The Russian assault on the last defenders at Mariupol’s steelworks will continue to hold back its plans to control the Donbas region, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. It is estimated around 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are underneath the Azovstal plant – the last pocket of resistance in a city almost completely destroyed. A few
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A British man who joined a controversial Ukrainian military unit says he is willing is spend the next year defending against Russia’s invasion – and he has not been deterred by the capture of other Britons. Mark Ayres has spent the past two months in Ukraine after joining the Azov Regiment, which has far-right origins
More than 300 civilians were evacuated from the ruined Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and the surrounding areas on Wednesday, the Red Cross has said. This includes “several dozen civilians” who left the besieged Azovstal steel plant and reached Zaporizhzhia during a five-day safe passage operation, the charity said in a statement. “We are relieved
The European Union has announced plans to ban Russian oil by the end of the year as part of a sixth package of sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the bloc’s parliament in Strasbourg that member states should cease to buy oil supplies within six
Russian forces have begun storming the steel mill containing the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol. The takeover began after evacuations from the bombed-out plant saw scores of Ukrainian survivors finally reaching safety following long days and nights holed up inside under constant shelling. One woman said the assault began “as soon as we were
Ukrainian troops will beat Russia and the country will “be free” from occupation, Boris Johnson has told Ukraine’s parliament – adding that it is a fight of “good versus evil”. The UK prime minister, who has become the first world leader to address Ukrainian MPs since Russia invaded in late February, said Ukraine had proven
The Ukrainian president’s top aide says he does not believe Moscow will launch a nuclear strike against his country because Russia’s decision-makers know they could end up dying in a global, nuclear war. Andriy Yermak also told Sky News he hoped Ukraine would “soon” defeat Russia’s invading forces and secure victory. Mr Yermak paid tribute
The man suspected of abducting Madeleine McCann insists he was many miles from the scene having sex in his camper van with a young woman who will back his alibi. Christian B says he drove the woman to the airport at Faro, Portugal, for a flight home the next day and they were stopped and
A long-awaited operation to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol is finally under way. Sviatoslav Palamar, the deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, said “a ceasefire has finally happened”. He said he hoped the evacuations from the steelworks continue until everyone in the plant, civilians and soldiers,
The United Nations is working to broker a civilian evacuation from the last defensive stronghold in the port city of Mariupol, as resistance in a steelworks continues to hold out. Ukrainian forces were fighting village by village to hold back a Russian advance through the country’s east on Saturday. About 100,000 civilians are still in
The contractions started after she learnt her husband, a Ukrainian border guard, had been killed by a Russian sniper. Viktoria Nazarenko, 34, gave birth to twin boys the next day. Joy overwhelmed by grief at the loss of Sergeant Bogdan Nazarenko, their father. “It’s all I have left from him – my babies and my
Moldova’s foreign minister has told Sky News that the future of his country and Europe depends on how the war in Ukraine ends. In a frank interview from his office in the capital Chisinau, Nicu Popescu revealed that: Moldova is on a “heightened state of alert” the future of Moldova and Europe rests on a
Russia is attempting to “empty” the Donbas of people and peace talks are in danger of collapsing, Ukraine’s president has claimed. Speaking in his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of carrying out “constant brutal bombardments” on buildings and residential areas of the eastern region of his country. He compared the barrage of attacks as
Two British aid workers who have reportedly been captured by Russian forces in Ukraine have been named. UK non-profit organisation Presidium Network said Paul Urey and Dylan Healey were captured on Monday. They are understood to have been captured at a checkpoint south of the city of Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine. Mr Urey has been
A British man has been killed in Ukraine and a second Briton is missing. Scott Sibley, 36, has been named as the Briton who died. Mr Sibley is the first British national confirmed to have been killed in Russia’s war in Ukraine. It is thought the pair could have been fighting against Russian troops as
A British army veteran has been killed and a second British man is missing after they were believed to have travelled to Ukraine to fight against Russia’s forces. Scott Sibley, 36, is the first British national confirmed to have died in the war. A friend described him as the bravest person he knew. Another said
Vladimir Putin has warned that any threats made by countries interfering in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be met with a “lightning-fast” reaction. In an address to the Council of Legislators in St Petersburg, the Russian leader said “all the objectives will definitely be carried out” in the Ukraine war. He said: “If someone intends
The US has urged its allies to move “heaven and earth” to keep Kyiv stocked with weapons – as Russian forces continue to rain fire on eastern and southern Ukraine. For the second day in a row, explosions also rocked the separatist region of Trans-Dniester in neighbouring Moldova, knocking out two powerful radio antennas close
Russia is suspending natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. Gas deliveries through the Yamal-Europe pipeline are set to come to a halt on Wednesday morning, officials in Warsaw said. Poland’s state gas company, PGNiG, said on Tuesday it had been told of the move by Russian gas giant Gazprom. Gazprom also informed Bulgarian state
The head of the United Nations has said his priority is to “minimise human suffering” in Ukraine as he begins talks in Russia today. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire “as soon as possible” ahead of a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, with the two men due to hold a news conference