Ukraine-Russia war live: Five-hour air raid sirens in the east after Kyiv downs warplane in Donetsk

Russia launched 87 attack drones and four missiles overnight targeting Ukrainian territory, Ukraine‘s air force said

Trump claims he could end Russia-Ukraine war as he meets with Zelensky

Russian air attacks on Ukraine kept the eastern half of the country under air raid alert for more than five hours, the Ukrainian military has said.

Moscow launched several waves of strikes targeting Kyiv, Odesa and other cities, according to the military.

The Ukrainian military shot down 56 out of at least 87 drones launched by Russia over various regions of the country, the air force said.

“The enemy once again used its drones against Kyiv overnight!" Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on Telegram. "Russian drones entered the capital of Ukraine in several waves and from different directions."

All the air weapons were destroyed on their approach and, according to preliminary information, there were no reports of damage or injuries, Popko said.

Air raid alerts for the capital and its region was announced three times during the night, totalling more than five hours, Mr Popko added.

It comes as Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane near the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk province.

Photos showed charred remains of an aircraft after it landed on a house that caught fire.

Key Points

• Russia launched 87 drones and four missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian air force says
• Ukrainian forces down Russian bomber in Donetsk region
• Zelensky prepares to present ‘victory plan’ to world leaders
• Russia claims gains in the eastern Ukraine
• Russia knocked out most infrastructure in Ukraine's Pokrovsk

[4 October 2024 17:33 · Jabed Ahmed]

Former Nato chief says he regrets not providing Ukraine with support earlier

Former Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has said he regrets the alliance did not provide military support to Ukraine earlier.

“If there’s anything I in a way regret and see much more clearly now is that we should have provided Ukraine with much more military support much earlier,” he told the Financial Times.

“I think we all have to admit, we should have given them more weapons pre-invasion. And we should have given them more advanced weapons, faster, after the invasion. I take my part of the responsibility.”

Mr Stoltenberg also said Nato had called Putin’s “bluff” after “crossing all those so-called red lines” the Russian President had put up.

Putin has constantly threatened Nato and Ukraine’s Western allies to not interfere with Russia’s invasion, often with nuclear threats.