Ukraine war latest: Ukraine sacks commander amid fierce battles with Russian forces; Putin reshuffle 'may hint he is preparing for future confrontation with NATO'

Vladimir Putin's surprise choice of new defence minister Andrei Belousov has been speaking to a parliamentary committee as part of his confirmation process.

In his first comments since being named for the post, he called for greater care for soldiers, including better access to housing, hospitals and welfare benefits. 

State media quoted him as saying there was too much bureaucracy surrounding the payment of benefits to military personnel. 

"I think it's a mess when participants in the special military operation who come back on vacation are driven from civilian medical institutions to hospitals which are often simply overcrowded. This issue needs to be resolved," Mr Belousov said.

The comments appeared to be aimed at demonstrating to members of the armed forces that he understands their concerns and will work to improve their conditions. 

In recent days, some German politicians have been calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine enforced by NATO.

A German government spokesperson has rejected the notion, saying its stance has not changed since the alliance last denied the request.

"We rejected that at the time and I think the same applies to the different requests that are now being made," the spokesperson said.

NATO rejected a Ukrainian request for the no-fly zone in March 2022, days after Russia's invasion began.

At the time, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg justified the decision on the basis that "we are not part of this conflict".

"We have a responsibility as NATO allies to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine," he said.

Vladimir Putin's cabinet reshuffle could indicate he is preparing for any future confrontation with NATO, according to a US thinktank.

The replacement of defence minister Sergei Shoigu strongly suggests he is preparing the economy and military-industrial complex for a protracted war with Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War says.

The ISW's analysis is based on the appointment of Adrei Belousov to the post - an economist with no military experience.

He has a reputation for being an effective technocrat who has been charged with integrating Russia's defence industrial base into wider domestic policy, the ISW says.

"These high-level reshuffles following the Russian presidential election strongly suggest that Putin is taking significant steps towards mobilising the Russian economy and defence industrial base to support a protracted war in Ukraine and possibly prepare for a future confrontation with NATO."

Mr Belousov has been focused on technological innovation and drone output, which is "likely to be extremely valuable to the Kremlin".

"The Kremlin has recently had to reckon with a gap between Russian drone production and contemporary battlefield realities," the ISW says.

Ukraine has sacked the commander responsible for Kharkiv, military command has said.

Nazar Voloshyn told RBC-Ukraine media a decision was made on Saturday to appoint Brigadier General Mykhailo Drapatyi to the position.

The day before, Russia launched an incursion across Ukraine's northeastern border into the Kharkiv region.

One soldier blamed poor fortifications at the border, telling Sky News the Russian army walked "freely" across it.

Fighting continues in villages nearby, with the region's governor warning earlier this morning that it could spread to new areas.

Away from the frontline and Russia's internal politics, Georgians have been protesting against what they say are Russian-style, autocratic laws.

Non-violent protests were attacked by police snatch squads, seizing demonstrators and beating them.

International affairs editor Dominic Waghorn reports from the crowd... 

The governor of the Kharkiv region has said there is a threat of fighting spreading to other settlements.

Russian forces have been attacking the border in small groups in an attempt to stretch the frontline, Oleh Syniehubov said.

The situation was difficult, he added.

On Friday, Russia launched an incursion across Ukraine's northeastern border into the Kharkiv region.

Mr Syniehubov has described "massive shelling" of the town of Vovchansk, with attacks also on other Kharkiv settlements like Lukyantsi and Bugruvatkata.

Some 5,762 people have been evacuated, he said.

Russia's acting foreign minister has said Russia is prepared if the West wants to fight for Ukraine on the battlefield.

Sergei Lavrov was quoted by the state-run RIA news agency, following a similar warning from the Kremlin last week.

Moscow said that sending NATO troops into Ukraine would potentially be extremely dangerous, and it was closely watching a Ukrainian petition calling for such an intervention. 

You may notice Mr Lavrov, who has been in post since 2018, is operating under the title "acting" foreign minister.

This is because, by law, Russian government ministers resign just before a president is sworn in and remain "acting" until their appointment is approved by parliament - which is all but guaranteed.

Vladimir Putin's decision to sack two key government figures may appear baffling, but it is driven by perceptions of the defence ministry and the economics of war, says Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett.

The Russian president has removed defence minister Sergei Shoigu and security council chief Nikolai Patrushev from their posts.

"Both were very close Putin aides, they had been in post a very long time and this comes at a time when Russia has the upper hand on the battlefield - that's why it is so shocking, so baffling, so why did Putin do it?" says Bennett.

He explains the Kremlin painted the move as getting tighter control on defence spending - which has ballooned to 6.6% of GDP.

"There is a perception that the ministry of defence under Shoigu has not been as frugal as it could be, to say the least.

"There are also allegations of corruption."

One of Mr Shoigu's deputies was recently arrested on corruption charges, so his sacking is in part about "fixing those perceptions".

His replacement, Andrei Belousov, is an economist, suggesting there is also a practical purpose to the reshuffle.

"That tells you that Russia, right now, wants to ensure that the military-industrial complex is operating as efficiently as possible," Bennett says.

"The entire economy here is geared around the war, geared around the military.

"Putin clearly wants to make sure Russia can continue to fight his war for as long as he wants."

Russia's northeastern incursion on Friday has so far been blamed on poor fortifications and delays to Western weapons, but military experts have come to a different conclusion. 

The Institute for the Study of War says it was largely a consequence of the West's restrictions on Ukraine using donated weapons to strike military targets in Russia.

Ukraine would "greatly benefit" from using long-ranged systems to hit Russian logistics and routes supplying its Kharkiv offensive, the US think tank said.

"Russian forces are reaping the benefits of the West's long-term restriction on Ukraine using Western-provided weapons to strike legitimate military targets on Russian territory - territory that Russian forces now depend on to sustain their offensive operations in northern Kharkiv."

Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, recently gave the go-ahead for Ukraine to use UK-supplied weapons to hit Russia, but this was "insufficient" and "came too late" to have an impact on the border, the ISW said.

Nor are Ukrainian drone operations effective enough to undermine the offensive.

The tacit Western policy has been encouraged by a Kremlin information campaign threatening Western nations, the ISW said.

The thinktank said the Kremlin will continue with the same rhetoric to "inhibit Ukraine's ability to use all its available weapons to defend against the current Russian offensive operations in northern Kharkiv Oblast, forcing Ukraine to allocate other resources to a less effective defence and creating opportunities for Russian forces on other sectors of the front to exploit".

Latest from the ground

Russian forces have been attempting to isolate Vovchansk by "increasingly targeting bridges" and by attempting to encircle the town via three adjacent settlements - Buhruvatka, Starytsya, and Izbytske - to cut Ukrainian lines of communication, the ISW said.