Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed Russia lost 6,000 troops during Kyiv’s cross-border incursion into Kursk last month.
Zelensky made the claim at the Ramstein Airbase in Germany, where he urged Western leaders to supply more air defence systems and long-range missiles to his embattled country.
It comes as Britain pledged £162million worth of air defence missiles to Kyiv as Vladimir Putin continued to order air attacks on the country.
Defence secretary John Healey, who is said to want to be known as the most pro-Ukrainian minister in the British government, will send 650 Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) systems to Kyiv this year.
Russia has been ramping up its aerial attacks on Ukraine and launched 44 drones and two missiles overnight on Friday. Kyiv said it shot down just over half of the drones.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian husband and father Yaroslav Bazylevych lost his entire family when a Russian missile destroyed his house in the western city of Lviv.
Mr Bazylevych’s wife Eugenia and the couple’s three daughters, Yarya, 21, Daria, 18 and Emilia, seven, were all killed in the attack.
Key Points
- Russia lost 6,000 troops in Kursk, says Zelensky
- Zelensky presses for long-range strike support
- Ukraine military commander says Kursk offensive working
- Kyiv shoots down just over half of 44 Russian missiles
- UK to send 650 air defence missiles worth £162m to Ukraine
Zelensky thanks US for latest military package
18:57
Tom Watling
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the US for the latest military package, which includes much-needed artillery shells and fighting vehicles, in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Я вдячний Президенту США Джозефу Байдену, обом партіям Конгресу та американському народові за оголошений сьогодні пакет безпекової допомоги.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 6, 2024
Його вміст посилить оборону України, зокрема ППО, артилерію та бронетехніку. Допомога США вже врятувала тисячі українських життів, і це…
Watch live as Zelensky addresses political leaders at business conference in Italy
18:24
Tom Watling
‘I could die any moment’: Indians forced to fight for Russia in Ukraine say they feel abandoned by Delhi
17:55
Tom Watling
It feels like the Ukraine invasion has made the Russian invasion more ferocious
17:23
Tom Watling
US announces £190 million military package to Ukraine
16:49
Tom Watling
The US has announced a £190 million military package to Ukraine, the sixty-fifth tranche of support.
Included in the latest package are artillery shells, infantry fighting vehicles and patrol boats.
You can see the full readout of the package here.
Today, we announced additional security assistance for Ukraine. This package will surge more capabilities to meet Ukraine’s evolving requirements, to include additional support for Ukraine’s air defense and artillery needs. pic.twitter.com/C6tSpBgrUJ
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) September 6, 2024
Ukraine investigates new alleged murders of POWs by Russian troops
16:19
Tom Watling
Ukrainian prosecutors said on Friday they had launched an investigation into the alleged Russian shooting of three surrendering Ukrainian servicemen on the eastern front near Pokrovsk, the main focus of Russia’s assault.
Describing the latest in scores of such incidents Ukraine has reported, the Prosecutor General’s office said on Telegram that it took place after Russian troops attacked a trench used by the Ukrainian military for cover on Aug. 27.
“The soldiers came out of the damaged shelter and knelt down, holding their hands behind their heads. At this time, Russians opened fire,” the statement said.
CNN obtained Ukrainian drone footage showing the supposed execution. Three kneeled men could be seen on the video, falling on the ground within seconds after the apparent shooting.
Reuters could not independently verify the video clip. There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Andriy Kostin, the prosecutor general, said on X that Kyiv was investigating alleged executions of 73 Ukrainian prisoners carried out by Russian troops.
He said an increasing number of such cases had been documented.
The execution of 73 Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russian military is currently under investigation by Ukrainian authorities. This week, we received information about two more heinous crimes committed by Russia against Ukrainian POWs.
— Andriy Kostin (@AndriyKostinUa) September 6, 2024
A video showing Russian troops executing… pic.twitter.com/MlWqs7f7ik
Zelensky says he discussed second peace summit with Scholz
15:47
Tom Watling
President Volodymyr Zelensky met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday to discuss preparations for the second summit on peace in Ukraine.
“I greatly appreciate sharing our efforts to bring a just peace closer,” Zelensky said on X.
In Germany, I held a meeting with @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 6, 2024
I am grateful for the comprehensive support, especially the military assistance provided to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. This support is very important — it is the foundation of our… pic.twitter.com/0LbA8BXnIV
Ukrainian father attends the funeral of his family
15:20
Tom Watling
A Ukrainian father whose wife and three daughters were killed in a Russian missile strike on their house in the western city of Lviv has attended their funeral.
Yaroslav Bazylevych was pictured at the ceremony earlier on Friday.
Hundreds of Lviv residents paid their respects to Yaroslav’s wife, Evgenia, and the couple’s three daughters Yaryna, 21, Darina, 18 and Darina, 7.
Their story captured the attention of Ukrainians already well-used to tragedy at the hands of Russian aerial attacks.
Russia says it takes control of the village of Zhuravka in eastern Ukraine
14:39
Alexander Butler
Russian forces have taken control of the village of Zhuravka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s Defence ministry said on Friday. The report could not be independently verified.
Ukraine presses for long-range strike support
14:09
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies on Friday to ignore Moscow’s “red lines” and allow Kyiv to use long-range weapons for strikes on Russian territory.
Zelensky made his first appearance at a regular US-hosted gathering of Ukraine’s allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday.
“We need to have this long-range capability not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine, but also on Russian territory, yes, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace,” Zelensky said.
Kremlin says US pressure on Russian media is unacceptable after TV presenter charged
13:55
Alexander Butler
The Kremlin on Friday accused the United States of applying unacceptable pressure to Russian media after the US Justice Department charged Virginia-based Russian TV contributor Dimitri Simes and his wife with schemes to violate US sanctions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Washington was trying to ensure that Moscow’s own perspective on world affairs was not available to people.
Russia lost 6,000 troops in Kursk, says Zelensky
13:54
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Friday that Russia has lost 6,000 troops during Kyiv’s invasion of Kursk.
The Ukrainian president made the claim at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he repeated calls for Western nations to expedite the delivery of air defence systems and long-range missiles.
Kremlin says people must judge for themselves if Putin was serious about backing Kamala Harris
13:00
Alexander Butler
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked if President Vladimir Putin’s stated support for U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris was serious or a joke, said people would have to figure it out for themselves.
Putin said on Thursday that Russia wants Harris to win the November election, in a teasing comment that cited her “infectious” laugh as a reason to prefer her over Donald Trump.
Canada to supply Ukraine with over 80,000 unarmed small rockets, some warheads
12:30
Alexander Butler
Canada plans to send 80,840 surplus small unarmed air-to-surface rockets to Ukraine as well as 1,300 warheads in the coming months, Defense Minister Bill Blair said in a statement on Friday.
Canada announced an initial shipment of 2,160 unarmed CRV7 rockets in June. Each CRV7 rocket can be equipped with warheads designed variously to hit buildings, tanks or soldiers.
Canada will also donate chassis assemblies from 29 M113 armored personnel carriers and 64 Coyote armored cars, which the Canadian armed forces are no longer using, Blair said.
Poland to charge three Belarusians for diverting Ryanair flight in 2021
10:14
Alexander Butler
Polish prosecutors have enough evidence to charge three Belarusian citizens over the forced landing in Minsk in 2021 of a civilian airliner carrying an opposition journalist, who was then arrested, Polish authorities said on Friday.
In what some EU leaders at the time called a hijacking, the Ryanair flight from Athens to Lithuania was diverted to the capital of Belarus escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet.
On landing, dissident Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega were taken into custody.
Zelensky visits Germany to discuss air defence
09:19
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Germany to discuss air defence and weapons delivery.
Zelensky said Ukraine needed strong decisions on long-range strikes to bring a “just peace” closer as Vladimir Putin ramped up his aerial strikes.
He will travel to Italy after visiting Germany, according to the statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine shoots down just over half of 44 Russian missiles
09:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine shot down just over half of 44 Russian drones launched at the country overnight, Kyiv’s air force said.
Two missiles were also used in the attack. It comes as Vladimir Putin continued to ramp up Russia’s aerial attacks on Ukraine following Kyiv’s cross-border incursion into Kursk one month ago.
Defence secretary John Healey, who is said to want to be known as the most pro-Ukrainian minister in the British government, will also send 650 Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) systems to Kyiv this year.
UK to send Ukraine hundreds of missiles worth £162m
08:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The UK will send 650 missiles to Ukraine in a £162m commitment to the country’s defence against Russia, John Healey is expected to say during a visit to Germany.
The Defence Secretary will announce Britain’s latest commitment to Kyiv’s war effort when he meets fellow ministers from across Europe at a defence summit.
Mr Healey will use his first appearance as Defence Secretary at the latest meeting of the group to reaffirm the new Government’s commitment to president Volodymyr Zelensky’s war-torn nation.
“This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences and demonstrates our new government’s commitment to stepping up support for Ukraine,” Mr Healey said ahead of the summit.
More here.
Putin has two secret sons with gymnast who live life of luxury
08:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russian president Vladimir Putin has two secret sons who live an isolated life of luxury in a heavily guarded mansion, according to a Russian investigative journalism website.
The Dossier Centre reported that Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five, spend most of the year at their father’s vast mansion near Lake Valdai, northwest of Moscow.
Their mother is Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic rhythmic gymnast whose relationship with Putin has been an open secret in Russia for more than a decade, the Dossier Centre claims.
More here.
Poland ‘has duty’ to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine
07:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
In pics: Rescuers dig through rubble to find survivors in Poltava
07:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine military commander says Kursk offensive ‘working'
06:33
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine’s top military commander defended Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, claiming it deterred Russia from advancing on a key area of the eastern front in Ukraine.
Col Gen Oleksandr Syrski told CNN that the offensive has been effective and the strategy was working.
“Over the past six days, the enemy hasn’t advanced a single metre in the Pokrovsk direction,” he said. “In other words, our strategy is working.”
“We’ve taken away their ability to maneuver and to deploy their reinforcement forces from other directions … and this weakening has definitely been felt in other areas.”
Syrskyi said his forces control nearly 1,300sq km and about 100 settlements in the Kursk region after Ukraine launched a surprise offensive on 6 August.
55 dead in Russian strike on Ukraine’s Poltava
06:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a military institute in the east central Ukrainian town of Poltava rose to 55, the emergency service said yesterday.
Russian troops struck the educational facility with two extremely hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles, barely giving people time to seek shelter.
The deadliest single attack of this year wounded 328 others, with 27 of them being in intensive care.
The rescue operation continued for three days but had to be stopped due to new air raid alerts, officials added.
Russia must respond to Western media curbs, says Kremlin
06:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia must “respond appropriately” to restrictions on its media imposed by the West, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said today.
This week the US justice department filed money-laundering charges against two employees of Russian state broadcaster RT over what it called a scheme to hire a US company to produce online content to influence the November presidential election.
“We criticise the West for pursuing the path of destroying our media abroad, they obstruct the dissemination of information, they obstruct the work of our journalists,” Mr Peskov was quoted by TASS news agency as saying.
“And, of course, in this situation of heated confrontation there needs to be reciprocity. Therefore we must respond appropriately.”
US charges Russian TV contributor and his wife with sanctions violations
05:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The US justice department has charged Virginia-based Russian television contributor Dimitri Simes and his wife Anastasia Simes with two separate schemes to violate American sanctions.
In one of two indictments, Mr Simes and his wife are accused of laundering funds and violating US sanctions for the benefit of Channel One Russia, a Russian broadcasting station sanctioned in May 2022.
In exchange for providing services as a presenter and producer, prosecutors alleged that Simes and his wife received over $1m (£758,800), a personal car and driver, a stipend for an apartment in Moscow and a team of 10 employees from Channel One Russia.
In a second indictment, Anastasia Simes is charged with violating sanctions to benefit Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, a Russian oligarch sanctioned in February 2023. She is accused of purchasing art and other antiques for Udodov from various galleries and auction houses in the United States and Europe.
Father sole survivor in one of the deadliest attacks of war
05:00
Alexander Butler
A father has lost his entire family after his house was destroyed during Russia’s attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Yaroslav Bazylevych’s wife Eugenia and the couple’s three daughters, Yarya, 21, Daria, 18 and Emilia, seven, were all killed on Wednesday morning.
The attack led Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi to accuse Russia of “eliminating Ukrainians by (killing off) entire families”.
Ukrainian emergency services said his daughters – Daryna, 18, her sisters Yaryna, 21, and Emilia, 7, and their 43-year-old mother Yevhenia were killed while sheltering in the staircase of their residential building.
Zelensky to visit US air base in Germany today - report
04:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will likely visit the US air base in western Germany today to request increased Western military support, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.
Ukraine’s allies face renewed calls from Mr Zelensky for additional air defences and loosened restrictions on how far into Russia Ukraine can fire American-provided munitions.
“Air defence systems and missiles are needed in Ukraine, not in a warehouse somewhere,” Mr Zelensky said this week. “Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now.”
Top US military leaders, including defence secretary Lloyd Austin, will be in Germany to discuss Ukraine’s wartime needs after Russia conducted one of its deadliest airstrikes in the conflict and Ukraine continued its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.
UK to send 650 air defence missiles worth £162m to Ukraine
04:07
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The British government will send 650 lightweight multi-role missiles worth £162m to help protect the country from Russian drones and bombing.
The new supply of missiles was announced as British defence minister John Healey attended the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of some 50 nations, at a US air base in Germany.
“This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences,” Mr Healey said.
The Ministry of Defence said the missiles made by Thales have a range of more than 6km and can be fired from a variety of platforms on land, sea and air.
Belarus downs Russian drones in a first – reports
04:00
Alexander Butler
In what appears to be the first incident of its kind, the Belarus Air Force has shot down two attack drones launched by its ally Russia – suggesting they had flown off course, a monitoring group claimed.
Belaruski Hajun, a monitoring group in Minsk, said multiple Belarusian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drones near the city of Gomel around 1.30am local time. Gomel lies within about 30km of the Ukraine-Belarus border.
This is the first reported incident involving Belarusian Air Force plane successfully downing Russian drones meant for Ukraine.
A third Russian attack drone was also downed around 2.30am in Belarusian air space, the group said but shared no additional information.
Russia launched another large-scale drone attack on Ukraine overnight, targeting multiple regions of the country, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
I’ve always dreamed of crossing the Russian border on a Ukrainian tank – now I’ve done it
03:00
Alexander Butler
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
02:00
Alexander Butler
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
01:00
Alexander Butler
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 23:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine names new foreign minister, two deputy PMs in cabinet overhaul
Thursday 5 September 2024 22:00
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Thursday to appoint a new foreign minister and two new deputy prime ministers, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy carries out his biggest government shakeup since Russia’s Feb. 2022 invasion.
Andrii Sybiha, 49, an experienced diplomat who does not have a prominent public profile, takes the reins of the foreign ministry, replacing Dmytro Kuleba, who has been one of the best known public faces of Ukraine in the West in recent years.
The new foreign ministry leadership is not expected to affect policy significantly; Zelenskiy and his office have taken the leading role in foreign affairs during the war with Russia.
The Ukrainian leader, who travels to the United States this month and hopes to present a “victory plan” to President Joe Biden, has said that Ukraine needs “new energy” and that this autumn will be important for Ukraine in the war.
Dmytro Razumkov, an opposition lawmaker, predicted the new appointments would change little, saying most decisions were made in Zelenskiy’s office, which was conferred considerable new emergency powers under wartime martial law.
Ukraine has achieved a lot in Kursk offensive, Nato says
Thursday 5 September 2024 21:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine has achieved a lot in its Kursk offensive into Russia but it’s hard to say how the situation will develop next, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Oslo on Thursday.
“Only the Ukrainians can make the difficult choices that are needed, such as where to deploy their forces and what type of warfare is appropriate in this situation,” Stoltenberg said.
Russian forces are advancing in the east of Ukraine while Ukrainian troops have made a bold incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, where it on 6 August launched the biggest foreign attack on Russia since World War Two.
Mr Stoltenberg said Ukraine has the right to self-defence, including with long-range missiles that can reach military targets on Russian territory.
Putin’s aide claims foreign military instructors are working in Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 20:00
Alexander Butler
Russia is now claiming that military instructors from different countries are working in Ukraine and taking part in military actions and the training of Ukrainian forces, Russian news agencies reported today.
The claims were made by the Kremlin spokesperson and Vladimir Putin’s close aide Dmitry Peskov who wrongfully claimed that the US and Europe have shown no interest in a diplomatic solution to the war.
Peskov said Russia does not see any prerequisites for peace talks with Ukraine at the moment and it would continue its military operation inside its smaller neighbour nation until it achieves all of its aims, reported RIA news agency.
He also said that the Russian authorities were not discussing a new mobilisation.
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle has one major aim – to project strength ahead of a tough winter for Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 19:00
Alexander Butler
The EU wants answers from Hungary about work visas for Russia and Belarus
Thursday 5 September 2024 18:00
Alexander Butler
Russia launches 100 glide bombs, Kyiv claims
Thursday 5 September 2024 17:00
Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin’s forces have launched 100 deadly glide bombs in an overnight attack on Ukraine as Russia continued its relentless aerial barrage across the country, Kyiv claimed.
Glide bombs, also called KAB – the Ukrainian acronym for guided aerial bomb, are old-fashioned “iron” aerial bombs of the sort that were dropped by bombers during the Second World War.
Russia is believed to have converted hundreds of thousands of Soviet-era KABs by fitting them with GPS guidance systems and wings. The Ukrainian military did not specify where the bombs had been dropped.
Putin has two secret sons with gymnast who live life of luxury isolated from world
Thursday 5 September 2024 16:00
Alexander Butler
Russian president Vladimir Putin has two secret sons who live an isolated life of luxury in a heavily-guarded mansion, according to a Russian investigative journalism website.
The Dossier Centre reported that Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five, spend most of the year at their father’s vast mansion near Lake Valdai, northwest of Moscow.
Their mother is Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic rhythmic gymnast whose relationship with Putin has been an open secret in Russia for more than a decade, the Dossier Centre claim.
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle has one major aim – to project strength ahead of a tough winter for Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 15:00
Alexander Butler
I’ve always dreamed of crossing the Russian border on a Ukrainian tank – now I’ve done it
Thursday 5 September 2024 14:00
Alexander Butler
Last weekend, when I was taken into Russia’s Kursk region by the Ukrainian army, I remembered how, as a foreign correspondent, I had rued all the bureaucratic hurdles in travelling to and from Moscow.
When I was posted to Moscow, years ago, as a British newspaper’s correspondent for the region, I was messed around by malicious Russianauthorities for months before I was granted a Russian press visa. Even after that, Russian airport officials had a knack of making entry to or exit from their country unpleasant.
It was always a joy to board a western plane flying out of Russia. The air crew said they recognised “that look” of relief on the faces of those taking their seats and, sometimes, would immediately offer a celebratory drink to passengers – even if they were flying economy.
Ukrainian parliament appoints Andrii Sybiha as foreign minister
Thursday 5 September 2024 13:30
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian parliament on Thursday appointed first deputy foreign minister Andrii Sybiha as Ukraine’s new foreign minister, lawmakers said.
Putin claims Ukraine’s Kursk incursion has failed to slow Russia’s eastern advance
Thursday 5 September 2024 11:45
Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin has claimed Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian region of Kursk had failed to slow Russia’s own advance in eastern Ukraine.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said Russian forces were now gradually pushing Ukrainian soldiers out of Kursk.
Kyiv launched the audacious cross-border incursion into the region on 6 August, the largest foreign attack into Russia since the Second World War.
“The enemy’s goal was to make us nervous and worry and to transfer troops from one sector to another and to stop our offensive in key areas, primarily in the Donbas,” Putin said. “Did it work? No.”
Putin has two secret sons with gymnast who live life of luxury isolated from world
Thursday 5 September 2024 10:23
Alexander Butler
Russian president Vladimir Putin has two secret sons who live an isolated life of luxury in a heavily-guarded mansion, according to a Russian investigative journalism website.
The Dossier Centre reported that Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five, spend most of the year at their father’s vast mansion near Lake Valdai, northwest of Moscow.
Their mother is Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic rhythmic gymnast whose relationship with Putin has been an open secret in Russia for more than a decade, the Dossier Centre claim.
At least 7 killed in Russian strike on Lviv on Wednesday
Thursday 5 September 2024 07:58
Alexander Butler
Russia launches 100 glide bombs, Kyiv claims
Thursday 5 September 2024 07:34
Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin’s forces have launched 100 deadly glide bombs in an overnight attack on Ukraine as Russia continued its relentless aerial barrage across the country, Kyiv claimed.
Glide bombs, also called KAB – the Ukrainian acronym for guided aerial bomb, are old-fashioned “iron” aerial bombs of the sort that were dropped by bombers during the Second World War.
Russia is believed to have converted hundreds of thousands of Soviet-era KABs by fitting them with GPS guidance systems and wings. The Ukrainian military did not specify where the bombs had been dropped.
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle has one major aim – to project strength ahead of a tough winter for Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 07:01
Arpan Rai
Dmytro Kuleba is one of Ukraine’s most recognisable faces to Western officials, seemingly never afraid to speak his mind. It is that independence that has contributed to the foreign minister becoming the highest-profile member of president Volodymyr Zelensky’s cabinet involved in another major shake-up of Ukraine’s top brass. One which will end up the largest of the war.
Kuleba has offered his resignation as part of what is seen as a political “reset” for Kyiv engineered by Zelensky and his close circle. A number of other ministers also submitted their resignations on Tuesday. Zelensky has said that the cabinet overhaul is part of an effort to “give new strength” to Ukraine’s government and, in the process, solidify Zelensky’s ability to guide policy.
The reshuffle comes at a crucial point. Ukraine has been slowly losing territory in the eastern Donetsk region to a Russian advance, while drone and missile attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure have led to rolling nationwide blackouts, which are likely only to worsen as we head towards winter.
An audacious cross-border assault into Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv’s forces have taken about 1,000 square kilometres of territory in around three weeks, has given a much-needed morale boost and reminded Western allies that Kyiv can still surprise its enemy, despite being significantly outgunned and at a troop disadvantage.
Live: Putin delivers keynote speech at Eastern Economic Forum
Thursday 5 September 2024 06:54
Arpan Rai
Putin’s aide claims foreign military instructors are working in Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 06:31
Arpan Rai
Russia is now claiming that military instructors from different countries are working in Ukraine and taking part in military actions and the training of Ukrainian forces, Russian news agencies reported today.
The claims were made by the Kremlin spokesperson and Vladimir Putin’s close aide Dmitry Peskov who wrongfully claimed that the US and Europe have shown no interest in a diplomatic solution to the war.
Peskov said Russia does not see any prerequisites for peace talks with Ukraine at the moment and it would continue its military operation inside its smaller neighbour nation until it achieves all of its aims, reported RIA news agency.
He also said that the Russian authorities were not discussing a new mobilisation.
Father sole survivor in one of the deadliest attacks of war
Thursday 5 September 2024 06:23
Arpan Rai
A father has lost his entire family after his house was destroyed during Russia’s attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Yaroslav Bazylevych’s wife Eugenia and the couple’s three daughters, Yarya, 21, Daria, 18 and Emilia, seven, were all killed on Wednesday morning.
The attack led Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi to accuse Russia of “eliminating Ukrainians by (killing off) entire families”.
Ukrainian emergency services said his daughters – Daryna, 18, her sisters Yaryna, 21, and Emilia, 7, and their 43-year-old mother Yevhenia were killed while sheltering in the staircase of their residential building.
Behind enemy lines with Ukraine’s troops in Russia
Thursday 5 September 2024 06:00
Tom Watling
Belarus downs Russian drones in a first – reports
Thursday 5 September 2024 05:50
Arpan Rai
In what appears to be the first incident of its kind, the Belarus Air Force has shot down two attack drones launched by its ally Russia – suggesting they had flown off course, a monitoring group claimed.
Belaruski Hajun, a monitoring group in Minsk, said multiple Belarusian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drones near the city of Gomel around 1.30am local time. Gomel lies within about 30km of the Ukraine-Belarus border.
This is the first reported in