Russia-Ukraine crisis live updates | Russia puts sanctions on 61 U.S. nationals

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on June 6 that the United Kingdom has been providing weapons Kyiv needs to fight the war with Russia and thanked Prime Minister Boris Johnson for "complete" understanding of the needs.

Britain said on Monday that, in coordination with the United States, it will supply Ukraine with multiple-launch rocket systems that can strike targets up to 80 km (50 miles) away as part of a new UK military aid for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Moscow warned on Monday that it would respond to Western supplies of long-range weapons to Ukraine by stepping up efforts to push Kyiv's forces further from its border.

 Theater on Podil opens to sold out performances

A theatre in Ukraine’s capital has reopened for the first time since Russian forces invaded the country, and tickets sold out for Sunday’s performance.

Theatre on Podil was the latest cultural institution in Kyiv to resume operations. Movie theatres and the National Opera opened their doors at the end of May.

 Gazprom says gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine remain steady

Russian gas producer Gazprom said its supply of gas to Europe through Ukraine via the Sudzha entry point was seen at 40.9 million cubic metres (mcm) on Tuesday versus 40.1 mcm on Monday. - Reuters

KYIV

Ukraine recovers bodies from steel-plant siege

Russia has begun turning over the bodies of Ukrainian fighters killed at the Azovstal steelworks, the fortress-like plant in the destroyed city of Mariupol where their last-ditch stand became a symbol of resistance against Moscow’s invasion.

Dozens of the dead taken from the bombed-out mill’s now Russian-occupied ruins have been transferred to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where DNA testing is underway to identify the remains, according to both a military leader and a spokeswoman for the Azov Regiment.- AP

MOSCOW

Russia puts sanctions on 61 U.S. nationals

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that is levying sanctions on 61 U.S. nationals.

It said the move was being taken “in response to the ever-expanding U.S. sanctions against Russian political and public figures, as well as representatives of domestic business.”

The list includes U.S. officials and former and current top managers of large American companies, such as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. - AP

KYIV

Ukraine president says outnumbered in strategic city Severodonetsk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Monday that his troops were outnumbered by a “stronger” Russian side, as the two countries’ forces battled for control of the eastern city of Severodonetsk. - AFP

WASHINGTON

Washington accuses Moscow of trying to ‘intimidate’ US media in Russia

The United States on Monday accused Russia of trying to “intimidate” American correspondents in Moscow, who were summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry and threatened with reprisals because of US sanctions.

“The Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs summoned your colleagues to quote ‘explain to them the consequences of their government’s hostile line in the media sphere,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington. - AFP

NEW YORK

U.S. seeks to seize 2 luxury jets linked to Russian oligarch

U.S. authorities moved on Monday to seize two luxury jets — a $60 million Gulfstream and a $350 million aircraft believed to be one of the world’s most expensive private airplanes — after linking both to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

A federal magistrate judge signed a warrant authorizing the seizure of the Gulfstream and a Boeing jet that authorities said was worth less than $100 million before a lavish customization.