This is the moment police stopped the delivery van that terror suspect Daniel Khalife clung to during his audacious escape from Wandsworth Prison.

Officers pulled the Bidfood van over on the Upper Richmond Road in Putney, Southwest London at 8.37am yesterday morning.

Khalife – who had been working in the prison kitchen and was wearing chef’s red and white cheque trousers with a white T-shirt – sneaked under the vehicle, which was delivering food and groceries.

He held on to the underside of the truck with straps, which were found by police after they had stopped the vehicle.

Khalife, however, was already long gone.

The van was roughly two and a half miles from Wandsworth Prison when it was stopped.

Officers using sniffer dogs spent two hours combing through the vehicle and looking underneath it.

An onlooker, who took these dramatic videos, told MailOnline this evening: ‘The police pulled up behind the van after ordering it to stop.

‘They spent a few hours looking all the way through it, in the back, in the driver’s cab, underneath it and even on top of it.

‘They had sniffer dogs trying to pick up the scent of something, but they didn’t find anything of any note.

‘I didn’t know what was going on. It’s only tonight that I’ve found out this was the truck used by the escaped prisoner. It’s quite shocking.’

BidFood delivery since has confirmed one of its lorries had been used in the escape.

In a statement the company said: ‘Yesterday morning we were made aware of a security incident involving one of our vehicles, whilst out on delivery.

‘We can confirm that our driver fully cooperated with the police on this matter before returning back to the depot. We will continue to assist the authorities in their ongoing investigation.’

The video comes as the Metropolitan Police has revealed the exact route escape terror suspect and former soldier Daniel Khalife took as he clung to the underside of a food van when he escaped HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday. 

The force also admitted that the more than 150 cops charged with finding the escaped suspect, 21, have still not found him.

Khalife, a former soldier in the 22 Signal Regiment who was on remand at HMP Wandsworth ahead of his six-week terror trial, was meant to be working in the kitchens when he sneaked out and strapped himself underneath a Bidfood truck that delivered food and supplies on Wednesday.

Dressed as a chef, the soldier-turned-alleged-spy served fellow inmates breakfast and then evaded guards and CCTV while the vehicle was driven for 250 yards along an internal road and out through HMP Wandsworth’s famous Victorian gate in a matter of minutes.

Khalife is believed to have slipped out of one several doors to the kitchen having said he was unloading a supplies van. 

The van left the Category-B prison at around 7:30 am, taking a right turn out of the gates onto Heathfield Road. 

He was declared missing at 7:50 am, and the Met was notified at 8:15.  

The food van then turned left onto Magdalen Road, before it turned left onto Trinity Road (A214) up to the Wandsworth Roundabout and took the first exit onto Swandon Way (A217).

The food van then turned left onto Old York Road, past Wandsworth Town station, then left onto Fairfield Street, right onto Wandsworth High Street (A3) staying straight ahead onto West Hill and then on to Upper Richmond Road (A205).

It is not known exactly where the van went after this, or where Khalife may have left the vehicle.  

The Met says its investigation into his disappearance is focused on London, particularly around this route, as well as the Kingston-Upon-Thames area, where Khalife was known to have connections.

It said that it feared that Khalife has already left the country, with Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s counterterrorism control saying: ‘It’s absolutely possible . . . he has already left the country. There’s been a huge effort in borders around the country trying to identify if he has already left. We believe him to be here, but we keep an open mind.’

Officers were said to be keeping a close watch on an upstairs flat in Kingston, close to the edge of Richmond Park, where Khalife’s mother and twin sister are understood to have lived until a few years ago.

A neighbour told The Daily Telegraph: ‘A woman lived upstairs who had a son and daughter. The boy would come and go swearing loudly. She moved to Wales roughly three years ago – a year after we moved in.

‘The family were British, of Middle Eastern origin. They didn’t talk to us or anyone else in the street very much that I could see.

‘It’s worrying to think that this young man might head back to this area after escaping from prison.’

HMP Wandsworth has been severely criticised for its conditions, with top-level figures claiming the prison needs to be shut down. 

The UK’s chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, outright said that HMP Wandsworth needs to be shut down. 

He told Sky News: ‘When you find a prison like Wandsworth, it really needs closing ultimately – it is not a suitable prison.

‘In an ideal world one would, but of course you need jails because you need to service the courts.

‘We’ve actually got a crisis at the moment in prisons just in terms of population and places, so there are only just enough prison places available at the moment for the number of prisoners who are coming in.

‘And of course that puts a huge strain on the system, so in a huge jail like Wandsworth you are getting people in, you are getting them to court, you are getting them back from court and then as soon as they’ve been sentenced, they are being moved onto another jail as quickly as possible.

‘And it is something about that churn that also adds to the general complications and sometimes what feels like chaos in some of those big local prisons like Wandsworth.’  

The Victorian jail in the southwest of the city has been described in a recent report as ‘overcrowded, crumbling and vermin-infested.’

Both Mr Taylor and the prison’s Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) raised concerns about staffing levels, among other issues, in reports published last year.

In findings published in January 2022 after an inspection in September 2021, Mr Taylor warned: ‘Staffing shortfalls were preventing the prison from running a decent and predictable regime. More than 30% of prison officers were either absent or unable to work their full duties. Around a quarter were less than a year in post and more than 10% had resigned in the last 12 months.’

The report also highlighted how a ‘serious security breach had led to an escape in 2019’ and while the watchdog was ‘given some assurance that action to prevent further escapes had been taken in response to the investigation that followed’, it warned that ‘current local security data evidenced some concerns in the physical aspects of security.’

At the time Mr Taylor also told how the prison did not have enough body-worn cameras for every staff member on duty and highlighted how there had recently been several changes in leadership.

Inspectors described ‘very poor’ living conditions with ‘piles of litter’ and said levels of violence had risen since previous inspections.

On Thursday Mr Taylor said of the ‘completely overcrowded’ and vermin-infested site that his last inspection showed Wandsworth had high numbers of ‘non-effective’ staff – which means they are off work for reasons including sickness and training.

‘It was definitely one of the worst (prisons) we’d come across and they had real problems in having enough staff in place and of course, that immediately is a big issue for the prison because it means that all the systems in the prison are put under strain as a result of it.

‘What a prison should do is prioritise security over everything else, because that’s its predominant function, but if you have got very big shortages of staff that inevitably is going to be an issue,’ he said.

Wandsworth has one of the highest rate of sickness absence among staff, official Government figures show.

The average number of working days lost due to sickness absence at Wandsworth per full-time equivalent staff was 20.4 in the 12 months to June 30 2023, compared with 19.5 in the year to March 2022 and 13.6 in the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20.

The Prison Officers Association has blamed budget cuts for the escape.

Chairman Mark Fairhurst said: ‘Wandsworth is one of the largest prisons in the country and is overcrowded and under resourced.

‘The chronic staffing shortages and lack of adequate training for staff highlight the need for an urgent review of how our prisons are run.’

Prison Officers Association Steve Gillian told Times Radio that Wandsworth has too few perimeter checks because of cutbacks. 

He said: ‘I sort of think there’s not enough security like perimeter checks and things like that are being cut back. Different things. The day to day security. People aren’t getting enough time to do the security task that they should be doing.

‘So, for example, the security of a prison is foremost in my mind, always has been. But getting the time to do the basics, such as like a cell fabric check, right. For instance, I’ve noticed that sometimes prison officers will rush it because there’s not enough time in the day.

‘A fabric check would be checking the locks, the bolts, the bars, the fabric of the cell to ensure it’s not tampered with and so forth.’

He added: ‘It’s been that way for a substantial amount of time, not just at Wandsworth but across the country. So Wandsworth yesterday, it could be another prison tomorrow, unfortunately. 

‘And your stats are pretty sound. Actual fact, because I spoke to the Wandsworth Play Committee this morning just to see how many staff were on duty. And you’re absolutely right, 1600 prisoners.

‘And this is supposed to be a certified normal accommodation of just over 900, which means that’s the proper amount of prisoners that should be at once with. 

‘But they are grossly overcrowded by 600 prisoners that are sharing cells, doubling up for cells that should be for one person and to have 70 staff on duty for 1600 prisoners. 

‘Just demonstrates to your listeners the sort of stress that my members are under on a daily basis.’ 

Police believe the fugitive may still be hiding out in London, but due to the serious nature of the charges against him, security alerts were issued to all ports and airports.

The force admitted that Khalife’s ‘previous military experience’ may make him harder to catch, as he is likely ‘more aware of efforts to apprehend him.’ 

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the investigation, asked for anyone with information about Khalife that may help us to get in touch urgently.

He said: ‘Since yesterday, over 150 officers and staff have been working around the clock on apprehending Khalife.

‘We have issued a nationwide alert that has resulted in increased security at our ports and borders, however currently there have not been any confirmed sightings.

‘I recognise and am fully aware of the impact these measures are having on the public. We are working to ensure as minimal disruption as possible.

‘It is crucial for the public to help us with this search and to call us immediately if they have any information on the whereabouts of Khalife.’

The fugitive, described as being of slim build, with short brown hair and 6ft 2ins tall, and was said to be wearing a white T-shirt, distinctive red and white chequered trousers and brown steel-toe boots, though the Met Police said that the public should not focus on his clothing. 

Murphy said at a briefing: ‘He clearly could very quickly change those clothes, so I wouldn’t want to focus too much on that.’

He described him as a ‘very resourceful individual’, adding: ‘Our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.

‘This was a really busy area of London and we’ve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalife’s ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.

‘It’s important that we remember that we have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was trained.

‘He was a trained soldier – so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don’t have.’

Experts have weighed in on exactly how Khalife may have escaped.  

Former Metropolitan Police Detective, Peter Bleksley, said: ‘If this is pre-planned and he is supported by a network of fellow minded criminals then of course he could have cash, shelter, change of clothing, false passport and may already have left the country’.

Mr Bleksley said police will hope he is working alone, because it increases the chances of being spotted and arrested because he would probably have to steal clothing, break into buildings to hide or hunt through bins for food.

On Thursday, new photos of the terror suspect emerged, showing him as a cadet at training barracks. 

One picture, of him shirtless, was taken at Pirbright Barracks in Surrey, where he underwent phase one training in 2019. 

Another image, in which he is wearing a beret, was taken at Blandford Garrison in Dorset during his phase two training the following year.

Colleagues of Khalife described him today as ‘jovial, a bit dopey and playful’.

But despite these positive comments, he was accused of incredibly serious crimes. 

He was charged in January with breaching the Official Secrets Act by allegedly committing ‘an act prejudicial to the safety or interests’ of Britain in a plot said to be linked to Iran.

British-born but said to have Middle Eastern heritage from his mother and father, Khalife was said to have gathered details that ‘could be useful to an enemy’ between May 2019 and January 2022.

He was also charged with eliciting information about members of the Armed Forces useful for terrorism, by recording personal details from the Ministry of Defence joint personnel administration system on August 2, 2021. 

Khalife was arrested after allegedly planting fake bombs – three canisters with wires – on a desk in his barracks accommodation on January 2 this year.

The soldier was discharged from the Army when he faced criminal accusations of perpetrating a bomb hoax ‘with the intention of inducing a belief in another that the said items were likely to explode or ignite’.

Since his arrest, judges have refused to grant the terror suspect bail ahead of his trial at Woolwich Crown Court on November 20. 

Khalife was last seen in public at the Old Bailey in July when he denied all three charges.

A former security minister said that the audacious escape will likely ‘count against him’ if he’s caught. 

Baroness Neville-Jones, chair of the UK’s joint intelligence committee, told Sky News the suspected terrorist ‘has to be found’.

She added: ‘This will count against him without question.’

UK justice officials have been scrutinised for the decision not to place Khalife in a prison with higher levels of security.  

Experts have said he should have been in Category A Belmarsh Prison in south-east London, which holds the majority of the UK’s terror suspects and has never had an escape. 

Chris Atkins, author and former Wandsworth inmate, described the jail as ‘dysfunctional on an epic scale’.

His book Time After Time is out today and serialised by the Mail on Sunday, as was his first book A Bit of a Stretch.

He said the jail is run by ‘terrified’ young officers ‘straight out of school’ with just nine weeks of training who would rely on experienced prisoners like him with basic questions about how to police inmates and what their routine was, even what time they had lunch.

He said: ‘They were so short staffed they asked me to do the register and tick people off as they left the wing. I was a prisoner in jail for a crime of dishonesty yet they allowed me this very very responsible role.

‘I could have ticked a box saying ‘yes a prisoner is here’ when he was half way to France’.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk last night demanded an urgent update from Wandsworth’s governor and senior Prison Service bosses after the jail was placed in lockdown.

Sources said the minister received a run-through of ‘all security measures that have been taken in the medium term to ensure the prison is secure as possible’.

There will be further longer-term work on improving Wandsworth’s security checks, a source added.

Labour justice spokesman Shabana Mahmood said: ‘The Conservatives need to urgently explain how they can’t do the basic job of keeping potentially dangerous criminals locked up.

‘It’s right that the police are given space to recapture this suspect. But Rishi Sunak needs to ensure there is no wider risk because his zombie Government lacks grip on the criminal justice system.’

Activity at transport hubs across the UK slowed to a near-halt last night as forces investigated whether Khalife had managed to sneak out of the country. 

The M20 was closed as a result of the checks, sparking huge queues of trucks around Dover, while there were also delays at airports. 

There was chaos at airports and ports, leading to delays for passengers, as Border Force officials carried out extra security checks in a race to find the fugitive amid fears he may be planning to flee the country – if he hasn’t already.

The hunt continues to cause delays at the Port of Dover where enhanced security checks are taking place. The Dover TAP traffic management system has been enforced on the A20, with lorries queueing in the left-hand lane.

The Port of Dover tweeted this morning: ‘Due to a police matter there are currently enhanced checks on outbound traffic.

‘Please be advised this is currently resulting in some delays at the port.

‘However, our standard travel guidance remains unchanged and we will keep passengers updated if they can expect any alteration to their journey.’

Airports also remain on high alert.

Sweden is at a ‘heightened threat’ of terror attacks after recent Koran burnings in the country sparked widespread protests in the Muslim world, its domestic security service said on Wednesday.

The agency, known by its acronym SAPO, said the burning and desecration of religious books in Sweden, and ongoing disinformation campaigns on social media and elsewhere, have negatively affected the country’s reputation.

A recent string of public desecrations of the Koran by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Sweden and most recently in neighbouring Denmark has triggered anger in many Muslim countries, and among Muslim communities residing in the Nordic nations. 

There is no law in Sweden specifically prohibiting the burning or desecration of the Koran or other religious texts. 

The image of Sweden has changed ‘from a tolerant country to a country hostile to Islam and Muslims, where attacks on Muslims are sanctioned by the state and where Muslim children can be kidnapped by social services,’ SAPO said in a statement.

This risks fuelling threats against Sweden ‘from individuals within the violent Islamist milieu’, the agency said, adding that the current risk of terrorism in Sweden remains at an elevated level, at three on a five-point scale.

‘It’s a serious situation that we’re in,’ Susanna Trehorning, SAPO’s deputy head of counter-terrorism, told Swedish public broadcaster SVT. 

‘It’s a heightened threat and an attack can occur within the framework of a heightened threat.’

Like many Western countries, Sweden does not have any blasphemy laws.

The right to hold public demonstrations is strong in Sweden and protected by the constitution. Blasphemy laws were abandoned in the 1970s.

Police generally give permission for public gatherings based on whether they believe an event can be held without major disruptions or risks to public safety.

Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said on Wednesday that the Koran desecrations have made Sweden a target of malicious influencing campaigns ‘by states and state-like actors with the aim of damaging Swedish interests and ultimately Swedish citizens’.

He debunked claims that the Swedish government grants permission for people to burn Islam’s sacred text or other religious books, something that ‘is factually incorrect’. 

‘No state permits are issued for burning,’ he told reporters at a news conference.

‘The state guarantees the right to freedom of expression but does not sanction political messages. Sweden has no tradition of burning holy scriptures.

‘On the contrary. Sweden is a secular country where religious freedom is a cornerstone and where there is respect for different beliefs.’

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, in a statement on Wednesday, condemned the religious book desecrations in Sweden and Denmark, saying the acts ‘by individual provocateurs only benefit those who want to divide us and our societies’.

‘Respect for diversity is a core value of the European Union. This includes respect for other religious communities,’ the EU’s top diplomat said.

‘The desecration of the Koran, or of any other book considered holy, is offensive, disrespectful and a clear provocation. 

Expressions of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance have no place in the European Union.’

Panicked school children today screamed in terror as they sprinted for their lives towards the safety of nearby bomb shelters as Vladimir Putin’s missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

The young children jolted in fear and covered their heads when they heard the all too familiar sound of a Russian missile smashing into a nearby street.

The classmates, many of whom were carrying rucksacks that dwarfed their small bodies, began screaming and racing along the street in a bid to reach the safety of a nearby bomb shelter in a scene that lays bare the reality of Vladimir Putin’s war.

One young boy was seen grabbing his friend’s hand as they sprinted along the pavement as Putin’s forces unleashed a barrage of rockets at the capital for the 16th time this month.

The children were closely followed by panicked residents who rushed for cover at the sound of the air sirens and explosions, just hours after a more common nighttime barrage of cruise missiles hit the city.

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska shared footage of the children running along the streets of Kyiv on Twitter and wrote: ‘Kyiv. Morning after sleepless night under fire. Anxiety once again…

‘Children running and screaming for shelter to the sounds of explosions. But it should not be like this – anywhere. Fear cannot be turned off – but we do not stop, we act. Ukraine continues to fight.’ 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared his wife’s tweet and added: ‘Glory to all our warriors who defend the Ukrainian sky. Thank you to everyone in the world who helps protect people and children from Russian terror.’

It comes as debris from missiles intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses fell in Kyiv’s central and northern districts during the morning, landing in the middle of traffic on a city road and also starting a fire on a building’s roof, the Kyiv military administration said. At least one civilian was reported hurt.

The blasts unnerved some locals, already under strain after being awakened by the night attack.

‘After what happened last night, I react sharply to every siren now. I was terrified, and I’m still trembling,’ shared Alina Ksenofontova, a 50-year-old woman who took refuge in the Kyiv subway with her dog Bublik.

Ukraine shot down 11 cruise and ballistic missiles fired in the second of Monday’s attacks on Kyiv, said Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Heavy air strikes about six hours earlier had targeted the capital, put five Ukrainian aircraft out of action in the west of the country and caused a fire in the Black Sea port of Odesa.

Russia has increased the frequency of air attacks as Ukraine prepares to launch a counteroffensive. 

Kyiv metro stations, including the central station, Tetatralna, were packed with people taking shelter although many residents ignored the air raid alarm until they heard loud blasts in city centre. 

Artem Zhyla, a 24-year-old who provides legal services abroad, took his laptop with him and kept working underground.

‘I heard two or three explosions, went to the bathroom, and then I heard five or seven more explosions. That’s when I realised something terrible was happening,’ he said.

Like many others in the capital, he feels exhausted and stressed. However, he has no intentions of giving up and plans to attend his yoga class to recharge.

‘This is certainly not enough to break us,’ he said. 

Russia used Iskander short-range missiles in the morning attack, the spokesman for Ukraine’s air force said on local television.

The missiles were fired from north of Kyiv, Yurii Ihnat said without clarifying if he meant Russian territory. Kyiv lies around 380 kilometers (236 miles) from the Russian border.

During the previous night, air defenses brought down more than 40 targets as Russian forces bombarded Kyiv with a combination of drones and cruise missiles in their 15th nighttime attack on the capital so far this month, said Serhii Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration.

On Saturday night, Kyiv was subjected to the largest drone attack since the start of Russia’s war. At least one person was killed, local officials said.

Kremlin’s strategy of long-range bombardment has brought many sleepless nights for Ukrainians.

Over the winter, Russian forces aimed their missiles and drones at power plants and other infrastructure. The apparent goal was to weaken Ukraine’s resolve and compel the Ukrainian government to negotiate peace on Moscow’s terms, but Ukrainians swiftly and defiantly repaired the damage.

In recent months, Ukraine has been receiving advanced air defense systems from its Western allies, improving its ability to fend off bombardments by the Kremlin’s forces.

Across the country, the Ukrainian air force said that over Sunday night it shot down 37 out of 40 cruise missiles and 29 out of 35 drones launched by the Kremlin’s forces.

At least three civilians were wounded nationwide in the latest wave of attacks, the Ukrainian presidential office said.

Russian missiles slammed into a military airport In the western Khmelnytskyi region of Ukraine, destroying five aircraft and damaging the runway, local Gov. Serhyi Hamaliy said on television.

The strike sparked fires at nearby warehouses storing fuel and military equipment, he added.

Russian shelling and airstrikes also targeted nine localities in the eastern Donetsk region, including the city of Kramatorsk which houses the local Ukrainian army headquarters, local Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Ukrainian TV.

The attack on Kyiv came on the same day that Ukrainian forces shelled several frontier settlements in the Russian border region of Belgorod just days after anti-Putin rebel groups briefly captured territory there, the local governor said.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said two industrial facilities in the border town of Shebekino had been shelled and four employees had been wounded while several settlements were left without electricity.

The governor ordered some 300 children to be evacuated from Shebekino and the border district of Graivoron and sent to summer camps away from the front lines.

Belgorod, which borders Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, has repeatedly come under attack from Kyiv‘s forces since the beginning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Today’s strike is the heaviest shelling on the region since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, local media reported.

Gladkov admitted today that ‘several settlements of the Belgorod region are under fire from the armed forces of Ukraine’, adding that two industrial enterprises had been targeted. 

He continued: ‘Shells hit one enterprise, and a production building with paint and varnish liquids caught fire.

‘There are four victims – men, employees of the enterprise, who were delivered to the Central District Hospital with burns of the respiratory tract and carbon monoxide poisoning.

‘One is in intensive care in a serious condition, three are in a state of moderate severity. All necessary medical assistance is provided.’

Other villages including Novaya Tavolzhanka were also hit, Gladkov said.

The Kremlin was left furious last week after native Russian anti-Kremlin fighters carried out a major cross-border raid on a series of border villages in Belgorod, briefly seizing several settlements before withdrawing over the frontier.

Kyiv almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has said that destroying infrastructure is preparation for a planned ground assault.

Putin on Sunday ordered stronger border security to ensure ‘fast’ Russian military and civilian movement into the Ukrainian regions now under Moscow’s control.

But Gladkov today demanded that the Kremlin take more action to defend his region amid the Ukrainian strikes. 

He called on Russian forces to take the extreme measure of annexing neighbouring Kharkiv in Ukraine to save his region.

He said: ‘What can be done to secure our territory, especially the border areas?

‘Kharkiv [in Ukraine] has to be annexed to Belgorod region. 

‘Do you believe in this possibility? This is the best way to solve the problem of shelling in Belgorod region.’

‘We are living in the conditions of what essentially is war,’ Gladkov warned Moscow. 

‘Whether people like it or not, this is happening. The enemy comes in. Before the latest events in Graivoron, five sabotage groups had entered.’

Last week, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) and Freedom of Russia Legion, armed with armoured vehicles, small arms and a pair of tanks, surged over the border from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and took a string of urban settlements to occupy roughly 3-5 miles of Russian soil.

They later launched a pair of drone attacks on FSB and Interior Ministry buildings in Belgorod city on Tuesday, prompting Gladkov to order the evacuation of nine Russian towns and the Kremlin to admit ‘serious cause for concern’. 

By Tuesday afternoon, Russia’s defence ministry claimed it had ‘wiped out’ the rebels, whom they refused to acknowledge as Russian and instead described them as Ukrainian nationalists. 

Ukrainian officials meanwhile retorted they were not involved in the orchestration of the incursion, claiming the attack was carried out by Russian citizens and casting it as homegrown, internal Russian strife. 

Kyiv has been preparing to launch an offensive although its timing and focus have been the subject of months of speculation. 

Ukrainian authorities have said almost nothing except that they need more weapons from Kyiv’s backers.

Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said Monday that in the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut ‘the intensity of the enemy’s offensive has significantly decreased’ as Russian mercenary group Wagner was handing over its positions to Moscow’s regular troops.

‘Our troops are making this process much more difficult for the enemy,’ she said.

‘At the same time, the intensity of enemy artillery shelling has not decreased.’