13 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: We bomb their warplanes, they bomb our civilians, says foreign minister

Repeated shutdowns at Moscow airports due to drone threat; military airfields and fuel depots inside Russia hit. What we know on day 1,200Russia’s missile and drone barrage against Kyiv on Friday killed at least six people, Ukrainian officials said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said three emergency workers who went to a bomb site were “killed in a repeat Russian strike”. Two died in an attack on the northern city of Chernihiv and at least one more in the north-western city of Lutsk. Eighty people were injured in attacks across Ukraine.Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Russia had “‘responded’ to its destroyed aircraft by attacking civilians in Ukraine Multi-storey buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged.” Ukrainian spies last weekend destroyed Russian strategic bomber aircraft on the ground using quadcopter drones hidden on top of trucks in Operation Spiderweb.Russian aviation authorities restricted flights at Moscow regional airports on Friday nig...

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4 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Deadly Russian shelling continues after Turkey peace talks

Zelenskyy says ‘no one cares’ if Putin is angry after hidden drones hit bomber fleet; Russians want truce to collect dead soldiers. What we know on day 1,196 Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy accuses Moscow of doing ‘everything it can’ to sabotage peace talks

President hasn’t committed to Ukraine attending Monday’s meeting with Russia in Istanbul, saying Moscow first has to provide its proposals. What we know on day 1,193See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine has said it does not expect any results from talks with Russia in Turkey, unless Moscow provides its peace terms in advance, accusing the Kremlin of doing “everything” it can to sabotage the potential meeting. Moscow said it was sending a team of negotiators to Istanbul for a second round of talks on Monday but Kyiv has yet to confirm if it will attend. “For over a week now, the Russians have been unable to present the so-called memorandum,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X on Friday, referring to a document Russia says it has prepared outlining its conditions for peace. “For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared,” the Ukrainian president added. “Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next pote...

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8 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Flood of North Korean arms to Russia, say US, Japan and others

20,000 cargo containers of ammo, shells, missiles and gear sent, says watchdog replacing UN panel scuppered by Moscow. What we know on 1,192North Korea has supplied to Russia as many as nine million rounds of artillery and rocket launcher ammunition, as well as at least 100 ballistic missiles along with self-propelled artillery guns and long-range multiple rocket launchers, according to the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, a group comprising 11 UN members. The shipments have enabled Russia to increase attacks against civilian targets, and there have been 20,000 containers of the gear transferred by Russian cargo ships, in violation of UN sanctions. The monitoring group comprises the US, South Korea, Japan, and eight other UN member states. It was set up after Russia and China cooperated to scrap an official security council panel that did the job.The multilateral group has said in its first ever report that Russia is helping North Korea improve its missiles’ guidance systems ...

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9 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Kremlin holds back peace memorandum that it promised Trump

Zelenskyy says Moscow dragging out the process as Lavrov insists on another meeting; funeral for three sibling children killed by Russian cruise missile. What we know on day 1,191Ukraine has submitted its peace terms and insisted Russia do the same before further talks, which the Kremlin has demanded take place next Monday in Turkey. “We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their memorandum,” said the Ukrainian defence minister, Rustem Umerov. “The Russian side has at least four more days before their departure to provide us with their document for review. Diplomacy must be substantive, and the next meeting must yield results.”Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said instead that a Russian team “is ready to present a memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and provide the necessary explanations during a second round of direct talks in Istanbul on Monday, 2 June”. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Wednesday called for Moscow to engage i...

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1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: Drones target Moscow forcing suspension of some flights

Air raid alerts in Ukrainian regions; Zelenskyy visits Berlin amid promising noises about long-range strikes. What we know on day 1,190 A major Ukrainian drone attack late over Tuesday night into Wednesday led to at least two Moscow airports, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky, suspending flights, Russian authorities said. The defence ministry said 112 Ukrainian drones targeted six different regions in the three hours up to midnight.Russian drones hit the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, injuring eight people including a child, the regional military governor said on Wednesday morning. Ukraine’s air force issued an air raid alert due to drones across regions including Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, Kyiv and others.Russian authorities were again dismissive of Donald Trump after the US president said Vladimir Putin was “playing with fire” and putting Russia at risk of “really bad things”. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former prime minister and president, responded: “I only know of one really bad thing – WWIII. I hope...

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1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: Kremlin suggests Trump remarks about Putin due to ‘emotional overload’

Spokesperson says Moscow ‘very grateful’ for US president’s peace efforts after Russia launches biggest ever drone attack on Ukraine. What we know on day 1,189The Kremlin has sought to downplay Donald Trump’s latest remarks in regard to Ukraine – in which he said Vladimir Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY!” – attributing them to “emotional overload”. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Monday: “This is a very crucial moment, which is naturally accompanied by emotional overload on all sides and emotional reactions,” while adding that Moscow was “very grateful” to the US president for his continued engagement in peace talks.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doubled down on criticism of US silence on Russian attacks, after Donald Trump said he was “doing his Country no favours”. “Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and continue increasing their scale,” Zelenskyy said on social media, adding: “The increase in Russian ...

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1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv under Russian drone attacks for second night running

At least seven injured as officials warn more drone and missile strikes likely, while large-scale prisoner swap continues. What we know on day 1,187See all our Ukraine war coverageRussian drones attacked the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, early on Sunday and injured at least seven people, as debris set an apartment building on fire and damaged homes, officials said. The head of Kyiv city’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said “more than a dozen enemy drones” were flying around the capital early on Sunday. The Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said the city was “under attack” but “air defences are operating”, telling citizens to stay in shelters.A day earlier, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones on Kyiv, injuring 15 people in one of the biggest assaults on the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the war more than three years ago. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the attacks indicated Moscow was “prolonging the war On...

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2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Multiple injuries as Russia attacks Kyiv with drones and missiles

Explosions heard across capital and fires ignited while Russia and Ukraine begin largest prisoner swap of war. What we know on day 1,186See all our Ukraine war coverage Kyiv came under heavy drone and missile attack by Russian forces overnight into Saturday, triggering fires and injuring at least eight people, the Ukrainian capital’s mayor said. Explosions and machine-gun fire were heard throughout the city and many Kyiv residents took shelter in underground subway stations. Debris fell in at least four districts, said the Kyiv military administration, with six people requiring medical care. Pictures posted online showed smoke billowing from the top of one block of flats and flames leaping from part of another as emergency crews trained water on it.Russia and Ukraine on Friday began a major, complicated exchange of military prisoners of war and civilians, write Peter Beaumont and Pjotr Sauer. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, said the first phase brought home 390 Ukrainians,...

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2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Pope opens Vatican door to peace talks, says Meloni

Zelenskyy says Putin ‘trying to buy time’ after phone call with Trump; EU lays on further sanctions and more coming up. What we know on day 1,183Pope Leo confirmed to Giorgia Meloni his willingness to host in the Vatican the next round of negotiations to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Italian prime minister said on Tuesday. “Finding in the Holy Father confirmation of the readiness to host the next talks between the parties in the Vatican, the prime minister expressed deep gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his unceasing commitment to peace,” said a statement from Meloni. Leo, elected two weeks ago, said on 14 May that the Vatican could act as a mediator in global conflicts, without specifically mentioning Russia’s war against Ukraine.Separately the Italian prime minister said she had talks with other European leaders and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over next steps. “It was agreed to maintain close coordination between the partners with a view to a ne...

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last month 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...

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