Russian troops retreat from Bakhmut 'in bad order'

Russian forces have withdrawn from their positions on the southern flank of Bakhmut in bad order over the last four days, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The retreat has seen Ukrainian forces regain at least a kilometre of territory, the ministry said in its daily intelligence update.

"The area has some tactical significance because it was a Russian bridgehead on the western side of the Donets-Donbas Canal, which marks the front line through parts of the sector," the intelligence update said.

Ukrainian forces appear to have gone on the attack in Bakhmut, pushing Russian forces back after months of drawn-out street battles in the eastern town.

It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Rome to meet Pope Francis and bolster his support from the Italian government.

05:01 PM

A round-up of today's news:

That's all for today. Here's a round-up of the top stories:

• British long-range missiles used in a strike behind Russian lines

• Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Italy to meet both Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis, the former of whom pledged Rome's ongoing support

• Russian troops have been withdrawing 'in bad order' from Bakhmut, according to British intelligence

• An EU minister has called on more European nations to follow Britain's example and provide long-distance missiles to Ukraine

• Four aircraft 'shot down' in Russia near the border, state media claims

• Germany pledges biggest aid package yet to Ukraine

04:54 PM

Zelensky: 'A great honour to meet the Pope'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it is a "great honour" to meet the Pope as he presented him with a bulletproof vest worn by a Ukrainian soldier and later painted with an image of the Madonna.

The President bowed his head and put a hand to his heart as he greeted the 86-year-old who stood with a cane.

The pair spoke for 40 minutes and a Vatican statement about the meeting is expected later today.

04:46 PM

South Africa neutral in Russia-Ukraine war, government says

A senior South African government adviser has said the country is "actively non-aligned" in the conflict after the US ambassador accused it of selling arms to the Russians.

The U.S. ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said on Thursday he was confident that a Russian ship under U.S. sanctions had collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town when it docked there in December.

Sydney Mufamadi, security adviser to President Cyril Ramaphosa, said: "We need to explain that we indeed are actively non-aligned as far as the conflict is concerned.

"We will make absolutely sure that should wars break out, our contribution will always be calculated at helping the parties and everybody else to bring such conflicts to an end."

04:38 PM

Dispatch: Roland Oliphant reports from the front line at Bakhmut

04:31 PM

'Nationalise economy to support war', says high-ranking Russian

The head of Russia's federal crime agency has said some key sectors of the economy should be taken into state ownership to support the war effort.

Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee, said: "We are essentially talking about economic security in a war. Let's go along the path of nationalising the main sectors of our economy."

Mr Bastrykin reports directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow has already seized assets or acquired them at a heavy discount from some Western firms that have quit Russia or scaled back their activities since the invasion.

04:17 PM

Zelenksy and Pope Francis meet at the Vatican

Volodymyr Zelensky has met Pope Francis during a whistlestop visit to Rome, in which he also met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Photos showed the Ukrainian President arriving at the Vatican to meet the the religious leader.

Last month, his prime minister Denys Shmyhal met with the Pope to discuss a "peace formula", while the Pontifex has said he will do "all that is humanly possible" to help with the repatriation of Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russia.

04:04 PM

British Storm Shadow missiles wreaking havoc behind Russian lines

In the days after Britain became the first nation to provide long-range missiles to Ukraine, there have been reports they have already been put to good use.

Explosions in Luhansk, previously considered to be far beyond the range of the Ukrainian arsenal, have been attributed to the missiles.

My colleague James Kilner has the full report.

The full story is available here.

03:35 PM

Four aircraft 'shot down' in Russia near the border, state media claims

Russian media sources are reporting that as many as four aircraft have been "shot down" in the border region of Bryansk.

The aircraft are two Mi-8 helicopters and two fighter jets, reportedly returning from combat missions. No crew members survived.

There are conflicting explanations as to whether the jets have been shot down, whether by Ukraine or friendly fire, or developed faults.

The Telegraph has not been able to verify the reports.

03:29 PM

Zelensky arrives at the Vatican

03:21 PM

Russian shelling killed 15-year-old girl - Ukrainian prosecutors

Russian shelling on Saturday killed two people including a 15-year-old girl and wounded another 10 in eastern Ukraine, prosecutors in Kyiv said.

"The occupation forces of the Russian Federation once again shelled Kostiantynivka," the Office of the Prosecutor General said, adding that 10 people sustained injuries.

It comes on a day when a Russian warplane and helicopter were reportedly downed in Russia, near the border with Ukraine. It is not clear whether they were shot down or malfunctioned.

03:14 PM

Eight civilians injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv

Eight civilians, including a 15-year old boy were injured in a Russian attack on Kherson in eastern Ukraine, according to the Kyiv Independent newspaper.

02:56 PM

Italy is 'betting on Ukraine's victory'

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that her nation is "betting on Ukraine's victory".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is making his first visit to Rome since Russia's invasion and met with Ms Meloni earlier on Saturday.

Ms Meloni said that Italy would stand by Ukraine for "as long as is necessary" and would not accept anything that resembles an invasion as peace.

Italy is a "solid and trustworthy ally" to Ukraine, she added.

02:09 PM

Zelensky to visit Germany on Sunday - Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will travel to Berlin on Sunday, German government sources told Reuters.

It will be the first time he has travelled to Germany since the war broke out with his last visit coming in February last year, shortly before the Russian invasion.

The President is currently in Italy meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Pope.

Germany will be the ninth country he has visited since the war began - after the United States, Poland, Britain, France Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands and Italy.

02:04 PM

EU minister calls on nations to provide long-distance missiles

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said European countries should deliver long-range missiles to Ukraine.

After meeting with Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba in Stockholm, Mr Borrell said: "The Russians are bombing from far away so the Ukrainians have to have the capacity to reach... the same distance, the same range."

On Thursday, Britain became the first country to supply such weaponry, sending a stock of Storm Shadow missiles to Kyiv.

Earlier today, Russia claimed they were used in an attack on occupied Luhansk.

01:57 PM

British missiles used in attack on Luhansk, Russia says

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Saturday that British missiles were used to hit targets in Luhansk, a city in occupied territory.

Earlier this week, the UK Government announced it was sending Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Ukraine. The missiles have a range several times further than existing Ukrainian weaponry, allowing for the targeting of locations well beyond the front line.

British Defence Minister Ben Wallace said the missiles could be used within Ukrainian territory, implying that he had received assurances from Kyiv that they would not be used to attack targets inside Russia's internationally accepted borders.

The Russian ministry said the missiles had hit a plant producing polymers and a meat-processing factory in Luhansk on Friday.

"Storm Shadow air-to-air missiles supplied to the Kyiv regime by Britain were used for the strike, contrary to London's statements that these weapons would not be used against civilian targets," the ministry said.

Reuters had been unable to verify the battlefield reports.

12:48 PM

Zelensky meets Meloni in Rome

Volodymyr Zelensky has met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni before he is due to head to the Vatican to meet the Pope.

He also met with President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace.

The President reiterated Italy's full support for Ukraine in the short and long-term but said that any peace "must be a true peace and not a surrender", according to a source.

It is Zelensky's first visit to Italy since the war began.

12:25 PM

In pictures: sending a message to the Russians

12:16 PM

Video: helicopter crash in Russia

Here is a video of the helicopter crash on the Russia-Ukraine border that we posted about earlier.

Russian sources have claimed it was shot down, but this is unconfirmed.

12:11 PM

Banksy painting removed from wall in Kyiv

Pictures have shown Ukrainian workers carefully dismantling a wall near Kyiv containing a painting by the British graffiti artist Banksy. It was removed and loaded onto the back of a truck.

11:58 AM

Ukrainian forces using 1,000 shells a day

The EU's foreign policy chief said on Saturday that the trade bloc must accelerate the supply of ammunition to Ukraine as its forces are burning through 1,000 shells a day in Bakhmut alone.

The Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kubela has been in Stockholm pleading EU counterparts for more support.

Following the meeting Josep Borrell, the EU's minister, said member countries needed to overcome logistical challenges and dip into their own stockpiles.

11:54 AM

Helicopter 'shot down' in Russia near border

A video posted online in pro-Russian Telegram channels shows a helicopter apparently being shot down over the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

The incident has been reported by news agency TASS which said preliminary information suggested the helicopter's engine had caught fire before the crash.

Comments accompanying the video online claimed that it had been shot down, but Reuters has been unable to verify those claims.

The incident took place near Klintsy, a town around 25 miles from the border.

11:40 AM

Ukrainian forces advancing on frontline amid counter-offensive

Ukrainian forces fighting near Bakhmut have been making advances, a senior military commander said on Saturday morning.

"Our soldiers are moving forward in some areas of the front, and the enemy is losing equipment and manpower," Commander of Ukrainian ground forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on social media.

Bakhmut has become the epicentre of fighting for the past few months and there have been some suggestions that Ukrainian forces are beginning their long-awaited counter-offensive.

11:27 AM

Pending German weaponry shipment buoys Ukrainian war effort

A top Ukrainian official has said the announcement of a huge new weapons package from Berlin is another sign it will win the war.

"States declare large defence aid packages for Ukraine," said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenksy, adding that the aid indicated that Russia was "bound to lose and sit on the bench of historical shame."

Germany has announced a 2.7 billion euro aid package which has been labelled as the biggest from Berlin since the way began.

11:20 AM

Russia 'targeted Patriot air defence system' - US intelligence

According to a report from CNN, Russian forces tried to destroy Ukraine's coveted US-made Patriot missile defence system.

Citing US officials, the network said that the system was targeted with a hypersonic missile.

The attack failed as the missile was intercepted by Ukrainians using the system itself.

11:17 AM

Ukrainians strike occupied city of Luhansk

The Hromadske news agency has reported explosions heard in Luhansk, a city in eastern Ukraine which is currently occupied by Russian forces.

Videos showing columns of black smoke have been posted on social media and factories have been hit.

Luhansk's position beyond the frontlines is potential evidence that Ukraine now has access to longer-distance weaponry. Earlier this week, the UK sent a batch of long-distance missiles to Ukraine.

10:51 AM

Swiss take another step on road to ditching neutrality policy

A Swiss parliamentary committee has recommended changes to the country's War Material Act which prohibits exports of arms to countries at war.

The long-standing neutrality policy has come under increasing pressure during the war in Ukraine with President Alain Berset saying as recently as March that he stood by the policy.

The act currently prohibits direct exports of weapons and also the re-export of Swiss-made arms by allies.

But this week, the Security Policy Committee passed motions to ease the rules on re-exporting by eight votes to five.

The motion will go to the House of Representatives next month and any changes would not come in until next year. Changes could also be challenged to a referendum.

10:20 AM

Dispatch from the frontline: the battle for Bakhmut begins

My colleagues Roland Oliphant and Heathcliff O'Malley were in Bakhmut on the frontline as Ukraine launched its much-anticipated counter-offensive.

They describe the sound of the artillery barrage in their dispatch:

You can read the full dispatch and watch a short film from the frontline here.

10:12 AM

Russian troops withdrawing ‘in bad order’ from Bakhmut

Ukrainian forces have regained at least a kilometre of territory as some elements of the Russian Army retreated “in bad order”, according to the British Ministry of Defence.

In its daily intelligence update it said that, in the past four days, parts of Russia’s 72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade “likely withdrew in bad order” from Bakhmut’s southern flank.

The unit has been dogged by allegations of poor morale and limited combat skills since its establishment. The MOD said its deployment to the strategically significant area highlighted a “severe shortage” of credible combat units available to the Russians.

09:58 AM

Possible spy balloon spotted in Polish airspace

A likely “observation balloon” has been spotted in Polish airspace, according to the country’s Ministry of National Defence.

It said in a tweet on Saturday morning that the Air Operations Centre had spotted an object flying in from the direction of Belarus. It said that according to its information it is “probably an observation balloon”.

Belarus, which borders both Poland and Ukraine, has been a close ally of Russia during the war in Ukraine.

09:51 AM

Zelensky confirms he will meet Italian leaders in Rome

09:49 AM

Germany unveils its biggest weapons package for Ukraine

Germany is preparing a new weapons package for Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros, reportedly Berlin's largest since Russia invaded last year, the defence ministry said Saturday.

"We all hope for a rapid end to this terrible war by Russia against the Ukrainian people, but unfortunately this is not in sight," Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement.

"This is why Germany will supply all the help that it can, for as long as necessary," he said.

The package, worth $3 billion, will include 30 additional Leopard-1 tanks, Marder armoured vehicles, air-defence systems and surveillance drones, the ministry said.

Der Spiegel magazine said it would be Germany's largest since the outbreak of the war.

Mr Zelensky's trip to Rome could be followed by a surprise visit to Berlin.

09:44 AM

Volodymyr Zelensky arrives in Rome to meet Pope Francis

Television images in Italy have shown Volodymyr Zelensky touching down in Rome for talks today with the country’s leaders.

It is the Ukrainian president’s first visit to Italy since Russia’s invasion last year.

He touched down at the Italian capital’s Ciampino Airport and will later meet Pope Francs.

He will likely also meet Sergio Mattarella, the Italian President, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.