Russia-Ukraine war: Zaporizhzhia plant again loses last main power line; public bids farewell to Gorbachev at funeral – as it happened

Nuclear energy facility now linked to grid with a reserve line; former leader buried without state honours. This blog is now closed.

The Russian energy major Gazprom has said Siemens Energy is ready to help repair broken equipment for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, but claimed there was nowhere available for them to carry out the work.

Gazprom, the state-owned oil and gas firm, extended the shutdown of gas flows through its key Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany on Friday evening, citing “malfunctions” on a key turbine along the pipeline.

In Kramatorsk, a rocket hit a food enterprise, injuring a person. Another one hit a light industry enterprise. A fire broke out there.

The city was shelled again. There were loud explosions on the outskirts. In Bylbasivka, private houses were damaged on Shkilna and Yaseneva Streets.

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Mikhail Gorbachev funeral held in Moscow as Putin too busy to attend

Hundreds of mourners pay tribute in Russian capital to former Soviet leader credited with helping to end cold war

Hundreds of mourners are lining up in central Moscow to bid farewell to Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, often credited with bringing an end to the cold war.

The farewell ceremony, which is being held in the Hall of Pillars in Moscow’s House of the Unions, will be followed by a closed funeral in the Novodevichy cemetery.

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Nord Stream 1: Gazprom announces indefinite shutdown of pipeline

Russian energy company had been due to resume gas delivery to Germany on Saturday morning

The Russian energy major Gazprom extended the shutdown of gas flows through its key Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany on Friday evening, providing no timeframe for a reopening.

The move came hours after G7 countries agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil in an attempt to stem the flow of funds to Vladimir Putin’s regime.

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Russia-Ukraine war: Russia says gas pipeline suspended indefinitely; G7 nations agree price cap for Russian oil – as it happened

State-owned Gazprom announces NordStream 1 pipeline to stay out of action citing turbine engine damage after EU announces upper limit on oil prices

Russian news agency Tass is carrying a quote from Alexander Volga, head of the Russian-imposed occupation administration of Enerhodar, the city where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) is located.

It reports he said on Russian television that eight people from the IAEA mission remain at the ZNPP, alongside four more people, who he described as service personnel who accompany them through their activities.

The IAEA mission must state that the presence of the military, the presence of weapons at the station, is a real threat to nuclear safety. This is obvious.

This mission is unique because there are no analogues in the history of the IAEA at all. Missions took place at objects that were controlled by states. But there was no such mission format as it is now.

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Physical integrity of Zaporizhzhia plant ‘violated’, says UN nuclear chief

IAEA head Rafael Grossi says his team will stay at Russian-held site in Ukraine to assess safety and damage

The “physical integrity” of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in south-eastern Ukraine has been “violated”, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said, as Ukraine’s authorities accused Russia of misleading the inspection mission.

After leading a team of inspectors to the Russian-occupied plant, the biggest nuclear power station in Europe, Rafael Grossi said that two IAEA experts would stay on permanently to provide constant monitoring and an uninterrupted flow of information to IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

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Russia-Ukraine war: UN to maintain ‘continued presence’ at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant amid reports of shelling nearby – as it happened

This live blog has now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the war here

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head, Rafael Grossi, has said the agency would consider establishing a continued presence at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

“There has been increased military activity including this morning, until very recently, a few minutes ago … but weighing the pros and cons and having come so far, we are not stopping,” Reuters reports he told journalists before setting out for the nuclear power plant.

Today, at about 6am Moscow time, Ukrainian troops landed on the coast of the Kakhovka Reservoir, 3 km northeast of the ZNPP plant in two sabotage groups of up to 60 people in seven boats and attempted to seize the power plant. Measures have been taken to destroy the enemy, including with the use of army aviation.

In addition, from 8am Moscow time, the armed forces of Ukraine have been shelling the meeting point of the IAEA mission in the area of ​​​​the settlement of Vasylivka and the ZNPP. Four shells exploded at a distance of 400m from the first power unit.

This is Martin Belam in London taking over the live blog from my colleague Samantha Lock. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com

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IAEA team arrive at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after shelling delay

Inspectors on site after Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of trying to sabotage visit

UN inspectors have arrived at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after being delayed for several hours by reports of shelling around Europe’s biggest atomic facility that led to one of its two working reactors being shut down.

The plant’s operator, Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom, said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission was on site on Thursday after Russia and Ukraine had earlier accused each other of trying to sabotage the visit.

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Putin will not attend Gorbachev funeral, Kremlin says

Russian president lays wreath at hospital where Soviet leader died but will snub funeral

Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin has said, in what will be seen as an extraordinary snub by the Russian president.

Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday at 91, will also not receive an official state funeral, a Kremlin spokesperson indicated, making him the first leader since Nikita Khrushchev not to be given that honour.

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Russia-linked firm could gain stake in company behind UK’s national lottery

PPF in line to acquire shares in Allwyn Entertainment, whose UK arm won lottery licence from Camelot

A Czech investment firm with significant interests in Russia could end up owning a 5% stake in the company behind the UK’s national lottery, it has emerged.

První Privatizační Fond (PPF) is poised to acquire shares in Allwyn Entertainment AG via the listing of an investment vehicle in New York in September. Allwyn’s UK subsidiary won the licence to operate the lottery from Camelot this year.

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Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow could expand conflict and should not be underestimated, warns Germany – as it happened

This live blog has now closed. You can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war here

Conservative leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak said the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev will be “remembered by us all” and that he helped “bring peace to Europe”.

Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, describing him as a man “who changed the world and unquestionably changed it for the better”.

Mikhail Gorbachev is one of those people who changed the world and unquestionably changed it for the better. When you look at what he did to make Europe whole, free, to give freedom to the countries of the former Soviet Union – it was quite an extraordinary thing.

And of course, Mikhail Gorbachev is one of those people who triggered a change, a series of changes, that perhaps he didn’t anticipate.

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Gazprom to pay Kremlin £8.6bn after record profits

Politicians wait to see whether Russia switches back on Nord Stream 1 gas supply to Europe

Russian state-backed energy firm Gazprom is poised to hand a bumper £8.6bn payout to the Kremlin after notching up record profits.

The company reported a net profit of 2.5tn roubles (£35.8bn) for the first six months of this year. Oil and gas prices soared during that period, pushed higher by concerns over supplies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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EU foreign ministers agree to suspend visa travel deal with Russia

Move will curb number of Russian nationals entering the bloc but stops short of full tourist visa ban

The EU has agreed to suspend a visa travel deal with Moscow to curb the number of Russian nationals entering the bloc for holidays and shopping, stopping short of a full tourist visa ban demanded by some central and eastern European countries.

Meeting in Prague, the EU’s 27 foreign ministers promised to suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia that makes it relatively easy to obtain travel documents.

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Tributes for Mikhail Gorbachev pour in after death of former Soviet leader – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. Follow all the latest Mikhail Gorbachev updates here

The former farm worker with the rolling south Russian accent and distinctive port-wine birthmark on his head gave notice of his bold ambition soon after winning a Kremlin power struggle in 1985, at the age of 54, Reuters reports.

Television broadcasts showed him besieged by workers in factories and farms, allowing them to vent their frustrations with Soviet life and making the case for radical change.

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Mikhail Gorbachev: a divisive figure loved abroad but loathed at home

Despite being celebrated across liberal democracies, the former Soviet leader was reviled and unpopular in Russia

Until his very last day, Mikhail Gorbachev lived in a dual reality – loved and celebrated in Washington, Paris and London, but reviled by large numbers of Russians who never forgave him for the turbulence that his reforms unleashed.

His policy of ‘glasnost’, or openness, gave Russians previously unthinkable levels of freedom, but for many, his rule will be remembered by the dramatic plunge in living standards that followed.

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Wholesale gas prices tumble as Europe prepares to intervene in energy markets

European Commission says it is working ‘flat out’ on emergency intervention and on longer-term structural reform

The wholesale price of gas has dropped sharply in a rare respite from recent highs on signs that Europe is preparing to intervene directly in energy markets.

The European Commission said it was working “flat out” on an emergency package, and on a longer-term “structural reform of the electricity market” to combat soaring prices while efforts to fill gas storage facilities appear to be ahead of schedule.

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Russia-Ukraine war live: Ukrainian troops begin counter-offensive in south, says military command – as it happened

Southern command spokesperson says Ukrainian troops have begun long-awaited counter-offensive in Kherson region. This blog is now closed

‘There were a lot of mines around [the pitch]’, says the former captain of Obolon Kyiv’s second team. ‘Even now we are still afraid to kick the ball over the fence.’

Kostja Kovalenko describes the reality of life at the team’s training ground before their first match in Ukraine’s second tier, as the Guardian visits the outskirts of Bucha, a war-torn suburb of the capital.

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