Ukraine war live updates: Russia stirs outrage with plan for tactical nukes in Belarus; Ukrainian town now ‘post-apocalyptic’

Intense attacks on the eastern Donetsk town of Avdiivka and the damage they’ve caused prompted a Ukrainian official to liken the destruction to what you would see in a “post-apocalyptic” movie.

Utility workers were evacuated from Avdiivka, a town just over 50 miles southwest of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, as fighting intensified at the weekend.

“Avdiivka is becoming more and more like a site from post-apocalyptic movies … Therefore, a difficult decision was made to evacuate the rest of our heroes — utility workers who at least tried to keep the city clean and livable,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration, said on Telegram Sunday.

Barabash told any remaining residents to leave the town while they were still able to, saying: “so now I do not ask, I strongly recommend leaving Avdiivka, because Russian rockets and projectiles do not spare anyone or anything, no matter what views you hold,” he said.

Ukrainian military officials have already warned that the town could be a “second Bakhmut,” where there has been heavy fighting for over seven months.

On Monday, Ukraine’s general staff said Russia was concentrating its offensives around Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka and two other settlements, and added that its forces had repelled more than 60 attacks in the past 24 hours along the eastern front.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia and China are strengthening their cooperation in a variety of areas, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday, but insisted his country isn’t creating a military alliance with the Asian nation.

“This is absolutely untrue,” Putin said when asked in a televised interview Sunday whether cooperation between Moscow and Beijing poses a threat to the West.

“We are not creating any military alliance with China. Yes, we also cooperate on the track of military-technical cooperation, we do not hide it, but it is transparent, there is nothing secret there,” Putin told the Rossiya-24 TV channel, according to remarks published on the state news agency Tass.

Nonetheless, Putin said Moscow is developing its military cooperation with Beijing, including joint exercises.

“By the way, not only with China, but with other countries as well. We even continue it now, despite the developments in Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson,” he said, referring to territories in Ukraine that Russia has declared to be annexed, a move not recognised by most of the international community.

“We still continue; it’s all transparent, but it’s not a military alliance,” Putin added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made a high-profile state visit to Moscow last week where both leaders reaffirmed their strategic partnership. Beijing is seen as the senior partner in the relationship.

There have been concerns that China could help Russia with lethal military aid, but Western nations have warned that such a move would lead to sanctions on Beijing.

— Holly Ellyatt

NATO criticized Russia’s nuclear rhetoric after Moscow’s announcement at the weekend that it will station a supply of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

“Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible,” a spokesperson told NBC News.

“NATO is vigilant, and we are closely monitoring the situation. We have not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own. We are committed to protect and defend all NATO allies,” the spokesperson added.

Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plan to station tactical nukes within Belarusian territory do not violate non-proliferation agreements as the weapons would be under Russian control.

“There is nothing unusual here either: firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries,” Putin said.

“We agreed that we will do the same — without violating our obligations, I emphasize, without violating our international obligations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons,” he added.

NATO said “Russia’s reference to NATO’s nuclear sharing is totally misleading,” however, adding that “NATO allies act with full respect of their international commitments.”

“Russia has consistently broken its arms control commitments, most recently suspending its participation in the New START Treaty.”

“Russia must return to compliance and act in good faith,” the spokesperson added. 

— Holly Ellyatt

NATO and Ukraine’s Western allies have expressed dismay at Russia’s announcement at the weekend that it will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the move on Saturday, saying a deal had been struck with his ally Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a leader who is seen as subservient to Moscow.

Putin claimed Lukashenko had long asked for the weapons to be stationed in Belarus, a country that borders NATO member Poland.

The Russian president said 10 aircraft that are capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons had already been moved to Belarus and that the construction of storage facilities for the weapons in Belarus would be completed by July 1. 

A spokesperson for the Western military alliance NATO responded to the move by branding “Russia’s nuclear rhetoric” as “dangerous and irresponsible,” while the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Belarus not to host Russian nuclear weapons, commenting on Twitter that “Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and threat to European security.” Borrell also warned of sanctions against Minsk.

A senior Ukrainian official, meanwhile, said the Kremlin had taken “Belarus as a nuclear hostage” and is looking to destabilize Belarus with the deal.

Defense experts and academics argue over the term, but “tactical” nuclear weapons generally refer to weapons designed to be used on the battlefield for specific tactical gains, rather than for the all-out destruction of larger targets like cities.

In announcing the move, Putin insisted the plan did not violate non-proliferation agreements as the weapons would be under Russian control.

“There is nothing unusual here either: firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries,” Putin said.

“We agreed that we will do the same -— without violating our obligations, I emphasize, without violating our international obligations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.”

— Holly Ellyatt