Russia has lost more than one million troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian military has claimed.
The claim by the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces is in line with Western intelligence estimates and underlines the huge price paid by Moscow for its three-year-old invasion.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, the UK Ministry of Defence also said that Russia has suffered more than one million casualties, including roughly 250,000 killed since it launched the full-scale invasion on February 24 2022.
The MoD said the figures highlighted “the devastating human cost Putin is inflicting on his own people”.
Russia last reported its military casualties early in the war when it said that around 6,000 soldiers had been killed.
The figures come as both sides continued to swap severely wounded prisoners of war on Thursday as part of an agreement struck during talks in Istanbul.
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Key Points
- Ukraine claims strike on Russian electronics factory near Moscow
- Six killed and dozens injured as Russia attacks Kharkiv with deadly nighttime barrage of drones
- Ukraine's military claims Russia has reached 1 million casualties
- Kyiv receives bodies of 1,212 soldiers killed in war with Russia
- Russia flies bombers over Baltic for first time since Ukrainian drone attacks
Foreign ministers 'ready to toughen action' on Russia
15:30
,
Daniel Keane
Foreign ministers from large European countries have said they are ready to step up pressure on Russia at a meeting in Rome.
The meeting was attended by officials from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and the European Union.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and a Ukrainian representative also joined the talks.
"We reiterated our readiness to step up our pressure on Russia as it continues to refuse serious and credible commitments, including through further sanctions and countering their circumvention," the foreign ministers' statement said.
Volodymyr Zelensky to attend G7 and hopes to meet Trump
15:00
,
Daniel Keane
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will attend the G7 summit in Canada next week and hopes to meet Donald Trump.
Mr Zelensky told a news briefing that he hopes to discuss continued support for Ukraine, sanctions against Russia, and future financing for Kyiv's reconstruction efforts during the summit.
Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky last met at the Vatican in April, ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis.
Pictured: Ukrainian POWs seen after swap
14:29
,
Daniel Keane
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that a new group of severely wounded Ukrainian servicemen returned home from Russian captivity in a new round of POW swaps with Moscow.
Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a large exchange of POWs during their latest peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month.
Russian forces shoot down 260 Ukrainian drones in past day, defence ministry claims
13:59
,
Alex Croft
Russia's defence ministry said Moscow's forces had shot down 260 Ukrainian drones in the past day, including 62 outside the combat zone, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a concentrated, nine-minute-long Russian drone attack on Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv on Wednesday killed six people and injured 64, including nine children, Ukrainian officials said.
Russian approach to Ukraine peace talks 'not helpful', says Rutte
13:29
,
Alex Croft
Russia's approach to peace talks with Ukraine is not helpful, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said on Thursday.
"The Russians are sending this historian now twice to these talks in Istanbul, trying to start with the history of 1,000 years ago and then explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here. I think that's not helpful," Mr Rutte said.
"But at least, step by step, we try to make progress", he added before meeting foreign affairs ministers from Italy, Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Spain in Rome.
Watch: Residents evacuated after overnight Russian strike on Kharkiv kills 14
13:00
,
Alex Croft
US defence secretary admits Russia is 'aggressor'
12:31
,
Alex Croft
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has admitted Russia is the “aggressor” in the Ukraine war, a position which the Trump administration has often been reluctant to take.
At a Senate budget hearing on 1 June, Mr Hegseth was criticised by Republican senators over the attempts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, The Kyiv Independent reported.
Senator Mitch McConnell warned that “America’s reputation is on the line” in some of his strongest public criticism so far.
"We don’t want a headline at the end of this conflict that says Russia wins and America loses," Mr McConnell said.
Later in the hearing, Mr Hegseth was asked who the aggressor in the three-year war is, and he responded: “Russia is the aggressor”.
But he declined to say which side he wanted to see win the war, only that the US was committed to peace.
In pictures: Russian prisoners of war return home in further exchanges
12:00
,
Alex Croft
Serbia's Moscow-friendly president visits Ukraine but refuses to sign 'anti-Russian' declaration
11:29
,
Alex Croft
Serbia’s Russia-friendly leader made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Wednesday for a summit on strengthening European support for Kyiv's fight against Russian aggression, but he refused to sign a joint declaration calling for tougher sanctions against Moscow.
It was President Aleksandar Vucic's first visit to Ukraine since taking office over a decade ago. He attended the summit between Ukraine and 12 Southeast European states in Odesa.
Read the full report:
At least three killed in Russian attacks over past day
11:00
,
Alex Croft
At least three people were killed over the past day by Russian air attacks, the Ukrainian air force has announced.
Two civilians were killed and six others injured in strikes on the Donetsk region, governor Vadym Filashkin said.
In the Kharkiv region, 16 people including four children were injured in Russian attacks.
One person was killed in an artillery strike on the Kherson region, and 12 people, including one child, were injured.
Russia using peace talks to avoid US sanctions, Zelensky says
10:22
,
Alex Croft
Russia is using peace talks to avoid tougher US sanctions, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with German tabloid Bild
"It's important for them to show (U.S. President Donald) Trump that there is a diplomatic bridge between Ukraine and Russia," the Ukrainian president said, “so that sanctions aren't imposed against Russia" while talks are ongoing.
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s strategy is to create an illusion of dialogue, so that he can say: "We're talking to each other! If sanctions are imposed, there will be no more talks."
Mr Zelensky added: "Putin feels that his economy is now suffering. But he wants to gain even more time until the strong sanctions are introduced, because he can still hold out for some time."
Zelensky announces boost to Ukrainian air defence
10:12
,
Alex Croft
Volodymyr Zelensky has announced Kyiv is seeking to boost investment for Ukraine’s air defense infrastructure.
“We have some weapons still in development, some systems have already been developed, and we are trying to secure more funding for mass production,” Mr Zelensky said.
“These include various types of intercepter drones, among other things.”
He said he will “not disclose which systems are located where, or which energy facilities they protect”.
German defence minister arrives in Kyiv
09:51
,
Rachel Clun, Reuters
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss further weapons aid for Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine met for peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month in a renewed push to settle the conflict, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022, but efforts to end the three-year conflict with Russia faced headwinds.
The two sides disagree over issues including territorial concessions and the prospect of Ukraine's future NATO membership, however, and fighting has raged on, with a Russian drone attack killing six people in Kharkiv on Wednesday.
"The purpose of the trip is mainly to demonstrate ... that Germany, that the new federal government, continues to stand by Ukraine in the current situation, which has not become any easier," Pistorius told journalists upon his arrival in Kyiv.
Germany is Ukraine's second-biggest military backer after the United States, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently gave Ukraine the green light for "long range fire" with weapons supplied by Germany and others, angering Moscow.
In pictures: Emergency services clean up after Kharkiv struck in Russian attack
09:28
,
Rachel Clun
Watch: Residents evacuated after overnight Russian strike on Kharkiv
09:12
,
Rachel Clun
Stikes on Odesa comes shortly after European leaders conference in the city
08:56
,
Rachel Clun
The overnight attacks on Odesa and other Ukrainian cities come after Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at a conference in the Black Sea port city, saying Russia was determined to sow chaos in and destroy the south of his country.
The Ukrainian president said Vladimir Putin was also looking to do the same in nearby Moldova and Romania, and called for increased pressure on Moscow to prevent further military threats.
Addressing a conference of south-east European leaders on Wednesday, Zelensky said collective efforts were needed to keep Moscow from causing further disruption.
"Today, we are forced to fight not only for our country, but also for this reality to become the cornerstone of a new regional policy," Zelensky said on Telegram.
"We are here in Odesa, a city that Russia wants to destroy, as it has destroyed countless other cities. Russian military plans are aimed at this region, and then at the borders with Moldova and Romania. We need protection now. But even more, we need long-term guarantees that this will never happen again."
In pictures: Russian attacks on Ukraine spark fires, injure dozens and kill six
08:41
,
Rachel Clun
Russia launches 85 dones overnight, striking Ukraine cities
08:26
,
Rachel Clun, Reuters
Russia launched dozens of drones at Ukraine overnight, and while nearly half were shot down, many others hit targets in Ukrainian cities.
In total, the Ukrainian military said Russia had launched 85 drones overnight, 40 of which were shot down.
It said nine were lost - meaning the Ukrainian military used electronic warfare to divert them - or were drone simulators without warheads.
"The main areas of the air strike are Kharkiv, Donetsk and Odesa regions," the military said on Telegram.
Drone strikes in Odesa caused large fires, according to images released by Ukraine’s emergency services.
Ukraine claims strike on Russian electronics factory near Moscow
08:11
,
Reuters
The Ukrainian military said on Thursday that it had struck the Rezonit electronics factory in Russia's Moscow region overnight.
The military said it had recorded explosions at the factory, which manufactures electronics widely used in high-tech weapons and equipment production, in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
In pictures: Concentrated drone attack in Kharkiv kills six, injures 64
07:56
,
Rachel Clun
A sustained drone Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight killed six people and injured 64 others.
Ukraine's military claims Russia has reached 1 million casualties
07:41
,
Rachel Clun
Ukraine’s military has claimed that Russian troop losses have reached one million.
Of those million soldiers either killed or wounded, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said well over half of those casualties - more than 628,000 -occurred in the last year and a half.
“This is the price the enemy pays for unleashing a bloody war in Ukraine,” the armed forces said.
These claims could not be independently verified.
US is committed to 'supporting the Russian people' and finding a 'durable peace'
07:28
,
Rachel Clun
The US secretary of state has reaffirmed America’s desire to foster closer ties with Russia as well as “constructive engagement” to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine.
Marco Rubio congratulated Russians on the Russia Day holiday, to mark the day the country declared its sovereignty in 1990.
“The United States remains committed to supporting the Russian people as they continue to build on their aspirations for a brighter future,” he said in a statement published on the Department of State website.
“We also take this opportunity to reaffirm the United States’ desire for constructive engagement with the Russian Federation to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
He continued: “It is our hope that peace will foster more mutually beneficial relations between our countries.”
In photos: Russian soldiers return after prisoners of war exchange with Ukraine
07:13
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine's military says it struck Russia's Tambov gunpowder plant
07:04
,
Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian military said it had struck a major Russian gunpowder plant in the western Tambov region overnight, causing a fire at the site.
The Ukrainian military characterised the plant as one of the main facilities in Russia's military industrial complex. "It produces gunpowder for various types of small arms, artillery and rocket systems," it said in a statement on Telegram yesterday.
Tambov regional governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said early yesterday that Russian defences had repelled a "massive attack" by Ukrainian drones on the town of Kotovsk, which independent Russian media identified as the site of a gunpowder plant.
He said one downed drone had caused a fire but no casualties, and the situation was under control.
Mr Pervyshov also told people not to film and publish images of air defence operations and attempted attacks, as this would provide "direct assistance to the enemy."
The Tambov gunpowder plant produces propellant powders used in charges for ammunition for 122 mm and 152 mm howitzers, according to a report from the Royal United Services Institute and the Open Source Centre.
The Ukrainian military also said that it recorded explosions at an ammunition depot in Russia's Kursk region and an airfield depot in Russia's Voronezh region.
Watch: White House asked if Trump thinks Putin has designs beyond Ukraine
06:55
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine and Russia to exchange severely wounded prisoners of war today
06:38
,
Arpan Rai
Russia and Ukraine are likely to exchange severely wounded soldiers today as the two sides continue to send back each other’s prisoners of war.
“Tomorrow, we will begin urgent ‘sanitary exchanges’ of severely wounded prisoners,” Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said.
Yesterday, he confirmed that Ukraine for its part had returned 27 bodies of Russian soldiers in the latest stage of prisoner exchange.
Russia flies bombers over Baltic for first time since Ukrainian drone attacks
05:54
,
Arpan Rai
Russia sent Tu-22M3 long-range bomber planes on a flight over the Baltic Sea yesterday, its defence ministry said, in the first such mission since Ukraine carried out a stunning 1 June attack on air bases in Siberia and the far north.
A number of Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS bombers were destroyed or seriously damaged in those strikes, conducted by drones that were smuggled close to the airfields in trucks.
Russia regularly conducts heavy bomber flights as a show of strength and deterrence to its adversaries, but yesterday’s also appeared aimed at sending a message of business as usual despite the Ukrainian attacks.
The defence ministry said the Tu-22M3s flew for more than four hours over neutral waters of the Baltic, escorted for some of that time by fighter planes from foreign, presumably Nato, countries.
The Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS, known to Nato respectively as Backfire and Bear-H, are part of a long-range aviation fleet that Russia has used throughout the war to fire conventional missiles at Ukrainian cities, defence plants, military bases, power infrastructure and other targets.
The Bear-H and the newer Tu-160M Blackjack are nuclear-capable aircraft which, alongside ground- and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, form part of Russia's strategic nuclear deterrent.
US Nato envoy says Ukraine drone attack 'badass' but also dangerous
05:43
,
Arpan Rai
The US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, said the high-profile Ukrainian drone attack on Russian strategic bombers at their air bases was "badass" but also "a little bit reckless, and a little bit dangerous".
Asked about a report that US president Donald Trump viewed the attack as "badass", Mr Whitaker told an event in Brussels: "I think on the one hand it was badass. On the other hand, I think it was also, you know, a little bit reckless, a little bit dangerous, and that's what makes me nervous."
Read all about the audacious Ukrainian strike deep inside the Russian territory here:
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth admits Russia aggressor in Ukraine war
05:34
,
Arpan Rai
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth has admitted that Russia is the aggressor in that country’s three-year-old war against Ukraine even though he refused to state that it was in America’s interest for Ukraine to win the war and for Russia to lose.
Mr Hegseth, who appeared before the Senate Defence Appropriations subcommittee to defend his department’s fiscal year 2026 budget planning, was asked by Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell — the subcommittee chair and former Republican leader —to identify the “aggressor” and “victim” in the conflict, which started in February 2022 when Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine with the aim of toppling the democratically-elected government in Kyiv.
Though the defence secretary has often hedged or demurred when asked similar questions, Mr Hegseth replied: “Russia is the aggressor.”
Zelensky says Russia seeks to disrupt Ukraine, Moldova, southeastern Europe
05:17
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia was determined to sow chaos in and destroy the south of his country as well as nearby Moldova and Romania, and called for increased pressure on Moscow to prevent further military threats.
Mr Zelensky, addressing a conference of southeast European leaders in the Black Sea port of Odesa, said collective efforts were needed to keep Moscow from causing further disruption.
"The security of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea is indivisible... Today, we are forced to fight not only for our country, but also for this reality to become the cornerstone of a new regional policy," the Ukrainian president said on Telegram.
"We are here in Odesa, a city that Russia wants to destroy, as it has destroyed countless other cities. Russian military plans are aimed at this region, and then at the borders with Moldova and Romania. We need protection now. But even more, we need long-term guarantees that this will never happen again,” he said.
North Korea will always stand with Russia, leader Kim tells Putin
05:03
,
Arpan Rai
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a message to Russian president Vladimir Putin that his country will always stand with Moscow, state media reported this morning.
In a message for Russia Day, a patriotic holiday celebrating Russia's independence, Mr Kim called Mr Putin his "dearest comrade" and praised their bilateral relations as a "genuine relationship between comrades-in-arms," KCNA reported.
"It is an unshakable will of the government of the DPRK and of my own steadfastly to carry on the DPRK-Russia relations," the North Korean leader was quoted as saying.
The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
KCNA reported yesterday that Mr Kim had sent congratulations on Russia Day to Mr Putin.
Earlier this year, Pyongyang for the first time confirmed that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine under orders from leader Kim Jong Un after months of silence.
Kremlin says talks with US over improving ties 'won't yield quick results'
04:48
,
Arpan Rai
Talks with the US aimed at improving ties are not expected to yield quick results, Kremlin spokesperson Dmistry Peskov has said.
“There are many obstacles in bilateral relations, and it is unlikely that we can hope for any quick results,” he told reporters yesterday.
Relations between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The Biden administration provided Ukraine with consistent military and diplomatic support, though President Donald Trump has drawn criticism for attempting to improve relations with Moscow and suggesting Ukraine bears equal blame for the invasion.
However, Mr Trump recently voiced frustration about Russia’s war actions in Ukraine and the lack of progress towards a peace deal.
US aid cuts will cause more civilian casualties, Kyiv politician warns
04:36
,
Arpan Rai
Cuts to US aid for Ukraine in the Trump administration’s forthcoming budget will lead to more casualties for Kyiv, a top Kyiv MP is warning.
Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said any cuts to military aid to Kyiv would slash Ukraine's ability to defend itself and play into Russia's hands.
"Such a reduction will lead to more casualties on the Ukrainian side, including casualties among [the] civilian population," he told Newsweek.
"Anyone in the US who is acting in support of the reduction of the military aid to Ukraine becomes morally responsible for the increased casualties among civilians."
Ukraine receives bodies of 1,212 soldiers killed in war with Russia
04:07
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine has brought home the bodies of 1,212 soldiers killed in the war with Russia, officials in Kyiv said.
"As a result of the repatriation activities...the bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders have been returned to Ukraine," Kyiv's prisoner exchange coordination committee said on Telegram channel.
It released photos from the scene showing personnel of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at an undisclosed location, walking past several refrigerated trucks.
Some trucks were marked with emblems of "On the Shield," a Ukrainian organisation involved in the retrieval and evacuation of military dead.
In Moscow, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said Ukraine for its part had returned 27 bodies of Russian soldiers.
Kyiv and Moscow reached agreement at their most recent round of talks last week on a large-scale exchange of corpses of war dead, though the deal was marred by wrangling over its implementation.
On Sunday, Mr Medinsky said Ukraine had postponed taking the first 1,212 bodies. Russian officials also said that refrigerated trucks loaded with corpses waited for five days at the border before Ukraine accepted them.
