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Arrest of deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov comes weeks after Vladimir Putin urged FSB to step up efforts to root out corruptionA well-connected Russian deputy defence minister has been charged with bribe-taking, in the highest-profile corruption scandal in the country in years, triggering speculation about a possible purge within Moscow’s elites.Timur Ivanov, 47, who was responsible for Russia’s military infrastructure projects, was detained by...

Ukraine’s SBU security service drones struck two oil depots in Russia’s Smolensk overnight, according to a Ukrainian intelligence source. It came as the US Senate approved wartime foreign aid for UkraineHere are some of the latest images on the newswires:Ukraine’s SBU security service drones struck two Rosneft-owned oil depots in Russia’s Smolensk region in an overnight attack, according to a source in Ukrainian intelligence...

£2.2bn-worth of oil processed in China, India and Turkey – to whom Russia supplies crude – was imported in 2023, data showsThe UK has been accused of “helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine” by continuing to import record amounts of refined oil from countries processing Kremlin fossil fuels.Government data analysed by the environmental news site Desmog shows that imports of refined oil...

PM pledges equipment including 400 vehicles, 1,600 weapons and 4m rounds of ammunition, plus £500m in fundingRishi Sunak has promised the UK’s largest ever military support package for Ukraine as he warned that Vladimir Putin would “not stop at the Polish border” if Russia won the war.The prime minister will visit Poland on Tuesday to discuss European security and the threat from Russia with...

Andrzej Duda says country could host arms if Nato decides to deploy the weapons in the face of Russia reinforcing its armaments in Belarus and KaliningradEurope “cannot relax” its support for Ukraine following US lawmakers’ approval of a $61bn (€57bn, £49bn) aid package, Kyiv’s most vocal allies in the region have said.Baiba Braže, Latvia’s new foreign minister, warned against slackening the EU’s efforts to...

For the first time, government military spending increased in all five geographical regions, Sipri thinktank findsGlobal military expenditure has reached a record high of $2440bn (£1970bn) after the largest annual rise in government spending on arms in over a decade, according to a report.The 6.8% increase between 2022 and 2023 was the steepest since 2009, pushing spending to the highest recorded by the Stockholm...

Ukrainian president urges Senate to ratify aid package so that country can strengthen frontline with RussiaUkraine’s president has said the vote by the US House of Representatives to pass a long-delayed $61bn (£49bn) military aid package demonstrated that his country would not be abandoned by the west in its effort to fight the Russian invasion.Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview with US television that...

Biden administration to rethink counter-terrorism strategy after breakdown of pact allowing US forces on soil to fight jihadistsThe US will withdraw more than 1,000 military personnel from Niger in a move that will force the Biden administration to rethink its counter-terrorism strategy and amounts to a strategic victory for Russia.The decision comes a month after the west African country’s ruling military junta revoked a...

Prime minister Petteri Orpo says eastern Finland ‘suffering because of Russian behaviour’Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, visited the Donetsk region today.Two people have been detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Leonid Volkov, an aide to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told reporters today, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

Poland’s national prosecutor says man was preparing to share security details of airport used by Ukrainian presidentA Polish man has been arrested on allegations that he aided a plot by Russian intelligence services to assassinate the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to Polish and Ukrainian prosecutors.The office of Poland’s national prosecutor said in a statement that the man, identified only as Pawel K, was...

Prosecutors accuse suspects of working with Russian secret service in attempt to undermine support for UkraineEurope live – latest news updatesTwo Russian nationals have been arrested in southern Germany suspected of plotting sabotage attacks on US military facilities, German prosecutors announced on Thursday.The men, named as Dieter S and Alexander J, are suspected of operating as Russian spies on behalf of the Kremlin, according...

Led by prime minister Andrej Plenković, the Croatian Democratic Union won 60 seats out of 151 but face tough talks to gather a majorityCroatia’s ruling conservative party won the most seats in parliamentary elections, but not enough to form a government, according to almost complete official results.The prime minister, Andrej Plenković’s Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has won 60 seats in the 151-member assembly, results...

Foreign minister warns of environmental catastrophe in Baltic Sea as he accuses Moscow of using unseaworthy vesselsRussia appears prepared to create “environmental havoc” by sailing unseaworthy oil tankers through the Baltic Sea in breach of all maritime rules, the Swedish foreign minister has said.Speaking to the Guardian during his first visit to London since Sweden became a Nato member, Tobias Billström called for new...

In today’s newsletter: As the crisis in the Middle East shifts resources away from the Russian invasion, Zelenskiy is calling for more money, weapons and attention• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.As soon as Iran launched its aerial attack on Israel, western allies coordinated a rapid, united military and diplomatic response. The US, Britain, France and others intercepted more than...

Head of IAEA issues warning as Ukraine and Russia trade accusations over Europe’s biggest nuclear plantThousands of people in Ukraine were left without power on Tuesday after strong winds and heavy rain damaged electrical infrastructure, authorities said.“Due to the bad weather, 173 settlements in four regions are without power supply,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said. Continue reading...

Underwater infrastructure vulnerable to Russian threats, says V Adm Didier Maleterre, after suspected sabotage of gas pipelinesThe security of nearly 1 billion people across Europe and North America is under threat from Russian attempts to target the extensive vulnerabilities of underwater infrastructure including windfarms, pipelines and power cables, a Nato commander has warned.V Adm Didier Maleterre, the deputy commander of Nato’s Allied Maritime Command...

Andriy Kobolyev calls for more weapons after Russia destroys one of Ukraine’s largest power plantsA dramatic rise in European energy prices is inevitable if the Russian destruction of Ukrainian energy infrastructure continues unabated, the former chief executive of Ukraine’s state-owned oil company has warned.Andriy Kobolyev, a former head of Naftogaz, said in an interview with the Guardian: “Russia is trying to wage a global...

Kyiv running short of missile defence systems while US military aid dries up Ukraine’s air defences are being overwhelmed by concentrated waves of Russian bombing aimed at its power stations, acknowledged a senior presidential adviser after the destruction of an entire plant on Thursday.Mykhailo Podolyak said Moscow was adopting new tactics of attacking power stations with up to “10 or 12 missiles at a...

West African state turned to Russia to help in fight against insurgents throwing into doubt future of operations with USRussian military trainers have arrived to reinforce Niger’s air defenses as the west African country pulls away from close cooperation with the US in counterterrorism efforts, turning instead to Moscow for help as it fights Islamist insurgents.State television in the country broadcast footage of Russian...

Ukraine parliament passes controversial mobilisation bill to boost troop numbers; Japan’s prime minister calls on US to continue supporting Ukraine. What we know on day 779See all our Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

Air force commander says 14 of 17 attack drones and two guided missiles targeting Odesa and Mykolaiv region were destroyedAn EU court has removed war-related sanctions against prominent billionaires Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman, in a surprise victory for the Russian oligarchs in their fight against western sanctions.The European court ruled that the European council did not present enough evidence to establish that the...

British foreign secretary talked with Republican presidential candidate following Trump’s repeated questioning of US aid to UkraineChina’s foreign minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in China on Tuesday, underlining the ever-friendly relationship between Moscow and Beijing.Wang said that China and Russia would continue to strengthen international cooperation and work together to maintain the stability of supply chains. The two sides agreed...

Ruling means music in Russian republic must ‘conform to Chechen mentality and sense of rhythm’The Russian republic of Chechnya has banned dance music it deems either too fast or too slow, in an attempt to quash a “polluting” western influence on the conservative majority-Muslim region.Musa Dadayev, the culture minister, said “all musical, vocal and choreographic works should correspond to a tempo of 80-116 beats...

Watchdog condemns ‘reckless’ attack after inspectors find damage at Russian-controlled power stationRussia and Ukraine have each accused the other of launching kamikaze drones at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in an incident condemned by the International Atomic Energy Agency for recklessly endangering safety.The nuclear watchdog said onsite inspectors had seen the damage caused by drone detonations at three locations, including “superficial scorching” at the...