Ukraine-Russia war live: Kyiv’s troops forced back by intense fighting in east as Putin’s soldiers advance

North Korea criticised the United States for supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine, state media KCNA reported this morning, citing a statement from the defence ministry.

The United States in recent weeks secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in its battle to fight off Russian invaders, a US official said on 24 April.

The director of the Department of Foreign Military Affairs of North Korea’s Ministry of National Defence yesterday told the outlet: “The US has secretly supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine, sparking off uneasiness and concern of the international community.”

“The US can never defeat the heroic Russian army and people with any latest weaponry or military support,” the director said.

Military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow are growing which the US and its allies see as escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

Two Russian journalists have been arrested on extremism charges for working for a group founded by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin both denied the charges, for which they will be detained for a minimum of two months before any trials begin. Each faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organisation,” according to Russian courts.

They are just the latest journalists arrested amid a Russian government crackdown on dissent and independent media that intensified after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. The Russian government passed laws criminalising what it deems false information about the military, or statements seen as discrediting the military, effectively outlawing any criticism of the war in Ukraine or speech that deviates from the official narrative.

A journalist for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, Sergei Mingazov, was detained on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military, his lawyer said on Friday.

Gabov and Karelin are accused of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which has been outlawed by Russian authorities. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in February.

Gabov, who was detained in Moscow, is a freelance producer who has worked for multiple organisations, including Reuters, the court press service said. Reuters did not immediately comment on the ruling by the court.

Karelin, who has dual citizenship with Israel, was detained on Friday night in Russia’s northern Murmansk region.

Karelin, 41, has worked for a number of outlets, including for the Associated Press. He was a cameraperson for German media outlet Deutsche Welle until the Kremlin banned the outlet from operating in Russia in February 2022.

“The Associated Press is very concerned by the detention of Russian video journalist Sergey Karelin,” the AP said in a statement. “We are seeking additional information.”

The foreign office in Tajikistan has advised all citizens to “temporarily refrain” from travelling to Russia.

The advisory was issued after officials expressed concerns about Tajiks being “unjustifiably” denied entry to Russia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

Human rights organisations have also reported rising levels of prejudice against people from Central Asia in Russia after the shooting at a concert hall in Moscow on 22 March.

Ukraine is very likely to stabilise the frontlines in the coming months, with the possibility of starting a counteroffensive later this year.

According to analysts from think tank, Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces are suffering from widespread tactical failures.

As long as the Russian military continues with these struggles, Ukrainian forces will be able to exploit them, especially with the help of military aid from the US.