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Kyiv and Kharkiv recovering from wave of missile and drone strikes; Turkey blocks British minehunter ships from Black SeaUkraine launched 12 missiles and several drones in the early hours of Wednesday on Russia’s southern region of Belgorod, Russia’s defence ministry and local authorities said.Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the situation “continues to remain tense” in Belgorod, where Russia says 25 civilians including five children...

Russia’s presidential is a foregone conclusion, but the appearance of democracy still matters greatly to its leaderIn news that likely shocked no one, Vladimir Putin last month announced that he will seek a fifth presidential term in the upcoming March elections.In a country where Putin, 71, has come to dominate Russia’s political system and the media over the past two decades, the outcome will...

At least five people die in wave of Russian strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv; Russia accidentally bombs its own citySee all our Russia-Ukraine coverageRussian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and the north-eastern city of Kharkiv killed at least five people on Tuesday and injured dozens of others, Ukrainian officials said. The attacks caused widespread damage and hit power supplies, Ukraine’s authorities said.Kyiv’s mayor,...

Explosions echo across capital a day after Russian president warned of retaliation over Belgorod strikeRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesKyiv has come under heavy attack as at least 10 people were injured in a missile strike a day after Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would “intensify” its assault on Ukraine.Explosions were heard in all districts of the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday morning, as two...

Stanlow operator Essar stopped all imports of Russian fuel in 2022 but has arrangement with LitascoThe owner of one of Britain’s biggest oil refineries has extended a loan facility with an arm of an oil company founded and part-owned by a Russian billionaire who is under sanctions.Essar Oil (UK), which owns and operates the Stanlow oil refinery on Merseyside, stopped all imports of Russian...

Putin says Russia will ‘intensify’ strikes on military targets in Ukraine; Zelenskiy says Moscow is suffering major lossesRussian president Vladimir Putin said that his forces would intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine, after an unprecedented Ukrainian attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod. “We’re going to intensify the strikes. No crime against civilians will rest unpunished, that’s for certain,” Putin...

Most of Shahed-type drones targeting Odesa and Lviv intercepted, say officials, although teenage boy is killed by falling debris Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesRussia marked the new year with the launch of a record 90 Shahed-type drones over Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin vowed to further intensify attacks after a Ukrainian strike on the south Russian city of Belgorod.Ukraine said it had intercepted 87...

Ukraine says 87 out of 90 drones successfully shot down; Zelenskiy praises resilience in face of Russian attacks Russia launched a “record number” of attack drones in the hours leading into New Year’s Day, Ukraine’s Air Force said this morning.In an update on messaging platform Telegram, it said 87 out of 90 drones had been successfully shot down. Continue reading...

New Year’s address made almost no direct reference to the situation on the 1,000-km front line or the limited success of a counteroffensiveSee all our Ukraine war coverageUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed in his New Year’s address to unleash “wrath” against Russian forces in 2024, saying Ukraine had become stronger as the war moves toward its second year.But Zelenskiy’s slick 20-minute video message,...

Wave of drone and missile strikes that wounded dozens was retaliation for ‘terrorist attack’, says MoscowRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesMoscow has said the wave of drone and missile strikes that wounded at least 28 people in Ukraine’s second-biggest city late on Saturday was launched in retaliation for the “terrorist attack” on the Russian border city of Belgorod earlier the same day that reportedly...

Archives reveal confidential letters exchanged by prime minister and SDP leader that shed light on a Kremlin espionage rowA confidential exchange of letters, released after 30 years of government secrecy, between former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and David Owen, then the leader of the the Social Democratic party (SDP), has shed new light on an enduring MI5 spy scandal.The real-life espionage drama, which began...

An 18-hour Russian aerial barrage across Ukraine that killed 41 civilians has been followed up by further bombardment of Kharkiv on New Year’s EveRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesRussia pounded the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with missiles and drones in the hours leading into New Year’s Eve, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow accused Kyiv of carrying out a deadly air assault just across the...

Russia launches overnight air assault targeting Kyiv, Ukraine says; Moscow reports 21 dead after Ukrainian strike on BelgorodRussia launched a bombardment on Ukrainian regions in the hours leading into New Year’s Eve, targeting Kyiv and inflicting damage on residential areas of the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s air defence systems in the region surrounding Kyiv were engaged in repelling Russia’s drone attack,...

Moscow says anti-aircraft units destroyed 13 Ukrainian rockets as governor reports one person killed, while Bryansk official says six drones downedSee all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageAir raid alerts have been activated across Ukrainian regions and in the city of Kyiv at about 10.30am local time today after reports that a MiG fighter jet that can carry Kinzhal missiles took off from an airbase in...