Ukrainian forces claim to have recaptured key frontline village of Klishchiivka near Bakhmut; Ukraine government dismisses six deputy defence ministers including Hanna Maliar
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Ukraine troops have recaptured key village of Klishchiivka near Bakhmut, says Zelenskiy
Ukrainian president praises soldiers as military says ‘powerful damage’ inflicted on Russian forces
Ukraine says its forces have recaptured the tactically important village of Klishchiivka in the west of the country, in what would mark Kyiv’s second notable counteroffensive victory in three days.
“Today I would like to particularly commend the soldiers who, step by step, are returning to Ukraine what belongs to it, namely in the area of Bakhmut,” Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Sunday.
Continue reading...Nato chief warns nations must prepare ‘for a long war’ – as it happened
Jens Stoltenberg says ‘we must prepare ourselves for a long war’
There are reports from Russia about two further drone attacks in addition to the ones reported earlier near the capital.
Another drone was downed in Russia’s Voronezh region, local governor Aleksandr Gusev and the ministry of defence said. According to Gusev, there were no casualties or damage.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 571 of the invasion
Kim Jong-un inspects strategic bombers in Russia; Moscow denies Ukraine’s claim to have seized village in Donetsk region
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war live: Moscow disputes Kyiv’s claim about captured territory in Donetsk – as it happened
Ukraine claimed to have recaptured the devastated eastern village of Andriivka, near Bakhmut.
Here are some of the latest images coming through from photographers in Ukraine:
In case you missed it, Alexander Lukashenko has expressed interest in creating a trilateral partnership with Russia and North Korea amid rumours that Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un were negotiating an arms deal to sustain Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Continue reading...Kim Jong-un inspects nuclear-capable aircraft on Russia visit
Moscow’s defence minister shows North Korean leader weapons including hypersonic missiles at airfield near Vladivostok
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, inspected Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers, hypersonic missiles and warships on Saturday, accompanied by Vladimir Putin’s defence minister.
Sergei Shoigu greeted Kim at Russia’s Knevichi airfield, about 50km (30 miles) from the Pacific port city of Vladivostok. The North Korean leader then inspected a guard of honour.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 570 of the invasion
Ukraine claims to have seized village from Russian forces in Donetsk region; Zelenskiy to meet Biden in Washington next week
Continue reading...‘The show must go on’: 35,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews travel to Ukraine for Rosh Hashanah
The annual pilgrimage brings both prayers and partying to Uman. Many have been undeterred by official pleas to stay away this year
Unfazed by the bombs, undeterred by the warnings, and in the face of the raging conflict, more than 35,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews from across the world have journeyed to Uman, Ukraine, to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
“Going to celebrate in a war zone en masse is crazy,” said Azoulay Ruben, a 22-year-old trainee dentist from Paris. “But at the same time, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Continue reading...Belarus leader proposes three-way partnership with Russia and North Korea
Alexander Lukashenko put forward axis plan during summit with Vladimir Putin in Sochi as rumours of arms deal persist
Alexander Lukashenko has expressed interest in creating a trilateral partnership with Russia and North Korea amid rumours that Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un were negotiating an arms deal to sustain Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Belarusian leader made the remarks during a summit with Putin in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, where the two held their seventh face-to-face meeting this year.
Continue reading...Belarus’s Lukashenko proposes ‘three-way cooperation’ with Putin and Kim Jong-un – as it happened
Belarusian president’s suggestion comes during a meeting with his Russian counterpart. This live blog is closed.
In its daily public intelligence briefing on the war in Ukraine, the UK’s Ministry of Defence appears convinced of Ukrainian claims to have inflicted significant damage on the Russian Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol. Citing satellite imagery, it writes:
Despite the Russian ministry of defence downplaying the damage to the vessels, open-source evidence indicates the Minsk [landing ship] has almost certainly been functionally destroyed, while the Rostov [submarine] has likely suffered catastrophic damage.
Any effort to return the submarine to service is likely to take many years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. There is a realistic possibility that the complex task of removing the wreckage from the dry docks will place them out of use for many months. This would present the Black Sea fleet with a significant challenge in sustaining fleet maintenance.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 569 of the invasion
Ukraine claims to have seized the village of Andriivka in Donetsk; Lukashenko says Belarus has been supplying Russia with fuel
Continue reading...Putin and Kim Jong-un exchange rifles as North Korean leader continues Russia tour
Russian president also gave Kim at meeting the gift of a ‘glove from a space suit that has been to space’ amid warnings from US and South Korea about any weapons deal
Kim Jong-un has visited a factory that builds advanced fighter jets, as his tour of Russia moves into its third day and the Kremlin revealed he and Vladimir Putin had exchanged gifts of rifles during their summit this week.
Two days after meeting Putin at a space base in Russia’s far east, where they discussed satellite technology and – possibly – a deal to provide North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine, Kim’s armoured train arrived in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he visited a factory that makes Russia’s most modern fighter jets, Russian news agencies reported.
Continue reading...Ukraine ‘holds initiative’ in counteroffensive, UK’s most senior military officer says – as it happened
Sir Tony Radakin says Kyiv is pushing Russia back” and has rejected claims Ukraine’s counteroffensive is struggling. This live blog is closed
The BBC is reporting this morning that what it calls a “rogue Russian pilot” tried to shoot down an RAF aircraft in 2022. It claims sources have shed new light on an incident that had already caused some controversy.
In October 2022 the then UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, revealed that a Russian fighter jet “released a missile” in the vicinity of a British aircraft in international airspace over the Black Sea because of a technical malfunction.
Three senior western defence sources with knowledge of the incident have told the BBC that Russian communications intercepted by the RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft give a very different account from the official version.
The intercepted communications show that one of the Russian pilots thought he had been given permission to target the British aircraft, following an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station.
Continue reading...Austrian ex-foreign minister moves to Russia – with ponies flown in on military plane
Karin Kneissl says she is moving to Russia to lead a thinktank she set up with St Petersburg University
An Austrian former foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, who became infamous in 2018 for dancing with Russian president Vladimir Putin at her wedding, has moved to St Petersburg – along with her ponies, which were flown in on a Russian military plane.
In 2018, Karin Kneissl, then foreign minister of neutral Austria, made headlines when she invited Putin to her wedding. It drew widespread criticism, coming just months after some EU countries – excluding Austria – expelled scores of Russian diplomats in response to the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.
Continue reading...Kim Jong-un invites Putin to North Korea after summit brings ties to ‘a new level’
North Korean media report that Kim was briefed on space vehicles during his meetings in Russia, though no specific detail of any deal has emerged
Kim Jong-un invited President Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea during their meeting in Russia on Wednesday, Pyongyang’s state media reported, amid warnings that Kim was poised to offer the Kremlin artillery shells and other munitions for the war in Ukraine.
Kim told Putin that their closely watched meeting had brought bilateral ties to a new level, and expressed his willingness to foster stable, future-oriented relations for the next 100 years, news agency KCNA said.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 568 of the invasion
Ukraine claims to have destroyed Russian air defence system in Crimea; Russia claims it repelled drone attack on Black Sea patrol ship
Continue reading...‘Nothing left to lose’: Putin embraces role of spoiler with Kim Jong-un summit
Russia’s propagandists trumpeted the president’s North Korean connection as, in isolation, he threatened to cross a serious line
The situation is dire when you’re boasting of closer ties with North Korea, but Vladimir Putin in 2023 finds himself in just that situation with nothing left to lose.
The Russian fanfare before the summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has rivalled the anticipation for his meetings with western leaders, where he would attempt to woo or spar with opponents such as Barack Obama or Angela Merkel.
Continue reading...Kim Jong-un offers Putin ‘full support’ in Russia’s ‘sacred fight’ with west
North Korean leader backs Moscow in ‘protecting its sovereignty and security against the hegemonic forces’ that oppose it
Kim Jong-un has offered Vladimir Putin his support for Russia’s “sacred fight” against the west during talks that also touched on possible Russian help with North Korea’s space programme.
The North Korean and Russian leaders met on Wednesday at a space base in the far east of Russia amid warnings that Kim was poised to offer the Kremlin artillery shells and other munitions for the war in Ukraine.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 567 of the invasion
Kim Jong-un pledged to support Russia’s ‘sacred’ fight against the west; attack on Sevastopol damages vessels in Russia’s Black Sea fleet
Continue reading...‘Witch-hunt’: Estonian prime minister defends husband’s Russian business links
Kaja Kallas’s partner owns shares in a company that continued to do business in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The Estonian prime minister has described the controversy surrounding her husband’s alleged Russian business links as a “witch-hunt” by political opponents calling for her resignation.
Kaja Kallas has been under pressure since reports emerged last month that her husband part-owned a logistics company that continued to do business in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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