Ukraine-Russia war live news: Kyiv says it has liberated first village in counter-offensive action

Ukraine has “penetrated” the first line of Russian defences in some areas and is making “good progress” in its counteroffensive, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

Kyiv has conducted “significant operations” over the past 48 hours in southern and eastern parts of the country, it added.

“In some areas, Ukrainian forces have likely made good progress and penetrated the first line of Russian defences,” the MoD said in a statement

“In others, Ukrainian progress has been slower.” The MoD added that Russia’s progress in the war has been “mixed”.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said he will “hold hands” with Russian president Vladimir Putin as the two allies look to bolster strategic cooperation on their shared goal of building a powerful country, state media KCNA reported today.

Calling for “closer strategic cooperation” with Moscow, Mr Kim said he will be “holding hands firmly with the Russian president, in conformity with the common desire of the peoples of the two countries to fulfil the grand goal of building a powerful country,” according to his message published by the state media.

He made the pledge in a message to Mr Putin marking Russia’s National Day, defending his decision to invade Ukraine and displaying “full support and solidarity.”

“Justice is sure to win and the Russian people will continue to add glory to the history of victory,” Kim said in the message published by KCNA.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said he will “hold hands” with Russian president Vladimir Putin as the two allies look to bolster strategic cooperation on their shared goal of building a powerful country, state media KCNA reported today.

Calling for “closer strategic cooperation” with Moscow, Mr Kim said he will be “holding hands firmly with the Russian president, in conformity with the common desire of the peoples of the two countries to fulfil the grand goal of building a powerful country,” according to his message published by the state media.

He made the pledge in a message to Mr Putin marking Russia’s National Day, defending his decision to invade Ukraine and displaying “full support and solidarity.”

“Justice is sure to win and the Russian people will continue to add glory to the history of victory,” Kim said in the message published by KCNA.

The UN atomic watchdog said it needs wider access around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to check “a significant discrepancy” in water level data at the breached Kakhovka dam used for cooling the plant’s reactors.

The measurements received by the agency from the inlet of the plant showed that the dam’s water levels were stable for about a day over the weekend, the International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said.

He is expected to visit the nuclear power plant this week.

“However, the height is reportedly continuing to fall elsewhere in the huge reservoir, causing a possible difference of about two metres,” Mr Grossi said in a statement.

“The height of the water level is a key parameter for the continued operability of the water pumps.”

“It is possible that this discrepancy in the measured levels is caused by an isolated body of water separated from the larger body of the reservoir,” he said in the statement. “But we will only be able to know when we gain access to the thermal power plant.”

The water from the reservoir is used to cool the facility’s six reactors and spent fuel storage, the IAEA said.

The top official said that the thermal power plant “plays a key role for the safety and security of the nuclear power plant a few kilometres away,” hence the need for access and independent assessment.

Ukraine claimed the first successes of its counteroffensive as it recaptured three villages from Russian forces in the southeast of the country on Sunday.

Unverified footage showed Kyiv’s forces hoisting the Ukrainian flag at a building in the village of Blahodatne in Donetsk region and posing with their unit’s flag in the adjacent village of Neskuchne.

The troops also reportedly retook Makarivka, the next village to the south, and advanced between 300m and 1,500m in two directions on the southern front, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said in a statement.

“No positions were lost on the directions where our forces are on the defensive,” Ms Maliar added.

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For most teenagers Minecraft remains just a hobby, but one Ukrainian schoolboy’s love for the game has meant he can now afford to buy his homeless mother a house.

Lomond School pupil Maksym Gavrylenko has made a “substantial” sum after selling the server he ran from his bedroom, which allows gamers from all over the world to connect to and play together on, with friends.

The 17-year-old boarding school pupil said: “I am very proud that I was able to turn my passion into a profitable business and I plan on treating my mother.

“As a result of the war, she was forced to flee her home, leaving her homeless, so to buy her a property will make all the hours spent on this project worthwhile.”

ICYMI: Ukraine’s military on Sunday reported recapturing a village in the southeast of the country amid Russian claims of repelling multiple attacks in the area, the latest indication that a highly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive might be underway even as officials in Kyiv stop short of publicly acknowledging it.

The 68th Separate Hunting Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces posted a video on Facebook showing soldiers installing a Ukrainian flag on a damaged building in what the post said was the village of Blahodatne in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region. In a separate social media post, Ukraine’s Ground Forces confirmed that the brigade had retaken Blahodatne.

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The 2014 episode of Parts Unknown set in Moscow and St Petersburg has been called one of the “most prescient” in the series, indicating the authoritarian path the country was on.

During filming in late 2013, Nemtsov told the chef: “Tony, I was born here 54 years ago. This is my country. Russian people are in trouble. Russian court doesn’t work, Russian education declines every year, and I believe that Russia has a chance to be free. Has a chance. It’s difficult but we must do it.”

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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the first cargo of discounted Russian crude oil arranged under a new deal struck between Islamabad and Moscow had arrived in Karachi.

“Glad to announce that the first Russian discounted crude oil cargo has arrived in Karachi and will begin oil discharge tomorrow,” Sharif tweeted.

“This is the first ever Russian oil cargo to Pakistan and the beginning of a new relationship between Pakistan and Russian Federation,” he added.

A port official said on Sunday evening that the oil was in the process of being unloaded.