Ukraine round-up: Conflict overshadows G7 summit

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Rescuers at wrecked apartment block in Kyiv, 26 Jun 22Image source, Reuters

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Rescuers at the wrecked apartment block in Kyiv

Russia fired dozens of missiles at Ukraine for a second day, hitting Kyiv and many other places, as Western leaders prepared their next moves against Moscow.

A Kyiv apartment block was destroyed, killing at least one and wounding six others including a seven-year-old girl. It was the heaviest barrage on the capital for months.

A large blast crater was gouged in a nursery school playground near the nine-storey block, whose top floors were ripped apart.

Ukraine says 14 missiles were fired at the Kyiv region, but the strikes extended far beyond the city. Other areas included the central city of Cherkasy, where one person died, and the north-eastern Kharkiv region.

The Russian defence ministry said high-precision weapons struck Ukrainian army training centres in the regions of Chernihiv, north of Kyiv, and Zhytomyr and Lviv west of the capital. The BBC was unable to verify details of the strikes beyond Kyiv.

Unity on Ukraine - but also anxiety

Leaders of the G7 group of industrial nations gathered at a castle in Bavaria, southern Germany, facing tough decisions on the Ukraine crisis.

At the three-day meeting they are expected to promise further military support for Ukraine and impose more sanctions on Moscow.

But as BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale points out, recently some policymakers in Europe have questioned how far support for Ukraine should go, while others have discussed their long-term relationship with Russia.

The G7 leaders were determined to overcome those divisions, with a show of unity led by US President Joe Biden. The G7 brings together Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, US and EU.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the conflict was on a knife-edge and the West had to tip it in Kyiv's favour.

Ukraine urged them again to provide more heavy weapons for Kyiv and further isolate Russia economically.

Spotlight on Ukraine at Glastonbury

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine left its mark on the world-famous Glastonbury Festival in England, the BBC's Mark Savage reports.

Beatles legend Paul McCartney showed his solidarity with Ukraine by waving the country's flag during his performance.

The Ukrainian winners of Eurovision, Kalush Orchestra, were among those praising the star for his support.

They and another Ukrainian band - folk quartet DhakaBrakha - performed at the festival, helping spread their message of resistance.

Red Cross traces missing relatives

Image source, EPA

Image caption,

Ukrainian servicemen are taken from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, after a months-long battle

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been helping families find their loved ones lost in war since 1859. But now the Ukraine conflict has made them busier than ever, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva.

The Central Tracing Agency is trying to bring news to worried mothers in Ukraine and Russia. At a call centre workers pass on family messages, which range from the practical to the heart-breaking.

They are getting prisoner lists from both Russian and Ukrainian forces, and the numbers are believed to run into the thousands. They include Ukrainians who surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol in May.

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