Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin ‘threatening civilian ships in Black Sea’ as Kyiv makes battlefield advances

Vladimir Putin has been accused by a Ukranian official of threatening civilian boats in the Black Sea in the aftermath of Russia’s withdrawal from the UN-brokered deal that allowed safe passage of grain. The official accused the Russian president on Friday of deploying “the methods of terrorists” and said ships heading to Ukrainian seaports could be considered military targets. “Russian warships are threatening civilians in the Black Sea, violating all norms of international maritime law,” Andriy Yermak, head of Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. In a separate statement, Ukraine‘s border guard service said it had intercepted a warning communicated by Russia to a civilian vessel passing near a Ukrainian port on Thursday. It did not identify the name of the ship or the port, but said: “The aggressor’s warships continue to behave brazenly and audaciously in the waters of the Black Sea, violating all the norms of international maritime law”. Russia did not immediately respond to Yermak’s comments or to the border guard service’s statement. Mr Putin is meeting with African heads of state on Friday. Read More Even Putin admits Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s forces – but progress will be slow Putin promises grain aid to Africa despite withdrawing from Ukraine deal Ukrainian fencer disqualified from world championships for refusing handshake with Russian opponent Russian defence minister meets Kim Jong-un during visit to arms exhibition in North Korea