Ukrainian commander says his forces have taken almost 600 Russian prisoners of war

Zelensky pays tribute to British ex-soldier killed in attack on journalists’ hotel in Ukraine
Breaking News

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets have been used to shoot down Russian missiles during Vladimir Putin’s massive air attack, Kyiv has claimed.

Russia targeted 15 of Ukraine’s 24 oblasts on Monday, launching over 200 missiles and drones as part of the largest-ever aerial attack against Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky said the aircraft, donated by Denmark earlier this year, gave a “very good result” but urged Western countries to provide more of them.

It comes as a top military commander claimed Ukraine has taken control of 100 Russian settlements as it continued an offensive into Russia’s Kursk region.

Ukrainian general Oleksandr Syrskyi said his troops now control 1,294 sq km (500 sq miles) of Russian territory and have taken 594 prisoners of war.

Earlier, Russian officials claimed Ukrainian troops had attempted another cross-border attack into Belgorod, a region of Russia that borders Kursk.

Belgorod’s regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the situation on the border with Ukraine was “difficult but under control” after claiming 500 Ukrainian troops attacked two checkpoints.

25 minutes ago
Ukraine downs Russian jet in Donetsk
Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-25 jet aircraft in the Kramatorsk sector in Donetsk Oblast, the Khortytsia group of forces reported.

Anti-aircraft units of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade reportedly downed the plane with a Man-Portable Air-Defence System (MANPADS) as it was attempting to fire at Ukrainian troops.

The Soviet-designed Su-25, nicknamed “Frogfoot” by NATO, is a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft. It has seen extensive use by both sides in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Alexander Butler28 August 2024 10:06

37 minutes ago
F-16 jets shoot down Russian missiles, Kyiv says
Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets have been used to shoot down Russian missiles during Vladimir Putin’s massive air attack, Kyiv has claimed.

Russia targeted 15 of Ukraine’s 24 oblasts on Monday, launching over 200 missiles and drones as part of the largest-ever aerial attack against Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky said the aircraft, donated by Denmark earlier this year, gave a “very good result” but urged Western countries to provide more of them.

Alexander Butler28 August 2024 09:53

1 hour ago
Ukraine says it has downed a Russian jet over Donetsk
Ukrainian forces claim to have shot down a Russian Su-25 jet aircraft in the Donetsk region.

Anti-aircraft units reportedly downed the plane with a man-portable air-defence system as it was attempting to fire at Ukrainian troops.

Posting on Telegram, the Ukrainian brigade that claimed responsibility for shooting down the jet said: “The fate of the crew is still unknown, but we know for sure that it is one less problem for our infantry.”

Alexander Butler28 August 2024 09:19

2 hours ago
Kyiv residents sing city’s anthem while sheltering in subway during rocket attack

Kyiv residents sing city’s anthem while sheltering in subway during rocket attack
Kyiv residents were filmed early on Monday 26 August singing the city’s official anthem in a subway station as air raid sirens sounded throughout Ukraine’s capital and other parts of the country. A total of 15 regions were targeted by an overnight Russian aerial barrage, prime minister Denys Shmyhal said. The attack was conducted with drones, cruise missiles and hypersonic air-launched ballistic “Kinzhal” missiles. Ukrainians are instructed to immediately take shelter in underground spaces when air sirens go off. Subway stations, many of which were built in the Soviet era to double as bomb shelters, have become a part of many people’s wartime experience and forums for cultural resistance.

Alexander Butler28 August 2024 08:15

2 hours ago
UN warns Russian nuclear plant is at risk
Flighting between Russia and Ukraine has left a nuclear plant located in western Russia vulnerable as it lacks a protective dome that could shield it from missiles, the UN nuclear watchdog said.

Rafael Grossi, director general at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the “danger or possibility of a nuclear accident has emerged near here”, during his visit to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant outside Kurchatov town.

He said the nuclear facility, similar to the Chornobyl plant in Ukraine, lacks the containment dome and protective structure found in modern nuclear power plants.

“This means that the core of the reactor containing nuclear material is protected just by a normal roof. This makes it extremely exposed and fragile, for example, to an artillery impact or a drone or a missile,” Mr Grossi said.

“So this is why we believe that a nuclear power plant of this type so close to a point of contact or a military front is an extremely serious fact that we take very seriously.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2024 08:00

2 hours ago
Nato-Ukraine Council to meet today at Kyiv’s request
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg will convene a meeting of the Nato-Ukraine Council today at Kyiv’s request, a spokesperson for the military alliance said.

“The meeting will be held at the ambassadorial level,” said the spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah.

“Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov is expected to brief Allies via video-link on the battlefield situation and priority capability needs,” she added.

The Nato-Ukraine Council was established last year to enable closer coordination between the alliance and Kyiv.

Ambassadors from Nato’s member countries and Ukrainian officials normally attend meetings of the council.

The “meeting comes after recent waves of heavy Russian strikes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure,” Ms Dakhlallah said in an emailed statement.

“Nato Allies have delivered substantial support to Ukraine’s air defence and they are committed to further bolstering Ukraine’s defences,” she added.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2024 07:40

3 hours ago
Ukraine says it has captured nearly 600 Russian soldiers
Ukraine has taken 594 Russian soldiers prisoner during its three-week military operation in the Kursk region and now controls 100 settlements inside Russia, according to the country’s commander-in-chief.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi yesterday said Ukrainian troops control 1,294 sq km (500 sq miles) of Russian territory.

He said Moscow has deployed 30,000 troops to fortify the border region and to encircle Ukraine’s forces to stop them from making further inroads.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2024 07:20

3 hours ago
Everything we know about British national killed in Ukraine
Ryan Evans, a British safety adviser for the Reuters news agency, has been identified as the man killed in a missile strike on Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine on Saturday.

Evans had extensive experience advising journalists on safety in conflict zones, including Ukraine and Israel. He also worked on coverage of the Paris Olympics.

He had previously worked as an operations manager for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in Libya for nine years. According to his LinkedIn profile, Evans was originally from Cheshire in the UK.

My colleague Maroosha Muzaffar has more in this report:

Andy Gregory28 August 2024 07:00

3 hours ago
Ukraine has invested $7bn in home-grown arms, says minister
Ukraine has invested $7bn in domestic arms procurement in 2024 so far, according to defence minister Rustem Umerov.

The spending was largely focused on drones, robotic and electronic warfare systems, which have “already yielded tangible results on the battlefield”, he said at a Ukraine 2024 Independence event in Kyiv.

“One of our priorities is long-term planning; we are creating a Defence Forces model based on Nato standards, implementing digital solutions, and modernising the military,” Mr Umerov said.

“We are also deepening cooperation with allies in the Ramstein format [Ukraine Defence Contact Group]. The key task is to obtain permission to strike Russian targets with [Western] long-range weapons.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2024 06:40

4 hours ago
In pics: Search and rescue underway as Russian strike brings down hotel in Ukraine
Search and rescue operations continue after Russian forces hit a hotel in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine

Search and rescue operations continue after Russian forces hit a hotel in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine (Anadolu via Getty Images)
Kryvyi Rih hotel strike

Kryvyi Rih hotel strike (Anadolu via Getty Images)
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2024 06:20