Russia-Ukraine war live: Germany warns of Moscow ‘power plays’ as Putin defends invasion during Victory Day speech | World news

Bethan McKernan

In a first, Ukraine has received Israeli-made radar defence systems, which have already been deployed in Kyiv as of Monday, according to Israeli media reports.

A Lithuanian volunteer organisation known as Blue/Yellow delivered 16 ieMHR models made by Israel’s RADA Electronic Industries last week and three are already in use in the Ukrainian capital, Israeli daily Haaretz said. The systems are designed to detect aerial threats including missiles, rockets, mortar shells, helicopters and drones up to a 10km (6.2m) radius.

The models function as an alert system, and do not have interception capabilities. According to the Blue/Yellow group, the mobile and stationary systems will be used mainly to protect critical installations and infrastructure.

Israel has provided millions in humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the invasion began last February. However, wary of the need to maintain relations with Russia – which facilitates Israeli operations against Iranian-backed actors in Syria – it had refrained from sending military materiel despite repeated requests from Kyiv and Washington.

The Russian deployment of Iranian-made drones, however, appears to have toughened Israel’s position. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was reelected in November, had also pledged to reassess the country’s stance on the war.

Israel has also offered to assist Kyiv in creating a “life-saving civilian early-warning system” to protect against aerial attack and has reportedly shared intelligence on Iran’s drone programme.

Export licences for two Israeli companies to sell defence systems with a 40km (25m) range were approved in March, Israel’s Walla news site reported, citing three Israeli and Ukranian officials.

Ukraine is planning a “very important” counteroffensive against Russian forces that must “demonstrate success”, the country’s prime minister has said.

Denys Shmyhal told Sky News that the operation would be launched when the time was right.

Sky reported:

Mr Shmyhal visited a British military training area on Salisbury Plain to watch British and New Zealand troops helping to train Ukrainian recruits as part of a British-led assistance programme to turn thousands of Ukrainian civilians into soldiers.

Asked whether some of the recruits learning shooting and other skills would be part of the counter-offensive when they returned to Ukraine, the prime minister, speaking in English, said: “On this training base, our future soldiers – guys and girls – are … having all special knowledge and experiences, practical experiences, for the battlefield.”

As for why it was taking so long for the Ukrainian military officially to begin its offensive, Mr Shmyhal said: “We are preparing very carefully because it’s a very important operation and we understand that we should demonstrate success in this operation to our society, to our partners, to all the world [and] to our enemy.”

The EU must not be intimidated by Moscow’s showcasing of military power but continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said on Tuesday as Russia marked Victory Day with a parade.

“Two thousand two hundred kilometres north-east from here, Putin is parading his soldiers, tanks and missiles today,” Scholz told lawmakers in a speech at the European parliament in Strasbourg.

“We must not be intimidated by such power plays. Let’s remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine – for as long as it takes.”

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said there is currently no prospect of peace between Russia and Ukraine because “both sides are convinced that they can win”.

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País on Tuesday, Guterres was pessimistic about the EU and the UN’s ability to broker an end to the conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion last year.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think peace negotiations are possible at the moment,” he said. “Both sides are convinced they can win. This was a Russian invasion that was against international law and against the United Nations charter, but I don’t see Russia being willing to pull out of the territories it’s occupying at the moment and I think Ukraine is hoping to retake them.”

Guterres said the UN was instead doing what it could “to have a dialogue with both sides to solve concrete problems”, such as Ukrainian grain exports and Russian food and fertiliser exports.

The secretary general played down hopes of Chinese or Brazilian mediation to bring about an end to hostilities.

“I’ve already said that peace negotiations aren’t going to happen at the moment,” he said. “But I hope they will in the future. There was talk of a Russian winter offensive and a Ukrainian one in the spring; it’s clear that both sides are completely involved in the war.”

Putin tells Russian soldiers ‘whole country praying for them’

Pjotr Sauer

Vladimir Putin has told Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine that the “whole country is praying for them”, as he used his Victory Day speech to defend his invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at the 78th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Russian president drew historical parallels between the second world war and fighting in Ukraine

“Today, civilisation is again at a decisive, turning point, a real war has been unleashed against us again,” Putin said in a speech that was laced with anger.

“We are proud of the participants of the special military operation. The future of our people depends on you,” he said.

Putin accused the west of “destroying traditional values” and propagandising a “system of robbery and violence.”

“The goal of our enemies, and there is nothing new here, is to achieve the disintegration and destruction of our country,” he said.

More than 500 Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine were present at the parade, according to state media.

Six leaders of former Soviet states were also present. In a surprise move on Monday, the heads of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Armenia – three post-Soviet countries that Moscow strives to keep in its orbit – announced that they would attend the military parade on Red Square alongside Putin.

“Here is to our victory!,” Putin exclaimed before returning to his seat.

Vladimir Putin has started his speech as part of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow this morning.

The president walked from the Kremlin to Red Square to be greeted by massed ranks of military personnel on Tuesday as the start of a Victory Day celebrations to mark the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the second world war.

Victory Day is one of the most important public holidays in Russia, when people commemorate the huge sacrifices made by the Soviet Union during what is called the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, in which about 27 million citizens died.

This anniversary is even more emotionally charged as Russia mourns thousands of soldiers killed in the nearly 15-month war in Ukraine, which shows no sign of ending.