Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin threatens to use cluster bombs; future of Wagner Group after mutiny 'starting to take shape'

Chinese warships set off for joint exercise with Russian navy

Chinese warships have set off to join Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan for a "security" exercise.

The drill marks enhanced military cooperation between China and Russia since Moscow's invasion.

The flotilla left the eastern port of Qingdao comprised of five warships and four ship-borne helicopters, according to China's defence ministry.

This would be the first time both Russian forces take part in the drill, state newspaper Global Times cited military observers as saying.

Two Russian warships taking part in the drill conducted separate training with the Chinese navy in Shanghai on formation movements, communication and sea rescues earlier this month.

When China's defence minister Li Shangfu met with the head of the Russian navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, in Beijing this month, both sides reiterated pledges to strengthen military ties.

Last ship leaves Ukraine under Black Sea grain deal

The last ship provided safe passage by the Black Sea grain deal has left the port of Odesa, according to Reuters.

The deadline to extend the agreement is fast approaching: Ukraine and Russia have until tomorrow to renew it, but Moscow has so far declined to.

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to end the deal, which has been regarded as crucial to combat hunger crises in developing nations.

In a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday, he said commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports had yet to be fulfilled.

A United Nations spokesman said on Friday that secretary-general Antonio Guterres was waiting for a response from Putin on a proposal to extend the deal.

Why is the deal important?

A blockade set up by Russia's Black Sea fleet after it invaded Ukraine cut off supplies to markets around the world and sent grain prices soaring.

Many people in the world's poorest regions rely on shipments from the Black Sea for food, and it was feared the spiralling cost was fuelling a hunger crisis.

Though unblocking the sea export route helped to address the global food security crisis and lower grain prices, there are still hefty export backlogs.

'Purge of insubordinate commanders' in Russian defence ministry

The Kremlin may be purging insubordinate commanders from the Russian military, according to analysts.

Earlier this week the army sacked General Major Ivan Popov for a "scathing attack" on its top brass, before military bloggers reported yesterday that a second commander was dismissed who had a reputation for speaking up on behalf of his soldiers.

A "pattern of behaviour" is "intensifying" within the Russian command in which commanders "have challenged the authority of senior" leaders, said the Institute for the Study of War.

"Dismissal(s) may be a part of an ongoing purge of insubordinate commanders by the Russian military command and may suggest that the corrosion of the Russian chain of command in Ukraine is accelerating," said the US-based think tank.

Challenges to chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov and defence minister Sergei Shoigu - the pair Wagner sought to topple last month - threaten to "hollow out support for the Russian military command among senior officers", it explained.

General Popov was thought to have bypassed the chain of command and complained about a lack of troop rotations, heavy losses and poor counterbattery capabilities in western Zaporizhzhia directly to Vladimir Putin, the ISW said.

The second commander to be sacked was Major General Vladimir Seliverstov who led a division defending Bakhmut against the Ukrainian counteroffensive where a lack of supplies and poor conditions have been reported.

The ISW said General Popov's complaints "are likely impacting Russian forces throughout" Ukraine and General Seliverstov's reported dismissal four days later "suggest that the Russian command may have fired Seliverstov for similar reasons".

Minefields and target practice: What life is like in recaptured Ukrainian territory

We travelled to communities in the region of Zaporizhzhia that has been recently secured by the Ukrainians.

In the village of Storozheve the signs of war were impossible to ignore. The main street had been obliterated and farms and meadows have been repurposed by the military.

In a grassy ravine, we saw the members of an infantry unit learning how to fire rocket-propelled grenades.

"Have you had a go?" said the commander. "Come," he said, beckoning his troops.

Amid the wreckage, we found signs of everyday life, in the side-streets - and down by the river. A man used a net to fish from the bridge as artillery barrages boomed above him.

We heard the sound of voices behind a battered-looking gate and we asked if anyone was there. Two neighbours appeared and introduced themselves.

Read international correspondent John Sparks's full eyewitness report here...