Ukraine has launched a new assault inside Russia’s Kursk oblast, expanding its incursion into Russian territory by as much as 5km.
Kyiv’s new incursion came on the six-month anniversary of its first attack inside Kursk, with one Russian military blogger describing the surprise attack as coming “like a bolt from the blue”.
The incursion was also reported by the Russian ministry of defence, which said Ukrainian troops and armoured vehicles had launched several waves of attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka.
Kyiv's forces launched a “new series of battalion-sized mechanised assaults in Kursk Oblast and advanced up to five kilometres behind Russian lines southeast of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast,” the Institute for the Study of War said.
Without directly referring to the new attack, Volodymyr Zelensky said in his overnight address that the incursion "brought the war home for Russians so that they might feel just what war is. And they are feeling it."
Meanwhile, the first batch of French Mirage 2000 fighter jets arrived in Ukraine, French armed forces minister Sebastien Lecornu announced yesterday.
The fourth-generation jets have been modified to focus on air-to-ground combat, reportedly so they can fire French and British long-range missiles at Russian targets.
Key Points
- Ukraine advances 5km in new incursion into Russia's Kursk
- French fighter jets arrive in Ukraine
- Zelensky to lead Ukraine's delegation at Munich Security Conference, JD Vance to attend
- Preparations for Putin-Trump meeting at 'advanced stage'
Ukraine advances 5km in new incursion into Russia's Kursk
03:18
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian forces have launched a new assault inside Russia’s Kursk oblast, expanding its incursion into Russian territory further.
Kyiv’s new incursion comes on the six-month anniversary of its first attack inside Kursk territory.
The incursion was reported by the Russian ministry of defence, which said the Ukrainian troops and armoured vehicles had launched several waves of attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka.
The troops launched a “new series of battalion-sized mechanised assaults in Kursk Oblast and advanced up to five kilometres behind Russian lines southeast of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast,” the Institute for the Study of War said.
It cited Russian military bloggers who said that the Ukrainian forces attacked with 30 to 50 armoured vehicles.
Ukrainian children forcibly taken from their families brought home
03:09
,
Arpan Rai
At least eight Ukrainian children captured from their families by officials in the Russia-annexed and controlled Crimea peninsula and placed in state orphanages have now returned home, a senior Ukrainian official said.
Darina Zarivna, an adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, said the children had been seized while receiving treatment in hospital and were rescued as part of the Bring Kids Back programme.
The kids have been subjected to bullying in an orphanage and forced to take part in pro-Russian patriotism exercises and made to handle weapons and prepare for war, she said.
"Their story is an example of the systemic harshness of the occupiers. They were forcibly taken from their mothers during a hospital stay and (the mothers) were obliged under threat to turn them over to an orphanage," Ms Zarivna wrote on Telegram.
"All this is a part of Russian policy aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity.”
It is not immediately clear how the children were rescued or where they were now.
Mapped: Russia's invasion of Ukraine
03:00
,
Tom Watling
Zelensky to lead Ukraine's delegation at Munich Security Conference, JD Vance to attend
02:47
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will lead Ukraine's delegation at the Munich Security Conference next week, officials in Kyiv said.
The talks will be attended by the US vice president JD Vance and Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff said yesterday.
Previously a regular summit for global international security discussions, the Munich summit has gained new significance amid Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine and other challenges.
Mr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, told The Associated Press the Ukrainian delegation will present the country's position on ending the war and their views on how "a long and lasting peace" can be achieved.
"It's necessary that the leaders and the experts in politics who will be in Munich realise that this is momentum," he said about Ukraine's message for the event.
"That we are very near to really ending this war by a just and lasting peace, but (it's) necessary to be together – not to give Russia an opportunity to divide the world, to divide partners."
Mapped: Russia's advance in Donetsk
02:01
,
Tom Watling
UK foreign secretary visits Ukraine as Zelenskyy discloses troop losses
01:00
,
Tom Watling
Where are Ukraine's mineral resources and why does Trump want them?
Thursday 6 February 2025 23:33
,
Tom Watling
Ukraine says its long-range drones hit a Russian airfield as France delivers Mirage fighter jets
Thursday 6 February 2025 22:29
,
Tom Watling
In pictures: Ukrainian troops launch drones on the frontline
Thursday 6 February 2025 21:33
,
Tom Watling
What happened to the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine?
Thursday 6 February 2025 20:28
,
Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin attends Kremlin ceremony for young scientists
Thursday 6 February 2025 19:29
,
Tom Watling
We were told we were off to the seaside – but then kidnapped by Russia
Thursday 6 February 2025 18:29
,
Tom Watling
Russia says it will retaliate if EU sanctions Russian diplomats
Thursday 6 February 2025 17:27
,
Tom Watling
Russia will retaliate if the European Union decides to impose sanctions on Russian diplomats, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
Zakharova was commenting on media reports suggesting that the next package of EU sanctions against Russia may limit the travel of Russian diplomats in EU member states.
Preparations for Putin-Trump meeting at 'advanced stage', Russian lawmaker says
Thursday 6 February 2025 17:00
,
Tom Watling
Preparations for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are at an “advanced stage”, Russian state news agency RIA quoted a senior lawmaker as saying on Thursday.
It cited Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma's international affairs committee, as saying the meeting could take place in February or March.
Trump and Putin have both said they are keen to hold a meeting whose agenda could include nuclear arms control and global energy prices as well as Trump's stated aim to bring a swift end to the Ukraine war.
Slutsky said he also expected them to talk about the situation in the Middle East.
“The work requires serious preparation, which - I'm not giving away any secret - is currently at an advanced stage,” he said.
Slutsky declined to speculate on exactly when a meeting could take place.
“February or March - let's not guess, and let's give the leaders the opportunity to prepare for it competently and comprehensively, but it will be soon,” RIA quoted him as saying.
UK to lead Ukraine Ramstein meeting next week, defence ministry announces
Thursday 6 February 2025 16:28
,
Tom Watling
UK defence secretary John Healey will lead next week’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UKDCG), his ministry has announced, while the new Donald Trump administration decides whether to provide more weapons to Kyiv.
The group was convened by the previous US administration in April 2022 to coordinate support for Ukraine. It was led by the former US defence secretary Lloyd Austin III.
His successor, Pete Hegseth, is expected to attend next week’s meeting, to be held on 12 February, but no further weapons pledges are expected from the US.
Canadian defence minister Bill Blair said he expected Mr Healey’s lead to be temporary, with US leadership to continue.
Britain to expel Russian diplomat in tit-for-tat move
Thursday 6 February 2025 16:00
,
Tom Watling
Britain said on Thursday it would revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat, in retaliation to a similar move made by Moscow last year.
Russia said in November that it was expelling a British diplomat for spying. The accusation was denied by London.
Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday that it had summoned the Russian ambassador to announce its decision, saying it was in response to “Russia's unprovoked and baseless decision to strip the accreditation of a British diplomat in Moscow in November”.
“Any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly,” the statement added.
The statement, which did not name the British diplomat or the Russian official whose accreditation is due to be revoked, said Britain "will not stand for intimidation of our staff in this way," calling its decision a reciprocal action.
The Russian embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Relations between Britain and Russia have plunged to post-Cold War lows since the start of the Ukraine war. Britain has joined successive waves of sanctions against Russia and provided arms to Ukraine.
Ukraine receives F-16 jets from Netherlands, defence minister says
Thursday 6 February 2025 15:28
,
Tom Watling
Ukraine's defence minister Rustem Umerov has announced that the Netherlands has delivered US-made F-16 fighters to Ukraine.
The aircraft, along with French Mirage jets also delivered today, “will soon begin carrying out combat missions, strengthening our defence”, Mr Umerov said on Facebook.
The exact number of F-16 and Mirage jets delivered was not revealed.
The Dutch defence ministry said that for security reasons it would not comment on the timing of deliveries, nor on the amount supplied at any given time.
The Netherlands has promised to deliver Ukraine a total of 24 F-16s, next to the fighter jets it supplies to a training centre for Ukrainian pilots and crew in Romania.
Russia says US needs to formulate a Ukraine conflict resolution policy
Thursday 6 February 2025 15:00
,
Tom Watling
The United States needs to formulate a policy on how to end the conflict in Ukraine and what role it will play and Moscow will then base its own position on specific steps and US action, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
Zakharova said that Russia has heard many words and statements from Washington on the subject, but that for now there was no clarity on what exactly the US envisaged when ot came to trying to strike a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Russia's RIA state news agency earlier on Thursday quoted a senior lawmaker as saying that preparations for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump were at an “advanced stage”.
Trump and Putin have not spoken by phone since Trump's inauguration, according to public statements from officials on both sides.
In pictures: Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline in Donetsk
Thursday 6 February 2025 14:29
,
Tom Watling
As the Russians bombard the key Ukraine stronghold of Zaporizhzhia – this school offers hope underground
Thursday 6 February 2025 14:00
,
Tom Watling
In pictures: Ukrainians train on German tanks
Thursday 6 February 2025 13:27
,
Tom Watling
Human shields: The horrors those with disabilities face in Putin’s war
Thursday 6 February 2025 13:00
,
Tom Watling
The Baltics count down the final hours of relying on Russia
Thursday 6 February 2025 12:28
,
Tom Watling
Russia ejects Le Monde's Moscow correspondent in 'retaliatory' mov
Thursday 6 February 2025 12:00
,
Tom Watling
Russia said on Thursday that it had withdrawn accreditation from French paper Le Monde's Moscow correspondent Benjamin Quenelle due to Paris's refusal to issue a visa to a Russian reporter, leaving the paper without a presence in Moscow for the first time since the 1950s.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow had repeatedly warned that it would retaliate over France's refusal to accredit a journalist from Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.
She said Quenelle had been the casualty not because of any “political sub-text” but because his accreditation had required a “technical extension”.
Le Monde criticised what it said was the “covert expulsion of our journalist”.
“For the first time since 1957, Le Monde is prevented from having a correspondent based in Moscow,” Jerome Fenoglio, its director, wrote in an article in the paper.
“Le Monde condemns this disguised expulsion of our journalist, who has spent more than 20 years in Russia without interruption,” Fenoglio said.
Ben Stiller denies USAID funded Ukraine trip: ‘These are lies coming from Russian media’
Thursday 6 February 2025 11:28
,
Tom Watling
Mapped: Russia's war in Ukraine
Thursday 6 February 2025 11:00
,
Tom Watling
Kremlin fires boss of Russia's space agency
Thursday 6 February 2025 10:32
The Kremlin on Thursday removed the head of Russia's space agency after a tenure of less than three years that was scarred by the spectacular failure of Russia's first mission to the moon in 47 years.
In a statement, the Kremlin said Yuri Borisov, who had headed Roscosmos since July 2022, had been relieved of his post. It did not state a reason.
He was replaced by deputy transport minister Dmitry Bakanov, who before joining the government had been in charge of a satellite company.
Ever since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go into space in 1961, Russia has prided itself as a leading power in space exploration. But its ambitions suffered a massive blow in August 2023 when its uncrewed Luna-25 mission smashed into the surface of the moon while attempting to land.
Borisov, despite that failure, had laid out ambitious plans for the coming years as Russia prepares to launch its own orbital space station. The new project will replace the ageing International Space Station (ISS) where Russia has collaborated closely with the United States even after relations were plunged into crisis because of the war in Ukraine.
Last year Borisov approved a schedule under which the first two modules of the new Russian station would launch in 2027. Russia has said it plans to maintain a continuous crewed presence in space and conduct scientific, economic and security-related projects that were not possible in the Russian segment of the ISS.
French fighter jets arrive in Ukraine
Thursday 6 February 2025 09:57
,
Tom Watling
The first batch of French Mirage 2000 fighter jets has arrived in Ukraine half a year after president Emmanuel Macron announced the plan to send them.
French armed forces minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the jets arrived in Ukraine this morning.
“With Ukrainian pilots on board who have been trained for several months in France, they will now participate in defending the skies of Ukraine,” he wrote.
Last December, a group of Ukrainian pilots finished a six-month training programme to operate the Mirage 2000s at a base in Nancy, north-west France.
The French, meanwhile, tweaked the jets to make them more suitable for war in Ukraine. The jets were designed to focus on air-to-air combat but Mr Lecornu said they had to be modified to be more focused on air-to-ground warfare. Their electronic warfare systems were also reinforced.
Kharkiv shopping centre destroyed by Russian drone attack
Thursday 6 February 2025 09:46
,
Tom Watling
A shopping centre in Ukraine’s second-largest city has been destroyed following a Russian drone attack overnight.
Local officials said the Barabashovo market in northeast Ukraine’s Kharkiv, home to around 1.2 million people, was hit by the debris of a downed Russian drone.
Governor Oleh Syniehubov said roughly 100 kiosks had been destroyed. No casualties were reported.
It is at least the third time Russian aerial attacks have hit the market. In March 2022, as Russian forces began occupying Kharkiv (it was liberated in September that year), a double-tap strike on the market killed one emergency worker and injured a second.
In July, as Ukraine was preparing Kharkiv’s liberation, a Russian cluster munition attack killed two men and wounded 21 more.
Mapped: Russia's advance in eastern Ukraine
Thursday 6 February 2025 09:33
,
Tom Watling
Inside Kyiv’s nightly battle against Putin’s drone bombardment
Thursday 6 February 2025 09:03
,
Tom Watling
Russian forces fire at Ukrainian positions in Kursk - picture
Thursday 6 February 2025 08:47
,
Tom Watling
Ukraine sees marked improvement in accuracy of Russia's North Korean missiles
Thursday 6 February 2025 08:22
,
Tom Watling
North Korean ballistic missiles fired at Ukraine by Russian forces since late December have been far more precise than salvos of the weapons launched over the past year, two senior Ukrainian sources told Reuters.
At a time when Moscow's burgeoning ties with Pyongyang are causing alarm from Washington to Seoul, the increase in accuracy - to within 50-100m of the intended target - suggests North Korea is successfully using the battlefield to test its missile technology, the sources said.
A military source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information, described a marked improvement in the precision in all the more than 20 North Korean ballistic missiles that hit Ukraine over the past several weeks. A second source, a senior government official familiar with the issue, confirmed the findings when asked by Reuters.
Yang Uk, a weapons expert at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said such improvements in North Korean missile capabilities have troubling implications for its potential to threaten South Korea, Japan and the United States or sell upgraded weapons to "failed" states or armed groups.
"That can have a major impact on stability in the region and the world," he said, in response to questions for this story.
North Korea's military programmes have developed rapidly in recent years, including short- and intermediate-range missiles that Pyongyang says can be tipped with nuclear warheads. However, until its involvement in Ukraine, the long-isolated nation had never tested the new weapons in combat.
Mapped: Where are Ukraine's rare earth mineral resources and why does Trump want them?
Thursday 6 February 2025 07:38
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump has announced he wants Ukraine to pay for financial and military support by affording Washington access to the country’s vast but untapped rare earth minerals.
He said on Monday he wants “equalisation” from Ukraine for the US’ “close to $300 billion” in support.
“We're telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths,” Mr Trump said. “We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things.”
Below, we look at where these resources are in Ukraine, and why Kyiv has struggled to mine these minerals.
Ukraine shoots down 56 drones launched by Russia overnight
Thursday 6 February 2025 07:35
,
Arpan Rai
Russia launched 77 drones and two ballistic Iskander-M missiles to attack Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's military said this morning.
Ukraine's air force shot down 56 drones and 18 more did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare, it added in a statement on Telegram channel.
Ukraine attacks Russian airfield in Krasnodar
Thursday 6 February 2025 06:56
,
Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian military launched an attack on an airfield in Russia's Krasnodar region overnight, resulting in explosions and a fire, its military official said.
Russian forces use the airfield to store and launch drones to attack Ukraine and maintain aircraft carrying out missions in Ukraine's southern regions, the military added.
Trump may unveil plan for Ukraine peace deal next week at security summit
Thursday 6 February 2025 06:07
,
Arpan Rai
The Trump administration is reportedly set to present its peace plan aimed at ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine at a security conference in Munich next week.
Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, will present president Donald Trump's plan at the conference, reported Bloomberg, citing sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The format of the peace plan was not immediately clear.
Mr Kellogg has already confirmed his participation in the conference. "As the US president's special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, I look forward to speaking about Donald Trump's goal to end the bloody and costly war in Ukraine,” he wrote on X.
"I'll meet with America's allies who are ready to work with us," he added.
Ukraine says its long-range drones hit a Russian airfield as France delivers Mirage fighter jets
Thursday 6 February 2025 15:49
,
Tom Watling
North Korean troops pulled from Ukraine war front line – what happened?
Thursday 6 February 2025 05:36
,
Arpan Rai
North Korean troops have been pulled back from the frontline amid devastating losses, according to Ukrainian and American officials.
Kim Jong Un’s forces have not been seen on the battlefield for around three weeks, Ukrainian special forces said, according to the New York Times.
Pyongyang sent roughly 11,000 soldiers to help with Vladimir Putin’s war effort in November last year, four months after Kyiv’s troops seized Russian territory in Kursk.
Ukraine hits Russian oil depot in drone strike as 300 prisoners of war exchanged
Thursday 6 February 2025 05:24
A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a large fire at an oil depot in Russia's southern region of Krasnodar as Kyiv continues its campaign of long-range attacks on things that help drive Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
It came as Russia and Ukraine swapped 150 prisoners of war each and UK foreign secretary David Lammy met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
A series of drone attacks by Ukraine on Russia's energy facilities have sparked fires in recent days at a major oil refinery in the Volgograd region, as well as at the Astrakhan gas processing plant.
North Korean missiles used by Russia are getting more accurate, Ukraine warns
Thursday 6 February 2025 05:10
,
Arpan Rai
North Korean ballistic missiles fired at Ukraine by Russian forces since late December have become far more precise over time, two senior Ukrainian sources told Reuters.
There is a marked improvement in the precision in all the more than 20 North Korean ballistic missiles that hit Ukraine over the past several weeks, said a military source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
A second source, a senior government official familiar with the issue, confirmed the findings when asked by Reuters.
The increase in accuracy, estimated to be within 50-100m of the intended target, suggests North Korea is successfully using the battlefield to test its missile technology, the sources said.
This comes at a time when Moscow's burgeoning ties with Pyongyang are causing alarm from Washington to Seoul, with concerns of impact on regional and global stability.
Robotic vehicles to be rolled out to bolster Ukrainian front line
Thursday 6 February 2025 16:04
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Tom Watling
EU must improve capacity to move troops fast amid growing threats, says watchdog
Thursday 6 February 2025 04:40