Ukraine reportedly sets up positions on eastern Dnipro river in attempt to dislodge Russian troops – as it happened

Constant attacks from Russian troops have made it impossible for Kherson residents to return to their normal lives. This blog is now closed

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Ukraine's military have set up positions on the eastern side of Dnipro river near Kherson city. Infiltrating the area could be a first step towards trying to dislodge Russians from positions they are using to shell and shoot at Kherson.

France and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania expressed dismay that China's ambassador in Paris questioned whether Crimea is part of Ukraine. France stated its full solidarity" on Sunday, with all the allied countries affected, which it said had acquired their independence after decades of oppression".

Russia is advising citizens to avoid travel to Canada. Russia cited what it calls numerous cases of discrimination against its citizens, including physical violence, its foreign ministry has said.

Russia appeals for real men" in new military recruitment drive. Russia's defence ministry has launched a major drive for volunteer recruits, pitching to their masculine pride and appealing for real men" amid a limited pool of fighting-age men in Russia, the UK Ministry of Defence says.

Evacuations in Russian city of Belgorod after bomb scare. More than 3,000 people in the Russian city of Belgorod were returning to their homes on Saturday after being evacuated while an explosive was disposed of, the local governor said.

At least five Russian missiles hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and surrounding districts late on Saturday night, damaging civilian buildings, local officials said. One missile hit a house in the village of Kotliary, just to the south of Kharkiv, while another caused a fire in the city itself, said the regional governor, Oleh Sinegubov.

Russia's defence ministry claimed it had captured another three districts in the western part of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Troops who have continued into the heavily contested city are thought to be part of the Wagner group of mercenaries.

Russia confirmed it would expel 20 German diplomats in retaliation for its own diplomats being sent home from Berlin, the Tass news agency said, citing Russia's foreign ministry.

Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has again refused to take sides in the war in Ukraine, calling for a negotiated political solution" between Kyiv and Moscow. We urgently need a group of countries to sit round a table with both Ukraine and Russia," he said after a meeting with the Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in Lisbon.

The former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday that if the G7 moved to ban exports to Russia, Moscow would respond by terminating the Black Sea Grain deal that enables vital exports of grain from Ukraine, Reuters reports.