Ukraine’s security agency says it has tracked down and killed Russian agents who assassinated a Ukrainian intelligence officer during the week.
The SBU said in a statement said the Russian agents were killed after resisting arrest. Earlier, the agency said a man and a woman were suspected of being involved in Thursday's assassination of Ivan Voronych, an SBU colonel, in a bold daylight attack that was caught on surveillance cameras.
The killings come after Kim Jong Un has told Russia’s top diplomat that North Korea is ready to “unconditionally support” all of Moscow’s actions to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
The promise came during a high-level meeting between Kim and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, after Russia launched a fresh barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine, which killed at least six people.
Donald Trump is expected to send weapons to Kyiv, after promising to make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday as he grows frustrated with Vladimir Putin amid intensified attacks on Ukraine.
Key Points
- Ukraine says suspected Russian FSB assassins killed in Kyiv region
- Kim Jong Un ready to 'unconditionally support' Russia
- UN's nuclear watchdog reports hearing 'hundreds of rounds' of gunfire at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
- Russia launched more than 1,800 drones and 1,200 guided bombs at Ukraine last week, Zelensky says
- Senate seeks to hit Russia with sanctions over Ukraine – but Trump wants to control the Putin smackdown
Russia and China discuss Ukraine in Beijing meeting
17:17
,
Rachel Clun
Russia and China’s foreign ministers discussed the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine in a meeting on Sunday.
Sergei Lavrov met Wang Yi in Beijing, and the pair also discussed their countries’ relations with the United Sttes, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Putin has sometimes described China as an "ally".
The meeting came after Lavrov’s three-day visit to North Korea, where Kim Jong Un said the country was ready to “unconditionally support” Moscow’s actions to resolve the conflict with Ukraine.
Watch: Russia strikes Ukrainian military facilities
16:43
,
Rachel Clun
By day, the Ukrainian capital is alive and humming. By night, it’s a battleground
16:19
,
Rachel Clun
By day, the Ukrainian capital hums with life — crowded metros, dog walkers and children on playgrounds. By night, Kyiv becomes a battleground as Russia unleashes relentless drone and missile attacks that chase much of the population underground for safety.
The nighttime assaults have intensified in the fourth year of the full-scale invasion, with the number of drones sometimes exceeding 700. Swarms of 1,000 drones could soon become the norm, officials say.
Many people in Kyiv describe the recent attacks as the most terrifying of the war, and even residents who previously ignored sirens have been driven into bomb shelters in the subway system.
“During the day, you walk around, drink coffee, smile, meet friends, talk, have hobbies, chill,” said 25-year-old Karyna Holf. “But at night, you brace for death every time you hear the sound of a Shahed drone or a missile.”
Read the full report here:
Full story: Ukraine’s security agency says it killed Russian agents suspected of gunning down its officer
15:55
,
Rachel Clun
Ukraine’s security agency tracked down and killed Russian agents on Sunday who were suspected of shooting dead one of its senior officers in the Ukrainian capital.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the suspected Russian agents were killed in the Kyiv region after they offered resistance to arrest. A video released by the agency showed two bodies lying on the ground.
The agency said earlier that a man and a woman were suspected of being involved in the assassination of Ivan Voronych, an SBU colonel, in a bold daylight attack on Thursday.
Read the full story below:
Watch: Trump's warning to Putin after Russia drones hit maternity ward
15:32
,
Rachel Clun
UN's nuclear watchdog reports hearing 'hundreds of rounds' of gunfire at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
15:10
,
Rachel Clun
A team from the UN’s nuclear watchdog reported hearing “hundreds of rounds” of small arms fire at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Saturday night.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, said team members reported an unusually large number of shots, which were fired for about an hour from 10pm local time.
The team then saw “numerous small calibre casings” scattered on the ground near reactor units 5 and 6 on Sunday morning. They did not report any broken windows or other damage.
“Such military activity at or near a major nuclear power plant is clearly unacceptable,” Mr Grossi said in a statement.
The IAEA director general also reiterated his “deep concern” about the increase in drone use around nuclear power plants.
“We are seeing a clear escalation in drone strikes during this war, also affecting Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and potentially putting them in further danger. As I have repeatedly stated, any military attack on a nuclear site – with or without drones – jeopardises nuclear safety and must stop immediately,” he said.
UK must prepare for possible war with Russia within five years, ex-British Army chief warns
14:47
,
Jabed Ahmed
Britain must prepare for the possibility of war with Russia within the next five years, the former head of the British Army has warned.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, who stepped down as Chief of the General Staff last summer, told The Telegraph that a conflict with Russia by 2030 was a “realistic possibility”.
“If Russia stops fighting in Ukraine, within months they could have the capability to launch a limited attack on a Nato member, which would require our support,” Sir Patrick said.
Read the full report here:
NATO's Rutte to meet with Trump in Washington next week
14:20
,
Rachel Clun, Reuters
Nato chief Mark Rutte will meet with US President Donald Trump when he visits Washington early next week.
Mr Rutte will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday and will aslo meet with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth, Nato said in a press release.
The press release did not give an immediate reason for Rutte's visit but Trump said in a recent interview with NBC News that the US. would be willing to supply weapons to Ukraine via Nato and that he would make a "major statement" on Monday.
The Trump administration has so far only sent weapons authorised by former President Joe Biden, who was a staunch supporter of Kyiv.
Who was the Ukrainian colonel assassinated during the week?
13:56
,
Rachel Clun, AP
On Sunday, Ukraine’s security agency said it tracked down and killed Russian agents it suspected of assassinating one of its senior officers in Kyiv.
Ivan Voronych, an SBU colonel, was killed on Thursday in a bold daylight attack that was caught on surveillance cameras.
Media reports claimed that Colonel Voronych was involved in covert operations in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine and reportedly helped organise Ukraine's surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region last year.
On Sunday the SBU said in a statement that the suspected Russian agents were killed in the Kyiv region after they offered resistance to arrest.
Full story: Kim renews North Korea’s support for Russia over Ukraine
13:27
,
Arpan Rai
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has reassured Russia of “unconditional support” from Pyongyang to Moscow in its every effort to resolve the war in Ukraine, its state media reported on Sunday.
Mr Kim’s continued diplomatic help from North Korea came as he met with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, who was on a three-day visit to North Korea and described the two countries’ relations as “an invincible fighting brotherhood”.
The two leaders met in North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, where both countries held their high-level strategic dialogue, for the second time this year, pledging mutual cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang under a partnership treaty signed last year.
Read the full story here:
Russia launches 60 drones at Ukraine overnight
13:04
,
Rachel Clun
After a series of massive attacks across Ukraine involving hundreds of exploding drones, Russia launched 60 drones overnight, Ukraine's air force said. It said 20 of them were shot down and 20 others were jammed.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 1,800 drones, 1,200 guided bombs and 83 missiles at Ukraine over the past week.
“The Russians are intensifying terror against cities and communities to increasingly intimidate our people,” he said in a post on X.
North Korea and Russia reaffirm ties in high-level meetings
12:42
,
Rachel Clun, Reuters
Russia and North Korea have reaffirmed the strong ties between the countries, in high-level meetings between Kim Jong Un and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
Russian media reported Lavrov described the two countries' ties as "an invincible fighting brotherhood" in his meeting with Kim and thanked him for the troops deployed to Russia.
Kim told Lavrov his country would “unconditionally support” Moscow’s efforts to resolve the conflict.
Relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened dramatically during the last two years of the war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022, with Pyongyang deploying more than 10,000 troops and arms to Russia to back Moscow's military campaign.
On Sunday, the intelligence arm of South Korea's Defence Ministry reported to parliament that North Korea continued to supply artillery ammunition to Russia and has so far shipped about 12 million rounds, Yonhap news said.
Russian agents tried to ‘lay low’ after Ukrainian assassination, authorities say
12:19
,
Rachel Clun
Two Russian agents, a man and a woman, were tracked down by Ukrainian intelligence on Sunday after they assassinated an intelligence officer during the week.
SBU colonel Ivan Voronych was killed in Kyiv on Thursday. The SBU said two people - a man and a woman - were suspected of having killed Voronych. It did not say how many suspected FSB agents had been killed on Sunday.
According to the SBU, the alleged assassins were told by their handler to surveil their target and track his movements. They were eventually given the coordinates of a hiding place where they found a pistol with a suppressor, the SBU said.
It said they had tried to "lay low" after Thursday's killing, but were tracked down by the SBU and police.
"This morning a special operation was conducted, during which the members of the Russian FSB's agent cell started to resist, and therefore they were liquidated," the statement on the Telegram messaging app said.
Russian authorities made no immediate public comment on Sunday's operation, which mirrored past assassinations of senior Russian military officials by Ukraine during the three-year-old war - a source of embarrassment for Moscow's vast intelligence agencies.
Ukraine says suspected Russian FSB assassins killed in Kyiv region
11:54
,
Reuters
Russian secret service agents were killed on Sunday in the Kyiv region during an operation by Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency to arrest them on suspicion of having shot dead an SBU colonel last week, Ukraine said.
In a statement on the Telegram messaging app, the SBU said it believed agents of the Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had been behind the killing of SBU colonel Ivan Voronych in Kyiv on Thursday and that it had tried to detain them on Sunday.
The SBU said two people were suspected of having killed Voronych, a man and a woman. It did not say how many suspected FSB agents had been killed in Sunday's incident.
Watch: Trump denies he was unaware of Ukraine weapons pause day after admitting he didn’t know who ordered it
11:28
,
Rachel Clun
In pictures: Aftermath of Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk region
11:03
,
Rachel Clun
Russia launched more than 1,800 drones and 1,200 guided bombs at Ukraine last week, Zelensky says
10:39
,
Rachel Clun
Over the last week Russia launched more than 1,800 drones, 1,200 guided bombs and 83 missiles at Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky says.
“The Russians are intensifying terror against cities and communities to increasingly intimidate our people,” he said.
“But despite Moscow's plans, the air defence forces are achieving good results. Interceptor drones are performing particularly well, with hundreds of Russian-Iranian ‘Shaheds’ shot down over the past week. And every meeting with partners this week was about scaling up this technology,” he added, referring to commitments made during the Ukraine recovery conference held in Rome during the week.
Zelensky continued: “I am grateful to everyone willing to invest in the protection of life, and to our warriors who safeguard the Ukrainian skies. ‘Shaheds’ are one of Russia's ways of prolonging the war.
“We must neutralise this threat in order to bring diplomacy into motion sooner. We hope for the implementation of all agreements that will strengthen our defence. We count on strong decisions from the United States, Europe, the G7, and all our partners.”
Zelensky says Russian drone barrages are a 'tactic of terror'
10:14
,
Rachel Clun
Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia’s use of hundreds of drones to attack Ukrainian cities is a “tactic of terror”.
Overnight on Friday and into Saturday, Russia launched nearly 600 drones and 26 ballistic missiles at targets across the country, killing six people and injuring more than 20.
“The Russians continue to use a specific tactic of terror against Ukraine – saturated strikes on cities and regions, trying to have around 300 Shahed drones per attack,” the Ukrainian president said on X.
“They also use hundreds of special Shahed-imitator drones in each strike, the purpose of which is to overwhelm air defence and impede the downing of Shaheds. This is their deliberate and vile terror.
“We will continue our active drone operations on Russian territory in response to their attacks. And as always, we will act asymmetrically, and effectively.”
In pictures: Kim Jong Un holds high-level talks with Russia
09:54
,
Rachel Clun
North Korea’s leader met with Russian foreign minister Segei Lavrov on Saturday in the coastal city of Wonsan, with the pair pledging further cooperation between the two countries.
Kim Jong Un ready to 'unconditionally support' Russia
09:32
,
Rachel Clun
Kim Jong Un has told Russia’s top diplomat that North Korea is ready to “unconditionally support” all of Moscow’s actions to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, and held high-level talks with the country’s leader on Saturday.
North Korea has provided troops and arms for Russia’s war with Ukraine, and pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict.
Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan where the two countries' foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further cooperation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defense pact.
Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported.
"Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said.
Watch: Applause as Macron says Europe won't abandon Ukraine
09:00
,
Tara Cobham
Full story: Ukrainian intelligence officer gunned down in Kyiv
08:32
,
Tara Cobham
A senior Ukrainian intelligence officer was gunned down in broad daylight in Kyiv, officials said on Friday as a maternity hospital was hit by a Russian drone barrage on the city of Kharkiv.
Surveillance footage published on social media showed the agent was executed in a car park by a gunman clad in dark clothing who fled the scene. Police said they were trying to identify the shooter and that “measures are being taken to detain him”.
The victim’s name has not been publicly disclosed and the identity of the suspect remains unclear. A Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) official said that the intelligence officer had been a colonel, according to Reuters.
My colleague Bryony Gooch has the full story:
Watch: Trump ‘flat-footed’ by Pentagon's weapons halt to Kyiv and pledges more arms
08:00
,
Tara Cobham
Senate seeks to hit Russia with sanctions over Ukraine – but Trump wants to control the Putin smackdown
07:30
,
Tara Cobham
Legislation in the Senate rarely earns more than 80 sponsors. But Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s two-year-long invasion seems to be the spark drawing that support to a bill drafted by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
Senators from both parties say that the legislation would pass smoothly. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he is open to a sanctions bill, which would open the door widespread bipartisan support.
Majority Leader John Thune said in a Senate speech earlier this week, “I fully expect that that could be ready for floor consideration as early as this work period. Senate Republicans are committed to working with the House and the White House to get this legislation through Congress and onto the president’s desk.”
My colleague Eric Garcia reports:
Watch: Trump's warning to Putin after Russia drones hit maternity ward
07:00
,
Rachel Clun
One killed in strike on Russian home, officials say
05:00
,
Reuters
A man was killed in Russia's Belgorod region after a shell struck a private house on Saturday, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a post on Telegram on Saturday.
Belgorod region, a border province which adjoins Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, has come under regular attack from Kyiv's forces since Russia ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Strikes on the region have diminished in recent months, as Russia has intensified its attacks on neighbouring Ukrainian regions.
Ukrainian intelligence officer gunned down in Kyiv
04:00
,
Rachel Clun
As Trump pledges more weapons for Ukraine - how reliant is Kyiv on US military assistance?
03:00
,
Rachel Clun
To the relief of officials in Kyiv, Donald Trump announced this week that the USwould resume weapons shipments to Ukraine - just days after those exports were halted by the Pentagon.
Below The Independent looks at how much support the US has provided to Ukraine’s war effort, why the Pentagon decided to pause shipments and what could happen from here.
Recap: NATO needs more long-range missiles to deter Russia, US general says
02:00
,
Reuters
NATO will need more long-range missiles in its arsenal to deter Russia from attacking Europe because Moscow is expected to increase production of long-range weapons, a US Army general told Reuters.
Russia's effective use of long-range missiles in its war in Ukraine has convinced Western military officials of their importance for destroying command posts, transportation hubs and missile launchers far behind enemy lines.
"The Russian army is bigger today than it was when they started the war in Ukraine," Major General John Rafferty said in an interview at a U.S. military base in Wiesbaden, Germany.
"And we know that they're going to continue to invest in long-range rockets and missiles and sophisticated air defences. So more alliance capability is really, really important."
Six killed after Russian bombardment
01:00
,
Rachel Clun
Six people were killed and more than 20 were injured in Russian drone and missile attacks on Saturday, officials say.
Russia has continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has further dampened hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than three-year-old war.
Two people were killed by falling debris from a drone and 14 were wounded when Russian forces attacked the Bukovina area in the Chernivtsi region of southwestern Ukraine, regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk said on Saturday.
Two people were killed on Saturday in a missile strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to regional governor Serhii Lysak.
Two other people were killed on Saturday in the Sumy region by a Russian guided bomb, officials said.
A drone attack in Ukraine's western Lviv region wounded nine people, regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi said.
Three people were wounded in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine when the city was hit by eight drones and two missiles, mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Russia fired 597 drones and decoys, with 26 cruise missiles, into Ukraine over Friday night and into Saturday, Ukraine's air force said, the majority of which were shot down or lost through signal jamming.
Watch: Zelensky accuses Russia of ‘pure terrorism’ after new wave of drone strikes
Sunday 13 July 2025 00:01
,
Rachel Clun
Recap: Ukraine arrests Chinese father and son accused of spying on missile programme
Saturday 12 July 2025 23:00
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian authorities say they have detained a Chinese father and son on charges of spying on its Neptune anti-ship missile programme at a time when Kyiv is seeking to boost its domestic arms industry to counter Russian advances.
Neptune, a key component of Ukraine's naval warfare capabilities, was used to destroy the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the early months of the war. It has since been used on a range of targets including oil terminals.
The Security Service of Ukraine said on Wednesday that counterintelligence officials arrested a 24-year-old former student in Kyiv after supplying him with “technical documentation” related to Neptune production. They then detained the student’s father who they alleged was working to give the classified documents to Chinese special services.
Ukrainian officials claimed that the father lived in China but visited Ukraine to “personally coordinate” his son’s work.
Read the full report:
‘They are trying to sow fear’: How Russia has amped up its aerial strikes on Ukraine
Saturday 12 July 2025 22:00
,
Rachel Clun
Recap: All we know about the senior intelligence official gunned down in Kyiv
Saturday 12 July 2025 21:00
,
Rachel Clun
- A senior intelligence officer for Ukraine’s security service has been gunned down in Kyiv.
- CCTV footage published on social media showed the agent was slain in a residential parking lot on Thursday morning before a gunman clad in dark clothing fled the scene on foot in broad daylight.
- The victim’s name has not been publicly disclosed and the identity of the suspect remains unclear. A Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) official said that the intelligence officer had been a colonel, according to Reuters.
- Ukrainska Pravda has claimed the agent was Colonel Ivan Voronych, adding he died at the scene after the assailant fired five aimed gun shots.
- The New York Times claimed that Voronych was a part of the SBU’s Centre for Special Operations Alpha and had been within the organisation for decades.
- It remains unclear whether the agent’s death was a domestic issue or an assassination.
Trump's warning to Putin after Russia drones hit maternity ward
Saturday 12 July 2025 20:00
,
Rachel Clun
Recap: Kremlin says it awaits 'major statement' from Trump
Saturday 12 July 2025 19:01
,
Bryony Googh
Russia is awaiting the "major statement" that US president Donald Trump announced he would deliver on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Trump told NBC News on Thursday that he will make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday, without elaborating what it will