Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk has caused Russian elites to question Vladimir Putin’s war, CIA director William Burns has said.
Speaking in London alongside MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore, who praised the “audacious” incursion, the CIA chief said he did not see any evidence that Mr Putin's grip on power was weakening as a result, but that “it did raise questions on the part of people we could see across the Russian elite about where is this all headed”.
Warning that Britain and the US face “an unprecedented array of threats”, the spymasters warned that staying the course in resisting Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine “is more vital than ever”, saying that Russia “will not succeed in extinguishing Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence”.
And CIA director William Burns warned of the growing and “troubling” defence relationship between Russia, Iran, China and North Korea, as reports claim the US has warned allies that it believes Tehran has sent ballistic missiles to Russia, in what the White House said would mark a “dramatic escalation” in their relationship.
Key Points
- Iran sending Russia ballistic missiles would mark ‘dramatic escalation’, CIA chief says
- Russia lost 6,000 troops in Kursk, says Volodymyr Zelensky
- Zelensky presses for long-range strike support
- UK to send 650 air defence missiles worth £162m to Ukraine
Ukraine’s Kursk incursion left Moscow elites questioning war, CIA chief says
09:17
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk has caused Russian elites to question Vladimir Putin’s war, CIA director William Burns has said.
Speaking in London alongside MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore, who praised the “audacious” incursion, Mr Burns said he did not see any evidence that Mr Putin's grip on power was weakening as a result, but that “it did raise questions on the part of people we could see across the Russian elite about where is this all headed”.
You can read more on the spymasters’ remarks here:
MI6 and CIA chiefs accuse Russia of ‘reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe'
09:17
Andy Gregory
The international world order is under threat in a way not seen since the Cold War, the heads of MI6 and the CIA have warned.
In the first joint op-ed penned by the leaders of the British and American intelligence services in their shared 77-year history, the MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore and CIA director William Burns warned that both countries now “face an unprecedented array of threats”.
Writing in the Financial Times, the intelligence leaders warned that staying the course in resisting Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine “is more vital than ever”, saying that Russia “will not succeed in extinguishing Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence”.
The spymasters criticised the “reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe being waged by Russian intelligence, and its cynical use of technology to spread lies and disinformation designed to drive wedges between us”.
US ‘tells allies Iran has sent missiles to Moscow'
08:50
Andy Gregory
The United States has informed allies that it believes Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, the Associated Press reports, citing sources.
It is the latest such report in recent days to suggest Tehran has sent missiles to Moscow.
The White House has not confirmed the claims, but spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement: “Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and lead to the killing of more Ukrainian civilians.”
US secretary of state Anthony Blinken to discuss Ukraine on trip to Britain
08:22
Andy Gregory
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to travel to the UK on Monday to open the US-UK Strategic Dialogue, “reaffirming our special relationship,, his department has said.
Mr Blinken will discuss collective efforts to support Ukraine in Russia’s war, as well as the Indo-Pacific and the Aukus defence pact, the US State Department said.
Two killed in overnight Russian air strike on Sumy, officials say
07:55
Andy Gregory
Two people died and four were injured as a result of an overnight Russian air strike on Sumy, local officials in the Ukrainian border region have said.
Two children were among the injured, and several residential houses and cars were damaged in the strike, Sumy’s military administration said.
Sumy has been subject to frequent attacks by Russian forces, and has been cited as a reason for Ukraine’s incursion into the neighbouring Russian Kursk region in order to hamper the Russians’ ability to launch such attacks on Sumy.
Russia uses 23 drones and four missiles in overnight attack on Ukraine
07:26
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s air defence units destroyed 15 of 23 attack drones and one guided air missile launched by Russia overnight, Kyiv’s air force has said.
Two of the drones and three other missiles did not reach their targets, the air force said. Those drones likely were intercepted by Ukraine’s electronic warfare systems, it added
Italy’s Meloni vows unwavering support for Ukraine
07:00
Holly Evans
Italian premier Giorgia Meloni has pledged unwavering support for Ukraine after a meeting with president Volodymyr Zelensky, warning that the conflict cannot be resolved by abandoning Kyiv.
The hard-right prime minister met the Ukrainian leader on the sidelines of the annual TEHA business forum on Lake Como, as Italy prepares to host next year’s conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Ms Meloni told the forum Italy would never backtrack on its support for Ukraine. “It’s a choice that won’t change,” she said, adding that China and India also had a “role to play” in resolving the conflict. “The only thing that cannot happen is to think that the conflict can be solved by abandoning Ukraine.”
Putin has two secret sons with gymnast who live life of luxury isolated from world
06:00
Holly Evans
Russian president Vladimir Putin has two secret sons who live an isolated life of luxury in a heavily-guarded mansion, according to a Russian investigative journalism website.
The Dossier Centre reported that Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five, spend most of the year at their father’s vast mansion near Lake Valdai, northwest of Moscow.
Their mother is Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic rhythmic gymnast whose relationship with Putin has been an open secret in Russia for more than a decade, the Dossier Centre claim.
Read the full article here:
Kyiv continues strikes against Russia
05:00
Holly Evans
Kyiv has continued to launch its own strikes against Russia. In the Russian border region of Voronezh Saturday, Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said that a drone strike had sparked a fire and the detonation of “explosive objects.”
Writing on social media, he said that a state of emergency had been declared for the region’s Ostrogozhsky district and that several villages had been evacuated.
He did not provide the names of the villages affected and urged followers not to share photos or videos of the fire that could be geolocated.
US and UK spy chiefs praise Ukraine's 'audacious' Russia incursion
04:12
Namita Singh
The heads of the British and American foreign intelligence agencies said on Saturday that Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia is a significant achievement that could change the narrative of the grinding war, as they urged Kyiv’s allies not to be held back by Russian threats of escalation.
Richard Moore, the head of MI6, said Kyiv’s surprise August offensive to seize territory in Russia’s Kursk region was “typically audacious and bold on the part of the Ukrainians, to try and change the game”.
He said the offensive — which Ukraine said has captured about 1,300sq km of Russian territory — had “brought the war home to ordinary Russians”.
Speaking alongside Mr Moore at an unprecedented joint public event in London, CIA Director William Burns said the offensive was a “significant tactical achievement” that had exposed vulnerabilities in the Russian military.
It has yet to be seen whether Ukraine can turn the gains into a long-term advantage.
Iran denies sending ballistic missiles to Russia
04:02
Namita Singh
Iran has denied providing Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine.
“Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict — which leads to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and a distancing from ceasefire negotiations — to be inhumane,” according to a statement from Iran’s mission to the United Nations.
“Thus, not only does Iran abstain from engaging in such actions itself, but it also calls upon other countries to cease the supply of weapons to the sides involved in the conflict.”
‘I could die any moment’: Indians forced to fight for Russia in Ukraine say they feel abandoned by Delhi
04:00
Holly Evans
“I want to see the clear blue sky that is not raining drones and missiles if I make it out of Russia alive,” says Hardeep Gill*, a 24-year-old Indian man caught in the middle of the first major European conflict since the Second World War, fighting for a country that isn’t his own.
Gill, from a city in Punjab, is one of nearly 100 Indian nationals who have found themselves fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, many of them ensnared by human traffickers tasked with recruiting foreign fighters to bolster the ranks of Vladimir Putin’s army.
Gill speaks to The Independent from a frontline location in southern Ukraine, talking in Hindi via WhatsApp voice notes for fear of being caught by his Russian superiors.
“I could die any moment. I am in a dangerous place where we are being attacked by drones constantly,” Gill says.
Read the full article here:
Putin cites Harris’s ‘infectious laugh’ in mocking endorsement for president
03:00
Holly Evans
Russian president Vladimir Putin has claimed that he wants Kamala Harris to win the presidential election because President Joe Biden endorsed her - and because she has an “expressive and infectious laugh”.
On Thursday, during the Eastern Economic Forum, the Russian president claimed that Biden was his “favorite” candidate but that since he dropped out he will now support the new Democratic nominee.
“Our favorite, if you can call it that, was the current president Mr. Biden,” Putin said, with a smirk.
Read the full article here:
Russian hackers charged over cyberattacks in US
02:00
Holly Evans
Federal prosecutors have added new charges against members of Russia’s military intelligence service and an alleged conspirator, accusing them of engaging in a hacking campaign to “sow concern among Ukrainian citizens” regarding their government’s cybersecurity.
A superseding indictment, filed on August 7 but unsealed on Thursday, adds five charges against members of Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU, and one Russian civilian for their alleged conspiracy to use a US-based company’s services to distribute malware, known in the cybersecurity community as “WhisperGate” and designed to look like ransomware, to dozens of Ukrainian government entities’ computer systems.
Read the full article here:
World order under threat ‘not seen since Cold War’, say heads of MI6 and CIA
01:00
Holly Evans
The international world order is under threat in a way not seen since the Cold War, the heads of MI6 and the CIA have warned.
In the first joint op-ed penned by the leaders of the British and American intelligence services in their shared 77-year history, the MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore and CIA director William Burns warned that both countries now “face an unprecedented array of threats”.
Writing in the Financial Times, the intelligence leaders reflected on their decades of cooperation over the course of two world wars and in their fight against terrorism, warning: “The challenges of the past are being accelerated in the present, and compounded by technological change.”
Read the full article here:
It feels like the Ukraine invasion has made the Russian invasion more ferocious
Sunday 8 September 2024 00:00
Holly Evans
The city of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk has become one of the main targets of relentless Russian attacks to capture the remaining strongholds held by Kyiv’s troops in the region. Explosions are almost ever-present in and around the city, whether direct shelling attacks, or the sound of artillery batteries firing hundreds of rounds on the front line, reinforcing the sense that something catastrophic is approaching.
Kostyantynivka is one of the few remaining towns of any size still in Ukrainian hands in the region. And it is now perilously close to the front lines.
Outgoing Ukrainian fire could also be heard south of the city with a distinctive rapid whoosh-whoosh-whoosh signifying, says one civilian, one of the highly accurate US-provided multiple rocket launchers at work.
Read the full article here:
Zelensky renews call for removing restrictions on Western-supplied weapons
Saturday 7 September 2024 23:00
Holly Evans
Zelensky renewed his call for the removal of restrictions on using Western-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory, adding that Ukraine was ramping up its own weapons production.
“We are setting up underground weapons production facilities so Ukrainian soldiers can defend themselves, even if supplies from our partners are delayed,” he said.
“We have developed new drones and missiles, and we are gradually bringing this war back to Russia. Eventually, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will feel the pressure to seek only one thing: peace.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also made a statement Saturday warning Iran against sending arms to Russia. It warned Tehran that if the reports were confirmed, it would have “devastating consequences” for Ukrainian-Iranian bilateral relations.
It followed reports in the Wall Street Journal that Tehran had recently transferred short-range missiles that would be used in the invasion of Ukraine, citing two unnamed sources.
Death toll from 3 September rises to 55
Saturday 7 September 2024 22:00
Holly Evans
Late Friday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the death toll from the Sept. 3 strike at the Military Institute of Communications in Poltava had risen to 55, with 328 people injured.
“That includes people with severe injuries, such as amputations and internal organ damage,” Zelenskyy said, speaking at a conference outside the Italian city of Milan.
“Our people are under constant threat of Russian missile and drone strikes — every night and every day.”
Ukraine’s attack on Russia started as a triumph – but could turn into a catastrophic strategic mistake
Saturday 7 September 2024 21:00
Holly Evans
Ukraine took more than 300 square miles of the Kursk region in the first month of its counter-invasion of Russia, raising morale at home and challenging a growing sense in the West that stalemate was the best Kyiv could hope for. Yet as a daring incursion looks set to become an open-ended occupation, doubts are growing about its long-term wisdom.
When Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border on 6 August, Kyiv was tight-lipped about its objectives, both to keep Moscow guessing and also because it did not want to set itself up for a fall. It needed a victory for both foreign and domestic audiences.
Since then, though, the goals seem to have changed – and gaps opened between the military and political leadership.
Read the full article here:
Funerals held after deadly Russian airstrike
Saturday 7 September 2024 19:45
Holly Evans
Funeral services were held Saturday for victims of one of the deadliest Russian airstrikes since the war in Ukraine began, as Ukraine’s president vowed to increase domestic military production by creating underground weapons factories.
The funerals took place in the eastern Ukrainian city of Poltava for the victims of a Russian missile attack on a military training facility that left over 50 dead and more than 300 injured.
Hundreds of mourners, including grieving families, local residents, and officials, gathered at the Cathedral of the Assumption in the city, some 350 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Kyiv, for the solemn ceremony. Sobbing relatives, many holding red carnations, stood over caskets placed outside the church, draped in yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flags. An air raid siren sounded during the service.
Residents knelt in silent tribute as hearses carrying the victims passed by on their way to a military cemetery outside the city for burial.
‘Audacious’ Kursk incursion has ‘raised questions among Russian elite’, MI6 chief says
Saturday 7 September 2024 18:49
Andy Gregory
Richard Moore, the head of MI6, has praised Kyiv’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region as “typically audacious and bold on the part of the Ukrainians, to try and change the game.”
Speaking alongside CIA director William Burns at an unprecedented joint public event in London, Sir Richard said the offensive had “brought the war home to ordinary Russians” and had raised “questions on the part of people we could see across the Russian elite about where is this all headed”.
ICYMI: Vladimir Putin discusses US election
Saturday 7 September 2024 17:58
Andy Gregory
Zelensky meets Netherlands politician Geert Wilders
Saturday 7 September 2024 17:07
Andy Gregory
Volodymyr Zelensky has met Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the leader of the largest Dutch parliamentary party, at the Ambrosetti forum in Italy.
The Ukrainian president “thanked the Netherlands and the entire Dutch people for their comprehensive support of Ukraine: defence, financial and humanitarian”, a statement on Mr Zelensky’s website said.
The two men discussed Ukraine’s peace plan for ending the war with Russia, the statement added.
Iran appears to deny reports it has sent ballistic missiles to Russia
Saturday 7 September 2024 16:34
Andy Gregory
Iran has appeared to deny reports carrying claims from senior Western officials that it has supplied hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia.
Following reporting by CNN and the Wall Street Journal, Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York said on Friday that Tehran’s position on the Ukraine conflict was unchanged.
“Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict - which leads to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and a distancing from ceasefire negotiations - to be inhumane,” it said.
“Thus, not only does Iran abstain from engaging in such actions itself, but it also calls upon other countries to cease the supply of weapons to the sides involved in the conflict.”
Iran sending Russia ballistic missiles would be ‘dramatic escalation’, warns CIA chief
Saturday 7 September 2024 15:50
Andy Gregory
CIA director William Burns has warned of the growing and “troubling” defence relationship between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea
Speaking at an FT event following reports in the Wall Street Journal that Tehran had defied G7 threats of further sanctions by supplying Russia with hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles, Mr Burns warned that such a move would be a “dramatic escalation” of the relationship.
His comments echoed those of White House national security council spokesperson Sean Savett, who told reporters: “Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
North Korea has sent ammunition and missiles to Russia to use against Ukraine, while Iran supplies Moscow with attack drones. Mr Burns said the CIA had yet to see evidence of China sending weapons to Russia, “but we see lot of things short of that.”
Italy’s Meloni vows unwavering support for Ukraine
Saturday 7 September 2024 15:30
Andy Gregory
Italian premier Giorgia Meloni has pledged unwavering support for Ukraine after a meeting with president Volodymyr Zelensky, warning that the conflict cannot be resolved by abandoning Kyiv.
The hard-right prime minister met the Ukrainian leader on the sidelines of the annual TEHA business forum on Lake Como, as Italy prepares to host next year’s conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Ms Meloni told the forum Italy would never backtrack on its support for Ukraine. “It’s a choice that won’t change,” she said, adding that China and India also had a “role to play” in resolving the conflict. “The only thing that cannot happen is to think that the conflict can be solved by abandoning Ukraine.”
She described the idea that the outcome of the war had already been decided as “Russian propaganda”, adding that Western support had made eventual peace talks a possibility.
“With an invasion, you don’t have peace talks, you don’t need a negotiating table. The need for it emerges, if anything, with a stalemate ... the stalemate that we have contributed to creating,” she said.
Ukraine drone hits Russian munitions depot 80 miles from frontline, source says
Saturday 7 September 2024 15:02
Andy Gregory
Ukrainian drones hit a munitions depot in the Russian region of Voronezh overnight, a Ukrainian security source has told Reuters, adding that Kyiv believed the depot was being used to transfer munitions and equipment to Ukraine.
Alexander Gusev, the province’s Russian governor, said on Telegram that “explosive objects” had detonated after a fire in the region’s Ostorogozhsky district.
There had been no casualties, but a state of emergency had been declared locally, with several hundred people evacuated and a major road closed, he said.
The Ukrainian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the operation was conducted by Ukraine’s internal security service, adding: “At this moment, there are still four pockets of a powerful fire observed at the site, as well as the unceasing detonation of munitions.”
The source said the facility was in the village of Soldatskoe, situated nearly 80 miles from the nearest Ukraine-controlled territory.
On the ground | Fears Ukraine invasion has made the Russians more ferocious
Saturday 7 September 2024 14:04
Andy Gregory
The city of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk has become one of the main targets of relentless Russian attacks to capture the remaining strongholds held by Kyiv’s troops in the region.
Explosions are almost ever-present in and around the city, whether direct shelling attacks, or the sound of artillery batteries firing hundreds of rounds on the front line, reinforcing the sense that something catastrophic is approaching.
Kostyantynivka is one of the few remaining towns of any size still in Ukrainian hands in the region. And it is now perilously close to the front lines. Outgoing Ukrainian fire could also be heard south of the city with a distinctive rapid whoosh-whoosh-whoosh signifying, says one civilian, one of the highly accurate US-provided multiple rocket launchers at work.
Russian attacks are being ramped up across the area – from the commanding heights of Chasiv Yar, less than 10 miles to the northeast, to the mining town of Toretsk, whose slag heaps can be seen eight miles to the south, and Pokrovsk – the key target for Moscow at the moment – some 33 miles to the southwest along a route already vulnerable to shelling by the approaching Russians.
A local businessman, Petro, says: “Our city has been a target for the Russians since 2014, but they have been hitting us hard, smashing away at Kostyantynivka since the start of the full-blown invasion in 2022. There has been an increase in their attacks since August and perhaps the Ukrainian invasion into Russia has made [the Russian troops] more ferocious and so they’re firing more. That’s how it feels.”
Askold Krushelnycky has more in this dispatch from Kostyantynivka:
‘Too early’ to say how long Ukraine can hang on in Kursk, says MI6 chief
Saturday 7 September 2024 13:36
Andy Gregory
The head of MI6, Richard Moore, has said it is “too early” to say how long Ukrainian forces would be able to hang on in Russia’s Kursk region.
Speaking at an FT event which Mr Moore also attended in London, CIA director William Burns called Ukraine’s Kursk offensive in Russia “a significant tactical achievement”.
Ukraine expresses concerns over reports of Iran sending ballistic missiles to Russia
Saturday 7 September 2024 13:08
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has expressed its deep concerned over reports about a possible impending transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.
The ministry said the deepening military co-operation between Tehran and Moscow was a threat to Ukraine, Europe and the Middle East, and called on the international community to increase pressure on Iran and Russia, after CNN and the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.
Reuters reported in August that Russia was expecting the imminent delivery of hundreds of Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles from Iran and that dozens of Russian military personnel were being trained in Iran on the satellite-guided weapons for eventual use in the war in Ukraine.
On Friday, the United States, a key ally of Ukraine, also voiced concern about the potential transfer of missiles.
“Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” White House national security council spokesperson Sean Savett said.
Air raid sirens sound as funerals held for victims of Poltava attack
Saturday 7 September 2024 12:21
Andy Gregory
Funeral services have been held for victims of one of the deadliest Russian airstrikes since the war in Ukraine began, which president Volodymyr Zelensky said left 55 people dead and 328 injured in the city of Poltava.
Hundreds of mourners, including grieving families, local residents, and officials, gathered at the Cathedral of the Assumption in the city, some 200 miles southeast of Kyiv, for the solemn ceremony.
Relatives, many holding red carnations, stood over caskets placed outside the church, draped in yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flags. An air raid siren sounded during the service.
Local residents knelt in silent tribute as hearses carrying the victims passed by on their way to a military cemetery outside the city for burial.
Zelensky ‘discusses peace plan' with Italy’s Meloni
Saturday 7 September 2024 11:50
Andy Gregory
Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed his peace plan to end the war with Russia and reconstruction with a focus on Ukraine’s energy system in a meeting with Italy’s premier Giorgia Meloni, the Ukrainian president said.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Italy.
Russia claims to seize Donetsk village 20 miles east of Povrosk
Saturday 7 September 2024 10:47
Andy Gregory
Russia’s defence ministry claims its troops have seized the Donetsk village of Kalynove.
Kalynove lies some 20 miles east of Povrosk, the key supply hub which Vladimir Putin’s forces are desperately seeking to seize in their current push on the eastern Ukrainian front line.
Three killed by Russian shelling in Donetsk town, governor says
Saturday 7 September 2024 10:01
Andy Gregory
Three people have been killed and three others wounded by Russian artillery shelling of the eastern Ukrainian town of Kostyantynivka, Donetsk’s regional governor has said.
Three men aged between 24 and 69 were killed and a multi-storey block, administrative building and a shop were damaged, governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram.
Analysis | Ukraine’s attack on Russia started as a triumph – but could into a tragedy
Saturday 7 September 2024 09:22
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s counter-invasion of Russia saw it take more than 300 square miles of the Kursk region in its first month, raised morale at home and challenged a growing sense in the West that stalemate was the best Kyiv could hope for. Yet as a daring incursion looks set to become an open-ended occupation, doubts are growing about its long-term wisdom.
When Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border on 6 August, Kyiv was tight-lipped about its objectives, both to keep Moscow guessing and also because it did not want to set itself up for a fall. It needed a victory for both foreign and domestic audiences.
Since then, though, the goals seem to have changed – and gaps opened between the military and political leadership.
Historian and author Mark Galeotti has more analysis on the incursion here:
Drone debris found next to Ukraine’s parliament after overnight Russian attack
Saturday 7 September 2024 08:55
Andy Gregory
Debris from a drone shot down in an overnight Russian attack was found next to Ukraine’s parliament building, Kyiv’s parliament said in a statement on Telegram.
Ukraine’s air force said earlier that Russia had launched 67 drones in a nationwide overnight attack.
Chair of Ukrainian parliament meets with House of Commons speaker
Saturday 7 September 2024 08:28
Andy Gregory
The chair of the Ukrainian parliament has met with the speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle at the sidelines of a G7 summit in Italy for parliamentary leaders.
Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked the UK for its support for Ukraine and stressed the importance that this remains unchanged, as he highlighted the need for Ukraine to be granted permission to strike military targets in russia with Western weapons, according to a statement issued by Ukrainian officials.
MI6 and CIA warn ‘staying the course’ in Ukraine is more vital than ever
Saturday 7 September 2024 08:03
Andy Gregory
In their first ever joint statement, the heads of MI6 and the CIA have warned that “staying the course” in backing Ukraine’s fight against Russia was more important than ever and vowed to further their cooperation.
Writing in the Financial Times, CIA Director William Burns and Richard Moore, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, said: “The partnership lies at the beating heart of the special relationship between our countries.”
The agencies “stand together in resisting an assertive Russia and Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” they said, noting that their services marked 75 years of partnership two years ago.
“Staying the course is more vital than ever. Putin will not succeed in extinguishing Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence,” they said, adding that their agencies would continue aiding Ukrainian intelligence.
The spy chiefs said their agencies would keep working to thwart a “reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe by Russian intelligence” and its “cynical use of technology” to spread disinformation “to drive wedges between us.”
Russia launches 67 long-range drones in overnight attack on Ukraine
Saturday 7 September 2024 07:36
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s air force has said that Russia launched a total of 67 long-range drones in a mass overnight attack, 58 of which it was able to shoot down.
The air force said in a statement on the Telegram app that air defence units were scrambled into action in 11 regions across Ukraine.
The Ukraine invasion has made the Russians more ferocious
Saturday 7 September 2024 07:00
Tom Watling
In Ukraine, a city grieves for a family killed in a deadly Russia missile attack
Saturday 7 September 2024 06:00
Tom Watling
Behind enemy lines with Ukraine’s troops in Russia
Saturday 7 September 2024 05:00
Tom Watling
How it felt to cross the Russian border on a Ukrainian tank
Saturday 7 September 2024 04:00
Tom Watling
Poland ‘has duty’ to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine
Saturday 7 September 2024 03:00
Tom Watling
Watch: Drone rains down molten thermite on Ukrainian battlefield
Saturday 7 September 2024 02:00
Tom Watling
Wearing prosthetics, Ukraine war veterans take to the runway as fashion week returns
Saturday 7 September 2024 01:00
Tom Watling
BBC Two’s The Zelensky Story is gripping and immensely moving
Saturday 7 September 2024 00:00
Tom Watling
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle of his top team has one major aim
Friday 6 September 2024 23:00
Tom Watling
Russian hackers charged over cyberattacks in US
Friday 6 September 2024 22:00
Tom Watling
Zelensky says Ukraine has to be in a strong position for any negotiations
Friday 6 September 2024 21:00
Tom Watling
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine needs the full support of its allies to be in a strong position for any future negotiations with Russia, and called on the West to help Ukraine conduct long-range strikes into Russia.
Zelensky, who was speaking at a forum in Italy, said Ukraine would like to strike specifically at Russian military airfields at a range of up to 300 km (186 miles).