Ukraine-Russia war latest: Mass drone attack by Putin’s forces as Zelensky says Nato invite is way to end war
Zelensky says Putin ‘only understands power’ and a formal Nato invitation would boost Ukrainian morale
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’s air defences shot down 80 out of 135 drones launched in a mass attack by Vladimir Putin’s forces, Kyiv has said, as Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that Nato membership is the only way to end Russia’s war.
The air force said it lost track of 44 drones that likely fell into Ukrainian territory following active electronic warfare measures, while two drones went to Belarus, while Nato member Romania scrambled fighter jets after an unidentified object breached its airspace near the Black Sea.
It came after Mr Zelensky urged EU and Nato leaders in Brussels to formally invite Ukraine to join the military alliance as part of his five-point “victory plan”.
“We cannot be very strong without having an invitation [which] strengthens our diplomatic ways to end the war,” he told the Financial Times. “This war will finish when Putin will be isolated, and pushed by other partners to diplomacy.”
On the frontline, Ukrainian forces repelled 36 of 45 ground attacks near the strategic city of Kurakhove over the past 24 hours and nine clashes were still going on, Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said on Friday morning.
Trump blames Zelensky and Biden – but not Putin – for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Don’t tremble at Putin’s threats, Zelensky urges West as Ukraine seeks backing for ‘victory plan’
Putin introduces bizarre new law to tackle Russia’s declining birth rate
The alarming numbers behind North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal
‘I think Trump heard me’: Zelensky says Ukraine must either join Nato or acquire nuclear weapons
Volodymr Zelensky has warned that Ukraine must either join Nato or acquire nuclear weapons – but has chosen the former option.
“We are not choosing nuclear weapons, we are choosing Nato, and I think that Donald Trump heard me,” The Guardian quoted him as saying.
Russians express concern over new move to ban content encouraging child-free lifestyle
Russian women are “being turned into vessels for bearing children”, a rights activist has warned, after Russia’s lower house of parliament unanimously passed a new bill aiming to outlaw content that is deemed to promote a child-free lifestyle.
“Women are being essentially turned into vessels for bearing children, not taking into account their circumstances, their motivations and whether they aspire to have a career or a family,” said Olga Suvorova, a rights activist who works with victims of domestic violence in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.
“The message is clear: give birth, and that’s it,” she told Reuters, adding that she feared the bill could pave the way for further encroachments on women’s rights including the ability to get an abortion.
Hungary’s Orban says Zelensky’s plan is ‘more than frightening'
Hungarian premier Viktor Orban has criticised Volodymr Zelensky’s “victory plan” – which calls for Ukraine to be granted Nato membership – as “more than frightening”.
Mr Orban said he would urge major EU powers France and Germany to “begin negotiations with the Russians as soon as possible, in order to find a way out of this situation”.
UK sanctions on ‘shadow fleet’ shows Russia’s energy prowess irks Britain, Moscow claims
Russia’s foreign ministry has claimed that new British sanctions on Russian oil and gas tankers showed Moscow’s status as “a reliable energy supplier” did not suit London, the state RIA news agency reported.
The UK announced it had imposed sanctions on 18 further Russian oil tankers and four liquefied natural gas vessels, the largest batch of sanctions to date against the country’s so-called “shadow fleet”.
RIA cited the foreign ministry as saying everything was being done to try to infringe Russia’s rights.
Ukraine aims to clear entire country of landmines by 2023
Prime minister Denys Shmyhal has announced that Ukraine’s National Mine Strategy will aim to clear his country – currently the most heavily mined on the planet – of landmines by 2033.
But he warned that Ukraine needs help, especially with training 10,000 deminers and building machines which can clear terrain around 100 times faster than people.
Ukraine’s ex-military chief endorses ‘victory plan’ in first speech since his dismissal
Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief, Valeri Zaluzhny, on Thursday expressed his support for Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan,” despite the tensions between he and the president which led to his dismissal.
“Ukraine must clearly follow the plan,” Mr Zaluzhny said in his first public appearance since his appointment as ambassador to the UK.
He told an audience at London’s Chatham House think-tank: “But this list of steps primarily concerns those countries that should ultimately be interested in stopping the war.”
Ukraine's former armed forces chief endorses 'victory plan' in first speech since his dismissal
Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has expressed his support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan,” despite the tensions between the two that led to his dismissal in February
US sanctions two Chinese firms involved in making and shipping attack drones
The United States has sanctioned two Chinese companies and a Russian affiliate involved in making and shipping attack drones which the US alleges are used in Russia’s war effort.
The new measures are aimed at the Chinese company, Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Co Ltd, that makes an engine that powers Russia's Garpiya series long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, the US Treasury Department said.
They also target China-based Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd for its role in the drones’ shipment and an affiliated Russian person and company.
Swiss minister welcomes China-Brazil peace plan for Ukraine
Switzerland’s foreign affairs minister has welcomed a peace plan for Ukraine led by China and Brazil, saying Bern was looking at it in a “favourable light”.
“It’s the opening of a door to dialogue. In that sense we can only welcome any initiative that wishes to open doors,” said Ignazio Cassis, after being asked about the plan at a conference on demining Ukraine.
He added that a revised version of the plan still had “some contradictions”, without elaborating.
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