Russia has issued a nuclear weapon threat "to ensure security" in response to Nato strengthening its eastern flank.
Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin has said Russia and Belarus are constantly ready to use all available means, including nuclear weapons.
Nato yesterday announced that its Forward Land Forces (FLF) Finland, including the Alliance’s newest multinational battlegroup, led by framework nation Sweden, began operations in Finland and Sweden to support the defence of Nato’s northeastern flank.
"We remain in a constant state of readiness to employ all means, including nuclear ones, to ensure the security of the Union State," Mr Galuzin said, referring to the political, security and economic alliance between Russia and Belarus.
His remarks come after senior Russian official Sergei Shoigu claimed that the Nato nations were working out scenarios for strikes on Belarus and Russia during military exercises.
It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine could offer low-cost interceptor drones it has deployed at home to build an inexpensive shield against Russian drone attacks, and that Kyiv could send expert teams to its European partners “at any moment.”
Read MoreZelensky weighs in on Reform UK councils lowering Ukrainian flags
Zelensky confirms Roman Abramovich acted as peace talks messenger for Ukraine and Russia
Europe to ramp up defence against Putin’s hypersonic missiles after Ukraine strike
Zelensky is an indispensable ally in Britain’s new security partnership with Europe
Key Points
- Deputy Russian foreign minister says Moscow 'remain in constant state of readiness to employ all means, including nuclear ones'
- Military chief says Ukraine has recovered 600 sq km in 2026, an area twice the size of Birmingham
- Zelensky says he had a 'positive conversation' with Trump's peace envoys Witkoff and Kushner
- Zelensky weighs in on Reform UK councils lowering Ukrainian flags and says 'small mistakes can break big friendship'
- Zelensky meets King Charles during visit to London and expresses gratitude for 'ironclad' support
- EU, US and China raise voices at UN to call for a ceasefire in Ukraine as 30 killed since Friday
Putin's minister issues nuclear weapons threat to Nato
09:10 , Arpan RaiRussian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin has said Russia and Belarus are constantly ready to use all available means, including nuclear weapons, "to ensure security" in response to Nato strengthening its eastern flank.
Nato yesterday announced that its Forward Land Forces (FLF) Finland, including the Alliance’s newest multinational battlegroup, led by framework nation Sweden, began operations in Finland and Sweden to support the defence of Nato’s northeastern flank.
"We remain in a constant state of readiness to employ all means, including nuclear ones, to ensure the security of the Union State," Galuzin said, referring to the political, security and economic alliance between Russia and Belarus.
Galuzin’s remarks come after senior Russian official Sergei Shoigu claimed that the Nato nations were working out scenarios for strikes on Belarus and Russia during military exercises.
The Nato bloc is “demonstratively and provocatively building up its armed forces in the immediate vicinity of the borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus”, Galuzin said, reported the Izvestia newspaper.
Russia threats to UK at highest level since the Cold War, military chief warns
19:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIn case you missed this piece:
The UK is facing the highest level of threat from Russia since the Cold War, the chief of defence staff has said in a chilling warning for the country.
Stressing that Britain faces its “most dangerous period” in decades, Sir Richard Knighton said the country needs to prepare for “longer conflicts” like in Ukraine.
The threat comes as Russia is “definitely raising the stakes and risks crossing a line,” through cyber attacks, assassination attempts, “or trying to smuggle technology and reckless sabotage,” he said.
Russia threats to UK at highest level since the Cold War, military chief warns
Pregnant woman among three killed in Russian attacks on Kharkiv
18:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainRussian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region killed a pregnant woman and two other people, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, while Russia-annexed Crimea said it was repelling drone attacks.
An overnight missile attack on the town of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region killed three people, including a 22-year-old pregnant woman, regional prosecutors said on Telegram.
The attack damaged residential buildings, garages and shops, they said, adding that six more people were injured.In the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest, a Russian drone attack had caused 16 people to seek medical assistance, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Officials posted photos of a building engulfed by fire and firefighters battling the flames and dousing burnt-out cars.
The strikes follow large air attacks by Russia on Ukraine in recent weeks, while Kyiv has intensified long-range drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, leading to shortages of fuel in Crimea and elsewhere.
What Zelensky said to Putin in open letter suggesting face-to-face meeting
18:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainOn The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsSIGN UP
Volodymyr Zelensky has published a letter appealing to Russian president Vladimir Putin for a meeting, while launching a blistering verdict on his 26-year tenure in Moscow.
The message warned it would be misguided to simply await the Trump administration’s renewed focus on ending the conflict in Ukraine while its attention remains heavily directed towards the war in Iran, proposing that Moscow and Kyiv alone take the next steps.
Kyiv is looking to seize the initiative in what is a pivotal moment in the war, with Ukraine beginning to regain some leverage on the battlefield in part due to improved long-range strike capabilities.
In full: Zelensky’s letter to Putin as he calls for face-to-face meeting
I have spent 26 years studying Vladimir Putin – this is why I think he’s about to crack
17:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThis isn’t the time to push Ukraine towards a half-baked peace deal – I have never known Russia’s ruler to look so frightened, says Bill Browder:
As his number one foreign enemy, I have spent 26 years studying Vladimir Putin, and in that time I have learned one thing about him above all others: whenever he is in trouble at home, he starts a war abroad. It has worked every time. It is not working now, and a frightened Putin is a far more dangerous creature than a confident one.
Look at the polling. Putin’s approval rating fell by 12.2 percentage points between late December and late April, reaching 65.6 per cent – the lowest level recorded since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, according to Russia’s state-controlled polling agency VTsIOM. That was such a sharp decline that the Kremlin’s favourite pollster announced on 15 May that it was changing the methodology with which it conducted its polls. Naturally, they then rose slightly. But it shows his favourite trick is a busted flush.
Read more here:
I have spent 26 years studying Putin – and I think he’s about to crack
Zelensky is an indispensable ally in Britain’s new security partnership with Europe
17:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainWhile Britain has an embarrassingly underpowered military plagued by incompetence, the Ukrainians have the biggest army of any European nation:
It tells us more about the UK than it does about Ukraine that Volodymyr Zelensky is on his fourth British prime minister since the Russians launched their full-scale invasion of his country in 2022. But at any rate, as he comes to London for talks with Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz – a group known as the “E3” – Ukraine’s special relationship with Britain remains strong.
Zelensky is an indispensable ally in Britain’s new security partnership with Europe
16:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe EU has proposed a 21st package of sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine, heavily targeting the country's banks and crypto networks as well as drone production, oil traders and refiners, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday.
The new package will propose listing 170 individuals and entities.
These include close to 90 banks - the biggest in one go - and would take the total number of listed banks to over 100, or more than half of Russia's 213 internationally connected lenders.
The banks will come under the full weight of EU sanctions including asset freezes, travel and transaction bans.
The package will be presented to EU ambassadors on Wednesday for negotiations. Sanctions require unanimity to be adopted.Western sanctions already heavily target Russia's banking system and its major banks were disconnected in 2022 from SWIFT, a secure global financial payment instructions system.
However, Russian companies now uses a broad network of smaller lenders to evade sanctions and continue trading.
"We intend to deal `a heavy blow to Russias financial sector, imposing assets freezes on close to 90 banks and additional transactions bans on over 30 banks in Russia and other third countries," Kallas said in a post on X.
An EU diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the aim was to weaken Russia's financial system and incentivise Moscow to negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine.
Zelensky accuses Russia of trying to 'divide' Europe with claims of drone interference
16:14 , Maryam Zakir-HussainVolodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of trying to “divide Europe” through alleged drone interference.
Ukraine claims Russia has been using electronic jamming to divert Ukrainian drones into the airspace of Baltic countries.
The Ukrainian president proposed sending expert drone teams from Kyiv to its Baltic allies.
"Each day Russia brings new challenges in this kind of battlefield. We know what they do and how they work," he told a news conference in Tallinn.
US reports delay in freeing more Belarusian prisoners, opposition says
16:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe Trump administration has told the exiled Belarus opposition of a delay in its efforts to get President Alexander Lukashenko to free more political prisoners, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters.
Her comments marked the first public acknowledgment of a slowing in the momentum of negotiations led by President Donald Trump's envoy John Coale that have persuaded Lukashenko to free more than 400 prisoners so far.
Human rights group Viasna says nearly 870 remain in jail, including at least `170 who are "particularly vulnerable" due to age, sickness or harsh detention conditions.
Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters in an interview that she had been told by the US side that "the next releases were postponed for a while" but she could not disclose why.
"Knowing the reason, it doesn't worry me. Of course, we want more people to be released as soon as possible, and any delay, it ruins health for many of them," she said, speaking in English. "But it's not the end of the process."
She pointed to upbeat comments by Coale, who posted on X on June 3: "We are not finished. Keep hope alive!"
Poland should be involved in Ukraine talks, Tusk says - part two
15:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIn a joint statement on Sunday, prime minister Keir Starmer, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron commended Zelensky's call for an end to the war and the proposal for direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, with active U.S. and European participation.
Tusk also expressed dissatisfaction with the 'E3' format which comprises Britain, France and Germany but excludes Ukraine's other European allies.
"I spoke with (Italy's) Prime Minister (Giorgia) Meloni, who is not thrilled that this format exists," Tusk said.
"Any arrangements in which Poland does not participate will not be binding on Poland." Tusk said a meeting would take place on Ukraine in the "coming days" that would include Poland and Italy as well as Britain, Germany and France.
Poland should be involved in Ukraine talks, Tusk says
15:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPoland should be involved in discussions aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, the Polish prime minister said on Tuesday, after the leaders of Britain, Germany and France met President Volodymyr Zelensky in London and said they supported ceasefire talks.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk's absence from the talks in London has raised questions in Warsaw as to whether Poland is being sidelined as Western European powers try to steer Kyiv towards talks with Moscow in the near future.
"I'm... very cautious regarding the ideas emerging in Western Europe about initiating some kind of dialogue or conversation with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin regarding Ukraine as quickly as possible," Tusk told a news conference.
Poland has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, its eastern neighbour, in its more than four-year-old war against invading Russian forces, contributing financial and military help.
It has also emerged as one of the biggest spenders on defence in NATO.
'We love his majesty': Zelensky says he wants to invite Charles to Ukraine
14:31 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUkraine’s president has said he wants to invite King Charles on a state visit to his country.
In an interview with the Guardian, Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Today, in the morning, when I spoke by phone with my wife, with all respect to Keir [Starmer], but my wife said best regards to his majesty first, of course, and then to the prime minister, of course. So of course, we, and Ukraine, love his majesty.”
He added that the King has given Ukraine continued support, but did not specify how.
Zelensky offers to send expert drone teams to European partners to shield from Russian attacks
14:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainVolodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine could offer low-cost interceptor drones it has deployed at home to build an inexpensive shield against Russian drone attacks, and that Kyiv could send expert teams to its European partners “at any moment.”
Estonian President Alar Karis said he expects drones to cross into Baltic airspace as the war continues and urged the public to remain calm.
Estonia and the other Baltic states are among Ukraine’s staunchest supporters in its war against Russia.
The Estonian leader said the Baltic country supports Ukraine’s bids to join the EU and NATO. He also called for stronger sanctions on Russia.
Zelensky arrives in Estonia to attend Nordic-Baltic summit
13:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Estonia on Tuesday to attend a summit of Nordic and Baltic leaders, a visit that comes amid friction over Ukrainian drones straying into the region in recent months.
The drones have crashed into the chimney of a power plant in Estonia, hit empty fuel tanks in Latvia and been shot down by Romanian fighter jets stationed in Lithuania.
Ukrainian officials apologised, saying the drones had been aimed at military targets inside Russia but were sent off course by Russian electronic interference.
Zelensky and Estonian President Alar Karis agreed to work on cheaper ways to shoot down drones that have flown over Estonia, including one that a NATO fighter jet shot down over the south of the country in May.
“We have shown that we can shoot the drones down with the planes,” Karis said Tuesday during a joint news conference in Tallinn. But using fighter jets to shoot down the drones is very expensive, Karis said, so he hopes to partner with Ukraine for its technology and expertise to do so more cheaply.
Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to do so, drawing on experience it had built up helping countries in the Middle East shoot down drones, where it had sent expert teams to train local forces.
“We did this in the Middle East, and it worked,” he said.
EU targeting Russia's energy, banks and fisheries in new sanctions, von der Leyen says
13:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe European Commission is ready to propose its 21st package of sanctions against Russia, targeting its energy sector, banks and also fisheries, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed on Tuesday. "We focus on the sectors with the highest impact," von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels.
"Our sanctions keep biting hard and cutting deep. They are weakening the economic foundations of Russia's war effort."
Watch: Aftermath of Russian strike on postal terminal in Kharkiv's district
12:30 , Arpan RaiPregnant woman among three killed in Russian attacks on Kharkiv
12:15 , Arpan RaiRussian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region killed a pregnant woman and two other people, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, while Russia-annexed Crimea said it was repelling drone attacks.
An overnight missile attack on the town of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region killed three people, including a 22-year-old pregnant woman, regional prosecutors said on Telegram.
The attack damaged residential buildings, garages and shops, they said, adding that six more people were injured.In the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest, a Russian drone attack had caused 16 people to seek medical assistance, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Officials posted photos of a building engulfed by fire and firefighters battling the flames and dousing burnt-out cars.
The strikes follow large air attacks by Russia on Ukraine in recent weeks, while Kyiv has intensified long-range drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, leading to shortages of fuel in Crimea and elsewhere.
Zelensky says he had a 'positive conversation' with Trump's peace envoys
11:45 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a "positive" conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and praised what he called their readiness to work on a settlement of the Ukraine war in the coming weeks.
"A very positive conversation," Zelensky said on Telegram during a stopover in the Moldovan capital Chisinau.
"Grateful for the readiness to work as actively as possible already in the weeks to come to give a boost to diplomacy for ending Russia's war against Ukraine," he wrote.
Zelensky was returning to Kyiv from talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany on how to move forward with a settlement of the more than four-year-old war.
Calls made at UN to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine
11:15 , Arpan RaiAt a special session of the UN Security Council yesterday, the fifth held on the war in Ukraine in 20 days, representatives from the European Union, the US and China, among others, urged continued efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Indrika Ratwatte, acting assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told Security Council members that Russia was escalating the scale and intensity of its attacks on major Ukrainian population centers.
At least 30 civilians were reported killed and 200 injured since Friday, he said.
Seven humanitarian vehicles were also damaged in attacks in the southern Kherson region, Ratwatte said, injuring aid workers and volunteers in what he called "unacceptable attacks”.
Ukraine's permanent representative to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, told the debate that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had rejected outright Zelensky's proposal for a meeting of the two leaders in a letter he sent to the Kremlin leader last week.
Russian representative Vasily Nebenzya dismissed the Ukrainian leader's proposal as "rudeness and ultimatums" and said Moscow sought a real settlement not "imitation talks".
Zelensky weighs in on Reform UK councils lowering Ukrainian flags
10:45 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky has said that “small mistakes can break big friendship” following the decision by Reform UK councils to take down Ukrainian flags from outside town halls.
Some Reform-run councils have lowered the Ukrainian flag from their civic buildings which were hoisted in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion, in favour of flying only local flags and the Union flag.
Ukraine’s president expressed his hope that they would change their course in an interview with the Guardian newspaper which took place in London after he met with Sir Keir Starmer, and the political leaders of France and Germany, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz.
“I hope they will put it back”, Mr Zelensky told the newspaper.
Zelensky weighs in on Reform UK councils lowering Ukrainian flags
Ukraine military chief says Kyiv forces recovered 600sq-km land in 2026
10:15 , Arpan RaiUkrainian forces have recaptured more than 600 square km of territory so far this year, according to Ukraine's top military commander.
In May alone, Ukraine recaptured 100 square km more territory than it lost, Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also said last month that Ukraine had recaptured around 600 square km in 2026, an area around double the size of Birmingham.
Independently determining lines of territorial control in Ukraine is difficult because of drone warfare that has created a wide no-man's land "kill zone" along the front.
But independent groups that map the battlefield have also reported Russia's total advances slowing or reversing in recent months, for the first time since a failed Ukrainian counter-offensive in 2023.
Syrskyi said Russian forces were still trying to advance in the country's east and south, noting that the number of daily battlefield clashes has substantially increased and describing the frontline situation as "difficult and dynamic".
Fire extinguished at loading complex in Russia's Novorossiysk
09:45 , Arpan RaiA fire was extinguished at a loading complex in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after a Monday drone attack, local authorities said this morning.
They said no one was injured and 130 firefighters battled the blaze after reporting the fire more than 24 hours ago.
Novorossiysk is home to one of Russia’s largest oil terminals and export hub on Black Sea.
Local residents said they heard around 50 explosions before thick smoke rose over the oil depot.
A fuel storage depot is burning in Novorossiysk, Russia, after a drone strike hit the tank farm overnight
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 8, 2026
Novorossiysk is one of Russia's most strategically important Black Sea ports, handling a significant share of Russian oil exports
🎥 Supernova pic.twitter.com/d2ab4SSuH0
Pregnant woman among three killed in Russian attacks on Kharkiv
08:50 , Arpan RaiRussian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region killed a pregnant woman and two other people, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, while Russia-annexed Crimea said it was repelling drone attacks.
An overnight missile attack on the town of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region killed three people, including a 22-year-old pregnant woman, regional prosecutors said on Telegram.
The attack damaged residential buildings, garages and shops, they said, adding that six more people were injured.In the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest, a Russian drone attack had caused 16 people to seek medical assistance, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Officials posted photos of a building engulfed by fire and firefighters battling the flames and dousing burnt-out cars.
The strikes follow large air attacks by Russia on Ukraine in recent weeks, while Kyiv has intensified long-range drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, leading to shortages of fuel in Crimea and elsewhere.
In photos: French warplanes down Russian drone in Latvia
08:29 , Arpan Rai
Four killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine
08:10 , Arpan RaiAt least four people were killed and more than were 20 injured after Russia hit Ukraine's Kharkiv region with missiles and drones, according to officials.
The latest strikes on Ukraine resulted in the deaths of two men, one 70 and the other 56, as well as two women, a 22-year-old and a 70-year-old in the town of Chuhuiv in northeastern Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram, posting a photo of a destroyed apartment building on fire.
He also noted that an overnight drone attack on the regional capital of Kharkiv had caused 15 people, including three children, to seek medical assistance.
A separate post from Chuhuiv's mayor, Galina Minaeva, said six people in the town were injured.
Russia and Belarus ready to use nuclear weapons 'to ensure security', says official
07:50 , Arpan RaiRussia and Belarus are constantly ready to use all available means, including nuclear weapons, "to ensure security", Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin told the Izvestia newspaper.
In remarks published this morning, Galuzin said Russia has a military presence in Belarus and that the countries regularly conduct joint readiness checks.
"We remain in a constant state of readiness to employ all means, including nuclear ones, to ensure the security of the Union State," he said, referring to the political, security and economic alliance between Russia and Belarus.
Ukraine's former Supreme Court chief justice jailed for graft
07:33 , Arpan RaiThe former head of Ukraine's Supreme Court has been sentenced to serve five years in prison under a plea deal in a high-profile bribery case, anti-corruption prosecutors said.
Vsevolod Kniaziev was accused of accepting a $2.7m bribe in 2023 in exchange for a court ruling in a case seen as a key test of Kyiv's wartime anti-corruption drive, closely watched by foreign partners.
Tackling deep-seated corruption is critical for Ukraine as it seeks sustained financial support and progress towards European Union membership while fighting Russia in the fifth year of the war.
Kniaziev, who had earlier denied wrongdoing, agreed as part of the deal to testify against other suspects, prosecutors said. They did not formally identify him by name, per Ukrainian law.
Under the agreement, authorities will confiscate two properties and more than $200,000. Kniaziev must also donate $1.1m to Ukraine's military.
Ukraine, where anti-graft authorities have charged former ministers and presidential advisers in recent years, ranked 104th out of 182 countries in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index.
Russia facing heat from Ukraine's attacks as supply lines threatened
07:05 , Arpan RaiExperts say Ukrainian drone attacks have caused tangible disruption to Russia’s supply lines at a time it is facing a massive fuel crisis.
Ukrainian forces have started impairing Russian supply lines, especially a significant motorway and bridge linking southern Russia’s Rostov city to Crimea via Ukraine’s Mariupol, which is currently under Russian occupation.
The road "is basically the backbone of Russian occupation in the south", Clément Molin, an analyst at the France-based think tank Atum Mundi, told the BBC.
Ukraine has carried out 300 drone strikes on trucks, including 30 tankers, since the start of May and that the campaign had become more intense this month, he said.
Three killed in Russian attack on Ukraine's Kharkiv region
06:55 , Arpan RaiAt least three people were killed in a Russian attack on the town of Chuhuiv in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on the Telegram messaging app on Tuesday, with emergency services working to extinguish a fire.
Two men, one 70 years old and one 50, and a 70-year-old woman died in the attack on Chuhuiv, he said. In the regional capital, close to the Russian border and also called Kharkiv, six people were injured after the shelling, with a utility building damaged and fires breaking out around the city, mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.
Watch: Aftermath of Russian strike on postal terminal in Kharkiv's district
06:32 , Arpan RaiFire extinguished at loading complex in Russia's Novorossiysk
06:03 , Arpan RaiA fire was extinguished at a loading complex in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after a Monday drone attack, local authorities said this morning.
They said no one was injured and 130 firefighters battled the blaze after reporting the fire more than 24 hours ago.
Novorossiysk is home to one of Russia’s largest oil terminals and export hub on Black Sea.
Local residents said they heard around 50 explosions before thick smoke rose over the oil depot.
There was an air raid alert in Novorossiysk for half a day.
They say there was an explosion and a even bigger fire started. https://t.co/6RDrPE4Ll3 pic.twitter.com/viruGBoWcc
Ukraine military chief says Kyiv forces recovered 600sq-km land in 2026
05:31 , Arpan RaiUkrainian forces have recaptured more than 600 square km of territory so far this year, according to Ukraine's top military commander.
In May alone, Ukraine recaptured 100 square km more territory than it lost, Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also said last month that Ukraine had recaptured around 600 square km in 2026, an area around double the size of Birmingham.
Independently determining lines of territorial control in Ukraine is difficult because of drone warfare that has created a wide no-man's land "kill zone" along the front.
But independent groups that map the battlefield have also reported Russia's total advances slowing or reversing in recent months, for the first time since a failed Ukrainian counter-offensive in 2023.
Syrskyi said Russian forces were still trying to advance in the country's east and south, noting that the number of daily battlefield clashes has substantially increased and describing the frontline situation as "difficult and dynamic".
Zelensky weighs in on Reform UK councils lowering Ukrainian flags
05:10 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky has said that “small mistakes can break big friendship” following the decision by Reform UK councils to take down Ukrainian flags from outside town halls.
Some Reform-run councils have lowered the Ukrainian flag from their civic buildings which were hoisted in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion, in favour of flying only local flags and the Union flag.
Ukraine’s president expressed his hope that they would change their course in an interview with the Guardian newspaper which took place in London after he met with Sir Keir Starmer, and the political leaders of France and Germany, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz.
“I hope they will put it back”, Mr Zelensky told the newspaper.
Zelensky weighs in on Reform UK councils lowering Ukrainian flags
Zelensky meets King Charles during visit to London
04:58 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky ended his visit to the UK by meeting King Charles III as he thanked the country for supporting his war-hit nation.
“As always, a good audience with His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I thank His Majesty, the people, and the entire United Kingdom for their ironclad support for our people,” he said, sharing a photo from his audience with King Charles in a post on X.
As always, a good audience with His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I thank His Majesty, the people, and the entire United Kingdom for their ironclad support for our people.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 8, 2026
Photo: The Royal Family.@RoyalFamily pic.twitter.com/XVTc1Uebfn
Calls made at UN to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine
04:43 , Arpan RaiAt a special session of the UN Security Council yesterday, the fifth held on the war in Ukraine in 20 days, representatives from the European Union, the US and China, among others, urged continued efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Indrika Ratwatte, acting assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told Security Council members that Russia was escalating the scale and intensity of its attacks on major Ukrainian population centers.
At least 30 civilians were reported killed and 200 injured since Friday, he said.
Seven humanitarian vehicles were also damaged in attacks in the southern Kherson region, Ratwatte said, injuring aid workers and volunteers in what he called "unacceptable attacks”.
Ukraine's permanent representative to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, told the debate that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had rejected outright Zelensky's proposal for a meeting of the two leaders in a letter he sent to the Kremlin leader last week.
Russian representative Vasily Nebenzya dismissed the Ukrainian leader's proposal as "rudeness and ultimatums" and said Moscow sought a real settlement not "imitation talks".
Watch: Aftermath of Russian strike on postal terminal in Kharkiv's district
04:25 , Arpan RaiZelensky says he had a 'positive conversation' with Trump's peace envoys
04:14 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a "positive" conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and praised what he called their readiness to work on a settlement of the Ukraine war in the coming weeks.
"A very positive conversation," Zelensky said on Telegram during a stopover in the Moldovan capital Chisinau.
"Grateful for the readiness to work as actively as possible already in the weeks to come to give a boost to diplomacy for ending Russia's war against Ukraine," he wrote.
Zelensky was returning to Kyiv from talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany on how to move forward with a settlement of the more than four-year-old war.
Four killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine
03:59 , Arpan RaiAt least four people were killed and more than were 20 injured after Russia hit Ukraine's Kharkiv region with missiles and drones, according to officials.
The latest strikes on Ukraine resulted in the deaths of two men, one 70 and the other 56, as well as two women, a 22-year-old and a 70-year-old in the town of Chuhuiv in northeastern Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram, posting a photo of a destroyed apartment building on fire.
He also noted that an overnight drone attack on the regional capital of Kharkiv had caused 15 people, including three children, to seek medical assistance.
A separate post from Chuhuiv's mayor, Galina Minaeva, said six people in the town were injured.
Russia and Belarus ready to use nuclear weapons 'to ensure security', says official
03:49 , Arpan RaiRussia and Belarus are constantly ready to use all available means, including nuclear weapons, "to ensure security", Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin told the Izvestia newspaper.
In remarks published this morning, Galuzin said Russia has a military presence in Belarus and that the countries regularly conduct joint readiness checks.
"We remain in a constant state of readiness to employ all means, including nuclear ones, to ensure the security of the Union State," he said, referring to the political, security and economic alliance between Russia and Belarus.
Pictured: The aftermath of a Russian drone attack in Zaporizhzhia on Monday
02:00 , James Reynolds
