Russia has accused NATO of fuelling tensions as the western military alliance launches its annual nuclear drill involving 2,000 troops.
NATO launched the ‘Steadfast Noon’ drill in northern Europe on Monday, which also includes 60 aircraft from eight bases and 13 nations. The drill will be led by Belgium and the Netherlands, and will last around two weeks.
The exercise will largely be held 900 kilometres (560 miles) north of Russia, in the North Sea.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has accused NATO of fuelling tensions in light of a “hot war” raging in Ukraine.
“In the conditions of a hot war, which is being waged within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict, of course, such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tension,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian media.
He also said it would not be possible to hold nuclear arms talks with the US, because of what it perceives as both direct and indirect involvement in the Ukraine war from western powers.
Joe Biden said in a statement yesterday that he is ready to negotiate with Russia, China and North Korea on nuclear issues “without preconditions to reduce the nuclear threat”.
Key Points
- Kremlin: NATO nuclear exercise is fuelling tensions
- US ready to talk to Russia about nuclear security, Biden says
- One killed and two civilian vessels damaged in Russian attack on Odesa port
- Five killed and eight injured in past day, Ukraine says
- Russia will be able to attack NATO by the end of this decade, head of German intelligence says
Ukraine sees first night without drone or missile strikes in 48 days
04:46
Arpan Rai
Ukraine witnessed a night free from drone or missile attacks on its territory for the first time in 48 days, officials said.
Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, the Ukrainian air force communications official, said Russian forces did not conduct missile or drone strikes against Ukraine on Monday night (from 13 to 14 October), marking the first such night in nearly seven weeks.
The last night free from any Russian air raids was on 29 August.
It came a few days after Ukraine said it had struck a storage facility in Russia that housed as many as 400 drones.
Russia kills one in aerial strike overnight
04:33
Arpan Rai
At least one person was killed and 11 were injured in Russia’s air attack on southern Ukraine’s Mykolaiv, officials said.
“Some of the injured are in serious condition. Unfortunately, there is one dead,” Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv, said on Telegram.
The region has remained under air raid alert for the past eight hours, according to Mr Kim’s alerts on Telegram.
Brazil must arrest Putin if he attends G20, says official
04:12
Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin may head to Brazil next month, where he should be arrested for the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, Ukraine’s top prosecutor has said.
Ukrainian prosecutor general Andrii Kostin said: “Due to information that Putin may attend the G20 summit in Brazil I would like to reiterate that it’s an obligation for the Brazilian authorities as a state party of the Rome Statute to arrest him if he dares to visit.”
The ICC in the Hague issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president in March last year, accusing him of a war crime involving deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
“I truly hope that Brazil will arrest him, reaffirming its status as a democracy and a state governed by the rule of law,” the Ukrainian official said. “A failure to do so risks setting a precedent under which leaders accused of crimes can travel with impunity,” he said.
EU sanctions Iranian entities linked with Russia
04:01
Alex Croft
The EU agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on Iranian-linked people and organisations for their material support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Iran Air has been sanctioned for its links to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia, Reuters reported.
Saha Airlines, Mahan Air and Iran’s deputy defence minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari were also on the sanctions list.
US officials said last month that Russia had received ballistic missiles for its war in Ukraine. Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said no such transfer had taken place since his government took office in August.
Officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and managing directors of Aerospace Industries Organization and Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries were also sanctioned.
The sanctions include asset freezes and a travel ban to the EU.
Putin plans to involve North Korea in war directly, says Zelensky
03:56
Arpan Rai
Russia is looking to involve North Korea directly in its invasion of Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky said, citing Ukrainian intelligence.
“Among the most important was the report of the intelligence services – the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine – on the intentions of the Russians for the fall and winter. Everything was quite detailed. The actual involvement of North Korea in the war,” Mr Zelensky said in his evening address.
He added that the war is being prolonged by Russia’s relations with some other countries, but did not directly name Moscow’s allies.
This comes a day after the Ukrainian leader warned of an “increasing alliance” between Moscow and Pyongyang stating that North Korea was sending personnel to the frontline as well as its weapons.
“This is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces,” he said.
Report: Ukrainian mother’s desperate plea for children to join her in UK after Home Office refusal
03:00
Andy Gregory
A Ukrainian refugee says she is living in a “surreal nightmare” after she was refused permission to bring her two children to the UK.
Pressure is mounting on ministers to open a family reunion pathway for Ukrainians with temporary immigration status, after the rules were changed without warning in February. Charities say that the Home Office’s “restrictive rules and poor decision-making” are “tearing families apart”.
Read Andy Gregory’s exclusive report here:
Russia captures southeastern village of Levadne, its defence ministry says
02:02
Alex Croft
Russia’s Defence Ministry says its forces have taken control of the village of Levadne, around 125 kilometres west of the eastern city of Donetsk, Russian state-owned news agency Interfax reported on Monday.
The village, in the region of Zaporizhzhia, was captured early on in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, before it was retaken by Ukrainien forces during the 2023 summer counteroffensive.
The battlefield report has not been independently verified.
Pope’s envoy to Ukraine arrives in Moscow
01:01
Alex Croft
Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, an envoy to Ukraine of Pope Francis, arrived in Moscow on Monday according to the RIA state news agency.
RIA cited a source in the Holy See as saying a visit is possible between Zuppi and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of the Kremlin.
Zuppi last visited Moscow in June 2023.
One killed and two civilian vessels damaged in Russian attack on port
Tuesday 15 October 2024 00:03
Alex Croft
A Russian missile attack has damaged two civilian vessels, killed one person and injured at least eight, Ukrainian authorities said.
The attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa also damaged a grain storage, according to Reuters.
Deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba announced on Telegram that Palau-flagged bulk carrier Optima and Belize-flagged NS Moon were both damaged in the strike.
Two of the injured people were left in a serious condition, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper.
Kremlin rejects German claim that Russia could attack NATO by 2030
Monday 14 October 2024 23:01
Alex Croft
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has refuted the claim by a German intelligence official that Russian forces “should be in a position to launch an attack on NATO by the end of this decade at the latest”.
Peskov said on Monday that it was actually NATO who threatened Russia, referring to multiple rounds of NATO expansion.
Kremlin: NATO nuclear exercise is fuelling tensions
Monday 14 October 2024 22:04
Alex Croft
Russia has accused NATO of fuelling tensions with their annual nuclear exercise in light of the “hot war” raging on in Ukraine.
The western military alliance kicked off the drills on Monday, which will include 2,000 troops and 60 aircraft from eight bases, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday it would not be possible to hold nuclear arms talks with the US, due to what it describes as direct and indirect involvement in Ukraine from western powers.
“In the conditions of a hot war, which is being waged within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict, of course, such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tension,” Peskov said according to Breaking The News.
Joe Biden said recently that he is ready to negotiate with Russia, China and North Korea on nuclear issues “without preconditions”.
Russia launches no Shahed drones overnight for first time in nearly 50 days
Monday 14 October 2024 21:00
Alex Croft
For the first time in 48 days, Russia did not launch any Shahed drone attacks at Ukraine overnight from Sunday going into Monday.
The Ukrainian Air Force did not comment on why there was a sudden lull in drone attacks from the Russians, who launched 1,300 Shahed kamikaze drones in September according to the Kyiv Independent.
Yurii Ihnat, acting Head of the Communications Department of the Air Force Command, said earlier this month that Russian forces were increasingly using drones of an unspecified type, which have been frequently downed by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.
Comment: Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?
Monday 14 October 2024 20:02
Mary Dejevsky
With the US election less than a month away, and his support dwindling across Europe, the Ukraine president is in a last-ditch race against time to shore up support, writes Mary Dejevsky.
US ready to talk to Russia about nuclear security, Biden says
Monday 14 October 2024 19:01
Alex Croft
The US is ready to talk to Russia, China and North Korea to address security issues, president Joe Biden has said.
Speaking in the Nobel Peace Prize winners’ congratulatory statement, Biden said it is vital to move towards the day that the world can be completely and permanently free of nuclear weapons.
He said the US is ready to negotiate with Russia, China and North Korea “without preconditions” to diminish the nuclear threat, Ukrainska Prava reported.
Biden said: “There is no benefit to our nations or the world to forestall progress on reducing nuclear arsenals. Reducing the nuclear threat is important not despite the dangers of today’s world but precisely because of them.
“These nuclear risks erode the norms and agreements we have worked collectively to put in place and run counter to the vital work of today’s Nobel Laureates.”
It came after Japanese nuclear bombing survivors’ organisation Nihon Hidankyo won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts in pushing for a nuclear free world and demonstrating that nuclear weapons must not be used.
In pictures: Ukraine’s ‘Bulava’ unmanned aerial vehicles unit test new FPV drones
Monday 14 October 2024 18:29
Alex Croft
Russia will be able to attack NATO by the end of this decade, head of German intelligence says
Monday 14 October 2024 17:56
Alex Croft
Russian forces will have the capacity to attack NATO by the end of this decade, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service said on Monday.
“Russian forces should be in a position to launch an attack on NATO by the end of this decade at the latest,” Dr Bruno Kahl, Bundesnachrichtendienstes (BND) chief, told a parliamentary committee in Berlin.
Five killed and eight injured in past day, Ukraine says
Monday 14 October 2024 17:23
Alex Croft
Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed five people and injured eight others in the past day, regional authorities confirmed this morning.
Four people were killed in the region of Donetsk, after attacks on gthe town of Chasiv Yar anf the villages of Zvanivka and Vyshneve, according to the region’s governor. Three more people were killed in the region.
One person was killed and four were injured in the Kherson region, after putin’s forces targeted eight settlements, including the regional capital of Kherson, according to governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Three high-rise buildings, six houses, gas pipelines and a warehouse were all damaged in the region, Prokudin added.
German opposition candidate would consider providing Taurus missiles to Ukraine
Monday 14 October 2024 16:51
Alex Croft
Friedrich Merz, an opposition candidate for German chancellor, says he is open to supplying Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles as the current government refuses to do so.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is said to fear that Ukraine would use Taurus missiles to strike politically sensitive targets in Russia - which could throw Germany into hostilities with Russia.
But Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) - the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel - says he would consider supplying the missiles under certain conditions.
First, there should be an appeal to Russia to stop striking civilian targets in Ukraine.
If Putin refuses, Ukraine should be free to use all weapons delivered by Germany however they please.
“And the second step would be to supply the Taurus missiles. Then it is up to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to decide how far he wants to escalate this war,” Merz said according to N-TV.
Taurus is a German-Swedish cruise missile which has a range of over 500 kilometres (310 miles).
Russian Tu-134 military plane set on fire
Monday 14 October 2024 16:19
Alex Croft
A Russian Tu-134 military plane was set on fire at a military airfield in the Orenburg region overnight between Saturday anf Sunday, Ukraine said.
The aircraft is used to “transport the leadership of the Russian defence ministry”, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR).
The plane burned to the ground at the Orenburg-2 military airfield, around 1,250 kilometres (780 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
HUR has not claimed responsibility for the incident, but in sharing footage of the fire it said: “Every crime against the Ukrainian people will be duly punished,” the Kyiv Independent reported.
Ukraine has previously carried out strikes against airbases belonging to Russia’s air force.
On the night of October 12 to 13, 2024, a Tu-134 military transport aircraft was destroyed in russia.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 14, 2024
A fire broke out at the russian military airfield “Orenburg-2,” where the aircraft was based.
: @DI_Ukraine pic.twitter.com/fbyX1xCRzi
French citizen sentenced to three years in Russian prison
Monday 14 October 2024 15:48
Alex Croft
A French citizen was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted in a Russian court of collecting military information.
Laurent Vinatier was arrested in Moscow in June and previously admitted failing to register as a “foreign agent” before gathering information on the Russian army.
In his remarks, Vinatier stated that he recognised guilt and asked the judge for clemency, saying in Russian: “I’m asking the Russian Federation to forgive me for failing to observe Russian laws.”
His lawyers asked the court to sentence him to a fine in the trial, which was fast-tracked following Vinatier’s guilty plea.
Vinatier’s arrest came as tensions rose between Paris and Moscow, after French president Emmanuel Macron raised the possibility of deploying French troops in Ukraine.
Putin may attend G20 summit says top Ukrainian prosecutor
Monday 14 October 2024 15:29
Alex Croft
Russian president Vladimir Putin may attend the G20 summit in Brazil next month, Ukraine’s top prosecutor has said.
Ukrainian prosecutor general Andriy Kostin told Reuters he had called on Brazilian authorities to carry out Putin’s arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court if he landed on South American soil.
The arrest warrant was issued for Putin in March 2023, around a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He is accused of the war crime of deporting children.
Russia has dismissed the warrant as “null and void”, denying allegations of war crimes.
Kostin said he had "information that Putin may attend the G20 summit in Brazil” and reminded Brazil “it’s an obligation for the Brazilian authorities as a state party of the Rome Statute to arrest him if he dares to visit”.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked on Monday whether a decision had been made on whether Putin would attend the meeting of the world’s leading 20 economies. He said: "No. When a decision is made, we will let you know."
Two women killed in Russian strike on Kherson region
Monday 14 October 2024 15:08
Alex Croft
A Russian first-person view (FPV) drone attack in the Kherson region has killed two women in their car, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said.
The strike hit near the town of Beryslav, 75 kilometres east of Kherson city, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
Kherson was freed from Russian occupation in November 2022, and has since been the subject of sustained and regular attacks from Russian troops.
Residents of the southern city have reported an increase in indiscriminate Rusian attacks with FPV drones on civilian targets in the city. They refer th the new strategy as “human safari”, The Kyiv Independent reported.
Ukrainian troops crossed border two days before Kursk incursion, commander says
Monday 14 October 2024 14:45
Alex Croft
Ukrainian soldiers crossed into Russia’s Kursk region two days before Kyiv launched a larger operation across the border, a commander has said.
The cross-border incursion into Kursk was launched on August 6, claiming to have seized 1,300 square kilometres (500 square miles).
But it has recently come under increasing pressure as Russia has brought in reinforcements.
Pavlo Rozlach, commander of Ukraine’s 80th Air Assault Brigade, said in an interview on Sunday that one company of the brigade sneaked into Kursk in groups of six and hid in the forest.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces helped them to cross the border, before the company attacked a Russian stronghold near the border and paved the way for the entry of Ukrainian vehicles.
What is the mysterious advanced Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces in embarrassment for Putin?
Monday 14 October 2024 14:28
Stuti Mishra
Last week Russia’s air force was forced to shoot down one of its newest and most advanced models of attack drone, in an incident that is being seen as one of the biggest embarrassments ever suffered by the Russian Air Force.
On 5 October, videos showed a drone flying near Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine before it was shot down by another jet briefly flying alongside it. Initial reports suggested it was either a Russian jet taken down by the Ukrainian air force or a Russian jet losing control and being shot down by Moscow.
However, the drone that fell down was no ordinary weapon. It was later identified as a stealth S-70 Okhotnik-B, also known as “Hunter”, one of Russia’s most advanced stealth drones, designed to accompany an Su-57 fighter jet.
Read the full report by Stuti Mishra:
EU sanctions Iranian entities linked with Russia
Monday 14 October 2024 14:08
Alex Croft
The EU agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on Iranian-linked people and organisations for their material support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Iran Air has been sanctioned for its links to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia, Reuters reported.
Saha Airlines, Mahan Air and Iran’s deputy defence minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari were also on the sanctions list.
US officials said last month that Russia had received ballistic missiles for its war in Ukraine. Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said no such transfer had taken place since his government took office in August.
Officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and managing directors of Aerospace Industries Organization and Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries were also sanctioned.
The sanctions include asset freezes and a travel ban to the EU.
Report: Ukrainian mother’s desperate plea for children to join her in UK after Home Office refusal
Monday 14 October 2024 13:47
Andy Gregory
A Ukrainian refugee says she is living in a “surreal nightmare” after she was refused permission to bring her two children to the UK.
Pressure is mounting on ministers to open a family reunion pathway for Ukrainians with temporary immigration status, after the rules were changed without warning in February. Charities say that the Home Office’s “restrictive rules and poor decision-making” are “tearing families apart”.
Read Andy Gregory’s exclusive report here:
In pictures: French researcher Laurent Vinatier’s trial resumes
Monday 14 October 2024 13:29
Alex Croft
Laurent Vinatier was arrested in June after Russia accused him of failing to register as a “foreign agent” before gathering information on the Russian army.
The 48-year-old previously admitted the charges and is appearing in court today (Monday).
Russia captures southeastern village of Levadne, its defence ministry says
Monday 14 October 2024 13:08
Alex Croft
Ruyssia’s Defence Ministry says its forces have taken control of the village of Levadne, around 125 kilometres west of the eastern city of Donetsk, Russian state-owned news agency Interfax reported.
The village, in the region of Zaporizhzhia, was captured early on in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, before it was retaken by Ukrainien forces during the 2023 summer counteroffensive.
The battlefield report has not been independent verified.
Pope’s envoy to Ukraine arrives in Moscow
Monday 14 October 2024 12:46
Alex Croft
Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, an envoy to Ukraine of Pope Francis, arrived in Moscow on Monday according to the RIA state news agency.
RIA cited a source in the Holy See as saying a visit is possible between Zuppi and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of the Kremlin.
Zuppi last visited Moscow in June 2023.
One killed and two civilian vessels damaged in Russian attack on port
Monday 14 October 2024 12:14
Alex Croft
A Russian missile attack has damaged two civilian vessels, killed one person and injured at least eight, Ukrainian authorities said.
The attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa also damaged a grain storage, according to Reuters.
Deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba announced on Telegram that Palau-flagged bulk carrier Optima and Belize-flagged NS Moon were both damaged in the strike.
Two of the injured people were left in a serious condition, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper.
Kremlin rejects German claim that Russia could attack NATO by 2030
Monday 14 October 2024 11:53
Alex Croft
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has refuted the claim by a German intelligence official that Russian forces “should be in a position to launch an attack on NATO by the end of this decade at the latest”.
Peskov said on Monday that it was actually NATO who threatened Russia, referring to multiple rounds of NATO expansion.
Kremlin: NATO nuclear exercise is fuelling tensions
Monday 14 October 2024 11:36
Alex Croft
Russia has accused NATO of fuelling tensions with their annual nuclear exercise in light of the “hot war” raging on in Ukraine.
The western military alliance kicked off the drills on Monday, which will include 2,000 troops and 60 aircraft from eight bases, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday it would not be possible to hold nuclear arms talks with the US, due to what it describes as direct and indirect involvement in Ukraine from western powers.
“In the conditions of a hot war, which is being waged within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict, of course, such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tension,” Peskov said according to Breaking The News.
Joe Biden said recently that he is ready to negotiate with Russia, China and North Korea on nuclear issues “without preconditions”.
Russia launches no Shahed drones overnight for first time in nearly 50 days
Monday 14 October 2024 10:54
Alex Croft
For the first time in 48 days, Russia did not launch any Shahed drone attacks at Ukraine overnight from Sunday going into Monday.
The Ukrainian Air Force did not comment on why there was a sudden lull in drone attacks from the Russians, who launched 1,300 Shahed kamikaze drones in September according to the Kyiv Independent.
Yurii Ihnat, acting Head of the Communications Department of the Air Force Command, said earlier this month that Russian forces were increasingly using drones of an unspecified type, which have been frequently downed by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.
US ready to talk to Russia about nuclear security, Biden says
Monday 14 October 2024 10:29
Alex Croft
The US is ready to talk to Russia, China and North Korea to address security issues, president Joe Biden has said.
Speaking in the Nobel Peace Prize winners’ congratulatory statement, Biden said it is vital to move towards the day that the world can be completely and permanently free of nuclear weapons.
He said the US is ready to negotiate with Russia, China and North Korea “without preconditions” to diminish the nuclear threat, Ukrainska Prava reported.
Biden said: “There is no benefit to our nations or the world to forestall progress on reducing nuclear arsenals. Reducing the nuclear threat is important not despite the dangers of today’s world but precisely because of them.
“These nuclear risks erode the norms and agreements we have worked collectively to put in place and run counter to the vital work of today’s Nobel Laureates."
It came after Japanese nuclear bombing survivors’ organisation Nihon Hidankyo won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts in pushing for a nuclear free world and demonstrating that nuclear weapons must not be used.
In pictures: Ukraine’s ‘Bulava’ unmanned aerial vehicles unit test new FPV drones
Monday 14 October 2024 10:09
Alex Croft
Russia will be able to attack NATO by the end of this decade, head of German intelligence says
Monday 14 October 2024 09:48
Alex Croft
Russian forces will have the capacity to attack NATO by the end of this decade, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service said on Monday.
“Russian forces should be in a position to launch an attack on NATO by the end of this decade at the latest,” Dr Bruno Kahl, Bundesnachrichtendienstes (BND) chief, told a parliamentary committee in Berlin.
We’ll bring you more detail on his comments as they come.
Five killed and eight injured in past day, Ukraine says
Monday 14 October 2024 09:24
Alex Croft
Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed five people and injured eight others in the past day, regional authorities confirmed this morning.
Four people were killed in the region of Donetsk, after attacks on gthe town of Chasiv Yar anf the villages of Zvanivka and Vyshneve, according to the region’s governor. Three more people were killed in the region.
One person was killed and four were injured in the Kherson region, after putin’s forces targeted eight settlements, including the regional capital of Kherson, according to governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Three high-rise buildings, six houses, gas pipelines and a warehouse were all damaged in the region, Prokudin added.
German opposition candidate would consider providing Taurus missiles to Ukraine
Monday 14 October 2024 08:53
Alex Croft
Friedrich Merz, an opposition candidate for German chancellor, says he is open to supplying Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles as the current government refuses to do so.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is said to fear that Ukraine would use Taurus missiles to strike politically sensitive targets in Russia - which could throw Germany into hostilities with Russia.
But Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) - the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel - says he would consider supplying the missiles under certain conditions.
First, there should be an appeal to Russia to stop striking civilian targets in Ukraine.
If Putin refuses, Ukraine should be free to use all weapons delivered by Germany however they please.
"And the second step would be to supply the Taurus missiles. Then it is up to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to decide how far he wants to escalate this war," Merz said according to N-TV.
Taurus is a German-Swedish cruise missile which has a range of over 500 kilometres (310 miles).
Russian Tu-134 military plane set on fire
Monday 14 October 2024 08:37
Alex Croft
A Russian Tu-134 military plane was set on fire at a military airfield in the Orenburg region overnight between Saturday anf Sunday, Ukraine said.
The aircraft is used to “transport the leadership of the Russian defence ministry”, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR).
The plane burned to the ground at the Orenburg-2 military airfield, around 1,250 kilometres (780 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
HUR has not claimed responsibility for the incident, but in sharing footage of the fire it said: "Every crime against the Ukrainian people will be duly punished,” the Kyiv Independent reported.
Ukraine has previously carried out strikes against airbases belonging to Russia’s air force.
On the night of October 12 to 13, 2024, a Tu-134 military transport aircraft was destroyed in russia.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 14, 2024
A fire broke out at the russian military airfield “Orenburg-2,” where the aircraft was based.
: @DI_Ukraine pic.twitter.com/fbyX1xCRzi
Ukrainian mother’s desperate plea for children to join her in UK after Home Office refusal
Monday 14 October 2024 07:00
Tara Cobham
A Ukrainian refugee says she is living in a “surreal nightmare” after she was refused permission to bring her two children to the UK.
Pressure is mounting on ministers to open a family reunion pathway for Ukrainians with temporary immigration status, after the rules were changed without warning in February. Charities say that the Home Office’s “restrictive rules and poor decision-making” are “tearing families apart”.
Maria Kondratska, who arrived in Britain just months before Russia’s full-scale invasion, is now appealing on human rights grounds after the Home Office refused her application for her son and daughter, aged 11 and 15, to be given refuge with her in Britain.
Andy Gregory reports:
Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna confirmed dead in Russian custody
Monday 14 October 2024 06:59
Namita Singh
Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, a 27-year-old award-winning reporter, died in Russian detention last month, confirmed Ukrainian authorities.
“I have official documentation from the Russian side confirming the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who was illegally deprived of her liberty by Russia,” Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said in a statement.
“We have every reason to believe that her death was either the result of a deliberate murder or the result of the cruel treatment and violence to which she was subjected during her time in Russian captivity,” Ukrainian journalists and media professionals said in a statement condemning her death, reported CNN.
Retreat of BBC World Service aids propaganda from Russia and China – Tim Davie
Monday 14 October 2024 06:32
Namita Singh
BBC director-general Tim Davie will warn that the retreat of its World Service due to funding cuts has helped Russia and China broadcast “unchallenged propaganda”.
On Monday afternoon, in a speech at the Future Resilience Forum, a non-partisan meeting attended by international political figures, Mr Davie will discuss the global importance of the BBC World Service, which operates across more than 40 languages.
While addressing the war in Ukraine and unrest in the Middle East, Mr Davie is expected to say: “This is a critical moment of challenge for stability and democracy worldwide.”
Report:
Ukraine considers relinquishing territory to Russia – report
Monday 14 October 2024 06:10
Namita Singh
Ukraine is considering ceding its territory to Russia to end the war, reported German news outlet Der Spiegel, citing official sources.
A key condition to Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace formula so far involves Russia forfeiting the invaded territory. But now the Ukrainian officials are holding discussion on letting go the aim of full restoration of occupied areas, reported the German outlet.
“We believed that victory had to mean the unconditional surrender of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s Russia,” the source reportedly said.
Factors forcing Ukraine to consider this option include the uncertainty of outcome in US presidential election as well as advancement by Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.
“Whether it’s (former US president Donald) Trump or (vice president Kamala) Harris, the Americans will slowly but surely withdraw,” the official told Der Spiegel.
Earlier, Trump had criticised American aid to Ukraine, pledging to get US “out” of the conflict if re-elected.
Russian forces advance near Kupyansk, Donetsk City and Robotyne, reports think tank
Monday 14 October 2024 06:00
Tara Cobham
Russian forces have advanced near Kupyansk, Donetsk City, and Robotyne in Ukraine recently, a US war think tank has said.
Russia has recaptured almost two dozen settlements in Kursk Oblast as of October 11, Russian military sources have claimed, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Meanwhile, the ISW said Ukrainian forces partially regained lost positions, Ukrainian military officials reported, amid ongoing intense Russian counterattacks on Sunday.
Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Donetsk City, and Robotyne.
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) October 13, 2024
Russian military sources claimed that Russian forces have recaptured nearly two dozen settlements in Kursk Oblast as of October 11, while Ukrainian military officials reported that Ukrainian forces… https://t.co/qYVc1JOaET pic.twitter.com/7HCb6hC2O4
What is the mysterious Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces?
Monday 14 October 2024 05:42
Namita Singh
Last week Russia’s air force was forced to shoot down one of its newest and most advanced models of attack drone, in an incident that is being seen as one of the biggest embarrassments ever suffered by the Russian Air Force.
On 5 October, videos showed a drone flying near Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine before it was shot down by another jet briefly flying alongside it.
Initial reports suggested it was either a Russian jet taken down by the Ukrainian air force or a Russian jet losing control and being shot down by Moscow.
However, the drone that fell down was no ordinary weapon. It was later identified as a stealth S-70 Okhotnik-B, also known as “Hunter”, one of Russia’s most advanced stealth drones, designed to accompany an Su-57 fighter jet.
More here:
