3 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Oreshnik missile sparks anger at UN security council

Strike on Lviv that used nuclear-capable ballistic missile a ‘dangerous, inexplicable escalation’. What we know on day 1,420 The US and Britain have condemned Russia for dropping a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile on Ukraine. At an emergency meeting of the UN security council, Tammy Bruce, US deputy ambassador, called the Lviv strike a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation”. Britain’s acting UN ambassador, James Kariuki, called the attack “reckless”, adding that “it threatens regional and international security and carries significant risk of escalation and miscalculation”.Russia claimed the Oreshnik targeted an aviation repair factory. Ukraine has not confirmed what was hit but said the missile struck during a wider attack using drones and other rockets. The rarely used, multiple warhead Oreshnik missile is thought to be in limited supply – Ukraine’s military and special forces claim to have destroyed at least one of them on the ground in Russia. Observers have rated the...

Events

28 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Nightfall – Britain races to develop ballistic missile for Kyiv

UK government starts contest to have deep-strike prototypes delivered within 12 months; heat-starved Kyiv under Russian attack again. What we know on day 1,419Britain is to develop a new deep-strike ballistic missile for Ukraine, the government has announced. Under the project, named Nightfall, the British government said on Sunday that it had launched a competition to rapidly develop ground-launched ballistic missiles that could carry a 200kg (440lb) warhead to a range of more than 500km (310 miles).“Nightfall missiles will be capable of being launched from a range of vehicles,” said the UK defence ministry (MoD), “firing multiple missiles in quick succession and withdrawing within minutes – allowing Ukrainian forces to hit key military targets before Russian forces can respond.”Three industry teams would each get £9m to design, develop and deliver their first three Nightfall missiles within 12 months for test firings, said the MoD. Ukraine’s current ballistic missiles include Atac...

Events

50 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv struggles to stabilise ruined power grid after major Russian attack

Residents battle bitter winter cold inside unheated apartments; Ukraine confirms UN to hold emergency meeting Monday on Russian ballistic missile attack. What we know on day 1,418Engineers in Kyiv scrambled on Saturday to stabilise a power grid brought to the brink by a campaign of Russian strikes, including one two nights ago. The city’s residents huddled against bitter winter cold inside their unheated apartments on Saturday as engineers worked to restore power, water and heat. Prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that the power situation in the capital was still difficult, as the grid was badly damaged and people were using more electric heaters because of the cold.Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed Saturday the UN security council would hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss Russia’s latest large-scale attack on Ukraine, which used an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile. “The meeting will address Russia’s flagrant breaches of the UN Charter,” Sy...

Events

3 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: UK earmarks £200m to prepare for possible Ukraine deployment

British defence minister says money will be spent on vehicle upgrades, communication systems and counter-drone protection, ensuring troops are ready to deploy. What we know on day 1,417Britain said it was allocating £200m (US$270m) to fund preparations for the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine, after pledging its soldiers this week to a multinational force for the country in the event of a ceasefire. Visiting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, British defence minister John Healey said the money would be spent on upgrading vehicles and communication systems and counter-drone protection, as well as ensuring troops are ready to deploy. The announcement follows Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday agreeing to a declaration of intent at a summit of the “coalition of the willing” of Ukraine’s allies, outlining a potential future deployment. Healey said the funding announcement showed the government was “surging investment” into preparations for Ukrain...

Economics

3 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: UK earmarks £200m to prepare for possible Ukraine troop deployment

British defence minister says money will be spent on vehicle upgrades, communication systems and counter-drone protection, ensuring troops are ready to deploy. What we know on day 1,417 Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Kremlin denounces European troops plan as Kyiv warns of ‘massive Russian attack’

Moscow says any Nato peacekeepers would be considered legitimate targets; US embassy and Kyiv flag ‘potentially significant air attack’. What we know on day 1,416 Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Allies yet to provide details of security guarantee, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian president says he has received no ‘unequivocal answer’ from European allies about how they would defend Ukraine if Russia attacked again. What we know on day 1,415Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has received no “unequivocal answer” from European allies about how they would defend Ukraine if Russia attacked again after a peace deal was reached. On Tuesday, European leaders and US envoys announced they had agreed key security guarantees for Kyiv, including a European multinational force that would be deployed if a ceasefire could be reached. But when asked if he was sure that European allies would step in and defend his country in the event of another Russian invasion, Zelensky said on Wednesday he had no “clear” answer on that.“I personally very much want to get a very simple answer: yes, if there is aggression again, all partners will give a strong response to the Russians. And that’s the exact question I put to all our partners. And so far I haven’t receiv...

Events

7 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian strikes kill two and trigger hospital fire ahead of Paris peace talks

Overnight attacks trigger evacuations ‘under fire’ at Kyiv medical facility while European leaders gather to seek peace plan breakthrough. What we know on day 1,413Russian strikes on Ukraine early on Monday killed two people and forced night-time evacuations into freezing temperatures, a day ahead of Ukrainian allies meeting in France to revive diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting. Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will attend the Paris meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” on Tuesday – being hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron – to discuss security guarantees as part of a peace proposal. Russia’s overnight strikes triggered a fire at a private medical facility in Kyiv, killing one person and wounding three others, authorities said. “Doctors and nurses were forced to evacuate the wounded under fire,” Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said on X. The attack also killed a man in his 70s in the neighbouring city of Fastiv, ...

Events

8 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv escalating drone attacks on Russia, Moscow claims

Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine had targeted Moscow with drones every day of 2026 so far. What we know on day 1,412Russia’s defence ministry claimed that Ukraine has targeted Moscow with drones every day of 2026 so far, in what would mark an escalation from earlier, more sporadic attacks on the Russian capital. By midnight on Sunday alone, Russian air defence systems had destroyed 57 drones over the Moscow region out of 437 downed over Russia, the ministry said. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, but Kyiv has increasingly used long range drones to strike targets deep inside Russia. Ukraine says such attacks aim to disrupt military logistics and energy infrastructure, raise costs for Moscow’s war effort and respond to repeated Russian missile and drone attacks in the war that Russia launched nearly four years ago.Three out of four of Moscow’s airports shut to air traffic on Sunday after Ukraine launched dozens of drones, authorities said. The attacks led to multiple ...

Events

9 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Ukraine will fight on if peace talks fail, Zelenskyy vows

Ukraine’s top allies hold security talks in Kyiv; Russia condemns US attack on Venezuela. What we know on day 1,411The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says he hopes for a leaders’ summit in the US by the end of January to discuss proposals on how to end the war with Russia. Security advisers from Ukraine’s top allies met in Kyiv on Saturday for talks on a US-brokered plan to end the war, days after Kyiv announced a deal was “90%” ready. Officials from 15 countries including the UK, France and Germany as well as representatives from Nato and the EU joined the meeting. The US special envoy Steve Witkoff also joined virtually, a Ukrainian official said, although the US military attack on Venezuela earlier in the day overshadowed proceedings.Next week, the talks will continue during a European leaders’ meeting in Paris and then with US negotiators. “And after that we will be preparing for a meeting in the United States at the leadership level. We would like all of this to happ...

Events

1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: Russia makes biggest battleground gains since first year of war, analysis shows

Russian army captured more Ukrainian territory in 2025 than previous two years combined; Zelenskyy names new top aide. What we know on day 1,410Russia’s battlefield gains in Ukraine last year were the highest since 2022, an analysis showed, as Kyiv prepared to host security advisers from allied states despite Moscow’s unrelenting strikes. The Russian army captured more than 5,600 square kilometres, or nearly 1%, of Ukrainian territory in 2025, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War. The land captured is more than in the previous two years combined, though far short of the more than 60,000 sq km Russia took in 2022.As Russia pressed its advantage against outgunned Ukrainian troops, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said about 15 countries would attend security talks in Kyiv on Saturday, the latest in a flurry of efforts to end the nearly four-year war. The meeting will include representatives from the EU and Nato, while a US delegatio...

Events

1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: 10% away from peace, Zelenskyy tells Ukrainians

US intelligence officials persuade Donald Trump that Ukrainians did not target Putin with drones – reports. What we know on day 1,408Ukraine was “10%” away from a peace deal, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, and his country wanted an end to the war but not at “any cost”. The Ukrainian president, in his New Year’s Eve address, said any agreement needed strong security guarantees. “The peace agreement is 90% ready, 10% remains. And that is far more than just numbers.”As the Russian ruler, Vladimir Putin, pushes for full control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region as part of any deal, Zelenskyy said he did not believe Russia would stop there. “Pull out from the Donbas, and it will all be over. That is how deception sounds when translated from Russian – into Ukrainian, into English, into German, into French, and, in fact, into any language in the world.”Zelenskyy said he would not sign a “weak” peace agreement that would only prolong the war. “What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes. At...

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says Kyiv cannot win without US support as Putin orders advance in Zaporizhzhia

Ukrainian president calls latest talks with Trump productive; Zelenskyy says attack on Putin’s residence is ‘lies’. What we know on day 1,406Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine cannot win its war against Russia without US support and accused Moscow of trying to sabotage peace talks after the Kremlin said it had foiled a Ukrainian drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s residence. Zelenskyy described the claim as “typical Russian lies” after his two-hour meeting on Sunday with Donald Trump in Florida, Luke Harding and Sammy Gecsoyler report. The Ukrainian president said Russia was “at it again” and using “dangerous statements” to undermine “diplomatic efforts” with the US to end the conflict. He added: “This alleged ‘residence strike’ story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war.”Zelenskyy later said his Sunday meeting with Trump was productive. “Can we win with...

Politics

2 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 ...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian forces attack Odesa twice in one day

Emergency crews at work after port facilities and ship damaged, governor says, while Donald Trump says peace talks going ‘OK’. What we know on day 1,399Russian forces struck Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa late on Monday and damaged port facilities and a ship, the regional governor said, in the second attack on the region in less than 24 hours. Oleh Kiper said on Telegram that emergency crews were tackling the aftermath of the latest attack and that no casualties had been reported but provided no further details. An earlier overnight attack hit port and energy infrastructure in the Odesa region, causing a fire at a major port and disrupting electricity supplies to tens of thousands of people. “Russia is attempting to disrupt maritime logistics by launching systematic attacks on port and energy infrastructure,” deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.A Russian general was killed after an explosive device detonated beneath his car in what Moscow described as a likely a...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv’s forces battle Russian push to break through in Sumy region

Moscow reported to have forcibly moved dozens of people from border village; Florida peace talks described as ‘productive’. What we know on day 1,398The Ukrainian army was battling an attempted Russian breakthrough in the Sumy region, it said on Sunday, after reports that Moscow forcibly moved 50 people from a border village there. That marks a renewed Russian advance in the part of the region largely spared from intense ground fighting since Ukraine regained land there in a 2022 counteroffensive. “Fighting is currently ongoing in the village of Grabovske,” Ukraine’s joint taskforce said, adding the troops were “making efforts to drive the occupiers back into Russian territory”. It has also refuted media reports saying Moscow’s troops were in the neighbouring Ryasne village. Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian rights ombudsman said Russian troops forcibly moved about 50 people from Grabovske to Russia. There was no official comment from Russia. On Saturday, the Russian army said it had...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian oil rig hit in Caspian Sea over 700km from Ukraine

Kyiv continues campaign of attacks on Russia-linked maritime targets; latest US idea is three-way peace talks. What we know on day 1,397 Ukrainian drones hit an oil rig at Russia’s Filanovsky field in the Caspian Sea – more than 700km (435 miles) from Ukraine’s nearest border, as well as the military patrol ship Okhotnik and other facilities, Ukraine’s military general staff said in a statement on Saturday. It said the ship was patrolling near the platform. The extent of the damage was being assessed. The attack continues Kyiv’s recent campaign of strikes on Russia-linked maritime targets far from Ukrainian territory.Ukrainian drones struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed two Russian fighter jets were also destroyed at an airfield in occupied Crimea.Since Thursday, Russian forces have at least five times hit a bridge on the Dniester River near the village of Mayaky, south-w...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Peacekeepers could repel Russian forces under ceasefire plan, says Merz

German Chancellor says this remains a far-off prospect; Zelenskyy says negotiations on peace deal could soon be finalised. What we know on day 1,393Under post-ceasefire guarantees provided by the United States and Europe to Ukraine, peacekeepers could in certain circumstances repel Russian forces, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told ZDF public television in an interview, adding that this remained a far-off prospect. Pressed by interviewers for details on the possible security guarantees floated by the United States in Monday’s Berlin talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Merz said the guarantors would need to repel Russian forces should there be a violation of any ceasefire terms.“We would secure a demilitarized zone between the warring parties and, to be very specific, we would also act against corresponding Russian incursions and attacks. We’re not there yet,” he said. “The fact that the Americans have made such a commitment – to protect Ukraine in the event of a c...

Events

4 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Britain’s spy chief to warn of Russia’s ‘expansionist threat’ as Berlin talks enter second day

MI6 chief to deliver remarks on Monday warning ‘chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach’; European leaders to join day two of talks in Berlin. What we know on day 1,391The head of Britain’s foreign spy service, known as MI6, will warn that Russia poses an “aggressive, expansionist, and revisionist” threat, in her first speech since taking office. Blaise Metreweli took over from Richard Moore in October, becoming the first female chief of MI6. “[Vladimir] Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraine’s behalf will be sustained,” Metreweli will say on Monday, according to advance extracts of her remarks. “The export of chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach to international engagement, and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus,” she said, according to the extract.Separately, Richard Knighton, head of Britain’s armed forces, will also call in a separate speech on Monday fo...

Events