Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin nemesis Navalny ‘missing for three days’ as president stands for re-election

Vladimir Putin’s jailed arch-critic Alexei Navalny has not been heard from in three days after suffering a “serious health-related incident”, according to allies who fear his “life is at great risk”.

The Russian opposition politician’s press secretary said his lawyers stood all day outside the penal colony where he is detained – but were denied entry – after he collapsed in his cell.

“We don’t know what it was, but given the fact that he’s not being fed, is being kept in a punishment cell with no ventilation and the time for walks has been reduced to a minimum, it looks like a hunger faint,” said Kira Yarmysh.

“Since this incident, the lawyers have seen Alexey and he has been relatively well. But now it’s the third day that we don’t know where he’s. Before that, there were at least occasional letters from him, albeit censored ones, but there have been no letters all week.”

Maria Pevchikh, chair of Mr Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said: “Navalny’s life is at great risk. He is in complete isolation right now.”

The Kremlin has said the idea that Russia would engage in peace talks with Ukraine on Kyiv’s terms next year was unrealistic.

It was responding to a media report which said Washington wanted such a scenario to unfold.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the idea “absolutely unrealistic”.

The Ukrainian parliament has approved three bills necessary to start European Union accession talks, including one on national minorities’ rights – a demand from Hungary which opposes Ukraine’s bid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who signed all three bills into law, described them as a key step in Ukraine’s application.

An EU summit next week is to consider whether to start negotiations on membership with Ukraine, and neighbouring ex-Soviet Moldova.

EU leaders must unanimously approve the move.

“We expect that Ukraine‘s efforts will be duly appreciated by leaders of the European Union and the corresponding European promises to Ukraine will be fulfilled,” Mr Zelensky said.

Ukraine, he said, had “done everything expected of us” in taking on EU recommendations.

In case you missed it: Four Sukhoi fighter jets escorted Vladimir Putin‘s presidential plane on Wednesday as he arrived in the UAE for a rare trip outside of Russia.

Ukraine’s human-rights ombudsman has voiced hope that a coalition of countries formed to bring back Ukrainian children illegally deported by Russia will be able to come up with a faster mechanism to repatriate them.

More than 19,000 children are still believed to be in Russia or in occupied regions of Ukraine.

The National Coalition of Countries for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which was formed based on a recommendation by Canada, held its first meeting in Kyiv.

Some 72 representatives of countries and international organisations attended.

Addressing the participants, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that such deportations were “not something unsystematic, but the organised work of Russia’s state system”.

He said forcible deportation was one of the war’s most heinous crimes and “a clear indicator of Russia’s genocidal policy”.

Bulgaria’s parliament has approved the provision of additional military aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

A majority of 147 MPs voted to supply Ukraine with portable anti-aircraft missile systems and surface-to-air missiles of various types intended to bolster Ukraine’s air defence capabilities, the state-run BTA news agency reported.

Military experts said the missiles, which are either defective or redundant, cannot be repaired in Bulgaria, but Ukraine has the facilities to fix them or use them for spare parts.

Some 55 lawmakers from pro-Russian groups in parliament voted against sending the aid, underscoring the divisions in the country over helping Ukraine.

Bulgaria joined Nato in 2004, but maintains stocks of Soviet-designed weapons.

In addition, parliament approved the use of Bulgarian airspace for training of Ukrainian F-16 pilots and allowed up to four rotating infantry or mechanized Ukrainian army units of up to 160 people per year to transit or stay in Bulgaria for training.

In a separate vote, MPs overrode a veto by the country’s pro-Russian president on providing Ukraine with 100 Soviet-era armored personnel carriers and available armament, as well as spare parts.

Ukrainian forces are still fighting to retake Bakhmut. Last month Russian forces started ramped up attacks in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to gain ground near Avdiivka and around Bakhmut.

Russian police have put prominent Russian-American journalist and author Masha Gessen on a wanted list after opening a criminal case against them on charges of spreading false information about the Russian army: