Ukraine-Russia war live: Putin war dead at 70,000 as claims Moscow couldn’t stop Kursk raid despite warning

Leaked documents reveal Russia’s failure to repel Ukraine’s Kursk incursion after months of warnings

Related: Ukraine’s attack is only way to force Russia to negotiating table, Zelensky aide says

Russia’s military had been anticipating Ukraine’s assault on its Kursk region and was preparing for months to counter it, according to a trove of documents reportedly seized from Russian positions.

Leaked documents shared with The Guardian suggest mounting anxiety within the ranks, compounded by low morale and rising casualties.

More than 70,000 Russian soldiers have died since the invasion began. Volunteer soldiers, once Russian civilians, now make up the majority of recent casualties for the first time according to figures compiled through an open-source data analysis by BBC Russian and Mediazona. The full toll is believed to be considerably higher.

Russia reacted slowly to the first occupation of its territory since World War II, when thousands of Ukrainian troops crossed the border from Ukraine’s Sumy region on 6 August.

The leaked documents contain months of warnings about possible Ukrainian advances with one handwritten log from 4 January warning of the “potential for a breakthrough at the state border” by Ukrainian armed groups. It ordered increased training to prepare to repel any attack.

The Guardian could not independently verify the authenticity of the documents.

Key Points

• Putin ally warns of nuclear war if Kyiv uses long-range missiles
• Ukraine’s offensive in Russia’s Kursk region diverted 40,000 Russian troops from frontline
• Russia launches fresh air strikes on Ukraine’s energy network
• Ukrainian energy systems face a difficult winter, EU says
• North Korean ammo ‘destroyed’ in Tver arms depot strike

[18 September 2024 22:01 · Andy Gregory]

North Korean ammo ‘destroyed’ in Tver arms depot strike

Among the ammunition destroyed in the attack on the Tver arms depot were North Korean KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles, a Ukrainian intelligence source has told the Associated Press.

Russia and North Korea signed a landmark pact in June that envisioned mutual military assistance between Moscow and Pyongyang.

[18 September 2024 21:02 · Andy Gregory]

UK Foreign Office summons Russian ambassador over expulsion of diplomats

The UK has summoned Russia’s ambassador following what it described as an “unprecedented and unfounded public campaign of aggression” by Moscow, including accusations against Foreign Office staff.

Russia’s FSB security service said last week it had revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow after accusing them of spying and sabotage work, accusations Britain described as “malicious and completely baseless”.

“This pattern of behaviour is completely unacceptable, deeply unprofessional, and beneath the standards of conduct between states,” a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said, calling on Russia to “stop this activity immediately”.

“This is the latest development in a deliberate campaign by Russia to undermine and threaten UK security and democracy and deter our support for Ukraine, through disinformation, acts of sabotage in Europe and direct harassment and restrictions against our diplomatic missions in Russia,” they added.