Ukraine war briefing: Moscow declares BBC Russian correspondent ‘foreign agent’

Ukraine’s air defences are being overwhelmed by concentrated waves of Russian bombing aimed at its power stations, a senior presidential adviser acknowledged after the destruction of an entire plant on Thursday.

China is helping Russia undertake its biggest military expansion since Soviet times, ramping up sales of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for its war against Ukraine, according to a US assessment.

US officials are hoping the release of the intelligence will encourage European allies to press China, as the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, heads to Beijing this weekend and G7 foreign ministers meet in Italy next week.

Russia has summoned the French ambassador over comments by Stéphane Séjourné, France’s foreign minister, that Paris is not interested in dialogue with Moscow as statements from Russian officials contain false information.

Thousands of Russian soldiers are fleeing the war in Ukraine, lying low while awaiting the results of their asylum applications to western countries such as Germany, France and the US, the Associated Press reports.

The premises of Archpriest Mykola Danylevych, a senior member of the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate, was searched on Friday morning by the security service of Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing sources.