Ukraine-Russia war latest: At least 23 injured in Kharkiv missile strike as Putin launches mass drone attack
Russian drone attack appears to be among largest of the war so far, as Ukraine targets oil depot
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Your support makes all the difference.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.
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US Air Force says drones spotted near 3 bases in England last week
The US Air Force has said that a number of small drones were detected last week around three bases in eastern England used by American forces.
The drones were spotted between Wednesday and Friday near RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell. They were actively monitored after they were seen in the vicinity of and over the three bases, U.S. Air Forces Europe said in a statement.
The Air Force didn’t identify who was behind the incursions, but said base officials determined there was no impact on residents or critical infrastructure.
US Air Force says drones spotted near 3 bases in England last week
The U.S. Air Force says a number of small drones were detected last week around three bases in eastern England that are used by American forces
James Scott Rhys Anderson: Who is ex-British soldier captured in Russia’s Kursk region?
James Scott Rhys Anderson, who says he is a former British soldier, has been captured in Russia’s Kursk region while fighting for Ukraine, according to Russian state media.
The 22-year-old man’s father told the Daily Mail he feared his son would be tortured, while the UK Foreign Office confirmed it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention”.
His capture would mark one of the first known cases of a Western national being captured on Russian soil while fighting for Ukraine.
So, who is Mr Anderson, and how did this man come to be captured by Russian forces?
Who is the former British soldier captured in Russia’s Kursk region?
The father of the man identifying himself as a 22-year-old former British signalman says his son joined the army at 17 and later served with the police before going to fight for Ukraine
Turkey’s Erdogan and Nato chief discuss ways to end Ukraine war, Ankara says
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan and Nato chief Mark Rutte discussed possible ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine during talks in Ankara on Monday, the Turkish presidency has said.
“During the meeting, what can be done to end the Ukraine-Russia war and the massacre in Palestine were discussed,” the presidency said on X.
Watch: Ukrainian boxer Klitschko accuses Joe Rogan of pushing Russian propaganda
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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:
UK spies ‘watching’ Russia amid cyber warfare fears, minister to warn
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’
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.
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