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Russian commanders will be hunted down for war crimes if they follow Vladimir Putin’s orders in Ukraine, the justice secretary has warned. Dominic Raab said the UK is already planning to help identify and find fugitives suspected of war crimes. The UK and 37 other countries referred Russia on Wednesday to the International Criminal Court

Russian paratroopers stormed a military hospital in Kharkiv overnight – as forces close in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Fighting was ongoing overnight in Kharkiv and Kherson, while a long convoy of Russian military vehicles is now about 20 miles northwest of the capital, Kyiv. In Kharkiv, Russian paratroopers launched an airborne assault on

Andrey Kortunov is a respected foreign policy analyst and adviser to the Kremlin. He is no apologist for the Kremlin but is not afraid to defend its actions if he sees fit, and we are used to seeing him on our news doing so. Not today. Not after this invasion. In an extraordinary interview, he

Latest satellite images show a Russian military convoy stretching for about 40 miles – far bigger than initially thought – as troops close in on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. The images are from satellite technology company Maxar, and they also show evidence of fighting outside the city, including destroyed vehicles and a damaged bridge. Russian troops

Boris Johnson has said the UK will “continue to bring maximum pressure to bear” on Russia to ensure Vladimir Putin “feels the consequences” for invading Ukraine. Speaking ahead of travelling to Poland and Estonia on Tuesday, the prime minister said the UK and its allies are united in agreeing “Putin must fail”. Mr Johnson is

Russia is preparing to hold peace talks with Ukraine as fierce fighting continued into a fifth day without a breakthrough into a major city. Satellite images showed a more than three-mile-long Russian military convoy nearing Kyiv as Ukraine’s president warned of a “crucial” 24 hours. There were more Russian air attacks and fierce clashes between

Vladimir Putin has ordered that Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces are put on high alert. Mr Putin said aggressive statements by NATO leaders and economic sanctions against Moscow were behind the decision. Speaking on state television on Sunday, he said: “As you can see, not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures against our country in

Ukrainians in the country’s second biggest city Kharkiv have endured “heavy fighting” with Russian forces overnight after troops entered and blew up a gas pipeline there. Civilians are being told not to leave their homes while Ukrainian soldiers fight Russian forces in the streets. Russian missiles reportedly hit the pipeline in the early hours of Sunday,

Any rumour of a Russian advance, and hurriedly formed roadblocks suddenly appear on the streets of Kyiv.  The roadblocks are manned by Ukrainian soldiers, alongside them volunteers and reservists fill sandbags and build defences. It is starting to feel like the defence of the capital is taking on a character of its own: a character

Ukraine’s president has said his forces are still in control of Kyiv and is appealing to the country’s “friends” abroad to join the fight. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a fresh address on Saturday: “Everyone who can defend Ukraine abroad please do it directly in a united way. “Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned his country’s citizens that Russian troops are preparing to storm Kyiv, urging them “to stop the enemy wherever you can”. After unleashing airstrikes, Russian tanks rolled into Kyiv on Friday, and troops were descending on the capital from two fronts. In a message posted on social media, Mr Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Ukrainian troops “you are all we have” as he accused European countries of not doing enough to stop the Russian invasion. He said the Russian attack in Ukraine was like a repeat of the Second World War and called on European citizens to protest to force their governments to act

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has made him “target number one” in the wake of the country’s invasion, as he ordered a mass mobilisation decree which paves the way for civilians to take up arms against Vladimir Putin’s forces. The decree was signed at the end of a day of intense fighting on multiple

Ukraine’s president has declared “we are defending our country, we fight for our country and we protect our country” in a broadcast to his nation after Russia launched a military offensive overnight. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that weapons would be issued to any Ukrainian who wants one and appealed for blood donations for wounded soldiers. He

Ukraine has brought in emergency measures and told its citizens in Russia to flee the country as fears of a large-scale invasion by President Vladimir Putin’s troops mount. In further ominous signs, Moscow began evacuating its Kyiv embassy and the leaders of two Russian-backed separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine asked Mr Putin for military help

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is still open to diplomacy but will put its national security interests first. He said the country would continue to bolster its military amid a “difficult international situation”. In a video statement released to commemorate the annual Defender of the Fatherland Day, Mr Putin appeared to indirectly address the

Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked legislators for permission to use armed forces outside Russia – a move that could pave the way for a broader attack on Ukraine. On Monday, Moscow recognised the independence of Russian-backed rebel regions in eastern Ukraine. Some western leaders have said Russian troops had moved into Ukraine’s east –

Ukraine’s president has said the country is considering breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia after tanks were reportedly seen on the outskirts of Donetsk, the capital of one of two breakaway regions in the east. Speaking alongside his Estonian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was weighing a request from his foreign ministry to break

Vladimir Putin has declared he recognises the independence of two separatist regions in Ukraine – and there is now the heightened threat that Russian troops could enter the areas. The Russian president defied Western warnings against such a move over Luhansk and Donetsk, announcing it at the end of a TV address which lasted around

Russian frontline commanders have been given orders to begin final preparations for an attack on Ukraine, according to a US official. The intelligence is said to have informed the White House’s belief that Moscow intends to commence a “full-scale assault” very soon. In a potential breakthrough, Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have