Ukraine-Russia latest: Zelensky accuses North Korea of sending troops to Russia as he seeks support from allies

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused North Korea of supplying troops to Russia to aid its war in Ukraine.

The alliance between Russia and North Korea is “no longer just about transferring weapons”, the Ukrainian president said in his nightly video address. “It is actually about transfer of people.”

He sought an evolution of Ukraine’s relationship with its allies as he asked for support from Western partners and “more sustained supplies for our forces rather than a simple list of military hardware”.

He claimed that Russian forces were trying to oust Ukrainian troops from their positions in Russia’s Kursk region but Kyiv’s forces were holding strong.“Russia tried to push back our positions, but we are holding the designated lines,” the president said earlier on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Russia launched 68 drones and four missiles targeting Ukrainian territory, Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday.

Ukrainian forces hit a fuel depot supplying Russia’s army, with a fire detected at the facility which stores oil and oil products, Kyiv said.

Key Points

• Zelensky accuses North Korea of sending troops to Russia

• Ukrainian forces holding positions in Russia’s Kursk region, Zelensky says

• Ukraine hit fuel depot in Russia-occupied Luhansk region

• Russia launches 68 drones and four missiles at Ukraine, Ukraine’s air force says

• Putin faced bloodiest month of war in September, says US

• Zelensky promotes ‘victory plan’ to allies in massive Europe visit

Zelensky accuses North Korea of sending troops to Russia

04:46 , Namita Singh

Ukrainian president has accused North Korea of supplying troop to Russia to aid Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine.

“We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like in North Korea,” Mr Zelensky said, adding “it is no longer just about transferring weapons.

“It is actually about the transfer of people from North Korea to the occupier’s military forces.”

Seeking evolution of relationship with its Western partners “under such conditions” he demanded more front line support.

“We are talking about more long-range capabilities for Ukraine and more sustained supplies for our forces rather than a simple list of military hardware.”

Lammy to meet EU ministers to discuss UK co-operation on Ukraine and Middle East

04:00 , Namita Singh

Foreign secretary David Lammy is to meet with EU ministers to discuss the UK’s co-operation on the Middle East crisis and the war in Ukraine.

Mr Lammy will reinforce closer UK-EU cooperation on global issues by attending the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday.

It is the first time in two years a foreign secretary will join the group of 27 EU ministers, with the government aiming to signal their reset of European relations.

The talks will focus on the main challenges facing European security, including discussions on how the UK and EU can work together to tackle continued Russian aggression and interference across the continent, as well as the escalating crisis in the Middle East, including the ongoing threat posed by Iran.

Report:

Lammy to meet EU ministers to discuss UK co-operation on Ukraine and Middle East

Recap: Watch as Zelensky visits No 10 to ask Starmer for greater support for Ukraine

04:00 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine’s human rights envoy urges response to alleged killings of Ukrainian POWs in Kursk

03:00 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman urged international organizations Sunday to respond to a claim that several Ukrainian prisoners of war were executed in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv had launched an incursion in August.

DeepState, a Ukrainian battlefield analysis site close to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, said that Russian troops shot and killed nine Ukrainian “drone operators and contractors” on Oct. 10 after they had surrendered.

Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram that he sent letters to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the case, calling it “another crime committed by the Russians.”

Read more here:

Ukraine’s human rights envoy urges response to alleged killings of Ukrainian POWs in Kursk

Retreat of BBC World Service aids propaganda from Russia and China – Tim Davie

02:00 , Tara Cobham

BBC director-general Tim Davie will warn that the retreat of its World Service due to funding cuts has helped Russia and China broadcast “unchallenged propaganda”.

In a speech at the Future Resilience Forum, a non-partisan meeting attended by international political figures, Mr Davie will discuss the global importance of the BBC World Service, which operates across more than 40 languages.

While addressing the war in Ukraine and unrest in the Middle East, Mr Davie is expected to say: “This is a critical moment of challenge for stability and democracy worldwide.”

Hannah Roberts reports:

Retreat of BBC World Service aids propaganda from Russia and China – Tim Davie

Russian Defence Ministry says 13 Ukrainian drones shot down over three regions of Russia

Monday 14 October 2024 00:30 , Tara Cobham

The Russian Defence Ministry has said that 13 Ukrainian drones were shot down over three regions of Russia.

It said on Sunday that six drones were shot down in each of the Belgorod and Kursk regions, while one was in the Bryansk region – all of which border Ukraine.

Zelenskyy appeals to Ukraine’s allies to ‘provide necessary quantity and quality of air defense systems’

Sunday 13 October 2024 23:30 , Tara Cobham

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to Ukraine’s allies to “provide the necessary quantity and quality of air defense systems” and “make decisions for our sufficient range”.

In the post on X on Sunday, he added: “Time must not be wasted – a clear signal of resolve must be sent.”

Kyiv is still awaiting word from its Western partners on its repeated requests to use the long-range weapons they provide to hit targets on Russian soil.

Russia launched 900 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine over past week, Zelenskyy says

Sunday 13 October 2024 22:30 , Tara Cobham

Russia launched around 900 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine over the past week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

The Ukrainian President also said on Sunday that Moscow had launched more than 40 missiles and 400 drones at Ukraine.

Ukrainian air force says it shot down 31 of 68 drones launched at Ukraine by Russia overnight

Sunday 13 October 2024 21:30 , Tara Cobham

The Ukrainian air force has said its air defenses shot down 31 of 68 drones launched at Ukraine by Russia overnight into Sunday in the regions of Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Sumy and Cherkasy.

A further 36 drones were “lost” over various areas, it also said on Sunday, likely having been electronically jammed.

The air force added that ballistic missiles struck Odesa and Poltava while Chernihiv and Sumy came under attack by a guided air missile. Local authorities didn’t report any casualties or damage.

Ukraine’s human rights envoy urges response to alleged killings of POWs

Sunday 13 October 2024 20:30 , Holly Evans

Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman has urged international organisations to respond to a claim that several Ukrainian prisoners of war were executed in the Russian region of Kursk, where Kyiv had launched an incursion in August.

DeepState, a Ukrainian battlefield analysis site close to Ukraine’s Defence Ministry, said Russian troops shot and killed nine Ukrainian “drone operators and contractors” on October 10 after they had surrendered.

Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram that he sent letters to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the claim, calling it “another crime committed by the Russians”.

Earlier this month, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine said Russian troops had killed 16 captured Ukrainian soldiers in the partially occupied Donetsk region.

There was no immediate response from Russian officials.

Navalny’s prison diary: Guards slipped sweets in his pocket to ‘undermine’ hunger strike

Sunday 13 October 2024 19:30 , Holly Evans

The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was taunted by prison guards who hid sweets in his pockets in a bid to ‘undermine’ his hunger strike, his prison diaries have revealed.

Defiant journal entries from the 47-year-old, who survived Novichok poisoning in 2020 before he was imprisoned in Russia, have laid bare his final years – including 24 days spent on hunger strike over his access to medical treatment.

He died in February inside a remote Russian penal colony north of the Arctic Circle known as Polar Wolf.

Read the full article here:

Navalny’s diary: Guards slipped sweets in his pocket to ‘undermine’ hunger strike

Ukraine say they are holding 100 settlements in Kursk region

Sunday 13 October 2024 18:30 , Holly Evans

Ukraine caught Moscow by surprise on 6 August by bursting across the border into the Kursk region, in the first invasion of Russian sovereign territory since World War Two.

Russia has been trying for more than two months to eject the Ukrainian forces. Earlier on Sunday, the defence ministry in Moscow said it was pursuing offensive operations at several dozen locations in the region.

As of early September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his forces controlled more than 1,300 sq km (500 sq miles) of Kursk, including 100 settlements. On Saturday he said Russian forces had tried to oust Ukrainian troops “but we are holding the designated lines”.

Russia said its forces had taken back several villages last week.

Russian glide bombs strike Ukrainian troops

Sunday 13 October 2024 17:30 , Holly Evans

Russian glide bombs have struck a concentration of Ukrainian troops near the border of Russia’s western Kursk region, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday.

It said the attack was directed against “a strongpoint and concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel”, and the bombs were delivered by a Russian Su-34 warplane.

Reuters could not independently verify the strike, and the defence ministry’s brief statement did not give any details on the impact.

Photos: Vigil held for Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian prison

Sunday 13 October 2024 16:30 , Stuti Mishra

‘Bleak’ war film that has only ever been shown four times

Sunday 13 October 2024 16:00 , Stuti Mishra

BBC iPlayer viewers are encouraging others to watch the nuclear war film Threads, often described as one of the most harrowing movies ever made.

The 1984 film was made for BBC TV by The Bodyguard director Mick Jackson and Kes writer Barry Hines, with Jackson wanting to focus on the scientific ramifications of a nuclear attack and its fallout.

Threads was first aired on BBC Two on 23 September 1984 at the height of the Cold War, when nuclear tensions were as prevalent a talking point as they are today.

Read more:

BBC viewers urge everyone to watch ‘bleak’ war film that’s only been shown four times

Voices: Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Sunday 13 October 2024 15:30 , Stuti Mishra

“Remember when an appearance, virtual or real, by the president of Ukraine was the hottest of hot-ticket events in London? When MPs and peers jostled for a standing-room-only place in parliament to see and hear him? When the one-time TV actor turned democratically elected president turned war leader drew rapt attention with his gritty determination and allusions to Churchill? Well, those heady days of Britain reliving its finest hour by association are over.”

With the US election less than a month away, and his support dwindling across Europe, the Ukraine president is in a last-ditch race against time to shore up support, writes Mary Dejevsky.

Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

Sunday 13 October 2024 15:00 , Stuti Mishra

Russian president Vladimir Putin has hailed the country’s “very close” relationship with Iran in the first meeting with his newly-appointed counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.

The sanctioned leaders held an inaugural meeting on the sidelines of a regional summit in Ashgabat, the capital of the Central Asian country Turkmenistan, to discuss – among other topics – the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

“We are actively working together in the international arena and our assessments of events taking place in the world are often very close,” Putin said during the meeting.

Read more:

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

52 UK-linked companies probed for breaching Russia oil sanctions

Sunday 13 October 2024 14:30 , Stuti Mishra

The Treasury has investigated more than 50 UK-linked companies for breaching Russian oil sanctions, but is yet to hand out a single fine.

The government had opened 60 investigations into suspected breaches of restrictions on the sale of Russian oil since December 2022.

Some 52 of those investigations have involved companies with a link to the UK, of which 37 were still ongoing in August.

Read more:

52 UK-linked companies probed for breaching Russia oil sanctions

UK could send British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

Sunday 13 October 2024 14:00 , Stuti Mishra

Military chiefs are considering sending British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers and boost Kyiv’s recruitment efforts, it has emerged.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources confirmed to The Independent that discussions are ongoing about whether to send troops to the country to support it amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

There is already a small number of British medical personnel in Ukraine, delivering training and mentoring to the country’s armed forces.

Read the full article here:

UK could send British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

What is the mysterious advanced Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces?

Sunday 13 October 2024 13:30 , Stuti Mishra

Last week Russia’s air force was forced to shoot down one of its newest and most advanced models of attack drone, in an incident that is being seen as one of the biggest embarrassments ever suffered by the Russian Air Force.

On 5 October, videos showed a drone flying near Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine before it was shot down by another jet briefly flying alongside it. Initial reports suggested it was either a Russian jet taken down by the Ukrainian air force or a Russian jet losing control and being shot down by Moscow.

However, the drone that fell down was no ordinary weapon. It was later identified as a stealth S-70 Okhotnik-B, also known as “Hunter”, one of Russia’s most advanced stealth drones, designed to accompany an Su-57 fighter jet.

Read more:

What is the mysterious Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces in Ukraine?

Lukashenko says Russian nuclear shift will prompt West to ‘cool down’

Sunday 13 October 2024 13:00 , Stuti Mishra

Changes announced by Russia to its nuclear weapons policy were long overdue and will probably “cool the ardour” of its Western enemies, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview on Sunday.

Lukashenko, a close ally of president Vladimir Putin, said “hotheads” in the West had already heard Moscow’s nuclear signals even before the Kremlin leader announced the changes last month.

Mr Putin on 25 September expanded the scenarios for Russia’s potential use of nuclear weapons, including responding to a massive cross-border attack involving aircraft, missiles, or drones. He also warned that any attack on Russia involving a nuclear power would be treated as a joint assault.

“This doctrine should have been renewed long ago,” said Mr Lukashenko, who agreed to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus last year.

He told a Russian TV reporter that Western missiles would “already be bombing us, especially Russia” if the West had not paid attention to Mr Putin’s earlier nuclear signals. But the change to the nuclear doctrine “probably cools their ardour”, he added.

Ukraine has accused Russia of nuclear blackmail, with president Volodymyr Zelensky urging the West to ignore Mr Putin’s “red lines.”

Russia has warned that if Western allies allow Ukraine to launch ATACMS or Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory, it will consider it direct involvement in the war.

Russian attacks kill two and wound 22 in Ukraine

Sunday 13 October 2024 12:30 , Stuti Mishra

At least two people were killed and 22 others wounded in Russian attacks across multiple regions of Ukraine over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday.

The fatalities were reported in the Donetsk region, where the settlements of Kurakhivka and Ulakla came under heavy shelling. Eleven others were injured in the same attack, according to regional governor Vadym Filashkin.

Russian forces also targeted the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya regions, damaging homes and essential infrastructure.

Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin stated on Telegram that a critical infrastructure facility, a cellular tower, and several residential areas were hit.

“A high-rise building and three private homes were damaged,” he added.

One killed in Ukrainian drone strike on Russian village

Sunday 13 October 2024 12:00 , Stuti Mishra

One person was killed when a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian village of Ustinka in the Belgorod region close to the border with Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement.

Russia’s defence ministry earlier said its air defence units shot down 13 Ukrainian drones overnight across three regions near the border with Ukraine.

Russia says its forces take control of Mykhailivka in eastern Ukraine

Sunday 13 October 2024 11:30 , Stuti Mishra

Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces had taken control of the settlement of Mykhailivka in eastern Ukraine, Reuters reported quoting the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

The claim has not been independently confirmed yet.

Vigil held for Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian prison

Sunday 13 October 2024 11:00 , Stuti Mishra

Friends, family and colleagues of Viktoriia Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian prison, gathered for a vigil this weekend in a square in Kyiv.

“Read and remember Vika,” they asked, Ukrainska Pavda reported.

Roshchyna, who was covering the war as a freelance journalist for Ukrainska Pravda, disappeared in August 2023.

In May this year, Russia confirmed that she was detained. This week, her father was informed by the Russian defence ministry in a letter that she died in September, aged 27.

The document said her body would be returned in one of the swaps organised by Russia and Ukraine for soldiers killed on the battlefield.

Roshchyna was one of the very few people who was covering the war from a Russian-occupied territory. She provided crucial stories that weren’t otherwise available, and despite the risk to her life she continued to report without a pseudonym.

She was earlier detained for 10 days, but she did not stop reporting, her colleagues said.

“Her parents used to call and tell us to stop deploying her, but we never did deploy her!” one of her former bosses told BBC News.

“All her editors tried to stop her. But it was impossible.”

Diary reveals Navalny’s final days in a Russian prison

Sunday 13 October 2024 10:35 , Stuti Mishra

The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was taunted by prison guards who hid sweets in his pockets in a bid to ‘undermine’ his hunger strike, his prison diaries have revealed.

Defiant journal entries from the 47-year-old, who survived Novichok poisoning in 2020 before he was imprisoned in Russia, have laid bare his final years – including 24 days spent on hunger strike over his access to medical treatment.

He died in February inside a remote Russian penal colony north of the Arctic Circle known as Polar Wolf.

The pro-democracy activist said he hoped his memoir would be his memorial if “they do finally whack me”, in extracts published in The Times Magazine.

“Let’s face it, if a murky assassination attempt using a chemical weapon, followed by a tragic demise in prison, can’t move a book, it is hard to imagine what would,” he wrote.

The harrowing account of 24 days he spent on hunger strike in 2021 revealed how guards tried to undermine his protest as he lost an average of 1kg a day.

Read more:

Navalny’s diary: Guards slipped sweets in his pocket to ‘undermine’ hunger strike

Mapped: Where has Russia made advances in Donetsk?

Sunday 13 October 2024 09:40 , Holly Evans

Russia has claimed further advances in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk as fears spread Moscow could capture a key city in the area.

The Russian defence ministry has claimed Moscow’s forces have captured the settlements of Zolota Nyva and Zhelanna Pershe.

The communities have an estimated population of a few hundred residents each but they lie to the north and south of the town of Kurakhove, one of the focal points of military activity on the eastern front.

Read the full article here:

Mapped: Where has Russia made advances in Donetsk?

Lithuanians elect new parliament amid security concerns from Russia

Sunday 13 October 2024 08:55 , Holly Evans

Lithuanians elect a new parliament on Sunday in a vote dominated by concerns over the cost of living and potential threats from neighbouring Russia, with the opposition Social Democrats tipped to emerge as the largest party but well short of a majority.

The outgoing centre-right coalition of Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has seen its popularity eroded by high inflation that topped 20% two years ago, by deteriorating public services and a widening gap between rich and poor.

Results are expected after midnight local time.

African woman promised a life in Europe and duped into building Russia’s drone army

Sunday 13 October 2024 08:00 , Stuti Mishra

Social media ads promise young African women a free plane ticket, money and a faraway adventure in Europe. Just complete a computer game and a 100-word Russian vocabulary test.

But instead of a work-study program in fields like hospitality and catering, some of them learned only after arriving on the steppes of Russia’s Tatarstan region that they would be toiling in a factory to make weapons of war, assembling thousands of Iranian-designed attack drones to be launched into Ukraine.

In interviews with The Associated Press, some of the women complained of long hours under constant surveillance, of broken promises about wages and areas of study, and of working with caustic chemicals that left their skin pockmarked and itching.

Read the full article here:

African woman promised a life in Europe and duped into building Russia’s drone army

Ukrainian men living in fear of being drafted

Sunday 13 October 2024 07:30 , Stuti Mishra

A 27-year-old man said he left the concert as the last song was playing after he was told about the recruitment officers.

He said he saw soldiers and police talking to people but “didn’t see anything super aggressive.”

He said men felt in danger of being drafted whenever they ventured outside.

“That inner state of always being in danger, it’s back again,” he told The Associated Press, only giving his first name for fear of retribution.

He said his university draft waiver was taken away after Ukraine passed laws in April that both lowered draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25 and did away with some draft exemptions.

Russia launches 68 drones, four missiles at Ukraine, Ukraine’s air force says

Sunday 13 October 2024 07:28 , Stuti Mishra

Russia launched 68 drones and four missiles targeting Ukrainian territory overnight, Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday.

Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles struck Poltava and Odesa regions and two Kh-59 guided air missiles targeted the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, the air forces said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine’s air defence units destroyed 31 of the drones, while 36 were unaccounted for, most likely intercepted by Ukraine’s electronic warfare, the air force said. The remaining drone was still in the air, it said.

Reuters.

Ukrainian military raids restaurants and bars in search for men to recruit

Sunday 13 October 2024 07:00 , Stuti Mishra

Ukrainian military recruitment officers raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and detaining men who were not in compliance, The Associated Press reported quoting media and witnesses.

Officers descended on Kyiv’s Palace of Sports venue after a concert on Friday night by Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy.

Video footage aired by local media outlets appears to show officers stationed outside the doors of the concert hall intercepting men as they exit. In the footage, officers appear to be forcibly detaining some men.

Checks were also conducted at Goodwine, an upscale shopping centre, and Avalon, a popular restaurant.

Local reports said raids were also conducted in clubs and restaurants across other Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Dnipro in eastern and central Ukraine.

It is unusual for such raids to take place in the capital, the AP said, and reflects Ukraine’s dire need for fresh recruits.

Ukraine has intensified its mobilisation drive this year. A new law came into effect this spring stipulating that those eligible for military service must input their information into an online system or face penalties.

All Ukrainian men aged 25-60 are eligible for conscription, and men aged 18-60 are not allowed to leave the country.

Two killed in Russian strikes near Kurakhove

Sunday 13 October 2024 06:30 , Stuti Mishra

Prosecutors in Donetsk region on Saturday said two people were killed in Russian strikes on villages near Kurakhove.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s military, in a late evening report, reported 47 clashes in the area around Kurakhove and 27 more in the Pokrovsk sector to the northwest.

Further to the northeast, in Toretsk, which both Ukrainian and Russian forces say has been partly occupied by Russian forces, the General Staff said Russian forces had launched 14 assaults, assisted by air strikes.

Russia says it destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones overnight

Sunday 13 October 2024 06:01 , Stuti Mishra

Russia’s air defence units shot down 13 Ukrainian drones overnight across three regions near the border with Ukraine, the defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Six drones were downed over both the Belgorod and Kursk regions, while one drone was intercepted over the Bryansk region, according to the ministry’s statement on Telegram.

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

Sunday 13 October 2024 05:00 , Holly Evans

Russian president Vladimir Putin has hailed the country’s “very close” relationship with Iran in the first meeting with his newly-appointed counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.

The sanctioned leaders held an inaugural meeting on the sidelines of a regional summit in Ashgabat, the capital of the Central Asian country Turkmenistan, to discuss – among other topics – the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

“We are actively working together in the international arena and our assessments of events taking place in the world are often very close,” Putin said during the meeting, according to Russian state media outlet Tass.

Read the full article here:

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

Ukrainian forces holding positions in Russia’s Kursk region, Zelensky says

Sunday 13 October 2024 04:12 , Stuti Mishra

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russian forces had tried to oust Ukrainian troops from positions in Russia’s Kursk border region, but that Kyiv’s forces were holding their lines.

“Regarding the Kursk operation, Russia tried to push back our positions, but we are holding the designated lines,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday that its forces had recaptured two villages in the border Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched a mass incursion in August.

Mr Zelensky has acknowledged that the Ukrainian advance into Kursk was intended to draw Russian troops away from frontline positions in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have been making steady gains in recent months.

In his address, Mr Zelensky said that in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, partly held by Russian forces, “there are very difficult conditions, with harsh enemy actions. But the resilience of our units is crucial. Everything depends on our resilience.”

Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Sunday 13 October 2024 03:00 , Holly Evans

Remember when an appearance, virtual or real, by the president of Ukraine was the hottest of hot-ticket events in London?

When MPs and peers jostled for a standing-room-only place in parliament to see and hear him?

When the one-time TV actor turned democratically elected president turned war leader drew rapt attention with his gritty determination and allusions to Churchill?

Well, those heady days of Britain reliving its finest hour by association are over.

Read the full article here:

Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Fake photos of Disney World flooded during Hurricane Milton spread online by Russian news agency

Sunday 13 October 2024 01:00 , Holly Evans

Images spread online supposedly showing Disney World in Florida underwater as a result of Hurricane Milton appear to be fake and have been generated using artificial intelligence.

Disney World, located in Orlando, Florida, announced they would close their theme parks amid rare measures ahead of the dangerous Hurricane Milton directly hitting the area, bringing with it strong winds, heavy rainfall and hazardous storm surge.

As Milton made landfall on Wednesday, all three Orlando-based parks, including Universal Orlando and SeaWorld alongside Disney, ground to a halt and shut down operations that would have usually welcomed tens of thousands of tourists.

Read the full article here:

AI-generated images of Disney World flooded by Hurricane Milton circulate online

UK could send British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

Sunday 13 October 2024 00:00 , Holly Evans

Military chiefs are considering sending British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers and boost Kyiv’s recruitment efforts, it has emerged.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources confirmed to The Independent that discussions are ongoing about whether to send troops to the country to support it amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

There is already a small number of British medical personnel in Ukraine, delivering training and mentoring to the country’s armed forces.

Read the full article here:

UK could send British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

What is the mysterious advanced Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces

Saturday 12 October 2024 22:00 , Holly Evans

Last week Russia’s air force was forced to shoot down one of its newest and most advanced models of attack drone, in an incident that is being seen as one of the biggest embarrassments ever suffered by the Russian Air Force.

On 5 October, videos showed a drone flying near Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine before it was shot down by another jet briefly flying alongside it. Initial reports suggested it was either a Russian jet taken down by the Ukrainian air force or a Russian jet losing control and being shot down by Moscow.

Read the full article here:

What is the mysterious Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces in Ukraine?

Navalny’s prison diary: Guards slipped sweets in his pocket to ‘undermine’ hunger strike

Saturday 12 October 2024 20:00 , Holly Evans

The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was taunted by prison guards who hid sweets in his pockets in a bid to ‘undermine’ his hunger strike, his prison diaries have revealed.

Defiant journal entries from the 47-year-old, who survived Novichok poisoning in 2020 before he was imprisoned in Russia, have laid bare his final years – including 24 days spent on hunger strike over his access to medical treatment.

He died in February inside a remote Russian penal colony north of the Arctic Circle known as Polar Wolf.

Read the full article here:

Navalny’s diary: Guards slipped sweets in his pocket to ‘undermine’ hunger strike

Military recruitment officers raid bars and restaurants in Kyiv

Saturday 12 October 2024 19:00 , Holly Evans

Ukrainian military recruitment officers raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and detaining men who were not in compliance, local media reported Saturday.

Officers reportedly descended on Kyiv’s Palace of Sports venue after a concert Friday night by Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy. Video footage aired by local media outlets appears to show officers stationed outside the doors of the concert hall intercepting men as they exit. In the footage, officers appear to be forcibly detaining some men.

Checks were also conducted at Goodwine, an upscale shopping center, and Avalon, a popular restaurant.

It is unusual for such raids to take place in the capital, and reflects Ukraine’s dire need for fresh recruits. All Ukrainian men aged 25-60 are eligible for conscription, and men aged 18-60 are not allowed to leave the country.

Local reports said raids were also conducted in clubs and restaurants across other Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Dnipro in eastern and central Ukraine.

Ukraine has intensified its mobilization drive this year. A new law came into effect this spring stipulating that those eligible for military service must input their information into an online system or face penalties.

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

Saturday 12 October 2024 18:00 , Holly Evans

Russian president Vladimir Putin has hailed the country’s “very close” relationship with Iran in the first meeting with his newly-appointed counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.

The sanctioned leaders held an inaugural meeting on the sidelines of a regional summit in Ashgabat, the capital of the Central Asian country Turkmenistan, to discuss – among other topics – the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

“We are actively working together in the international arena and our assessments of events taking place in the world are often very close,” Putin said during the meeting, according to Russian state media outlet Tass.

Read the full article here:

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

African woman promised a life in Europe and duped into building Russia’s drone army

Saturday 12 October 2024 16:30 , Holly Evans

Social media ads promise young African women a free plane ticket, money and a faraway adventure in Europe. Just complete a computer game and a 100-word Russian vocabulary test.

But instead of a work-study program in fields like hospitality and catering, some of them learned only after arriving on the steppes of Russia’s Tatarstan region that they would be toiling in a factory to make weapons of war, assembling thousands of Iranian-designed attack drones to be launched into Ukraine.

In interviews with The Associated Press, some of the women complained of long hours under constant surveillance, of broken promises about wages and areas of study, and of working with caustic chemicals that left their skin pockmarked and itching.

Read the full article here:

African woman promised a life in Europe and duped into building Russia’s drone army

Poland plans to suspend right to asylum as country faces pressure from Russia and Belarus

Saturday 12 October 2024 15:17 , Holly Evans

Poland’s leader said Saturday that he plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum as part of a new migration policy, pointing to its alleged abuse by eastern neighbor Belarus and Russia.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that “the state must regain 100% of the control over who enters and leaves Poland,” and that a territorial suspension of the right to asylum will be part of a strategy that will be presented to a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Polish news agency PAP reported.

He didn’t give details, but said at a convention of his Civic Coalition that “we will reduce illegal migration in Poland to a minimum.”

Poland has struggled with migration pressures on its border with Belarus since 2021. Successive Polish governments have accused Belarus and Russia of luring migrants from the Middle East and Africa there to destabilize the West.

Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russia out of key city

Saturday 12 October 2024 14:30 , Holly Evans

Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russia out of key eastern city

One person killed by Ukrainian drone in Russian village

Saturday 12 October 2024 14:00 , Holly Evans

One person was killed when a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian village of Ustinka in the Belgorod region close to the border with Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement on Saturday.

What is the mysterious advanced Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces?

Saturday 12 October 2024 13:10 , Holly Evans

Last week Russia’s air force was forced to shoot down one of its newest and most advanced models of attack drone, in an incident that is being seen as one of the biggest embarrassments ever suffered by the Russian Air Force.

On 5 October, videos showed a drone flying near Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine before it was shot down by another jet briefly flying alongside it. Initial reports suggested it was either a Russian jet taken down by the Ukrainian air force or a Russian jet losing control and being shot down by Moscow.

However, the drone that fell down was no ordinary weapon. It was later identified as a stealth S-70 Okhotnik-B, also known as “Hunter”, one of Russia’s most advanced stealth drones, designed to accompany an Su-57 fighter jet.

Read the full article here:

What is the mysterious Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces in Ukraine?

Ukrainian emergency workers search rubble after Russian airstrike on Zaporizhzhia

Saturday 12 October 2024 12:24 , Holly Evans

Russia deliberately hitting port infrastructure to disrupt food exports

Saturday 12 October 2024 11:31 , Holly Evans

Ukraine has said Russia is deliberately hitting port infrastructure and commercial vessels in an effort to disrupt Ukrainian food exports, key to millions of people in northern Africa and the Middle East.

The attacks have intensified dramatically over the past week and the former tourist town of Vylkove is often in the path of drones.

Pickup trucks with machine guns, assault rifles, searchlights and thermal imaging cameras help fight off attacks, said a former computer teacher, now a soldier with the call sign IT. “In general, we also have training every day. This also includes training and physical exercises, as well as preparing weapons, preparing vehicles, checking all systems to ensure that everything works as it should, in good condition,” he said.

Anger towards Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, guides the soldiers’ actions, he said.

“Otherwise, there are no emotions at all. So we just have to do our job and that’s it. Emotions come later,” IT said.

Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Saturday 12 October 2024 10:26 , Holly Evans

Remember when an appearance, virtual or real, by the president of Ukraine was the hottest of hot-ticket events in London?

When MPs and peers jostled for a standing-room-only place in parliament to see and hear him? When the one-time TV actor turned democratically elected president turned war leader drew rapt attention with his gritty determination and allusions to Churchill?

Well, those heady days of Britain reliving its finest hour by association are over.

Read the full analysis here:

Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Mapped: Russia claims to have captured two Ukrainian villages as it advances in Donetsk

Saturday 12 October 2024 09:34 , Holly Evans

Russia has claimed further advances in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk as fears spread Moscow could capture a key city in the area.

The Russian defence ministry has claimed Moscow’s forces have captured the settlements of Zolota Nyva and Zhelanna Pershe.

The communities have an estimated population of a few hundred residents each but they lie to the north and south of the town of Kurakhove, one of the focal points of military activity on the eastern front.

Read the full article here:

Mapped: Where has Russia made advances in Donetsk?

Ukraine shoots down Russian drones overnight

Saturday 12 October 2024 08:49 , Holly Evans

Ukraine’s Air Force said on Saturday it shot down 24 out of 28 Russian drones launched overnight.

Meanwhile, Russia has said that its forces captured the front-line villages of Zhelanne Druge and Ostrivske in eastern Ukraine, the latest in a string of territorial gains.

Ukraine hit fuel depot in Russia-occupied Luhansk region

Saturday 12 October 2024 07:46 , Holly Evans

Ukrainian forces on Saturday hit a fuel depot in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s military said.

“This facility was used to store oil and oil products, which were supplied, among other things, for the needs of the Russian army. A fire was detected on the territory of the facility,” the Ukrainian General Staff said on Telegram messenger.

EU to impose sanctions over Iranian missile transfers to Russia

Saturday 12 October 2024 07:30 , Stuti Mishra

The European Union is set to impose sanctions on 14 individuals and organisations linked to the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia, Reuters news agency reported quoting two unnamed EU diplomats and a high ranking official.

The sanctions, expected to be approved by EU foreign ministers on Monday, target companies, including airlines, involved in the weapons transfer.

The EU’s decision follows intelligence reports, first raised by the United States last month, which revealed that Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran for use in its war against Ukraine. Washington immediately imposed sanctions on ships and companies it said were involved in weapons transfers.

The EU then said it had received “credible information” on the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia and foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed “a substantial set of decisive and targeted measures” against Iran in response.

Iran denies the accusations, with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian stating his government has not transferred weapons to Russia since it took office. The high-ranking EU official told Reuters that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi had told Mr Borrell that Iran had supplied “short- range rockets” to Russia that could fly up to 250 kilometres.

The EU also continues to deliberate over whether to list Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, with a decision expected to follow after internal discussions.

Zelenskyy appeals to allies to keep up aid as Germany pledges new weapons package

Saturday 12 October 2024 07:00 , Tom Watling

Zelenskyy appeals to allies to keep up aid as Germany pledges new weapons package

War with Russia could end next year, says Zelensky

Saturday 12 October 2024 06:30 , Stuti Mishra

Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes that the war with Russia could end by 2025, during talks with German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Speaking in Germany as part of his European tour, Mr Zelensky thanked Mr Scholz for Berlin’s continued support, emphasising the importance of maintaining that assistance in the coming year.

“It is very important for us that this assistance does not decrease next year,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that he would present Mr Scholz with his “victory plan” to win the war. Mr Zelensky voiced hope that the conflict would be resolved “no later than next year, 2025.”

Mr Scholz reassured Mr Zelensky of Germany’s unwavering support, pledging further defence equipment and €4bn (£3.4bn) in aid for 2025. “We will not let up in our support for Ukraine,” Mr Scholz said.

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

Saturday 12 October 2024 06:00 , Tom Watling

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

Zelensky appeals to Pope Francis for help in securing release of captive Ukrainians

Saturday 12 October 2024 05:30 , Stuti Mishra

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, urging the pontiff to help secure the release of Ukrainians held captive by Russia.

Mr Zelensky, who is on a tour of European capitals to promote his “victory plan” for the war with Russia, said the release of prisoners was the central focus of his discussions with the Pope.

“We are counting on the Holy See’s assistance in helping to bring back Ukrainians who have been taken captive by Russia,” Mr Zelensky posted on social media after the meeting.

He also invited the Vatican to participate in a conference on prisoners of war scheduled to be held in Canada later this month.

While the Vatican did not provide specifics on the talks between the Pope and Mr Zelensky, a follow-up meeting with the Vatican’s chief diplomat included discussions on the state of the war and potential ways to bring it to an end.

The Ukrainian fighting to keep Russia out of world chess

Saturday 12 October 2024 05:00 , Tom Watling

He led Ukraine’s drone industry – now he’s fighting to keep Moscow out of world chess

Russia jails tank factory employee for selling blueprints to Ukraine

Saturday 12 October 2024 04:30 , Stuti Mishra

A woman who worked for a Russian tank factory was convicted of treason and sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in a penal colony on Friday for selling military information to Ukraine.

Video published by the Sverdlovsk regional court in the Urals region showed a judge passing sentence on Viktoria Mukhametova, who displayed no visible emotion. Her husband, Danil Mukhametov, is being tried separately on similar charges.

Russian media said the couple worked at Uralvagonzavod, a major tank producer.

Earlier this year, Russia convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage after accusing him of gathering secret information about the same defence company. The WSJ categorically denied the allegations.

US Treasury to discuss Russia sanctions on trip to London

Saturday 12 October 2024 04:03 , Stuti Mishra

Deputy US Treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo will be in London from Sunday to Tuesday for discussions with senior British officials on further sanctioning Russia and harnessing frozen Russian assets, the department said in a statement on Friday.

Mr Adeyemo will meet with UK national security advisor Tim Barrow, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, and minister of state Stephen Doughty, it said.

It will be the first visit by a senior US Treasury official to Britain following Mr Starmer’s rise to power in July, although Janet Yellen met with his new chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves in July on the sidelines of a Group of 20 finance officials meeting in Brazil.

During his trip, Mr Adeyemo will underscore the close US-UK relationship and the two countries’ coordination on geopolitical challenges, including strong support for Ukraine as it continues to battle Russia’s invasion of February 2022.

Mr Adeyemo will also address joint work to harness the economic value of about $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets frozen by the West after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“In these conversations, Deputy Secretary Adeyemo will discuss further strengthening sanctions against Russia,” the treasury said, adding he would also discuss ways to cut off financial flows enabling Iran and its proxies’ activities.

Mr Adeyemo also plans to discuss a shared approach by the Biden administration and the new Labour government to boost economic growth and lower costs through strategic investments in key industries like advanced manufacturing and clean energy, Treasury said.

Treasury will share lessons learned during its implementation of huge private sector investment in future technology sectors under president Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act, and other legislative initiatives.

Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russia out of key city

Saturday 12 October 2024 04:00 , Tom Watling

Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russia out of key eastern city

A Ukrainian author turned soldier has a stark warning for the West: ‘Be prepared for war with Russia’

Saturday 12 October 2024 03:00 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian author and soldier warns the West: ‘War is coming to you’

The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine

Saturday 12 October 2024 02:00 , Tom Watling

The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine

Satellite imagery shows destuction of Russian military base

Saturday 12 October 2024 01:00 , Tom Watling

Zelensky visits Germany

Saturday 12 October 2024 00:00 , Tom Watling

Russia jails tank factory employee for selling blueprints to Ukraine

Friday 11 October 2024 23:07 , Reuters

A woman who worked for a Russian tank factory was convicted of treason and sentenced to at least 12 years in a penal colony on Friday for selling military information to Ukraine.

Video published by the Sverdlovsk regional court in the Urals region showed a judge passing sentence on Viktoria Mukhametova, who displayed no visible emotion. Her husband, Danil Mukhametov, is being tried separately on similar charges.

Russian media said the couple both worked at Uralvagonzavod, a major tank producer.

Local news media said Mukhametova admitted transferring blueprints to Ukrainian officials in return for 100,000 roubles, or just over $1,000. It was not clear what the blueprints showed.

She and her husband were arrested in March 2023 by the FSB security service, which published a video of the arrest. It showed her being asked what they planned to do with the money, to which she replied: “Just to live.”

African woman are being duped into building Russia’s drone army

Friday 11 October 2024 23:00 , Tom Watling

African woman promised a life in Europe and duped into building Russia’s drone army

Zelensky warns allies that aid for Ukraine must not decrease next year

Friday 11 October 2024 22:04 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that allies’ aid to Ukraine must not decrease next year, as he received a pledge of a new weapons package from German chancellor Olaf Scholz on a European tour meant to win backing for his “victory plan”.

The Ukrainian president arrived in Berlin after stops in London, Paris and Rome on a tour arranged after a summit initially scheduled for Saturday with US president Joe Biden and other allied leaders was derailed by Hurricane Milton.

“For us, it is very important that aid does not decrease next year,” Mr Zelensky said, thanking Mr Scholz for the planned aid, adding: “It must be sufficient to protect people and lives.”

Mr Scholz told Zelenskyy that “you can rely” on that package, and insisted that Russian president Vladimir Putin should realise that “playing for time won’t work; we won’t let up in our support for Ukraine”.

UK could send British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

Friday 11 October 2024 22:00 , Tom Watling

UK could send British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

EU to impose sanctions over Iranian ballistic missile transfer to Russia, sources say

Friday 11 October 2024 21:59 , Reuters

The European Union is expected to impose sanctions on Monday on people and organisations linked to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia, two European diplomats and a high-ranking EU official said on Friday.

EU foreign ministers will approve sanctions on 14 individuals and organisations over the transfer, including airlines and other companies, according to one of the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.

EU officials did not identify the firms or individuals. Diplomats had previously said the EU was looking at measures that would curb the operations of national airline Iran Air.

Last month, the United States, citing intelligence it said had been shared with allies, said Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran for its war in Ukraine.

Washington immediately imposed sanctions on ships and companies it said were involved in weapons transfers.

The EU then said it had received “credible information” on the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia and foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed “a substantial set of decisive and targeted measures” against Iran in response.

Monday’s package will be the first results of that proposal. As the 27-country EU requires unanimity to agree on sanctions, such decisions usually take some time.

Mapped: Where has Russia made advances in Donetsk?

Friday 11 October 2024 21:00 , Tom Watling

Mapped: Where has Russia made advances in Donetsk?

Unilever completes sale of Russian business

Friday 11 October 2024 20:00 , Tom Watling

Unilever completes sale of Russian business

Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Friday 11 October 2024 19:00 , Tom Watling

Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Zelensky meets German president

Friday 11 October 2024 18:00 , Tom Watling

Zelenskyy appeals to allies to keep up aid as Germany pledges new weapons package

Friday 11 October 2024 16:55 , Tom Watling

Zelenskyy appeals to allies to keep up aid as Germany pledges new weapons package

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

Friday 11 October 2024 16:25 , Tom Watling

Putin hails ‘very close’ relationship with Iran in first meeting with new president

EU expected to issue first sanctions for Iranian ballistic missile transfer to Russia, official says

Friday 11 October 2024 15:57 , Tom Watling

The European Union is expected on Monday to impose sanctions on individuals and organisations over the Iranian transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia, a high-ranking EU official said on Friday.

The official, previewing a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, said there would be “a first package of designations in the context of Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia.”

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the sanctions would target both individuals and organisations but did not provide further details.

In pictures: Zelensky meets Scholz in Berlin

Friday 11 October 2024 15:28 , Tom Watling

Germany’s Scholz to discuss Middle East and Ukraine with Erdogan in Istanbul

Friday 11 October 2024 15:02 , Jabed Ahmed

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on 19 October, where they will discuss the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, a German government spokesperson said.

Migration as well as bilateral and economic policy issues will also be on the agenda, said the spokesperson at a regular government news conference, without giving more details.

Turkey is a very important partner for Germany on the topics of migration and the war in Ukraine, added the spokesperson.

“The federal government is in ongoing talks with Turkey on migration policy issues, including in the area of repatriation cooperation,” said the spokesperson.

Ukraine investigates death of journalist in Russian detention

Friday 11 October 2024 14:31 , Jabed Ahmed

Ukraine have said it was investigating the death in Russian captivity of a Ukrainian journalist whose first-hand reports provided a glimpse into life under Russian occupation early in Moscow’s invasion.

Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 after embarking on a reporting trip to occupied eastern Ukraine, and Russia acknowledged last April that she was being held.

Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets confirmed her death on social media late on Thursday in what he condemned as illegal detention. He did not specify the circumstances.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine‘s military intelligence, told the public broadcaster Suspilne that Roshchyna had been on a list of prisoners to be exchanged, and that “everything necessary had been done” for the swap. She had been due to be transferred to Moscow from the southern city of Taganrog, he said.

The campaign group Reporters Without Borders said Roshchyna had died on Sept. 19, citing a letter that her family received on Thursday from Russia’s Defence Ministry.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s office said it had updated its war-crime investigation into Roshchyna’s disappearance to include murder.

Pope Francis meets Ukraine’s Zelensky at Vatican

Friday 11 October 2024 14:00 , Tom Watling

Pope Francis met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican on Friday for their second face-to-face encounter in four months.

The two men, who previously met on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) summit in southern Italy in June, held talks for 35 minutes at the Vatican’s apostolic palace.

At the end of the meeting, Francis gifted Zelensky a piece of bronze artwork with a flower growing next to a bird, inscribed with the phrase “Peace is a fragile flower”.

Zelensky gave the pope an oil painting showing a child amid ruins in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, which was occupied by Russian forces for 33 days in spring 2022.

A Vatican readout provided no details about the pope’s meeting with Zelensky, but said a subsequent meeting between the Ukrainian leader and the Vatican’s chief diplomat included discussions “dedicated to the state of the war … as well as the ways in which it could be brought to an end”.

Russia says it is ramping up AI-powered drone deployments in Ukraine

Friday 11 October 2024 13:36 , Jabed Ahmed

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has said AI-enabled drones are playing a key role on the battlefield in Ukraine and urged more training for troops on how to use them.

Mr Belousov’s ministry published video of him touring a centre for next-generation drone technologies and speaking with drone operators.

One soldier showed Mr Belousov a simulation of a drone equipped with AI-powered automatic image recognition attacking a small boat on a river.

“It locks onto the target and is already capturing it,” the serviceman told the minister. “Even if there is a loss of control, it will steer the drone towards it.”

Mr Belousov said two detachments equipped with AI-powered drones are already deployed in eastern Ukraine as well as in Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions, where troops are fighting to eject Ukrainian troops who staged a surprise incursion over the border in August.

“The guys are fighting, and fighting very successfully,” he said.

The ministry said it plans to form and staff five more units to carry out such drone missions “around the clock”. Mr Belousov said soldiers needed to be trained accordingly.

Comment: Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Friday 11 October 2024 13:05 , Jabed Ahmed

Can Zelensky’s plan for peace actually work?

Putin won’t discuss Ukraine peace with Germany’s Scholz, Berlin says

Friday 11 October 2024 12:35 , Jabed Ahmed

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not willing to speak with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the topic of brokering peace in Ukraine, Germany’s foreign minister has said.

“Ukraine is ready for a just peace,” Annalena Baerbock said in Berlin, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to hold talks with Scholz on Friday.

Speaking alongside the foreign minister of Slovakia, Baerbock criticised Putin for rejecting overtures for peace talks.

“He refuses to accept peace and every day sends another signal in favour of war and destruction. These days, he is no longer even prepared to speak to the German chancellor on the phone,” she said.

16-year-old girl among those killed in strike on Odesa

Friday 11 October 2024 12:01 , Jabed Ahmed

A nighttime Russian missile strike on Odesa killed at least four people including a 16-year-old girl, regional authorities said, in the latest in a series of attacks this week on the southern Ukrainian region that are likely intended to disrupt the country’s grain exports.

Four Russian missile and drone attacks on the Odesa region this week have killed 14 people and wounded around 20, according to local officials. The strikes have hit merchant ships and damaged port infrastructure in the region, which is a vital hub for Ukraine’s agricultural exports through the Black Sea.

An attack on Odesa late Wednesday killed nine people and hit a container ship sailing under the Panamanian flag — the third attack on a merchant vessel in four days, according to regional Gov. Oleh Kiper.

Ukraine’s air defence downs 29 out of 66 Russian drones, military says

Friday 11 October 2024 11:31 , Jabed Ahmed

Ukrainian air force has aid it shot down 29 out of 66 Russian drones launched overnight.

Moscow also launched two missiles, it added, and 31 drones were “locationally lost”, likely due to electronic warfare.

Two more drones returned toward Russian territory, the air force said.

Zelensky city-hops across Europe to promote ‘victory plan’ to allies

Friday 11 October 2024 11:00 , Jabed Ahmed

After meeting with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron.

In Paris, Macron and Zelenskyy hugged before talks on the plan at the French presidential Elysee Palace. Afterward, Zelenskyy said “all the details” would come in November and that he’s talking with allies about securing more military aid and permission for Ukrainian forces to carry out long-range strikes.

Kyiv wants Western partners to allow strikes deep inside Russia, using long-range weapons they provide. Some, including the UK and France, appear willing, but Biden is reticent about escalating the conflict.

He later met in Rome with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who ensured Italy’s full and continued support “at both bilateral and multilateral level in order to put Kyiv in the best position possible to build a just and lasting peace.”

Meloni said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the situation on the ground and Ukraine’s “most immediate military, financial and humanitarian needs, as well as the forthcoming diplomatic initiatives and the pathway to bring an end to the conflict.”

ICYMI: Zelensky outlines ‘victory plan’ in No 10 talks with Starmer and Nato chief

Friday 11 October 2024 10:29 , Jabed Ahmed

Volodymyr Zelensky presented his “victory plan” to Sir Keir Starmer as pressure mounted on the UK to give Ukraine permission to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets in Russia.

In three-way talks in Downing Street, the Prime Minister, the Ukrainian president and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte discussed the state of the war.

Mr Rutte said there was no legal reason preventing the use of Western-supplied weapons against targets within Russia, but decisions had to be made by individual states.

Following the talks in No 10, Mr Zelensky said: “The victory plan aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war.

“I thank the United Kingdom for its continued defence support of our country, including with long-range weapons.”

UK could send British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

Friday 11 October 2024 10:01 , Jabed Ahmed

UK could send British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

Russia’s Putin begins a visit to Turkmenistan for forum with regional leaders

Friday 11 October 2024 09:31 , Jabed Ahmed

President Vladimir Putin has began a visit to Turkmenistan, speaking at an international forum with Central Asian leaders and the president of Iran.

The Kremlin said Putin will discuss the situation in the Middle East with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the conference in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat.

Moscow and Tehran signed a $1.7 billion deal for Iran to export drones to Russia after Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the U.S. also believes it has transferred short-range ballistic missiles.

In his opening remarks at the forum, Putin repeated again that he wants to build “a new world order” with Russia’s friends and partners, according to video shared by the Kremlin.

Ukrainian forces hold around half of Toretsk, trying to beat back Russian advance, local official says

Friday 11 October 2024 09:01 , Jabed Ahmed

Ukrainian forces control around half of the strategic city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine as they attempt to stave off assaults by Russian troops, the city’s local authorities said on Friday.

“Approximately 40-50 percent of the city can be said to be under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces, while the rest of the territory is captured by the enemy,” Vasyl Chynchyk, head of Toretsk city military administration, said on national TV.

Military analysts say that capturing the hilltop Toretsk would allow Russian invasion forces to further complicate logistics for Ukrainian forces in much of the east.

Four killed by Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Odesa region

Friday 11 October 2024 08:33 , Jabed Ahmed

Four people were killed by a Russian missile strike in Ukraine‘s southern Odesa region, Governor Oleh Kiper said

Mr Kiper said a ballistic missile struck a two-storey building where civilians lived and worked. Ten more people were wounded.

Starmer, Zelensky discuss Ukraine’s military needs in London

Friday 11 October 2024 07:50 , Arpan Rai

Prime minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the support Ukraine would need in its war against Russia in the coming months during talks in London, Starmer’s spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also reiterated Britain’s view that Ukraine has the right, in certain circumstances, to strike targets inside Russian territory, but said that Britain’s stance on the use of its long-range Storm Shadow missiles was unchanged.

“We obviously want to put Ukraine in the strongest position. But no war has ever been won by a single weapon. And on Storm Shadow specifically, there has been no change to the UK government’s position on the use of long-range missiles,” the spokesperson said.

Mr Zelensky also met Nato secretary general Mark Rutte in London. When asked about long-range weapons, Mr Rutte told reporters: “We discussed it today, but in the end it is up to the individual allies.”

Nato to start annual nuclear exercise as Russia threatens Kyiv’s allies

Friday 11 October 2024 07:42 , Arpan Rai

Nato will hold a long-planned major nuclear exercise next week, the alliance’s chief said, a few weeks after Vladimir Putin announced changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine to discourage Ukraine’s Western allies from supporting attacks on his country.

The “Steadfast Noon” exercise starts on Monday and will run for about two weeks. It will be led by Belgium and the Netherlands, use eight military bases and involve 2,000 personnel and 60 aircraft from 13 nations. The exercise has been held at roughly the same time each year for over a decade.

Bomber aircraft and fighter jets that can carry nuclear warheads are taking part. No live munitions are used. The bulk of the exercise is being held around 900km (560 miles) from Russia in the North Sea. Moscow has been informed about the drills, Nato officials say.

NATO will start an annual nuclear exercise as Russia threatens Ukraine’s Western backers

Zelensky’s Europe marathon tour as Biden postpones Ramstein visit

Friday 11 October 2024 07:01 , Arpan Rai

Putin redeploys about 50,000 troops to Kursk, Ukraine military chief says

Friday 11 October 2024 06:18 , Arpan Rai

Russian militaty command has redeployed around 50,000 troops to its counteroffensive in Kursk oblast against Ukrainian forces, Ukraine’s military chief said.

“We know that about 50,000 troops from other areas have been redeployed to the Kursk front,” Ukraine commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told public broadcaster Suspilne last night.

This redeployment by Russia has weakened its position as they are pulling in troops from other parts of the war frontline, he noted. “This, of course, made it easier for us to conduct defensive operations,” General Syrskyi said.

North Koreans deployed with Russia in Ukraine war, officials say

Friday 11 October 2024 06:12 , Arpan Rai

Russia is using North Korean military engineers in the Ukraine war to target Kyiv’s forces with ballistic missiles, senior officials in Kyiv and Seoul said.

They added that the Korean fighters operating in occupied areas of the country have already been killed, reported the Guardian.

Around dozens of North Koreans are behind Russian lines as part of teams firing “support launcher systems for KN 23 missiles”, the report added, citing a source.

North Korean soldiers could fight alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, South Korea’s defence minister told the country’s parliament earlier this month after media reports claimed Pyongyang had lost troops in the war.

Kim Yong-hyun claimed that North Korean troops could be sent to Ukraine under the mutual defence treaty signed during Russian president Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June.

Russia attacked port infrastructure almost 60 times in recent months, says Ukraine

Friday 11 October 2024 06:01 , Arpan Rai

Russia attacked Ukraine’s port infrastructure almost 60 times in the last three months and is intensifying such strikes, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.

“The purpose of these attacks is to reduce our export potential. We are talking about deliberately provoking a food crisis in those parts of the world that directly depend on Ukrainian grain supplies,” he said.

Mr Kuleba added that strikes damaged or destroyed almost 300 port infrastructure facilities and 22 civilian vessels.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent’s website