World

The Russian military has dug up Chernobyl’s poisonous legacy and potentially dispersed it into Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, say Ukrainian officials. Russia occupied the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster early in their invasion with 1,500 troops and armoured vehicles. The soil is heavily contaminated but, despite that, Russian troops were ordered to dig defensive

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said “atrocities” in Bucha need to be investigated as war crimes after images emerged of Ukrainian civilians lying dead on the streets of the city near Kyiv. Residents of Bucha said the people were killed by Russian soldiers without any apparent provocation, while Russia has not commented on the claims.

It is a miracle 13-year-old Sophia is still alive. The schoolgirl was left with a piece of shrapnel the size of a peanut embedded in her brain following a Russian attack on her village in southern Ukraine last month. She is now recovering in the country’s top children’s hospital in Kyiv, her head shaven and

Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out an air strike on an oil depot in Belgorod, a Russian city close to the Ukrainian border.   This is the first accusation of a Ukrainian air strike on Russian soil since the war between the two countries began on 24 February. A number of videos appearing to

Moscow is redeploying forces to Ukraine from Russian-backed breakaway regions in Georgia, according to British defence officials. The Ministry of Defence said that between 1,200 and 2,000 of these Russian troops are being organised into three battalion tactical groups. “It is highly unlikely that Russia planned to generate reinforcement in this manner, and it is

Ukraine has been accused of launching its first airstrike on Russian territory since the war began – as hopes of an evacuation out of Mariupol faded after a humanitarian team headed to the besieged city. The International Committee of the Red Cross had planned to deliver aid to the southern port city today, but said

We are given strict instructions before entering the commuter town which has thwarted the Russian entry into the Ukrainian capital. “There may be shelling. You must stay with your army guards at all the times. If there is an attack, hit the ground.” Irpin is still far from safe. The little satellite town that’s refused

Russian attacks on Ukraine have intensified, despite a pledge from Moscow to pull back troops around Kyiv and Chernihiv. Ukrainian forces are preparing for new attacks in the east as Vladimir Putin builds up troops there after suffering setbacks in the capital of Kyiv. Speaking about the supposed withdrawal of Russian forces from Kyiv and

Demoralised Russian soldiers in Ukraine have accidentally shot down their own aircraft, sabotaged their own kit, and refused to carry out orders, a British spy chief will reveal. Sir Jeremy Fleming, the head of GCHQ, is set to use a rare public speech to say it increasingly looks like Russia’s President Vladimir Putin “has massively

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia’s signals it will pull back troops from some areas “do not drown out the ruptures of Russian shells”. In a new video – the first time he has spoken about the peace talks that ended with a hint of some possible progress ahead – he said that only

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed scepticism about peace talks with Russia, saying signals it will pull back troops from some areas “do not drown out the ruptures of Russian shells”. It comes as Russia started withdrawing some forces from around Kyiv, according to CNN. In a new video – the first time he has

Russia will drastically cut its military activity focused near Kyiv and also around Chernihiv, the Russian deputy defence minister said. Alexander Fomin added that the country has decided to “fundamentally cut back” operations near the capital and another major city to “increase mutual trust” at talks aimed at ending the fighting. The announcement came as

A US official has cast doubt on claims that sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators were victims of a poisoning earlier this month. Three men including Mr Abramovich suffered symptoms including red eyes, constant and painful tearing and peeling skin on their hands and faces, a source confirmed to Sky News. Mr

The Ukrainian city of Mariupol is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe with 160,000 civilians trapped, its mayor has said. Vadym Boychenko said the southern port city must be entirely evacuated and that 26 buses were waiting to begin transporting people away from the area. But he said Russian forces had not agreed to

The near silence and utter wasteland left behind by this Russian invasion is crushingly complete and takes your breath away. The cultural centre of Byshiv village is levelled. There’s a small pile of Ukrainian poetry books which someone has stacked together. Macron warns Biden over regime change confusion – live updates on Ukraine This was

The battlefield in northern Ukraine remains “largely static” but Russian troops are concentrating efforts on the “encirclement” of Ukrainian forces in the east, the Ministry of Defence has said. In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said local counterattacks have hampered Russian attempts to reorganise its forces. It said: “Russian forces appear to be concentrating

Russia claims it has launched missile strikes on a Ukrainian military infrastructure from the Black Sea in the northwestern city of Zhytomyr – around 96 miles from the capital of Kyiv. A crew of a small missile ship off the Black Sea Fleet launched four Kalibr cruise missiles at military facilities belonging to the Ukrainian

Those who’ve made it out alive from the city of Chernihiv in north Ukraine call it “hell” – and fear it’s fast turning into another Mariupol by the advancing Russian troops. We witnessed Chernihiv being brutally cut off – from all humanitarian aid and from the outside world. The city has been bombarded for weeks

Is there another way to fight the Russian army, if you don’t dress in military fatigues or own a weapon? The research director of a think tank called UA Experts thinks she has found a way, armed with a smartphone, a social media account and years of legal training. Her name is Maria Avdeeva, and

President Joe Biden visits Poland later today – home to more than two million Ukrainian refugees – after earlier warning that NATO would respond “in kind” if Russia uses chemical weapons. The refugee crisis will be one of the key issues as he meets Poland’s president, while he will also visit US troops stationed in