The treeline gives a little respite from the blazing sun and cover for the soldiers on the frontline. A spotter crouches, binoculars to his eyes, scanning the woods in the distance for movement. The Russian forces are close. Each side knows where the other is; the Russians used to occupy this small camp until they
World
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered his ministers to do “everything in their power” to secure the release of two Britons captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine and sentenced to death. Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were captured in Mariupol in April during the intense fight for control of the port city and were
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
A Paris police chief has apologised for tear-gassing Liverpool fans at the Champions League final, adding “maybe I was wrong”. Some supporters were pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed as they tried to enter the Stade de France for the game between Liverpool and Real Madrid. Speaking at the French Senate on Thursday, police chief Didier Lallement said
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
Fourteen children were injured and their teacher killed when a car was driven into a crowd of people in a busy Berlin street, German police have said. The children were from the central German state of Hesse. “Their teacher died at the scene,” Berlin police wrote on Twitter. “Their loved ones have been informed and
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
Angelina Jolie “sought to inflict harm” on her former husband Brad Pitt by selling her stake in a vineyard they co-owned to a Russian oligarch, legal documents claim. The sale helped launch a “hostile” takeover of the wine business that the Fight Club actor had “carefully built” and forced him into partnership with “a stranger
Russia has begun handing over the remains of Ukrainian fighters killed in the Azovstal steelworks, the scene of the last stand in the battle for Mariupol. Dozens of bodies from the complex and its maze of tunnels are being taken to Kyiv for DNA testing, according to an Azov Regiment spokeswoman and one of its
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
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
Ukraine’s defence minister has said it is “possible” that the war with Russia could be over by the end of this year. Oleksiy Reznikov was speaking at an international security forum just hours after the war entered its 100th day. He said: “Russia continues to make efforts to occupy our entire state. “It is currently
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
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