Europe

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s defense minister said Russian forces took control Sunday of the last major Ukrainian-held city in Ukraine’s Luhansk province, bringing Moscow closer to its stated goal of seizing all of Ukraine’s Donbas region.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that Russia’s troops together with members of a local separatist militia “have established full control over the city of Lysychansk,” Russian news agencies reported.

02 July 2022; Tehran (ISNA) – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister and top negotiator Ali Bagheri met his Russian counterpart Sergey Ryabkov in Moscow.

Mikhail Ulyanov, the Permanent Representative of Russia to the International Organizations and Russia’s top negotiator in Vienna, has also been present in the talks, according to his own Twitter post on July 1.

The meeting in Moscow came two days after Doha talks which were held on Tuesday and Wednesday over issues that remained from the Vienna talks.

SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — A group of young off-duty Ukrainian soldiers gathered at a military distribution center to enjoy a rare respite from the fighting that has again engulfed their fractured home in eastern Ukraine.

As they shared jokes and a pizza, artillery explosions could be heard a few kilometers away — a reminder of the looming battle that threatens to unfold here in the city of Slovyansk, which was occupied by Russian proxy fighters in 2014.

KHERSON, July 2. /TASS/: Russian security services thwarted a terrorist attack in the city of Kherson, the regional Interior Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"Officers from Russian security services thwarted a major terrorist attack in Kherson yesterday, detecting a condenser exploder," the statement reads.

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/: Excluding Russia from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is possible only if the entire organization is disbanded and created anew, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said.

Commenting on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s calls to strip Russia of its permanent UNSC member status, Polyansky said those remarks "do not stand up to scrutiny."

"Naturally, all normal people realize that this scenario will be possible only if the UN is disbanded and created anew," he told the Soloviev Live TV channel.

GROZNY, July 2. /TASS/: Allied forces have completely surrounded the city of Lisichansk, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Saturday.

"The trap has closed, allied forces have completely surrounded Lisichansk. It’s fair to say that a full-scale offensive on the city will begin soon. The enemy has nowhere to go because all routes in and out of the city are blocked," he wrote on Telegram.

According to earlier reports, over 2,000 members of Ukrainian territorial defense units remain in Lisichansk, protecting foreign mercenaries.

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/: Ukraine is facing significant losses on all fronts, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

"The enemy is facing significant losses on all fronts. Three battalions from the Tenth Mountain Assault Brigade and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade [of the Ukrainian Armed Forces] lost more than half of their personnel near the Verkhnekamenka and Zolotarevka settlements in just one day," he noted.

MINSK, July 2. /TASS/: Ukraine’s Armed Forces attempted to attack military facilities in Belarus several days ago, but the missiles were intercepted, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday.

ATHENS, July 2 (Reuters) - An Iranian-flagged tanker seized by Greece in April, part of whose cargo was confiscated by the United States, was being towed to the port of Piraeus on Saturday, Greek coast guard officials said, after Greek authorities approved its release.

For over two months the Iranian-flagged Lana has been anchored off the Greek island of Evia in a diplomatic impasse which strained Athens' relations with Tehran amid growing tensions between Iran and the United States.

MOSCOW, July 2 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday Ukraine had tried to strike military facilities on Belarusian territory three days ago, but all its missiles had been intercepted, the state-run Belta news agency reported.

Lukashenko, who did not provide evidence for the claim, said Belarus did not want war with Ukraine, but would fight if its own territory was invaded.

The Ukrainian military did not immediately comment.