13 h. ago Chernobyl power plant LOSES external power supply after Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, IAEA warns

The International Atomic Energy Agency Director General, Rafael Grossi, reported this morning that several Ukrainian power substations had been affected by large-scale military activity.

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14 h. ago Chernobyl nuclear power plant suffers power loss amid Russian attacks

Fresh Russian strikes have targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

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25 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says military innovation will ‘transform’ air defences

President says air force’s new system involves ‘mobile fire groups’ and interceptor drones as he warns of fresh Russian attacks ahead. What we know on day 1,427Ukraine’s armed forces are introducing a new facet of air defence, made up of small groups deploying interceptor drones, as the country braces for new mass Russian attacks, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. Ukraine is still reeling from a wave of Russian strikes earlier this month that knocked out power and heating to thousands of apartment blocks in freezing temperatures, particularly in the capital, and Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for air defences to be strengthened. “There will be a new approach to the use of air defences by the air force, concerning mobile fire groups, interceptor drones and other ‘short-range’ air defence assets,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly video address. “The system will be transformed.” Zelenskyy announced the appointment of a new deputy air force commander, Pavlo Yelizarov, to o...

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49 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian attacks kill two as Ukrainian strikes trigger blackouts in occupied south

Kyiv’s forces say 30 Russian strikes recorded across 15 locations while hundreds of thousands left without electricity in occupied Zaporizhzhia. What we know on day 1,426Moscow kept up its hammering of Ukraine’s energy grid in attacks that killed at least two people overnight to Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials. At least six people were wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the emergency service said. Russia also targeted energy infrastructure in Odesa region, it said. A fire broke out and was promptly extinguished. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that repairing the country’s energy system remained challenging “but we are doing everything we can to restore everything as quickly as possible”. The Ukrainian president said two people were killed in overnight attacks across the country that struck Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa and included more than 200 drones. The military said 30 strikes had been recorded across 15 locations. One person was k...

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4 d. ago ‘An attempt to break people’: Bucha holds out amid Russia’s weaponisation of winter

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power plants as severe frost set in have been described as ‘crimes against humanity’Outside the main pumping station for Bucha, three engineers, bundled up in parkas, are working on the emergency generator keeping the Ukrainian city supplied with water.One holds a heat gun to the generator’s filter in an effort to unfreeze it, his face reddened by blowing snow and a daytime temperature of -12C (10.4F). Watching attentively is the city’s mayor, Anatolii Fedoruk. The generator in his office is also frozen when the Guardian visits and he apologises for the lack of coffee. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian attack destroys Kharkiv energy facility as UK pledges emergency support

Response crews at work following strikes in Ukraine’s second city as Britain commits £20m after Zelenskyy declares energy emergency. What we know on day 1,423Russian forces destroyed a large energy facility in Ukraine’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, the mayor said on Thursday, the latest target of a winter air campaign by Moscow that has plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness and cold. Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that emergency crews were working around the clock, while he did not specify what sort of facility had been hit. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said officials were assessing the extent of damage.Volodymyr Zelenskyy proceeded with a drive to tackle the damage inflicted by Russian strikes, chairing a meeting aimed at securing quick decisions from regional leaders. The Ukrainian president said there had been new strikes on the capital into the evening. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 300 apartment buildings remained without heat after a 9 Janua...

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5 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy declares energy emergency as cities shiver

Night-time temperatures dip close to -20C; minister outlines major problems with desertion and conscription evasion. What we know on day 1,422Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to declare a state of emergency in Ukraine’s energy sector to tackle disrupted power supplies after heavy Russian attacks. Energy imports would also be increased, the Ukrainian president said. Emergency crews in Ukraine have proceeded with round-the-clock efforts to restore power and heating supplies at a time when night-time temperatures are dipping close to -20C (-4F). Zelenskyy said the state of emergency would allow authorities “more options and flexibility”. He called for the establishment of more centres where residents can stay warm and charge electronic devices, and said nightly curfews could be lifted in areas where the security situation permitted it.The president said Kyiv – whose mayor he regularly clashes with – had done considerably less than other major centres, notably Ukraine’s second-largest city, Khark...

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6 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy declares energy state of emergency as cities shiver

Night-time temperatures dip close to -20C; minister outlines major problems with desertion and conscription evasion. What we know on day 1,422Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to declare a state of emergency in Ukraine’s energy sector to tackle disrupted power supplies after heavy Russian attacks. Energy imports would also be increased, the Ukrainian president said. Emergency crews in Ukraine have proceeded with round-the-clock efforts to restore power and heating supplies at a time when night-time temperatures are dipping close to -20C (-4F). Zelenskyy said the state of emergency would allow authorities “more options and flexibility”. He called for the establishment of more centres where residents can stay warm and charge electronic devices, and said nightly curfews could be lifted in areas where the security situation permitted it.The president said Kyiv – whose mayor he regularly clashes with – had done considerably less than other major centres, notably Ukraine’s second-largest city, Khark...

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7 d. ago Zelenskyy says four killed as Ukraine hit with ‘almost 300 attack drones’ in Russian strikes overnight – Europe live

Ukrainian president says ‘Russia must learn that cold will not help win the war’ as energy infrastructure targetedUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia hit Ukraine overnight with “almost 300 attack drones” and 25 missiles as it continues to target energy infrastructure across the country, already suffering from extensive electricity and heat outages amid a harsh winter.Zelenskyy said the overnight attacks caused “extensive destruction of residential and civilian infrastructure” across the country, including in the capital Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Donetsk. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Dark, freezing and depressed: More than a million Ukrainians struggling without heat or water after Russian attacks

With temperatures as low as -15C in some parts of Ukraine, vulnerable residents tell Alex Croft that life under Russian assault is as difficult as ever

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1 week ago Dark, freezing and depressed: More than 1m Ukrainians struggling without heat or water after Russian attacks

With temperatures as low as -15C in some parts of Ukraine, vulnerable residents tell Alex Croft that life under Russian assault is as difficult as ever

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1 week ago Healey condemns ‘cynical’ strikes on Ukraine as Russia fires hypersonic missile

The Defence Secretary condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin following drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities overnight.

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1 week ago Ukraine in 'catastrophe' warning after brutal Russian energy attacks

Russian strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure spark humanitarian catastrophe warnings as Kremlin 'plan' to launch a mass casualty attack inside its own territory and blame Kyiv was thwarted

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2 w. ago Europe tells Trump to back off Greenland as leaders sign off on 'binding commitment' to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks: Live updates

LIVEBLOG: Follow the latest developments from Paris where Ukraine's allies meet for talks about the country's security and a potential ceasefire with Russia.

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2 w. ago Russia says Ukrainian drone strike kills 24 in occupied Ukraine as tensions grow amid peace talks

Russian officials say that a Ukrainian attack killed 24 people in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, as tensions between the two nations continue to spike despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks

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3 w. ago Trump says he is 'very angry' about Russian claims Ukraine attacked Putin's home, telling reporters 'it's not the right time to do any of that'

The dramatic twist preceded an hour-long phone call between the Russian and US presidents, the second in recent days.

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3 w. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy denies Russian accusation that Putin’s residence was attacked by Ukrainian drones

Zelenskyy says Moscow trying to derail peace talks progress, as Russian foreign minister claims Ukraine targeted president’s home in NovgorodThe Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists this morning that Moscow agreed with Donald Trump’s assessment that talks to end the war were in their final stage.As a reminder, Trump said a draft agreement to end the war was nearly “95% done”. “I really think we are closer than ever with both sides,” he said, though he added that “one or two very thorny issues” remain. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Trump and Zelenskyy to hold talks amid heavy Russian airstrikes on Ukraine

Key topics include security guarantees from Europe and the US, with Putin yet to signal interest in latest negotiationsRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesDonald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are to meet on Sunday to discuss a plan to end the war in Ukraine, amid continuing Russian attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, and scepticism that Moscow is willing to drop any of its maximalist demands.Zelenskyy arrived in Florida on Saturday night with a Ukrainian delegation, before talks with the US president at his Mar-a-Lago residence. The two leaders are expected to discuss the latest iteration of a 20-point peace plan and the unresolved question of the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Continue reading...

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4 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Pope Leo expresses ‘great sadness’ at Russian rejection of truce calls

Pontiff calls for ‘day of peace’ on Christmas Day after huge Russian attack in Ukraine kills three and cuts power to several regions. What we know on day 1,400Pope Leo XIV has called for a global truce on Christmas Day, expressing “great sadness” that “apparently Russia rejected a request” for one. “I am renewing my request to all people of good will to respect a day of peace – at least on the feast of the birth of our saviour,” Leo told reporters at his residence near Rome on Tuesday. Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for a ceasefire in its war on Ukraine, saying that would only give a military advantage to Kyiv. The pope said: “Among the things that cause me great sadness is the fact that Russia has apparently rejected a request for a truce.” Referring to conflicts in general, Leo said: “I hope they will listen and there will be 24 hours of peace in the whole world.”A massive Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine has killed three people and cut power to several Ukrainian ...

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4 w. ago Warning Chernobyl nuclear plant radiation shield is at risk of collapse

A Russian strike could collapse the internal radiation shelter at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine, the plant's director has warned. 

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