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At least 23 people have been injured in missile strikes on Kharkiv and Odesa, as Vladimir Putin’s forces launched one of their largest drone attacks since invading Ukraine.
Kyiv’s military said its air defences shot down 71 of 145 drones launched by Russia at targets across Ukraine, and lost track of a further 71 drones likely due to active electronic warfare.
The latest drone attack would be on par with an overnight assault earlier this month described by Kyiv as Russia’s largest of the war, which also saw Russia use 145 drones to attack Ukraine, a significant number of which were decoys and others Iranian-made Shahed attack drones.
Separately, authorities in Kharkiv said at least 23 people had been injured and 40 buildings damaged in a missile attack, while at least 10 people were wounded in a missile strike on Odesa.
Ukraine, meanwhile, said it attacked an oil depot in Russia’s western Kaluga region, along with targets in Bryansk and Kursk.
It came as Russian state media reported that a British man fighting with the Ukrainian army had been captured in Kursk.
Russia progressing in Donetsk ‘significantly faster’ than in whole of last year, analysts say
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are straining to hold back Russian offensives in the eastern Donetsk region.
Russian forces recently have gained ground at “a significantly quicker rate” than they did in the whole of last year, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War think-tank.
The Russians have detected and are exploiting weaknesses in the Ukrainian defenses, the think-tank said.
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 15:57
Russian charged with sending video of military equipment to Ukraine jailed for 14 years
A Russian man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of high treason for a video he allegedly sent to Ukraine’s security services showing russian military equipment.
The Volgograd District Court said Nikita Zhuravel had been “in disagreement with the political course of the Russian Federation” and entered into correspondence with a representative from Ukraine’s security services online and carried out tasks for him. It did not give details on the tasks.
Mr Zhuravel is already serving a 42-month sentence for burning a Quran in front of a mosque, which was handed down in February.
Prosecutors said he filmed a trainload of military equipment and warplanes in 2023 and sent the video to a representative of Ukraine’s security agency.
But rights activists say Zhuravel is a political prisoner who was beaten while in custody, by the 15-year-old son of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed strongman leader of the Muslim-majority region of Chechnya. The warlord posted the video on social media and praised his son, causing public outrage.
Treason and espionage cases have skyrocketed after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with cases targeting a wide range of suspects, from Kremlin critics and independent journalists to scientists.
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 15:34
Listen | Starmer denies UK at war after Ukraine fires British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 15:16
Putin showing ‘no sign of wanting to negotiate’, says Lammy
Speaking at the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Italy, foreign secretary David Lammy told reporters he was “announcing the biggest sanctions package of the Russian shadow fleet” and warned that Vladimir Putin was showing “no signs at all” of wanting to negotiate over Ukraine.
“We are supporting them by £3bn a year every year for as long as it lasts to support them militarily, and of course with both economic and humanitarian aid we continue to support Ukraine,” said Mr Lammy.
“It’s hugely important at this G7 that all colleagues across the G7 continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it lasts and we are confident that Ukraine can have the funds and the military equipment and kit to get through 2025.
“Our assessment is that Putin shows no signs at all of wanting a negotiation. We have to ensure that Ukrainians are equipped for the fight.”
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 14:56
Germany’s Olaf Scholz makes Ukraine support a key plank of election campaign
Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz has said supporting Ukraine will be a key plank of his re-election campaign after his party named him as their lead candidate for February’s vote.
Popular defence Minister Boris Pistorius ruled himself out of the running last Thursday, putting an end to weeks of speculation over whether he should lead the centre-left SPD into the election instead of Scholz.
The party executive committee of the centre-left SPD unanimously voted for Scholz as chancellor candidate, allowing him to run for a second term despite overseeing the collapse of his three-way coalition earlier this month.
In his coronation speech, Scholz spelled out the key points for his election campaign: ensuring peace by cautiously supporting Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion, reviving the ailing economy and taming the cost of living crisis.
Mr Scholz, the least popular chancellor since reunification in 1990, has an uphill battle ahead of him. His SPD is currently polling in third place, with a survey by INSA putting the party on 14 per cent, behind the opposition conservatives on 32 per cent and far-right Alternative for Germany on 19.
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 14:30
UK spies ‘watching’ Russia amid cyber warfare fears, minister to warn
British spies will seek to counter Russian cyber warfare with a new laboratory for artificial intelligence, a minister will announce, warning Russia will not “think twice” about targeting the UK.
Vowing never to let Vladimir Putin deter the UK from supporting Ukraine, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will say the UK and its Nato allies are “watching” Moscow and combatting its attacks both publicly and “behind the scenes”.
In a major speech on Monday, Mr McFadden will warn that Britain “learned long ago” not to appease dictators and that Mr Putin “will not be successful” in attempting to weaken backing for Ukraine.
And the minister, responsible for UK national security, will announce a new Laboratory for AI Security Research (LAISR) aimed at helping the UK stay ahead in “the new AI arms race”.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 14:11
UK targets Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ with ‘largest ever’ sanctions package
The UK has announced sanctions against 30 ships in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” which officials say were responsible for transporting billions of pounds of oil and oil products in the last year.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said this is the largest UK package of its kind, and alleged that half of the ships transported some £3.4bn of oil and oil products in the last 12 months. Two insurance companies have also been targeted with sanctions.
The shadow fleet is made up of ships engaged in illegal operations to evade sanctions.
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 13:51
At least 23 people injured in Kharkiv
Kharkiv authorities have revised the casualty toll following Russia’s missile attack in the northeastern city.
At least 23 people are now reported to have been injured, with the attack having damaged more than 40 buildings on Monday morning, the regional governor and national police said.
At least 10 people were also injured in a missile attack on the southern city of Odesa, where residential buildings were also damaged, Ukraine’s interior ministry said.
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 13:16
Russia claims to have shot down eight ballistic missiles fired by Ukraine
Russia claims to have shot down eight ballistic missiles allegedly fired overnight by Ukraine.
“Russian air defence forces shot down eight ballistic missiles, as well as six guided US-made JDAM bombs and 45 aircraft-type drones in the past 24 hours,” Russia’s defence ministry was quoted as saying by state news.
While the veracity of the claims were unclear, Ukraine’s military said on Monday it had attacked an oil depot in Russia’s western Kaluga region, along with targets in Bryansk and Kursk.
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 13:10
Russia ‘will weigh deploying short and medium-range missiles in Asia’ if US does the same
Russia will consider deploying short and intermediate-range missiles in Asia if the United States deploys such missiles to the same region, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has been quoted as saying by state news.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday that Tokyo and Washington were aiming to put together a joint military plan for a possible Taiwan emergency, which would include the US deploying missiles to the Nansei Islands in Japan’s southwestern Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures, and to the Philippines.
Andy Gregory25 November 2024 12:44
