Ukraine updates: Government overthrow plot foiled — SBU

Ukrainian authorities said that a group attempted to mount "provocations" in Kyiv, occupy parliament and set up a "provisional government," according to the SBU security service. DW has more.

The group planned to occupy the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, during a demonstration and set up a

Ukrainian authorities reported thwarting an effort to replace the government in Kyiv. The SBU intelligence service and prosecutors reported Monday that a group had attempted to mount "provocations" in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, on Sunday, when the country marks Constitution Day.

The group's plans included occupying parliament during a demonstration and setting up a "provisional government," the report said. Four men are under investigation, two of whom are in custody, the report said.

Meanwhile, officials in Russian regions bordering Ukraine reported power cuts and water problems after Ukrainian drone attacks.

Here are the latest developments from Russia's war in Ukraine on Monday, July 1.

Ukrainian authorities report foiled plot to change government

Ukrainian authorities said on Monday that they had foiled a bid to occupy the country's parliament and install a provisional government.

A group had attempted to mount "provocations" in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv on Sunday, when the country marks Constitution Day, the SBU intelligence service and prosecutors reported on Monday.

The group's plans included occupying parliament during a demonstration and the "removal from power" of Ukraine's current military and political leadership, the report said. Four men are under investigation, two of whom are in custody.

Weapons and ammunition were found in raids, the report said. The suspects could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. The investigation is being led by authorities in Ivano-Frankivsk in the west of the country.

In May, the SBU said it had uncovered a network of Russian agents plotting to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia claims capture of two more eastern Ukrainian villages

Russia claims to have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine. Following advances over the weekend, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had taken the Ukrainian village of Novopokrovske in the war-torn Donetsk region.

The tiny village is in an area of the front northwest of occupied Avdiivka, where Moscow has claimed to capture a new settlement almost every week this summer.

Moscow also said its forces had taken the village of Stepova Novoselivka in the Kharkiv region, where Russia launched a renewed local offensive in May.

Ukraine has yet to comment on the Russian claims.

Russian border regions report power outages after Ukrainian attacks

Drone strikes have disrupted electricity and gas supplies and damaged telephone lines in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, according to Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

"There is damage to phone cables, to the gas and electricity supply. Electricity has been cut in a string of villages," Gladkov posted on his Telegram channel.

He mentioned Grayvoron and Krasnaya Yaruga, west of the city of Belgorod, and Shebekino, southeast of the regional capital. All three settlements are near the border with Ukraine.

Local media reported that Belgorod itself and the town of Oskol, northeast of Belgorod, were also affected. They attributed the blackout to a damaged substation.

In the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine and the Belgorod region, governor Alexei Smirnov warned that "due to technical issues on power lines in neighbouring regions, a deficit of electricity capacity could arise in the Kursk region."

The Kursk region came under drone attack overnight, with air defenses shooting down seven Ukrainian drones, Smirnov said.

dh/msh (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuetrs)