Good evening. Russia is building a force of 100,000 soldiers to attack the northern sector of the frontline as Ukrainian commanders start to admit that their counter-offensive has stalled.

Elsewhere, we have the latest on the heatwave gripping Europe, as Germans were told to take siestas to deal with soaring temperatures.

Col Serhi Cherevaty, a Ukrainian army spokesman, said that Russia had also ordered Storm-Z ex-convict battalions to prepare for battle and was firing more than 500 shells per day at Ukrainian forces around Kupyansk.

Robert Clark warns that Ukraine and the West are facing a devastating defeat. 

You can follow the latest news on our live blog, as the commander of Kyiv’s ground forces said Ukraine will be ready to fire cluster bombs on the “fragile” Russian defences at Bakhmut within days.