Massive queues in Moscow as shoppers take last chance to shop at H&M

Retailer halted operations in Russia after invasion of Ukraine but has reopened for limited time to sell remaining stock

Long lines of Russian shoppers formed outside H&M stores in Moscow shopping centres this week when the Swedish fashion retailer reopened its doors to sell off stock before pulling out of Russia for good.

Along with a series of other western brands including Ikea, Nike, and the Zara owner, Inditex, H&M halted operations in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February but opened its doors one last time this week to clear out remaining goods.

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Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv calls Amnesty report that says Ukrainian forces are putting civilians at risk a ‘perversion’ – as it happened

Kyiv hits back after charity says Russia’s attacks ‘unjustifiable’ but Ukraine’s tactics are endangering civilians. This live blog is closed.

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has again appealed for access to a Ukrainian nuclear power plant now controlled by Russian forces to determine whether it was a source of danger.

Contact with the Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which is at Zaporizhzhia and is being operated by Ukrainian technicians under occupation, was “fragile” and communications did not function every day, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi told Swiss paper Tages-Anzeiger.

During the day, pyrotechnic units of the state emergency service were involved 117 times, 691 explosive objects were detected, removed and neutralised. The territory with an area of 92 hectares was surveyed.

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UN to investigate prison attack that killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war

Next challenge is to get Russia and Ukraine to agree on terms of reference to investigate atrocity, says UN secretary general

The UN is setting up a fact-finding mission to investigate the killing of dozens of prisoners of war at a prison in a Russian-occupied region of eastern Ukraine that Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of carrying out.

António Guterres, the UN secretary general, told reporters he did not have authority to conduct criminal investigations but could conduct fact-finding missions, and terms of reference were being prepared for the governments of Ukraine and Russia to approve. The mission was set up in response to requests from Russia and Ukraine.

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US Senate overwhelmingly approves Nato membership for Finland and Sweden

In 95-1 vote, body supports ‘slam-dunk for national security’ after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The US Senate delivered near-unanimous bipartisan approval to Nato membership for Finland and Sweden on Wednesday, calling expansion of the western defensive bloc a “slam-dunk” for US national security and a day of reckoning for Vladimir Putin.

The 95-1 vote for the candidacy of two European countries that, until Russia’s war against Ukraine, had long avoided military alliances took a crucial step toward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and its 73-year-old pact of mutual defense among the United States and democratic allies in Europe.

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Russia to open duty-free shops selling western imports to foreign diplomats

Goods must be paid for in foreign currency, a practice reminiscent of Soviet-era beryozka stores

Russia will introduce duty-free shops selling western imports to diplomats for foreign currency in a practice that will remind many Russians of the infamous beryozka stores that epitomised official privilege during the Soviet era.

The shops, which could open as soon as the autumn, will sell imported goods that may become hard to find in ordinary Russian shops as foreign brands flee the country over the war in Ukraine.

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Russia-Ukraine war live: Scholz insists turbine at centre of Russian gas row works; 10m Ukraine border crossings since invasion – as it happened

German chancellor says no reason to hold up return of turbine behind energy standoff; UN says number of border crossings from Ukraine passes 10m mark

Mykola Tochytskyi, deputy minister of foreign affairs, has repeated Ukraine’s request for the skies over nuclear installations to be closed to prevent a potential accident and their misuse. He posted to Twitter saying:

The Russian leadership openly threatens the world with its ability to use nuclear weapons, backed by the clear calls to do so by the Russian state media.

For the first time in history, civil nuclear facilities have been turned into military targets and springboards for the Russian army in breach of the non-proliferation provisions on peaceful use of nuclear energy.

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Ukrainians at risk from anti-refugee tensions in host countries, report warns

Falsehoods and disinformation could cause breakdown in relations with local communities, says World Vision

Ukrainian refugees are likely to become victims of rising tensions and disinformation campaigns in their host countries, a report has warned.

False reports exaggerating how much aid refugees receive compared with local people, as well as linking refugees with violent crime and political extremism, could cause a breakdown in relations with local communities, the charity World Vision said.

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Putin’s reported girlfriend Alina Kabaeva hit with US sanctions

Kabaeva, 39, former rhythmic gymnast the Kremlin denies is romantically involved with Putin, has assets frozen by US treasury

Vladimir Putin’s purported lover has been hit with sanctions from the US government’s treasury department over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Alina Kabaeva, 39, landed on the latest update to the federal Office of Foreign Assets Control’s specially designated nationals list, freezing any of her assets in the US and generally prohibiting Americans from dealing with her.

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First shipment of Ukrainian grain reaches Turkish waters; Kremlin accuses US of direct role in war – as it happened

First grain ship to leave Odesa since invasion reaches Turkish waters; Moscow says US is sharing intelligence with Ukrainian forces. This live blog is closed.

Ukraine’s ministry of defence quoted Scots poet Robert Burns’ Scots Wha Hae this morning while issuing what it claims are the latest casualty figures that it has inflicted on Russian forces.

They claim to have killed approximately 41,170 Russian troops, as well as destroying more than 1,750 tanks, 4,014 armoured combat vehicles, 223 jets and 191 helicopters. The claims have not been independently verified.

Liberating the city is one thing, but liberating the whole Kherson region is something else. We know it won’t happen now, but still have hope.

The roads of the region are dotted with numerous checkpoints, and you can always hear bombing raids. There are many soldiers in the cities.

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Austrian doctors speak out after suicide of GP following Covid threats

Lisa-Maria Kellermayr was targeted by conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers before taking her own life

Austrian medical representatives have called for greater protection for doctors after a GP who faced months of violent threats from anti-vaccination activists and pandemic conspiracy theorists took her own life.

Lisa-Maria Kellermayr was found dead in her practice in the lakeside resort of Seewalchen am Attersee on Friday. Prosecutors told the media they found three suicide notes and were not planning to carry out an autopsy.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.

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Russian soldiers accuse superiors of jailing them for refusing to fight

Rare public comments expose tensions inside the ranks of Russia’s army over the invasion of Ukraine

A group of Russian soldiers have accused their commanders of jailing them in eastern Ukraine for refusing to take part in the war, in a rare public exposure of tensions inside the ranks of Russia’s army over the invasion.

Maxim Grebenyuk, a lawyer who runs the Moscow-based advocacy organisation Military Ombudsman, said at least four Russian soldiers had filed written complaints with the investigative committee, demanding punishment for the superiors who oversaw their detainment.

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Gazprom daily gas output in July lowest since 2008, analysis suggests

Output last month of Russian firm was down 14% on June, sharpening fears Moscow could provoke energy crisis in Europe

The daily gas production of Russia’s Gazprom dropped in July to its lowest level since 2008, figures suggest, amid continued fears that Moscow could cause an energy crisis in Europe by shutting off the supply.

The state-owned energy firm pumped 774 million cubic metres a day last month – 14% less than in June – according to analysis by Bloomberg of data released on Monday.

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Grain ship leaves Ukraine port for first time since Russia blockade

Attack on Odesa port had cast doubt on deal negotiated by Turkey and UN to avoid widespread famine

A ship carrying Ukrainian grain has left the port of Odesa for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion under an internationally brokered deal to unblock Ukraine’s agricultural exports and ease a growing global food crisis.

The Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni, carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn, finally set sail for Lebanon on Monday morning, according to Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry, following weeks of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, led by Turkey and the United Nations.

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Germany puts coal power plant back on network after gas supply cut

Mothballed facility in Lower Saxony gets emergency permission to run until April

A coal-fired power plant that had been mothballed has become the first of its kind to be put back on to the network in Germany, as debate rages over how Europe’s largest economy will cope without Russian gas.

The facility in Lower Saxony, which is owned by the Czech energy company EGH, has received emergency permission to run until April in an attempt to boost energy production.

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Arms dealer ‘100% sure’ Russian agents behind blast at Bulgarian depot

Emilian Gebrev says explosion on Sunday is latest of repeated attacks against him by GRU operatives

A Bulgarian arms dealer who survived an apparent novichok poisoning in 2015 said he was “100% sure” that Russian operatives were behind an explosion and subsequent fire at one of his depots in the country on Sunday.

“There is no way this could be an accident, there was nothing in the building that could have detonated without outside interference,” Emilian Gebrev said in a telephone interview.

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Attack on Mykolaiv hospital described as ‘cynical terrorism’; Moscow bans 39 Britons including Keir Starmer – as it happened

City’s mayor condemns attack on medical facilities; former UK PM David Cameron also among those now blacklisted

Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of Kharkiv, has posted to Telegram to say that two men were injured by shelling at 7am today in the Saltivka region of Kharkiv. One of the men, aged 72, subsequently died in hospital. The claim has not been independently verified.

About 300 people are now considered missing during the hostilities in the Kyiv region. The 216 bodies found have not yet been identified. An appropriate DNA selection procedure was carried out. I hope that thanks to cooperation with relatives, we will be able to identify these persons.

It is not only that some citizens are now in captivity. While documenting war crimes in the Kyiv region, we found out that many people are currently being held on the territory of Belarus.

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Kosovo delays plan for volatile north as tensions rise near Serbian border

Protesters set up roadblocks and shots were fired after Pristina brought in rules that would mean Serbs in Kosovo must use Kosovo licence plates

The Kosovo government postponed implementation of a decision that would oblige Serbs in the north of the country to apply for car license plates issued by Pristina institutions after tensions rose between police and local communities.

Late on Sunday protesters parked trucks filled with gravel and other heavy machinery on roads leading to two border crossings, Jarinje and Bernjak, in a territory where Serbs form a majority. Kosovo police said they had to close the border crossings.

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‘Sad … proud’: disappointment in Germany over loss to Lionesses

After stunning run ends with defeat at Wembley, German team receives praise for inspiring nation and winning new fans

Germany reacted with disappointment after being beaten by England in a nail-biting and historic final at Wembley.

“A hundred and twenty minutes of pure passion and pure struggle weren’t enough today,” tweeted the official account of the German team, after their 2-1 defeat. “Respect and congratulations to the Lionesses.”

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