82 m. ago VE Day: Starmer warns of Second World War parallels with 'hatred, tyranny and evil' of Putin's Ukraine war

The Prime Minister highlighted that war is raging again in Europe 80 years on since the Nazis were defeated

Events

6 h. ago Inside Russia's Victory Day preparations as Putin prepares to host dozens of world leaders

Preparations are underway for Russia's Victory Day Parade, with troops pulled from the front lines to join the procession with world leaders in a major PR coup for Putin

Politics

6 h. ago The witnesses: second world war survivors from across Europe share their stories

On the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe, survivors, including veterans from both sides, remember what happenedEighty years ago today, on 8 May 1945, the second world war in Europe came to an end with the unconditional surrender of Germany’s armed forces. The number of people who remember the war – and how it finished – decreases every year, even as European security feels ever more precarious.Here, seven people, aged between 85 and 100, from Estonia, Poland, Britain, Germany and Romania, talk to the Guardian about their memories.Dorothea is a passionate supporter of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans and recently launched its Our Heroes Fund, to raise money for future trips for veterans to the continent and across the UK. Continue reading...

Events

9 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Period of Putin’s ‘ceasefire’ for Victory Day begins

Kremlin jams internet as it seeks to protect visiting foreign leaders; Ukraine’s SBU says drones hit Russian arms factories. What we know on day 1,170 The period of an unagreed ceasefire called for by Vladimir Putin began on Thursday morning as the Russian president seeks cover for Victory Day events. Ukraine has dismissed it as a “game” designed to protect Putin’s parade rather than a genuine step towards peace. Foreign leaders including China’s Xi Jinping are visiting the Russian capital for Victory Day celebrations. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, has offered a 30-day ceasefire as suggested in US-brokered talks, but the Kremlin has refused.The Kremlin was forced on Wednesday to say it was taking “all necessary measures” to ensure the safety of foreign leaders due to attend its flagship 9 May parade after days of Ukrainian drone attacks closed airports across Russia, disrupting about 350 flights due to carry about 60,000 people. The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov sai...

Events

11 h. ago Vladimir Putin declares Ukraine ceasefire as he marks 'Victory Day' in Russia

The Russian President has declared a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, after his forces spent the past few days bombarding Ukrainian cities and towns with missiles and drones

Politics

16 h. ago Biden accuses Trump of ‘modern day appeasement’ as Putin prepares for Victory Day parade

Ukrainian drones cause flight chaos in Moscow as Xi Jinping and other leaders gather for annual Russian parade

Politics

20 h. ago ‘The pain, the tears, it’s all there’: how Putin’s war has left Ukraine haunted by its past

For occupied parts of Ukraine, Russia’s war and the propaganda fuelling it has forced many to relive the horrors of previous warsMariia Sinhayevska was 11 when the Germans occupied her village, near Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She can still remember some German words from the year she spent in school under occupation. The soldiers were friendly, she said, though not if you were suspected of being a Communist or a Jew.“There was a place about three kilometres away where people used to say the ground was breathing; it was where the Germans put the bodies of all the people they had shot,” she said. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago How VE Day and Putin’s war are forcing Ukrainians to relive their painful past

As Russia marks 80 years since the second world war with wild celebrations, in Ukraine the tone is very differentMariia Sinhayevska was 11 when the Germans occupied her village, near Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She can still remember some German words from the year she spent in school under occupation. The soldiers were friendly, she said, though not if you were suspected of being a Communist or a Jew.“There was a place about three kilometres away where people used to say the ground was breathing; it was where the Germans put the bodies of all the people they had shot,” she said. Continue reading...

Politics

25 h. ago Work ban forcing 10% of UK female asylum seekers into sex work

Research also finds many trapped in abusive relationships and unable to afford sanitary products and other basicsWomen who have fled war are being forced into sex work in the UK because of the extreme poverty of their living conditions here, while almost half cannot afford sanitary products, according to research.In a report looking at the impact of the Home Office’s near-total ban on employment for people seeking asylum, the charity Women for Refugee Women has found that 10% of women interviewed have been forced into sex work in order to survive, in many cases to feed their children, while 38% were forced into abusive relationships or situations. Almost half could not afford basics like sanitary products and about 80% could not afford clothes, public transport or phone credit. Continue reading...

Events

26 h. ago Ukraine launches more drone attacks at Moscow as China's President Xi prepares to fly in for Putin's Victory Day showpiece

Putin's parade plans have already been disrupted by Kyiv's military efforts.

Politics

43 h. ago Will Ukraine attack Putin's Victory Day parade? Zelensky warns Moscow showpiece 'may not be safe', fires drones at the capital and restarts Kursk offensive in days before Kremlin celebrations

If Vladimir Putin gets his way, May 9 will be a beautiful day of pomp, circumstance and patriotism as Russia celebrates the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany

Events

50 h. ago Mass drone attack on Moscow: Airports shut as Russia claims to have shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones

Kyiv warned that Ukraine could not guarantee the safety of foreign delegations and world leaders travelling to Moscow to attend the Victory Day parade.

Events

50 h. ago Massed drone attack on Moscow: Airports shut as Russia claims to have shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones

Kyiv warned that Ukraine could not guarantee the safety of foreign delegations and world leaders travelling to Moscow to attend the Victory Day parade.

Events

57 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Second night of Moscow drone raids, Kursk substation hit

Ukrainian forces reportedly smash back across border into Kursk, where Syrski says offensive has achieved most of its goals. What we know on day 1,168Ukraine has launched drones at Moscow for the second night in a row, forcing closure of the capital’s three major airports, Russian officials said early on Wednesday. The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said six Ukrainian drones approached Moscow and what he claimed was debris from an intercepted drone fell over one of the key highways leading into the city. Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said it halted flights at airports serving Moscow including Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky.Ukrainian forces attacked a power substation at the town of Rylsk in Russia’s western Kursk region, the regional governor said early on Tuesday, after Russian war bloggers reported Ukrainian forces firing missiles had smashed through the border in Kursk, crossing minefields with armoured vehicles. The Kursk governor, Alexander Khinshtein, said two people w...

Events

61 h. ago Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in major blow for Putin ahead of Victory Day celebrations

The Kremlin was determined to expel all Ukrainian troops from Russian soil ahead of this week’s Red Square parade

Politics

2 d. ago Ukraine 'launches new Kursk offensive breaking through minefield' on Russian border

Russia's top general said last month that Kyiv 's forces had been pushed out of the Kursk region, ending a months-long incursion that shifted leverage in the war.

Politics

3 d. ago Full list of Putin's despot pals set to attend Victory Day from criminals to fraudsters

A whole host of the world's most despotic and questionable leaders will be turning up to celebrate Victory Day alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow

Politics

3 d. ago China’s Xi to pay official visit to Russia on 7 May ahead of Victory Day Parade

Xi was already among the leaders set to attend the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on 9 May

Politics

4 d. ago WWII survivors share haunting memories as France marks 80th anniversary of Nazi surrender

As France prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the Nazi surrender to Allied forces, World War II survivors reflect on painful memories shaped by the German occupation of the country and the deportation of Jews and others to death camps

Events

4 d. ago Inside abandoned UK ghost village frozen in time since World War 2

Once a bustling village with rural charm, Tyneham Village was taken over by military forces during times of war and has been left abandoned and stuck in a time capsule for 80 years

Events