Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian troops are operating in Russia’s Belgorod border region.
The Ukrainian president said the war must “return to where it came from”, stating that the incursions are defensive missions designed to protect Ukraine’s own Sumy and Kharkiv border regions.
Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi has presented Mr Zelensky with a report “on the frontline, our presence in the Kursk region and our presence in the Belgorod region”.
Mr Zelensky added: "We continue active operations in the enemy's border areas and this is absolutely justified.”
The battlefield update came as Kyiv prepared to send representatives to the US for fresh talks on a rare earth minerals deal. After his bitter spat with Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office, Donald Trump has proposed a more expansive minerals deal which could give the US access to valuable resources including titanium, lithium, and uranium, according to economy minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.
Mr Trump has urged Russia to stop bombing Ukraine after a ballistic missile strike in Kryvyi Rih killed 20, including nine children.
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Key Points
- Zelensky confirms Ukrainian troops active in Russia's Belgorod
- Trump condemns Russia for 'bombing like crazy'
- Russia showing 'complete disrespect' towards peace talks, says EU
- Ukraine will increase its drone and robotics production - Zelensky
- Zelensky explains how incursions inside Russia help Ukraine
Mapped: Russia pushes back against Ukraine's incursion into Belgorod
11:11
,
Alex Croft
Moscow supports Iran-US talks over nuclear programme, Kremlin says
12:02
,
Alex Croft
Moscow supports talks between Iran and the US over Tehran’s nuclear programme and believes it offers a chance of alleviating tensions between the countries, the Kremlin said today.
Speaking to reporters over a call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia’s support for a diplomatic settlement.
"We know that certain contacts, direct and indirect, are planned in Oman. And, of course, this can only be welcomed, because it may lead to a de-escalation of tensions around Iran,” Mr Peskov said.
Iranian state media reported on Tuesday that talks between the US and Iran would take place in Oman on April 12.
The format of the talks remains unclear.
11:55
,
Alex Croft
Moscow accuses Ukraine of attacking energy facilities twice in 24 hours
11:32
,
Alex Croft
The Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine had attacked Russian energy facilities twice in the past 24 hours, despite a moratorium on strikes on energy facilities.
Both sides have accused the other of breaching the moratorium since agreeing with US president Donald Trump to halt such strikes - and have denied being at fault.
The Independent was unable to verify the reports of the strikes.
Kremlin says there are no expected nuclear arms negotiations with US
10:55
,
Alex Croft
The Kremlin said it is hard to imagine negotiating a new nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US, as mutual trust between Moscow and Washington has not yet been fully restored.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, was answering a question about the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START - which runs out in February 2026.
The treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia can deploy - and the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them.
Kyiv hits back at Ukrainian-born US lawmaker who called for Zelensky to resign
10:40
,
Alex Croft
Kyiv has responded to a claim by a Ukrainian-born US lawmaker who said Volodymyr Zelensky should resign and called for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia.
"If they were winning the war, that would be very different," Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz said in an interview with the Telegraph as she said the people of Ukraine should demand Mr Zelensky resign.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry hit back by saying: "Unlike Victoria, all of our land has always been and will always remain Ukrainian.”
Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of the Verkhovna Rada - the Ukrainian parliament - accused Ms Spartz of echoing the narrative of the Putin regime.
"One, born in Kyiv, became a representative of Putin. Another, from Chernihiv Oblast, discusses the 'expediency' of giving up Ukrainian territories, calling the Ukrainian people a faceless 'they,'" Mr Stefanchuk said.
Watch: Former MI6 Chief 'worried' Trump has bias that Russia has right to Ukraine due to its size
10:23
,
Alex Croft
Putin's envoy hails US-Russia space cooperation
10:08
,
Alex Croft
Vladimir Putin’s business envoy, who has been closely involved in discussions between Washington and Moscow, has hailed Russia-US space cooperation after a joint mission took off on Tuesday.
A Soyuz MS-27 blasted off carrying an American Nasa astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts. It was expected to dock at the International Space Station at 09:04 GMT (10:04 BST), Russia’s space agency said.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy for international cooperation, said Tuesday's launch from Kazakhstan was the latest example of an enduring relationship which traced its history back to 1975.
That was when the first crewed international space mission carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union saw an Apollo and a Soyuz dock in space.
He wrote on Telegram: "Russian and US cooperation in the space industry continues today.”
Russia shares picture of destroyed US-made tank
09:50
,
Alex Croft
Three killed and 19 injured in attacks over past day
09:38
,
Alex Croft
At least three people have been killed and 19 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, according to regional officials.
Moscow’s forces launched 46 drones overnight, according to the Ukrainian military, nine of which were shot down by air defences.
In Donetsk, two residents were killed by Russian shelling in Kostyantynivka and Hryshyno, the Kyiv Independent quoted regional governor Vadym Filashkin as saying.
One man was killed and five were injured in the Kharkiv region, while eight were injured in the Kherson region, the governors said.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, artillery and drone strikes wounded four.
More than 30 remain in hospital after Kryvyi Rih attack
09:19
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Alex Croft
A total of 33 people from Kryvyi Rih who were injured in the deadly Russian ballistic missile attack over the weekend remain in hospital, according to local authorities.
Among the injured are four children, two of whom are in a serious condition. Sixteen other adults are also in serious conditions.
The huge missile attack on Friday killed 20 people, including nine children. The city is still reeling in the aftermath of the strike, head of Kryvyi Rih city council Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram.
The Independent Debate | Your views on conscription – from ‘necessary evil’ to ‘waste of time’
09:05
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Alex Croft
Sir Alex Younger’s warning that Britain is no longer prepared for war has sparked intense debate about the future of defence and national service in the UK.
The former MI6 chief told Independent TV that the UK has “largely dismantled” its military and industrial base, and must urgently rebuild both its capabilities and culture of national resilience in the face of rising global threats from Russia and beyond.
When we asked for your views, many agreed that the British military has been left hollowed out by decades of underinvestment, with some recalling how training areas and barracks were gradually closed, leaving the Army overstretched and under-resourced.
Read your views on conscription here:
Trump condemns Russia for 'bombing like crazy'
08:50
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Alex Croft
Donald Trump has condemned Russia for “bombing like crazy” in the past week, after Moscow’s forces have continued deadly drone and missile attacks across Ukraine.
"I'm not happy about what's going on with the bombing, because they [the Russians] are bombing like crazy right now,” Mr Trump said, adding that it is “not a good situation”.
Speaking during a meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Mr Trump also referenced the recent peace discussions between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv.
“We're getting sort of close. But I'm not happy with all the bombing that's going on the last week or so. Horrible. It's a horrible thing," he said.
Over the weekend, Russia killed 20 people, including nine children, with a ballistic missile attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.
Canada undecided on participation in Ukraine peacekeeping, says PM
08:20
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Alex Croft
Canada is yet to decide on whether to participate in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, prime minister Mark Carney has said.
The new leader said that Ottawa’s decision on joining mission would depend on the circumstances, in an interview with Radio-Canada.
But Canada is “part of the coalition of the willing, led by Macron and Starmer. I attended several meetings of this coalition and this was one of the topics of my discussions with those two leaders”, he said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
"I am very proud of Canada’s role, the role played by Mr Trudeau’s government and the role we are continuing to play, as well as the Canadian people's support for the Ukrainian people."
Countries will acquire nuclear weapons due to Ukraine war - Medvedev
08:28
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Alex Croft
More countries will develop nuclear weapons as a result of the war in Ukraine, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has asserted.
The West has pushed the world towards the brink of World War Three by fighting a proxy war in Ukraine, he said, pushing countries to acquire nuclear weapons.
In pictures: Wounded Ukrainian troops on the vicious Donetsk frontline
08:09
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Alex Croft
Mapped: Russia's advance in Donetsk slows as Ukrainian troops launch counterattacks
07:56
,
Alex Croft
Global markets believe there is a 70% chance of Ukraine peace deal - Goldman Sachs
07:45
,
Alex Croft
Markets believe there is a 70 per cent probability of a peace deal in Ukraine, bond pricing suggests according to US investment bank Goldman Sachs.
This is a sharp increase from 50 per cent before the November election of incumbent Donald Trump, who has been keen to force through a peace deal, demanding concessions from both Kyiv and Moscow in the process.
"Our modeling suggests that current market pricing for a peace deal has risen from below 50% prior to US elections to around 70% at present," Goldman Sachs said in research note to clients.
It added, however, that this was slightly lower than a peak of 76% in February.
Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the "bloodbath" of the three-year conflict in Ukraine - which his administration casts as a proxy war between the United States and Russia.
Indian component found in Russian weapon, Ukrainian military says
07:28
,
Arpan Rai
An Indian-made component has been found in a Russian weapon system for the first time, Ukraine’s military intelligence said.
"For the first time, a component made in India — a clock buffer from Aura Semiconductor — was found in a Russian weapon," Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) said in a Telegram post yesterday.
This comes as the HUR said it has documented nearly 200 newly identified parts across six types of Russian weaponry.
Zelensky says Ukraine will increase its drone and robotics production
07:00
,
Arpan Rai
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine is ramping up drone production to the "maximum."
Ukraine will increase production for the "full range of drones: from Mavics to long-range drones," he said in his nightly address.
"We’re also expanding our domestic capacity to produce ground-based robotic systems. What we need is constant, stable growth in the production and supply of every necessary part of the unmanned component to our forces. And for this year, the outlook is promising," Mr Zelensky added.
Ukraine seeks UN Security Council meeting after Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih
06:45
,
Arpan Rai
Kyiv has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council today after last week's Russian missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih that killed 20 civilians, Ukraine’s foreign minister said.
"A robust international response to Russian atrocities is critical. Such terror should never be normalised. We call for both strong condemnation and firm action," Andrii Sybiha said on X.
At least 20 were killed and more than 70 were wounded in the Russian missile attack on Friday evening on Kryvyi Rih. The children were playing on swings and in a sandbox in a tree-lined park at the time. Bodies were strewn across the grass.
The UN Human Rights Office in Ukraine said it was the deadliest single verified strike harming children since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. It was also one of the deadliest attacks so far this year.
Russia says it downs 23 Ukrainian drones overnight
06:28
,
Arpan Rai
Russia's air defence units intercepted and destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones overnight over the border Kursk and Belgorod regions, the Russian defence ministry said this morning.
It did not comment on the reported Ukrainian incursion inside the Belgorod region.
Ukraine air force says Russia launched 46 drones and a ballistic missile overnight
06:22
,
Arpan Rai
Russia launched 46 drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile during an overnight attack, the Ukraine air force said this morning.
The air force shot down nine drones with another 31 drones not reaching their targets likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures, it said on Telegram.
It did not say what happened to the remaining six drones or the missile.
Russia fines Telegram for refusal to remove anti-government content
06:01
,
Arpan Rai
A Moscow court fined the Telegram platform 7 million roubles ($80,000) for refusing to remove content calling for saboteur attacks and participation in protests aiming to overthrow the Russian government, news agency Tass reported this morning.
"Telegram Messenger Inc., being the owner of an information resource, failed to remove information or channels containing calls for extremist activity," Tass reported, citing court documents.
Some of the channels listed in the court documents called for participation in anti-government protests that aimed at overthrowing Russia's government, as well as for attacks on railway transport with the aim of helping Ukrainian forces, Tass reported.
Telegram, a social media and instant messaging platform, has yet to comment on the fine.
Trump defends not imposing tariffs on Russia
05:29
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has defended the US’s decision to not impose tariffs on Russia.
Mr Trump told reporters last night that Russia did not have tariffs imposed "because we’re not doing business, essentially, with Russia, because they’re at war."
Almost no countries were spared from Mr Trump’s sweeping tariffs; even small, uninhabited islands in the Indian Ocean were included in the exhaustive list. But one country was notably missing: Russia.
However, the US Trade Office indicates the US does some trade with Russia, though significantly less than it did. Last year, the total goods trade with Russia was $3.5bn.
Trump says Russia-Ukraine war agreement 'getting sort of close'
05:13
,
Arpan Rai
An agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the war is "getting sort of close”, US president Donald Trump said last night.
He also said he was disappointed in Russia for carrying out strikes on Ukraine.
"I’m not happy about what’s going on with the bombing because they’re bombing like crazy right now. They’re bombing — I don’t know what’s happening there. That’s not a good situation," Mr Trump said.
Russian forces mount multiple attacks near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine
05:01
,
Arpan Rai
Russia has mounted multiple attacks on villages around the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk, senior Ukrainian military officials said.
Russian forces have for months been attempting to encircle Pokrovsk, a logistics hub, but Ukrainian resistance has slowed the Russian advances in the area, the Ukrainian military's general staff said on their Telegram channel.
Geolocated footage tracked by The Institute for the Study of War showed Russian forces have marginally advanced south and southwest of the city.
Zelensky explains how incursions inside Russia help Ukraine
04:34
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukrainian troops are inside Russia’s Belgorod, in what is the second incursion into Russian territory since February 2022.
In August last year, Ukraine launched a shock incursion inside Russia's Kursk oblast and has continued to hold onto territory there despite a major Russian counterattack.
These incursions are helping Ukraine to take fighting away from other parts of the frontline.
"Due to the entire Kursk operation, we have managed to reduce pressure on other frontline sectors, particularly in Donetsk region," Mr Zelensky said.
“It is absolutely crucial to keep destroying Russian equipment and all logistics used by the occupiers.”
The president last month referred obliquely to "certain steps" undertaken by Ukraine’s military in Russia "a little below the Kursk region", implicitly suggesting a presence in Belgorod.
Zelensky confirms Ukrainian troops active in Russia's Belgorod
04:03
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian troops are active in Russia's Belgorod region.
In his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine's top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi had presented a report "on the front line, our presence in the Kursk region and our presence in the Belgorod region."
"We continue active operations in the enemy's border areas and this is absolutely justified. The war must return to where it came from," Mr Zelensky said.
"Our main objective remains the same: to protect our land and our communities in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions from Russian occupiers.”
Mr Zelensky later referred to operations in the area by Ukraine's 225th Assault Regiment and congratulated the unit for its performance.
Russian military bloggers have reported a number of battles in the Belgorod region between Russian and Ukrainian troops.
Macron urges ‘strong action’ against Russia if it continues to ‘refuse peace’
03:42
,
Arpan Rai
Days after a Russian ballistic missile killed 20 people in Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky’s home town, French president Emmanuel Macron called for “strong action” if Russia continued to “refuse peace”.
He wrote on X on Sunday: “My thoughts are with the children and all civilian victims of the bloody attacks carried out by Russia, including on 4 April in Kryvyi Rih.
“A ceasefire is needed as soon as possible. And strong action if Russia continues to try to buy time and refuse peace.”
Mr Macron said that although Ukraine accepted US president Donald Trump’s proposal for a full ceasefire, and European nations were also working to broker peace, “Russia is continuing the war with renewed intensity, with no regard for civilians”.
Trump asks Russia to stop the war: ‘I don’t like the bombing’
03:41
,
Stuti Shukla Mistry
US president Donald Trump renewed his call for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war on Sunday, urging Russian president Vladimir Putin to stop the violence.
“We are talking to Russia. We would like them to stop,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One.
“I don’t like the bombing, the bombing goes on and on, and every week thousands of young people being killed.”
His comments come after president Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to amp up pressure on Russia after it launched its latest deadly air raid on Kyiv.
“Putin does not want to end the war, he is looking for ways to preserve the option of reigniting it at any moment, with even greater force,” Zelensky said in his evening address yesterday.
“That’s exactly why all forms of pressure on Russia must continue: strengthening our ability to defend ourselves, maintaining sanctions, and ensuring that diplomacy – any conversation with Moscow – leaves them no opportunity to kill.”
Russia showing 'complete disrespect' towards peace talks, says EU
03:39
,
Arpan Rai
Russia is showing “complete disrespect” for the peace talks regarding Ukraine, a European Commission spokesperson has said.
After Moscow’s forces continue to launch attacks on Ukraine - killing dozens of civilians in the past few days - spokesperson Anitta Hipper condemned Russia’s apparent lack of interest in peace.
"Now, when it comes to the actions that Russia is showing every day, including with the recent attacks that have killed at least 20 civilians, and as you said, 9 children included, Russia is showing a total disrespect for the talks. And it shows every day that it has zero interest to pursue this," Mr Hipper said according to European Pravda.
She said it is important "to ensure that we have a ceasefire, that we have just a long-lasting and comprehensive peace".
"But we cannot be naïve when we deal with Putin and when we see his murderous attacks on a daily basis," she added.