World

Finland and Sweden have formally submitted their applications to join NATO in a “historic moment” driven by security concerns over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The applications will now be considered by the 30 member countries of the military alliance, with the process expected to take a few weeks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed

Air, chemical and water pollution accounted for one in six deaths in 2019, a study has found. Pollution was responsible for nine million deaths worldwide in 2019, according to the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health – a figure unchanged since 2015. More more than 90% of pollution-related deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries,

The US has successfully tested a hypersonic weapon, according to the US Air Force. The test was conducted on Saturday in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California, but it was confirmed in the early hours of Tuesday. The US Air Force said that the air-launched rapid response weapon (ARRW) was released by

More than 200 Ukrainian soldiers are being evacuated from Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol after weeks of resistance against the Russian invasion. Some 53 troops are being taken to hospital in the Russian-controlled town of Novoazovsk, about 30 miles to the east, according to Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar. Another 211

Ukraine can win the war against Russia, NATO’s secretary general has said, insisting that Russia’s invasion is “not going as Moscow had planned”. Jens Stoltenberg was speaking on Sunday to a meeting of NATO member countries, although he addressed them via video as he was recovering from COVID-19. He said: “Russia’s war in Ukraine is

Finland has confirmed it will apply to join NATO despite Russia’s president warning it would be a “mistake” to do so. Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto said joining the military alliance will “maximise” his country’s security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A formal membership application is expected to be submitted to NATO headquarters in Brussels next

Pointing to a grubby, grey sofa in the corner of a small room in her neighbour’s house, the Ukrainian mother said that was where a teenage Russian soldier raped her. It happened during an evening of terror, cruelty and murder in a rural village outside Kyiv. Vika, 42, said she decided to speak about the

The West has declared a “total hybrid war” against Russia and it is hard to predict how long it will last, Moscow’s foreign minister has said. Sergei Lavrov said the consequences of the war in Ukraine will be felt around the world. But speaking about sanctions on Russia, he warned: “Western politicians should understand their

Breakthrough talks have taken place between the US and the Russian Defence minister – after months of refusal. Sergei Shoigu spoke for an hour with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin who, according to the Pentagon, called for an “immediate ceasefire”. Austin said that while the call did not resolve any “acute issues” it was an

Ukraine’s head of military intelligence says the war with Russia is going so well, that it will reach a turning point by mid-August and be over by the end of the year. It is the most precise and optimistic prediction by a senior Ukrainian official so far. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Major

Russian forces are conducting “highly risky’ manoeuvres which suggest their military leaders are under pressure to make progress in their operations in eastern Ukraine, according to UK intelligence, after a battalion was wiped out trying to cross a river. Footage released by Ukrainian forces appeared to show several burnt out military vehicles and segments of

Russia will have to bolster its defences on the border if Finland joins NATO, its ambassador to the EU has warned. Speaking to Sky News’ Beth Rigby, Vladimir Chizhov said it would “necessitate certain military technical measures, like improving or raising the degree of defence preparations along the Finnish border”. Finland’s leaders earlier said it

Finland has announced it wants to join NATO as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. President Sauli Niinisto said the country, which shares an 810-mile border and a difficult past with Russia, must apply for membership to the organisation “without delay”. In a joint statement with the country’s prime minister Sanna Marin, they added: “We

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “opened a new chapter” in post-Cold War history, said Boris Johnson as he agreed defence pacts with Sweden and Finland. The prime minister visited Stockholm and Helsinki to sign the agreements, which say the UK will come to the aid of Sweden and Finland if they are attacked, and vice-versa if

As Russian troops continue their pounding of the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, a photo-journalist has revealed the grim extent of the suffering inside. In a series of stark pictures, a photographer with the press office of the Azov Special Forces Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard has unveiled the horror of the dimly-lit, makeshift

The Russian offensive in the breakaway Donbas region of eastern Ukraine is “building” and is expected to peak in the next two to three weeks, according to Sky’s defence analyst Michael Clarke. He also said what happens between now and the end of this month will determine how much room for manoeuvre President Vladimir Putin

US President Joe Biden says he fears Vladimir Putin does not have a way out of the Ukraine war. Speaking in Washington DC on Monday, Biden described the Russian president as “a very calculating man” but without an exit strategy and admitted “I’m trying to figure out what we do about that”. He said Putin

Russia’s ambassador to Poland had red paint thrown in his face by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine. Sergey Andreev’s face was covered with the substance as he arrived to pay his respects at a Warsaw cemetery to Red Army soldiers who died during the Second World War. He had been due to lay

Vladimir Putin says Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine was a pre-emptive move to ward off aggression, accusing the West of “preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea”. The Russian president was leading anniversary celebrations in Moscow of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Victory Day in Russia – an annual

Daughters of a British aid worker captured in Ukraine have told Sky News they are “preparing for the worst”. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Courtney Coman, 17, and her sister Chelsea, 20, say they do not believe their father will be “coming home any time soon”, after being accused of being a “mercenary” by the