Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Ukraine has slammed UN secretary general Antonio Guterres for what it said was his acceptance of an invitation from “war criminal” Vladimir Putin to the Russia-hosted Brics summit this week.
“The UN secretary general declined Ukraine’s invitation to the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland,” the ministry said. “He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin. This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN’s reputation,” the ministry said.
The UN has neither confirmed nor denied Mr Guterres attendance at the Russian summit, and said it would release details of his schedule in due course. The Kazan summit begins later today.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said a senior Russian air force commander had been beaten to death with a hammer inside Russia.
Ukraine said Col Dmitry Golenkov was behind one of the most lethal airstrikes on Ukraine, one which targeted a shopping centre with a rocket.
And earlier South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul, asking the Kremlin for the “immediate withdrawal” of North Korean troops which it says are about to be deployed to fight in Ukraine.
North Korean troops in Ukraine: Everything we know about Kim Jong-un’s army joining Russian invasion
UK announces £2.26 billion loan for Ukraine using frozen Russian asset funds
David Cameron says India has ‘credibility’ to mediate in Ukraine war but must rein in Putin
Who is going to Putin-hosted Brics summit in Russia – and why has Brazil’s Lula dropped out?
Russia hits Kyiv with drone attacks for second night in a row, Ukraine says
Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with several waves of drones for the second night in a row, damaging residential buildings and injuring at least one civilian, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.
One civilian was killed and 14 were injured in a separate ballistic missile attack on Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine on Monday morning, local authorities said.
The Ukrainian military said air defences downed 59 out of 116 Russian drones launched overnight. The military lost track of 45 drones that likely fell into Ukrainian territory, it said.
"Another night, another worry," Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on Telegram. "The enemy does not reduce the intensity of air attacks on Ukraine and Kyiv."
The military said several attacks hit civilian infrastructure.
About 10 drones targeting the capital in several waves and from different directions were destroyed, Popko said. While none of the weapons hit their target, falling debris injured at least one man, he added.
Debris fell onto three of Kyiv’s main districts, damaging some roofs and the facades of several residential buildings and power cables, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
The roof of a multi-storey residential building was damaged, windows were smashed and one apartment was partially destroyed, Kyiv regional administration said.
The air raid alerts in Kyiv lasted more than five hours before the air force declared skies clear at around 0215 GMT.
UAE president offers to support efforts to end the war in talks with Putin
United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is ready to support efforts to find peace in Ukraine.
The pair met for talks last night, at Putin’s residence outside Moscow, which concluded at midnight
Sheikh Mohammed told Putin: “We continue to make efforts to mediate the exchange of prisoners. And I assure you that we will continue to work in this direction. We are ready to make any efforts to resolve crises and in the interests of peace, in the interests of both sides.”
Video claims to show North Korean soldiers lining up to collect Russia military gear
Ukrainian officials released a video earlier today purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues.
The video published by the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security appears to show the soldiers waiting to pick up bags, clothes and other items from Russian service personnel.
Ihor Solovey, the head of the centre, told the Associated Press that they received the video from their “sources”, adding that he was unable to provide additional verification due to security concerns.
European Union ‘very concerned’ about North Korean and Russian cooperation
The European Union is “very concerned” about the ongoing reports of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, a spokesman said today.
Peter Stano said at a press briefing that if the reports are confirmed, then it “would mark another level of escalation and significant increase in their cooperation.”
He continued: “This only illustrates how Russia is determined to escalate its illegal actions against Ukraine, that Russia is absolutely not interested to look for peaceful solutions.”
Ukraine calls for support to stop Russian strikes on its Black Sea ports
Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has called for support to stop intensified Russian strikes on Ukrainian Black Sea port infrastructure, in comments made while on a visit to Turkey on Monday.
He said this autumn such strikes had already damaged four civilian vessels.
The Ukrainian government says Russia’s attacks on Odesa’s Black Sea ports are aiming to destroy grain exports that guarantee international food security, at a key time of year following the harvest. According to Ukrainian figures, more than 20 civilian ships have now been damaged in Russian attacks since the start of the war in 2022.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, has appealed to “responsible states” to ensure freedom of navigation and food security.
Kremlin avoids question on North Korea troops
The Kremlin Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has obfuscated what is going on regarding North Korean troops in Ukraine and said that the question should be addressed to the defence ministry.
He also added that cooperation with North Korea was not directed against third countries. Peskov said that South Korea had said one thing about North Korean troops but that the Pentagon had said in public that it could not confirm this information.
South Korea summons Russian envoy over North Korea troop dispatch
South Korea's foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador on Monday over what it has called the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia for deployment in Ukraine.
Kim Hong-kyun, South Korea’s first vice foreign minister, summoned Russia’s top envoy in Seoul Georgy Zinoviev and urged the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops from Russia, according to a ministry statement.
Kim stated that the involvement of North Korean troops in Ukraine violated United Nations (UN) resolutions and the UN charter, posing significant security threats to South Korea and the wider region.
A statement said: “We strongly condemn North Korea’s illegal military cooperation, including the deployment of troops to Russia.
“We will work with the international community to mobilize all available measures against actions that threaten our key security interests.”
In response, Zinoviev informed Kim that cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang complies with international law and does not undermine South Korea’s security interests, according to a post by the Russian embassy on Facebook.
France converts €300 million of frozen Russian assets into artillery weapons for Ukraine
France is set to use €300 million of frozen Russian assets to purchase military equipment for Ukraine, BFMTV has reported.
Part of the package includes 12 new Caesar self-propelled howitzers, which is a highly capable artillery system, known for its precision and versatility on the battlefield.
Defence minister Sébastien Lecornu said to the French channel that the funds, which will be recovered by the end of the year, will finance not only the Caesar howitzers but also shells, missiles and guided bombs.
Lecornu stressed the importance of strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position, saying that “Russia will only respect a favorable balance of power.”
North Korea sending troops to Ukraine would escalate conflict, says NATO
If North Korea were to send troops to Ukraine to fight with Russia, it would significantly escalate the conflict, NATO Chief Mark Rutte said X.
Rutte said he discussed the alliance’s close partnership with South Korea with president Yoon Suk-yeol, focusing on defense, industrial cooperation and the interconnected security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that North Korea was preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to help Moscow’s war effort and that some North Korean officers were already deployed on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
The West has long accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia. Rutte and the Pentagon both said last week that they have found no evidence yet of a North Korean military presence on the ground in Ukraine.
China calls for de-escalation after reports of North Korean troops in Russia
China hopes all parties will work to de-escalate the situation following South Korea’s statement that North Korea has sent troops to Russia for deployment in Ukraine, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments