Indian prime minister Nardendra Modi is visiting the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as Russian forces suffer significant losses defending against a cross-border assault in Kursk.
In what is the first time an Indian leader has visited Kyiv since Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Modi has met with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. The pair visited a memorial to children killed during Russia’s invasion. They both laid soft toys at a shrine to those killed.
The visit, which follows a trip by Modi to Moscow in July, is important for Western-backed Kyiv, which has been trying to nurture diplomatic relations in the Global South in its efforts to secure a fair settlement to end the war.
It comes as Russian troops suffered “tangible” losses in Kursk as Ukraine carried on pushing forward into the region, according to Kyiv’s army.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelesnky visited Ukraine’s Sumy region where his troops launched a shock incursion into Russia’s Kursk region on 6 August.
Zelensky said he had met his top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, during the visit, nearly two weeks after the cross-border offensive.
Key Points
- Indian PM visits Kyiv, meets with Zelensky
- Russian ambassador to US says Putin has plan of action for Kursk incursion
- Satellite imagery shows extent of damage on Russian ferry targeted by Ukraine
- Putin manipulated Trump’s ego and insecurities with flattery, former security adviser claims
US was in talks with Ukraine to understand Kursk goals before aid
05:30
Stuti Mishra
The US has been in discussions with Ukrainian leaders to better understand their long-term goals for the Kursk operation, particularly as Russia advances near Pokrovsk, according to Pentagon officials.
If Pokrovsk falls, it could weaken Ukraine's defences and bring Russia closer to capturing the Donetsk region, with Russian troops now just 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Thursday that the US is still working with Ukraine to see how the Kursk operation aligns with their overall battlefield strategy. While the US recognises Ukraine's aim to create a buffer zone along the border, there are still questions about how this fits into Ukraine's broader war efforts.
On Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the border area where his forces launched the offensive on 6 August. He said that Ukraine's military had taken control of another Russian village and captured more prisoners of war.
The latest US aid package brings the total security assistance to Ukraine to over $55.7 billion since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
What is happening in Ukraine’s east as Putin’s forces advance?
05:00
Tom Watling
US to send $125m in new military aid to Ukraine, officials say
04:30
Stuti Mishra
The Biden administration is set to send approximately $125m in new military aid to Ukraine, according to US officials.
This decision comes as Washington seeks to gain a clearer understanding of Kyiv's recent incursion into Russia and its implications for the broader battlefield strategy, now over two years into the conflict.
The new aid package is expected to include air defence missiles, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelins, a range of other anti-armour missiles, counter-drone and counter-electronic warfare systems, as well as 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, vehicles, and additional equipment.
The officials, who requested anonymity because the aid has not yet been officially announced, told The Associated Press that a formal announcement could be made as early as Friday, just before Ukraine's Independence Day.
The weapons are being provided through presidential drawdown authority, which means they are taken from Pentagon stockpiles and can be delivered more quickly.
European country to reintroduce military draft as tensions soar
04:00
Tom Watling
The US is sending $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, officials say
03:00
Tom Watling
Why is Ukraine destroying bridges in Russia’s Kursk?
02:00
Tom Watling
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
01:00
Tom Watling
The Ukraine border village facing up to Russia’s wrath over Kursk
Saturday 24 August 2024 00:00
Tom Watling
Ukraine’s soldiers seek revenge against Putin’s forces in Kursk
Friday 23 August 2024 23:00
Tom Watling
What good will Zelensky’s ‘buffer zone’ actually do?
Friday 23 August 2024 22:00
Tom Watling
European country to reintroduce military draft as tensions soar
Friday 23 August 2024 21:00
Tom Watling
What is happening in Ukraine’s east as Putin’s forces advance?
Friday 23 August 2024 20:00
Tom Watling
Narendra Modi urges Zelensky to hold talks with Russia to end war
Friday 23 August 2024 19:00
Tom Watling
‘Today, history was made’: Zelensky issues statement and video after India PM visit
Friday 23 August 2024 18:00
Tom Watling
Today, history was made. The Prime Minister of India @narendramodi made his first visit to Ukraine since our country's independence, on the eve of our Independence Day.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 23, 2024
Today, we reached an agreement on four documents between Ukraine and India, covering the medical field,… pic.twitter.com/I65cVWkbw7
British MoD issues update map of the frontline in Ukraine
Friday 23 August 2024 17:00
Tom Watling
The illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is continuing.
— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) August 23, 2024
The map below is the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 23 August 2024.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/AqT34biqaO
Volunteers in Moscow collect humanitarian aid for residents of Russia's Kursk region
Friday 23 August 2024 16:00
Tom Watling
Ukraine says high-voltage line at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant back in operation
Friday 23 August 2024 15:31
Tom Watling
Ukraine has resumed electricity supply to the Europe biggest Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant via a high-voltage line, Ukrainian nuclear power form Energoatom said on Friday.
Russia’s Rosatom nuclear company said earlier on Friday that automatic systems of the station in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine, switched off one of the lines.
The US is sending $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, officials say
Friday 23 August 2024 15:03
Tom Watling
Ukraine says it has recaptured land in the Kharkiv region, reversing some Russian gains there
Friday 23 August 2024 14:45
Tom Watling
Zelensky hosts India PM Modi in Kyiv - pictures
Friday 23 August 2024 14:23
Tom Watling
People visit former Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on anniversary of death
Friday 23 August 2024 13:56
Tom Watling
Indian PM urges Zelensky to sit down for talks with Russia
Friday 23 August 2024 13:32
Tom Watling
India’s Narendra Modi has urged President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war and offered to act as a “friend” to help bring peace as the two leaders met in wartime Kyiv.
The first visit by an Indian prime minister in modern Ukrainian history comes at a volatile juncture in the war launched by Russia in February 2022, with Moscow making slow gains in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv presses a cross-border incursion.
During joint statements to reporters, Modi said he had come to Kyiv with a message of peace and called for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine the earliest opportunity.
“The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis,” Modi said.
“I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do that I want to assure you as a friend,” he said.
Ukraine has seen the trip as an important opportunity for Kyiv to put across its position on Russia’s invasion to a country with traditionally close economic and defence ties with Moscow.
Both leaders hailed the visit as “historic”.
“This visit is very friendly and important for all Ukrainians,” Zelensky told reporters.
The Ukraine border village facing up to Russia’s wrath over Kursk
Friday 23 August 2024 13:20
Tom Watling
Ukraine ratifies the statute for joining the International Criminal Court
Friday 23 August 2024 13:00
Tom Watling
Russian attack kills two in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, governor says
Friday 23 August 2024 12:40
Tom Watling
A Russian attack on Ukraine‘s northeastern Kharkiv region on Friday killed at least two civilians and injured two more, the regional governor said.
The attack hit the village of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, some 16 km (10 miles) from the front line, governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram. He did not specify the weapon used in the strike.
Russia denies deliberately attacking civilians but thousands have been killed and injured in its strikes on Ukraine during the 30-month-old war.
Earlier, we reported that two more people were killed on Friday night in the frontline settlement of Izyum in the Kharkiv region after a Russian glide bomb destroyed their home. Their bodies were later discovered in the rubble.
Russian ambassador to US says Putin has plan of action for Kursk incursion
Friday 23 August 2024 12:21
Tom Watling
Russian President Vladimir Putin has prepared a response to the ongoing Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk region and those responsible for attacking Russia will be punished, Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said.
“I tell you sincerely that the president has made a decision,” the Tass state news agency quoted Antonov as saying late on Thursday. “I am firmly convinced that everyone will be severely punished for what has happened in the Kursk region.”
The comments by Antonov, who did not provide further details on Putin’s plans, came after the Kremlin leader held a meeting on Thursday with senior officials, including the governors of border regions, over two weeks after Ukraine launched its lightning attack, the biggest incursion into Russia by a foreign power since World War Two.
Antonov, who has served in his post since 2017, also warned in comments published by the RIA state news agency that the US will at some point remove all restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine.
Zelensky and Modi honour children killed in Ukraine
Friday 23 August 2024 12:00
Tom Watling
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has hosted Indian prime minister Narerndra Modi in Kyiv as the pair paid their respects to children killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Разом із Прем’єр-міністром Індії Нарендрою Моді вшанували пам’ять дітей, життя яких забрала російська агресія.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 23, 2024
Діти кожної країни заслуговують на безпеку. Ми повинні зробити її можливою. pic.twitter.com/UMhpKstLOg
Fire at Russian oil depot expands after six days of blaze - image
Friday 23 August 2024 11:40
Tom Watling
A fire at a Russian oil depot in the southwest Rostov region has expanded six days after Ukrainian drones struck the facility.
Satellite imagery published today showed the blaze had spread as of yesterday. That photo can be seen below.
The facility is the Russian Federal Agency for State Reserves oil depot near Proletarsk, Rostov oblast.
Emergency services have been unable to contain the flames for almost a week.
The fire at the oil depot near Proletarsk expanded based on yesterday's Sentinel's imagery. https://t.co/F1cT0FHb54 pic.twitter.com/OuSwaMfeQY
— Konrad Muzyka - Rochan Consulting (@konrad_muzyka) August 23, 2024
Satellite imagery shows extent of damage on Russian ferry targeted by Ukraine
Friday 23 August 2024 11:20
Tom Watling
Satellite imagery has shown the extent of damage caused by a reported Ukrainian missile strike on a ferry in the Russian port of Kavkaz that was used to deliver fuel and weapons to occupied Crimea.
Planet Labs images from 23 August showed the port charred black by the attack.
Earlier, we reported that the Ukrainian Navy claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Another undoubtedly military objective has been destroyed. Its purpose was to provide fuel for the invaders. The ferry sank and this port (Kavkaz) is not usable until the ferry is removed,” Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk told Ukrainian television.
“It was the ferries that accounted for three quarters of all logistics and were the main channel (of supply),” he added.
The ferry was carrying 30 fuel tanks, said Fyodor Babenkov, district head of the town of Temryuk which includes the port.
The port of Kavkaz is one of Russia’s largest outlets on the Black Sea. It handles ships both for exports and for fuel supplies to Crimea, seized by Russian forces in 2014.
Satellite imagery of a destroyed Russian train ferry “Conro Trader”. Which was targeted yesterday by supposedly Ukrainian Neptune anti ship missile in port Kavkaz, Kerch strait. https://t.co/OGh9AIgpwI https://t.co/syLt4NaQmP pic.twitter.com/rjE98RZ1q6
— Special Kherson Cat (@bayraktar_1love) August 23, 2024
Russia suspends ferry service to Crimea after Ukrainian port attack
Friday 23 August 2024 11:00
Tom Watling
Russia has suspended a ferry service operating between southern Russia and Crimea after a Ukrainian attack the previous day, Russia’s Transport Ministry announced.
Ukraine‘s Navy said on Friday that it had destroyed a ferry at Port Kavkaz in Russia’s Krasnodar region which it said was used to deliver fuel and weapons to Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The Russian Transport Ministry was cited in a statement from local authorities as saying that the ferry service to Crimea had been temporarily suspended while clear-up work took place.
Russian MoD issues photos from the frontline
Friday 23 August 2024 10:45
Tom Watling
Putin manipulated Trump’s ego and insecurities with flattery, former security adviser claims
Friday 23 August 2024 10:20
Tom Watling
Two killed in Russian glide bomb attack in northeast Ukraine
Friday 23 August 2024 10:00
Tom Watling
Two bodies have been found under the rubble of a house region destroyed by a Russian glide bomb on Thursday night in Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv, state emergency officials have announced.
The two people, in their late 50s and early 60s, were killed after Russia hit their home in a front-line settlement of the Izyum district in the Kharkiv region.
Russia has used glide bombs, which are cheap, Soviet-era dumb munitions weighing up to 1,500kg and retrofitted with GPS navigation systems and fixed wings, to aggressively bomb areas near the front in Ukraine.
Residents in the Kharkiv region’s namesake capital describe life under the threat of glide bombs as “hell”.
Вночі ворог попередньо вдарив керованою авіабомбою по прифронтовому населеному пункту Ізюмського р-ну на Харківщині.
— DSNS.GOV.UA (@SESU_UA) August 23, 2024
З-під завалів зруйнованої оселі рятувальники вилучили тіла двох загиблих осіб: чоловіка 1963 та жінки 1965 р.н.
Також постраждала 78-річна жінка. pic.twitter.com/BMbbobLS0t
Hungary says it will provide free tickets to Brussels for migrants
Friday 23 August 2024 09:35
Tom Watling
Unit of Russia's Kursk nuclear plant to be put on maintenance, state firm says
Friday 23 August 2024 09:11
Tom Watling
A power unit at Russia’s Kursk nuclear plant will be put on scheduled maintenance on 25 August, Rosenergoatom, a unit of state nuclear firm Rosatom, said on Friday.
Ukraine has been conducting an incursion in Kursk region since 6 August and Russia has accused it of attacking the plant, which the head of the UN nuclear watchdog is due to visit next week.
Will Modi’s Ukraine visit change his mind on support for Putin?
Friday 23 August 2024 08:45
Tom Watling
Footage shows India PM arriving in Kyiv
Friday 23 August 2024 08:23
Tom Watling
Footage published online has shown Indian prime minister Narendra Modi arriving in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The footage was published by Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsia, since Modi arrived on one of their trains.
“For the first time in the history of our countries’ bilateral relations, the Prime Minister of India personally visited Ukraine,” the train company wrote on the Telegram messenger app.
“Before his visit to Kyiv by Ukrzaliznytsia train, Narendra Modi called India a ‘friend and partner’ of Ukraine and expressed hope for a ‘quick restoration of peace’ and a deepening of ‘Indian-Ukrainian friendship.’”
For the first time in history, the Prime Minister of India visited Ukraine personally. Before arriving to Kyiv by our train, @narendramodi called India a "friend&partner" of Ukraine, hoping for a "restoration of peace" and "strengthening of IND-UA friendship."#IronDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/EFBzoFeCH9
— Ukrainian railways || Укрзалізниця (@Ukrzaliznytsia) August 23, 2024
Ukraine's Navy says Russian ferry sunk during Ukrainian attack
Friday 23 August 2024 08:10
Tom Watling
Ukraine‘s Navy confirmed on Friday that they destroyed a ferry in the Russian port of Kavkaz on Thursday which was used to deliver fuel and weapons to the occupied Crimea.
“This ferry is one of the most important chains of Russian military logistics to supply the occupation forces. First of all with fuel, but in addition it transported of course weapons,” Ukraine‘s Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk told Radio Liberty.
There were 30 fuel tanks on the ferry in Kavkaz port, local authorities report.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 22, 2024
A fire train is involved into putting out the fire.
Careful, the second video is loud. https://t.co/AnKGneCKSD pic.twitter.com/OTda5GZ4sa
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Friday 23 August 2024 08:00
Alexander Butler
Indian PM Modi arrives in Kyiv for talks with Ukraine’s Zelensky
Friday 23 August 2024 07:50
Tom Watling
India’s Narendra Modi has arrived in Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the first trip by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since Kyiv gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The visit, which follows a trip by Modi to Moscow in July, is important for Western-backed Kyiv, which has been trying to nurture diplomatic relations in the Global South in its efforts to secure a fair settlement to end the war.
Modi’s visit to Moscow last month coincided with a heavy Russian missile strike on Ukraine that hit a children’s hospital. The attack prompted Modi to use emotive language to deliver an implicit rebuke to Putin at their summit.
But the trip elicited fierce criticism from Zelensky who said it was a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day”.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in the Ukrainian president’s office, told Reuters Modi’s visit to Kyiv was significant because New Delhi “really has a certain influence” over Moscow.
“It’s extremely important for us to effectively build relations with such countries, to explain to them what the correct end to the war is - and that it is also in their interests,” he said.
Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome. pic.twitter.com/oYEV71BTlv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2024
Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine and Russia
Friday 23 August 2024 07:37
Tom Watling
Good morning.
Below are some of the latest photos coming out of Ukraine and Russia.
Narendra Modi urges Zelensky to hold talks with Russia to end war
Friday 23 August 2024 15:30
Tom Watling
What is happening in Ukraine’s east frontline as Putin’s forces advance?
Friday 23 August 2024 07:00
Alexander Butler
Why is Ukraine destroying bridges in Russia’s Kursk?
Friday 23 August 2024 05:00
Alexander Butler
European country to reintroduce compulsory military draft
Friday 23 August 2024 04:00
Alexander Butler
Zelensky needles Putin with largest drone attack aimed at Moscow
Friday 23 August 2024 03:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine says it sees no Belarusian troop movements near border
Friday 23 August 2024 02:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine’s border guard service said on Thursday that Kyiv had seen no signs of Belarusian troop or military hardware movements near their shared border since Minsk announced it was sending additional forces to the area.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Sunday the country had deployed nearly a third of its armed forces along the border, claiming that Kyiv had stationed more than 120,000 troops there.
“We do not see any movement directly near our border - neither equipment nor personnel,” Andriy Demchenko, Ukraine’s border guard service spokesman, told national television.
He added that the situation near the Belarus border “generally has not changed”.
Ukraine ratifies the statute for joining the International Criminal Court
Friday 23 August 2024 01:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, taking a step toward membership and opening the possibility of more prosecutions of Russian officials for war crimes.
Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted Wednesday to ratify the ICC statute.
Membership of the ICC is a requirement for joining the European Union, which Ukraine hopes to do. It was formally accepted as a candidate in June 2022, four months after Russia began its full-scale invasion.
Russian guided bombs kill two in Ukraine's Sumy region
Thursday 22 August 2024 23:00
Alexander Butler
A Russian guided bomb attack in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region bordering Russia’s region of Kursk killed two people, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Moscow troops dropped two guided bombs on civilian infrastructure, according to the regional prosecutors’ statement on Telegram.
One person was injured in the attack, it added.
Russia has been pummelling Ukrainian border regions with strikes, and Kyiv said its shock incursion into the Kursk region was aimed at cutting off Moscow’s ability to stage such attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday he had visited the Sumy region and added there had been a decrease in shelling and in civilian casualties since the Kursk operation.
Watch: Zelensky confirms Ukraine strengthens position in Russia’s Kursk region
Thursday 22 August 2024 22:00
Alexander Butler
Watch: Ukraine strike destroys second Kursk bridge
Thursday 22 August 2024 21:00
Alexander Butler
Watch: Russian military airbase left ablaze after drone attack
Thursday 22 August 2024 20:00
Alexander Butler
Can Ukraine visit change Modi's mind on support for Russia's Putin?
Thursday 22 August 2024 19:00
Alexander Butler
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