Vladimir Putin is attempting “some form of legitimacy” in Ukraine by holding “faux elections” to justify his invasion, the Foreign Office minister warned. James Cleverly told Sky News’ Kay Burley the Russian president wanted a “lightning war” to capture Ukraine and quickly install a puppet government, but “that is clearly not working”. ‘No evidence’ Putin
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A pregnant woman who was pictured being evacuated from a bombed maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol has died along with her baby. She was rushed to another hospital following the Russian attack last week, the AP news agency reported. As doctors tried to save her – and realising she was losing her
Russia’s military forces have kept up their punishing campaign to capture Ukraine’s capital with fighting and artillery fire in Kyiv’s suburbs. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces shelled several suburbs of the capital, on the 19th day of the invasion. A new round of virtual talks due to take place between Russian and Ukrainian officials has
Nine people have been killed after a Ukrainian military base used for NATO drills less than 15 miles from the Polish border was targeted in a Russian airstrike, the governor of the Lviv region has said. Maksym Kozytskyy said that 57 people were wounded after 30 cruise missiles were fired at the International Centre for
The Ukrainian parliament has claimed that Russia has installed a new mayor in the southern port city of Melitopol – a day after the city’s elected mayor was allegedly kidnapped by Russian forces. Galina Danilchenko, a former member of the city council, was announced as the new mayor on local TV on Saturday, according to reports.
Thousands of Ukrainians have protested in the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol after Russian troops were accused of kidnapping its mayor. Ukraine’s parliament claims that Ivan Fedorov has been kidnapped by armed men acting on behalf of the Kremlin. At least 2,000 people have taken to the streets of the city to protest
It is bitterly cold on the beach and the wind is howling. But they keep digging. One man holds open a white bag while another fills it up with sand. Then the choir begins to sing. It is a wartime serenade to give the volunteers some push to keep going, because on the beaches of
The United States has hit back at Russian claims after Moscow said it has evidence of a Ukrainian network of 30 biological laboratories which were supported by America in a suspected military programme. The Biden administration accused Russia of using the UN Security Council to promote disinformation. The Russian ambassador to the UN said the
The United Nations Security Council will meet later today to talk about Russia’s claims that the US and Ukraine are developing biological weapons. The allegations have been made a number of times, most recently on Wednesday by Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, and Dmitry Chumakov, a Russian deputy UN ambassador. Mr Chumakov urged Western
President Vladimir Putin is “deliberately targeting” civilians in his war in Ukraine, Britain’s ambassador to the country has said. Melinda Simmons said Russian forces are ramping up the level of violence they unleash every time the Ukrainian military successfully resists, calling the situation “incredibly worrying”. She told Sky News in an interview on Thursday it
Russia has confirmed it has used thermobaric weapons in Ukraine, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence. It said its Russian counterpart said the TOS-1A weapon system had been deployed. The UK MoD said the system uses thermobaric rockets, creating incendiary and blast effects. The Russian MoD has confirmed the use of the TOS-1A weapon
Ukraine’s president has told Sky News that his country cannot stop the war against Russia on its own and said nations must act now before it is “too late”. Speaking to Sky News’ Alex Crawford inside the leader’s office in Ukraine’s capital city, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his call for the West to impose a no-fly
Western officials have warned of their “serious concern” that Vladimir Putin could order chemical weapons to be used on Ukraine’s capital. In an assessment, they say an “utterly horrific” attack on Kyiv could be unleashed as Russian forces attempt to overcome the logistical issues that have apparently plagued the convoy heading for the city. Please
Children have been buried under rubble after a Russian airstrike hit a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. The president tweeted that children were among people “under the wreckage”, calling the strike an “atrocity”. Mariupol’s city council said the maternity and children’s hospital had been destroyed, adding that it did not know
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is “not hiding” and “not afraid of anyone” as he revealed his location in Kyiv. In a defiant video message from his office on Bankova Street, he said he is staying there “as long as necessary” and his team is with him. Mr Zelenskyy was previously reported to
Russia has said military action in Ukraine would stop “in a moment” if the country meets its conditions for a ceasefire. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is demanding Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent
The Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and Mariupol, at 10am Moscow time (7am UK) today, according to reports. The corridors, which will also be opened from the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron, the
Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed directly to the Russian people to protest against the Kremlin saying evidence from captured troops shows the invasion was planned. Urging them not to stay silent, he said it was time to “overcome evil” and insisted it was not just a fight for peace in his country, but their
There is no humanitarian corridor in Irpin – a town only five miles away from the Ukrainian capital. As we watched the pounding the city is taking, with plumes of smoke mushrooming into the sky and the rattle of gunfire from anti-aircraft guns, civilians were trying to flee however they could. We saw some walking
The Kremlin has accused the West of behaving like bandits and claims the world is “too big” for the US and Europe to isolate a country as big as Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the West was engaged in “economic banditry” against Russia and that Moscow would respond. He did not specify what response