Ukrainians stop flow of Russian gas through hub

Orthodox Sister Evdokia gestures in front of the crater of an explosion, after Russian shelling next to the Orthodox Skete in honour of St John of Shanghai in Adamivka, near Slovyansk, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine (Andriy Andriyenko/AP)

Ukraine has stopped the flow of Russian natural gas through one hub that feeds European homes and industry, while a pro-Kremlin official in a southern region seized by Russian troops has said it would ask Moscow to annex it.

The remarks could be another sign of Russia’s broader plan for Ukraine as it tries to salvage an invasion that has so far gone awry – amid concerns that the country may remain a source of continental and global instability for months, or even years, to come.