Ukraine war live updates: Russia’s Medvedev cites risks of nuclear war; Moscow calls loss of Wagner forces ‘no threat’ to combat abilities

Moscow’s combat position in the war in Ukraine will not be impacted by the loss of troops belonging to Russian paramilitary group Wagner, according to a senior Russian defense official.

Wagner forces were integral to Moscow’s advance in Kyiv before the group staged an attempted insurrection at the end of last month, damaging relations with the Kremlin’s top military brass irreconcilably.

The failed rebellion propelled Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin into exile in Belarus and the militia group said it has now suspended recruitment as it relocates to the country.

Elsewhere, a new center for the prosecution of aggression in Ukraine opens on Monday, bolstering the capabilities of the Dutch-based International Criminal Court, which is limited in its mandate to pursue crimes of aggression.

The ICC already has open warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and a top aide for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. Over 700,000 Ukrainian minors have been taken across the Russian border in recent years, a senior Russian official said over the weekend, reiterating the Kremlin’s stance that it offers these children refuge.

In further evidence of solidarity with Ukraine, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez carried out a visit to Kyiv on July 1 — the first day of his country’s assumption of the EU Council’s rotational presidency.