuing to chew through ground in Donbas, he's continuing to make gradual, slow, but, I'm afraid, palpable progress."

Mr Johnson said it is "vital" to continue supporting Ukraine's military. 

The Kremlin is blaming Kyiv for the fact peace talks between the two have frozen, saying it is unclear what Kyiv wanted. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Russia is not ready for serious peace talks on Friday. 

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "The Ukrainian leadership constantly makes contradictory statements. This does not allow us to fully understand what the Ukrainian side wants."

Vladimir Putin started the invasion of his southwestern neighbour on February 24, 2022. 

He told the Russian people his goal was to "demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine". 

Putin’s declared aim was to protect people subjected to what he called eight years of bullying and genocide by Ukraine's government.

But this escalation came after years of rhetoric claiming that Ukraine rightfully belonged to Russia. 

Putin also claimed the invasion was necessary to protect Russia from the possibility of Ukraine joining the Western defensive alliance NATO. 

Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is not eager to talk to Vladimir Putin but must face the reality to end the war. 

Addressing an Indonesian think tank the Ukrainian President said there are things to discuss with the Russian President and Ukraine must face "what we are living through". 

He added: "What do we want from this meeting... We want our lives back... We want to reclaim the life of a sovereign country within its own territory."

Zelensky said Russia does not appear ready for serious peace talks.

Vladimir Putin will only be ousted from office if his health condition deteriorates, according to sources close to the President.

News outlet Meduza reports frustration is rising not only among opponents of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but also among Putin's allies.

It said, “dissatisfaction among senior officials amounts to little but idle conversations in private”.

Many are understood to be disappointed that “only a major health issue could drive the President from office”.

Putin’s health has been a topic surrounded by speculation since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Some reports have drawn attention to footage which appears to show the leader swollen-faced, gripping onto the arms of chairs while in meetings and distractedly rocking his feet.

READ MORE HERE.

Pro-Russian separatists from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic have claimed to have taken full control over the strategic town of Lyman in the east. 

Ukrainian and Russian forces had been fighting for the Donbas region town for several days.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the information.

Ukraine is threatening Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with the disruption of a crucial pipeline unless he agrees to more sanctions against Russia.

Mr Orban is holding a veto on the EU Commission's proposed package of sanctions which includes a ban on Russian oil.

Frustrated with the delay, Olena Zerkal, an adviser to the Ukrainian energy minister and Ukraine’s former deputy foreign minister, said: “Hungary has taken advantage of the situation."

Speaking at the Kyiv Security Forum on Wednesday evening she warned: “Ukraine has a wonderful lever in its hands — the Druzhba oil pipeline.

“Something could happen.

"In my opinion, it would be very appropriate if something happened to it.”

READ MORE HERE.

Around 90 percent of apartments blocks in Severodonetsk have been damaged by Russian shelling, according to the Head of the Severodonetsk Military-Civil Administration Oleksandr Struik. 

Russian forces continue to target the area where around 13,000 civilians still remain, taking shelter in basements.

Mr Striuk said around 60 percent of buildings in the city will require deep renovation. 

85-90% of apartment blocks in Severodonetsk have been damaged due to Russian shelling since the start of the full-scale invasion, 60% of buildings will require deep renovation 2/2

\u2014 Hromadske Int. (@Hromadske) May 27, 2022

A pro-Russian separatist leader in East Ukraine said that more than 5,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war were being held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, TASS reported.

Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report.

Russia is focusing its efforts in the cities of Severodonetsk and Lyschansk

In Lyschansk people are being forced to cook outside as the city is without electricity or water. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia "want to turn Popasna, Bakhmut, Lyman, Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk into ashes as they did with Volnovakha and Mariupol.

Volodymyr Zelensky is calling on the West to ramp up sanctions on Russia to end the "senseless war".

The Ukrainian President is criticising the West saying: "The catastrophic unfolding events could be still stopped if the world treated the situation in Ukraine as if it were facing the same situation if the powers that be did not play around with Russia but really pressed to end the war."

He is complaining about the disagreements within the EU on imposing more sanctions.

How many more weeks will the European Union try to agree on a sixth package?" Zelensky asked.

He continued: "Pressure on Russia is literally a matter of saving lives.

Every day of procrastination, weakness, various disputes or proposals to 'pacify' the aggressor at the expense of the victim merely means more Ukrainians being killed."

Joe Biden is set to send Ukraine advanced long-range rocket systems as part of a larger military and security package.

If approved it could be sent as early as next week.

In recent weeks senior Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelensky have pleaded for the US and its allies to send the Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS.

This weapon can fire a barrage of rockets hundreds of kilometres. much further than the Ukrainians currently can.

Kyiv believes that weapons such as the MLRS could be a game-changer in the war against Moscow.

READ MORE HERE.

Ramzan Kadyrov has threatened to attack Poland in response to its support for Ukraine.

The leader of the Chechen Republic and Putin's close ally warned  Russia can show Poland "what we're capable of in six seconds if there is an order".

He continued: "You better take away your weapons and your mercenaries and officially apologise to our ambassador".

It comes after protestors threw red paint over Russian ambassador Sergey Andreev in Warsaw on Russia's Victory Day.

Kadyrov added: "Ukraine is a done deal. What I’m interested in is Poland."

Russia "remains tasked with occupying southern Ukrainian territory", according to the British Ministry of Defence.

In its latest intelligence update, the ministry said forces "continue their attempt to surround Severodonestsk and Lysychansk" adding that they have captured several villages near Popasna.

"Russia is pressuring the Severodonetsk pocket although Ukraine retains control of multiple defended sectors, denying Russia full control of the Donbas," the ministry added.

In the most recent days Russia "has likely" moved 50-year-old tanks into the Southern Grouping of Forces area which the ministry said, "highlights Russia's shortage of modern, combat-ready equipment".

Good morning I'm Francesca Edwards, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine for the next eight hours. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.

Email: francesca.edwards@reachplc.com

Twitter: @FrankieLEdwards