World

Screaming overhead and flying low to avoid detection, we watch as Ukrainian jets head to the frontline battle in Severodonetsk. In recent days it feels like there’s been a change of atmosphere here in the Donbas – a sense of urgency, a sense that the Russians have momentum. Driving through towns and villages here in

Canada is poised to become the first country in the world to require a health warning be printed on every cigarette. It follows the inclusion of graphic photo warnings on tobacco products’ packaging – a policy that started an international trend when it was introduced two decades ago. The UK introduced the same in 2008.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has raised the issue of two British men sentenced to death by a Russian-backed court with her Ukrainian counterpart. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was said to be “appalled” by the sentences handed to Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner and has ordered ministers to do “everything in their power” to secure their

Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner are accused of being mercenaries, Russian state media says, and have been sentenced to death. They were captured in Mariupol in April during the intense fight for control of the port city, before appearing in court in the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). It is understood they have admitted

It’s blisteringly hot. We watch as dozens wait in line for the station gates to be opened, for their chance to get on a train to safety. We have seen over and over again since the start of the war in Ukraine. But it doesn’t get any easier. In the Donbas, Russian soldiers are bearing

Ukraine’s president says the fate of the Donbas hinges on “very brutal” fighting in Sievierodonetsk, a city that’s emerged as a key battleground in recent weeks. Russia is laying siege to the eastern city as it pursues its aim of capturing the sprawling Donbas region. “This is a very brutal battle, very tough, perhaps one

Two Britons who were captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine could face 20 years in prison, according to a video shared by Russian state media. Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, were detained in April before reportedly appearing in court in the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The pair are understood to

A vehicle has driven into a crowd in western Berlin, injuring about 30 people, according to emergency services. One person died in the city centre incident involving a small Renault car, Germany’s Bild newspaper reported. A man believed to be the driver of the vehicle has been detained, Berlin police said. It is unclear whether

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and blockade of its ports is having a direct impact on food crises around the world, say charities. The World Food Programme has highlighted the impact on Somalia in particular. Spokesperson Petroc Wilton told Sky News the war is making a terrible situation even worse. He said: “Food prices were already

Reports of heavy shelling near Izyum in the east of Ukraine suggests Russia is preparing to make a renewed effort on the northern axis, Britain’s defence ministry has said. In a tweet it said that Russia’s progress made through May on the southern Popasna axis has stalled over the last week and that the country

Western unity is being strained by the economic impact of the war in Ukraine, the prime minister of Estonia has warned. Kaja Kallas has been nicknamed the Iron Lady of Estonia for her hard line with Russia. She told diplomatic correspondents in London: “The unity is always so very hard to keep. I am happy

Ten months after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan and promised “amnesty for all”, data suggests they are the largest perpetrators of violence against civilians in the country – killing at least 341 people. Since 15 August 2021 – when the capital Kabul fell – the Armed Conflict Location and Event Project (ACLED) has recorded

The UK will send a “cutting edge” rocket system to Ukraine to help troops fight back Russia’s advance in the embattled east of the country, in defiance of a threat from Vladimir Putin. The M270 multiple-launch rocket system is now heading to the battlefield, despite Mr Putin’s warning that the provision of longer-range missiles would

More than 50 people are feared dead after gunmen opened fire on worshippers at a Catholic church in Nigeria. The attackers targeted the St Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo in the southwestern state of Ondo just as worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday, state politician Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole said. Authorities did not immediately release

Kyiv was rocked by multiple explosions overnight after weeks of relative calm in Ukraine’s capital, the city’s mayor said. At least one person was hospitalised but no deaths had been reported as of early Sunday, Vitali Klitschko said. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said the bombardment was Russia resorting to “new insidious attacks” and hit

Behind a straggly row of eucalyptus trees a monstrous pit has cleaved the countryside in two. Mountains of slag line the edges of a black hole and the largest trucks you’ve ever seen remove layers of earth to reach the precious commodity beneath: coal. We’re in Australia’s Hunter Valley, a region rich in natural resources.

Ukrainian troops have recaptured a chunk of the city of Severodonetsk – a main focus of the Russian offensive and the site of heavy fighting – it is claimed. Serhiy Hayday, governor of Luhansk region, said Ukrainian forces have retaken 20% of the territory they had lost in the factory city as the conflict in

Through the dust I can see the brake lights of a van we are following, light up. It’s another checkpoint. We’d been through six or seven already as we headed towards the frontline of the Ukrainian forces, northeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine‘s second-largest city. I suddenly bolted upright. The checkpoint was being manned by a group

Boghdanivka is a small farming village on the road north from Kyiv to Chernihiv, just east of the Dnipro river. For many weeks in March and April, it was occupied by Russian soldiers as they tried to advance on the capital Kyiv, before retreating, defeated. They left behind memories of rampant depravity, torture and families

The war in Ukraine has entered its 100th day, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admits that Russia now controls about 20% of the country. Mr Zelenskyy was speaking to the parliament in Luxembourg when he said that the area controlled by Russia was larger than Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg combined, adding that “tens of thousands”