Deserters are often shot - maybe it was a choice to either fight and potentially live or die immediately.
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Contact the PP Team
The Russian invasion of Ukraine
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finalfantasy7
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you indians do come up with a load off rubbish, hes not surrounded by russians 24/7 even if he went into combat by so called force, he can run away, russians wont be chasing after him either - they know he's usless
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Zelensky plans to meet Trump on Sunday for talks on ending Russian war
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida at the weekend, as talks continue on ending Russia's full-scale war.
Zelensky said he expected the meeting to take place on Sunday and to focus on a US-brokered 20-point peace plan, as well as separate proposals for US security guarantees.
However, in a sign of the gulf between Moscow and Kyiv, a senior Russian official said that plan was "radically different" to the one it was negotiating with Washington.
Russia has spoken of "slow but steady progress" in talks but has not commented on Zelensky's offer to withdraw troops from the eastern Donbas, if Russia pulls back too.
www.bbc.com
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida at the weekend, as talks continue on ending Russia's full-scale war.
Zelensky said he expected the meeting to take place on Sunday and to focus on a US-brokered 20-point peace plan, as well as separate proposals for US security guarantees.
However, in a sign of the gulf between Moscow and Kyiv, a senior Russian official said that plan was "radically different" to the one it was negotiating with Washington.
Russia has spoken of "slow but steady progress" in talks but has not commented on Zelensky's offer to withdraw troops from the eastern Donbas, if Russia pulls back too.
Zelensky plans to meet Trump on Sunday for talks on peace deal
The Ukrainian leader says he will see the US president in Florida and believes "a lot can be decided before the new year".
www.bbc.com
I'm British Pakistani so try again.
Read the article and make a more informed view of the situation.
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Thousands without power in Kyiv after massive Russian attack
A third of residents in Ukraine's capital Kyiv are without power after a "massive bombing" of residential areas and critical infrastructure by Russia overnight, Ukraine's foreign minister has said.
Andrii Sybiha said residents had been left without heating in freezing winter temperatures.
At least one person was killed and 30 others were injured in the strikes, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said.
The attacks happened hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky departed for Florida, where he will meet Donald Trump on Sunday for peace talks.
Russia's ministry of defence said it had launched a "massive retaliatory strike" on Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities.
It said it used long-range, land-, air-, and sea-based precision weapons to target the facilities, which it claimed were being used "in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex".
Following the strikes, Zelensky repeated his claim that Russia does "not want to end the war and is trying to use every opportunity to inflict more pain on Ukraine".
Writing on Telegram, Zelensky said Russia directed almost 500 drones and 40 missiles towards Kyiv, targeting energy and civilian infrastructure.
The apartment block of BBC journalist Anastasiya Gribanova was struck, leaving some homes on the higher levels of the high-rise building in flames. Gribanova, who was in the building's elevator at the time, was unharmed.
Reuters A firefighter works at a residential building that is ablazeReuters
A house in Kyiv was also hit, Ukraine's emergency services said
Ukraine's State Emergency Service said that 68 people were evacuated from a retirement home in the eastern Darnytskyi district.
"Russian representatives are having long conversations, but in reality the Daggers [missiles] and Shaheds [drones] are speaking for them," Zelensky wrote on Telegram, saying that Vladimir Putin does not want to end the war.
"This sick activity can only be responded to with really strong steps. America has this opportunity, Europe has this opportunity, many of our partners have this opportunity," he wrote, urging allies to show strength against Russian aggression.
The strikes saw Poland, which shares a 530km-long (320-miles) border with western Ukraine, ready its fighter jets, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance.
The move was "aimed at securing and protecting the airspace, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened regions," Poland's Armed Forces said.
Later on Saturday morning, it concluded that there had been no violation of the country's airspace.
Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said its air defences destroyed seven Ukrainian drones overnight.
On Saturday, Zelensky, EU leaders and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are expected to hold a phone call to discuss the road to peace.
Zelensky's new 20-point draft is a revised version of an earlier 28-point plan which was drafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but widely seen as being too favourable to Russia.
The Ukrainian president has voiced optimism around the new draft, describing it as "a foundational document on ending the war", but Trump warned that Zelensky "doesn't have anything until I approve it" in an interview with Politico.
The draft reportedly includes security guarantees from the US, Nato and European allies for a co-ordinated military response if Russia were to invade Ukraine again.
Control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas has been a sticking point in talks so far, but now Zelensky has said a "free economic zone" could be an option.
Trump told Politico that he was expecting to see the new draft on Sunday.
"I think it's going to go good with him. I think it's going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin," Trump said in the interview, adding that he expects to speak with Russia's president "soon".
Thousands without power in Kyiv after massive Russian attack
Authorities say a third of residents in the Ukrainian capital have been left without heating in freezing weather.
www.bbc.com
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Ukraine 'not in a hurry' to end war peacefully, says Putin
Putin in military camouflage clothing sitting in a leather chair
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he can see that Ukraine's leaders "are not in a hurry" to end the war using peaceful means.
He also says that if Kyiv is "unwilling to resolve this [conflict] peacefully" then Russia will resolve it "through a special military operation by force".
The comments were made while the Russian premier was visiting an unspecified military command post.
Source: BBC
Putin in military camouflage clothing sitting in a leather chair
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he can see that Ukraine's leaders "are not in a hurry" to end the war using peaceful means.
He also says that if Kyiv is "unwilling to resolve this [conflict] peacefully" then Russia will resolve it "through a special military operation by force".
The comments were made while the Russian premier was visiting an unspecified military command post.
Source: BBC
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Zelensky says Russia 'doesn't want peace', ahead of Florida meeting with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, for the latest round of talks aimed at ending nearly four years of war with Russia.
The pair will discuss an updated version of a US-brokered peace plan, which Moscow is yet to support, as well as separate proposals for US security guarantees.
Their meeting at Trump's Mar-a-lago home follows intense Russian bombardment of Kyiv over the weekend, which the Ukrainian president said is evidence that Moscow "doesn't want peace".
The 10-hour missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine's capital killed two people and left 32 others injured, local authorities said.
Zelensky is expected to raise security guarantees and territorial concessions for Ukraine in his Sunday meeting with Trump, both of which are issues that Russia has previously been unwilling to compromise on.
They will also discuss the new 20-point peace plan, a revised version of the earlier 28-point plan drafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff which was widely seen as being too favourable to Russia.
Control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas has been a major sticking point in talks so far, but Zelensky has now said a "free economic zone" could be an option.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The regions are collectively known as Donbas.
The Kremlin has not commented on Zelensky's offer to withdraw troops from the eastern Donbas region, if Russia pulls back too.
But on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine was "in no hurry to resolve this conflict peacefully", according to the Russian news agency TASS.
Putin added that if Kyiv did not want to resolve the conflict peacefully, Russia would accomplis
The Ukrainian president has voiced optimism about the new draft of the peace plan, describing it as "a foundational document on ending the war".
On Friday, he told reporters that the 20-point plan was 90% complete: "Our task is to make sure everything is 100% ready."
But in an interview with Politico, Trump warned that Zelensky "doesn't have anything until I approve it".
Trump added that he was expecting to see the new draft on Sunday.
"I think it's going to go good with him. I think it's going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin," Trump said in the interview, adding that he expects to speak with Russia's president "soon".
Following meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Zelensky said Moscow's latest attack on Kyiv was "Russia's answer [to] our peace efforts and this really shows that Putin doesn't want peace".
Zelensky also took a call with European leaders to discuss diplomatic "priorities" ahead of his meeting with Trump, adding that "strong positions are needed" to move forward with the plan.
Kyiv has the "full support" of European and Nato leaders, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Ukrainian officials said that Russia's latest attack on Kyiv caused significant damage to energy infrastructure, with 40% of residential buildings in Kyiv and nearby districts left without heating.
Russia's defence ministry said long-range precision weapons were used to target energy facilities, which it claimed were being used "in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex".
Russia directed almost 500 drones and 40 missiles towards Kyiv, targeting energy and civilian infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials.
Pictures showed gaping holes in apartment buildings and homes on fire following the strikes.
The apartment block of BBC journalist Anastasiya Gribanova was struck, leaving some homes on the higher levels of the high-rise building in flames. Gribanova, who was in the building's elevator at the time, was unharmed.
The attack saw Poland, which shares a 530km-long (320 miles) border with western Ukraine, ready its fighter jets, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance.
Later on Saturday morning, it concluded that there had been no violation of the country's airspace.
Russia's defence ministry said its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed almost 200 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions, including eight over Moscow.
BBC
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, for the latest round of talks aimed at ending nearly four years of war with Russia.
The pair will discuss an updated version of a US-brokered peace plan, which Moscow is yet to support, as well as separate proposals for US security guarantees.
Their meeting at Trump's Mar-a-lago home follows intense Russian bombardment of Kyiv over the weekend, which the Ukrainian president said is evidence that Moscow "doesn't want peace".
The 10-hour missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine's capital killed two people and left 32 others injured, local authorities said.
Zelensky is expected to raise security guarantees and territorial concessions for Ukraine in his Sunday meeting with Trump, both of which are issues that Russia has previously been unwilling to compromise on.
They will also discuss the new 20-point peace plan, a revised version of the earlier 28-point plan drafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff which was widely seen as being too favourable to Russia.
Control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas has been a major sticking point in talks so far, but Zelensky has now said a "free economic zone" could be an option.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The regions are collectively known as Donbas.
The Kremlin has not commented on Zelensky's offer to withdraw troops from the eastern Donbas region, if Russia pulls back too.
But on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine was "in no hurry to resolve this conflict peacefully", according to the Russian news agency TASS.
Putin added that if Kyiv did not want to resolve the conflict peacefully, Russia would accomplis
The Ukrainian president has voiced optimism about the new draft of the peace plan, describing it as "a foundational document on ending the war".
On Friday, he told reporters that the 20-point plan was 90% complete: "Our task is to make sure everything is 100% ready."
But in an interview with Politico, Trump warned that Zelensky "doesn't have anything until I approve it".
Trump added that he was expecting to see the new draft on Sunday.
"I think it's going to go good with him. I think it's going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin," Trump said in the interview, adding that he expects to speak with Russia's president "soon".
Following meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Zelensky said Moscow's latest attack on Kyiv was "Russia's answer [to] our peace efforts and this really shows that Putin doesn't want peace".
Zelensky also took a call with European leaders to discuss diplomatic "priorities" ahead of his meeting with Trump, adding that "strong positions are needed" to move forward with the plan.
Kyiv has the "full support" of European and Nato leaders, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Ukrainian officials said that Russia's latest attack on Kyiv caused significant damage to energy infrastructure, with 40% of residential buildings in Kyiv and nearby districts left without heating.
Russia's defence ministry said long-range precision weapons were used to target energy facilities, which it claimed were being used "in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex".
Russia directed almost 500 drones and 40 missiles towards Kyiv, targeting energy and civilian infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials.
Pictures showed gaping holes in apartment buildings and homes on fire following the strikes.
The apartment block of BBC journalist Anastasiya Gribanova was struck, leaving some homes on the higher levels of the high-rise building in flames. Gribanova, who was in the building's elevator at the time, was unharmed.
The attack saw Poland, which shares a 530km-long (320 miles) border with western Ukraine, ready its fighter jets, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance.
Later on Saturday morning, it concluded that there had been no violation of the country's airspace.
Russia's defence ministry said its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed almost 200 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions, including eight over Moscow.
BBC
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Ukraine denies drone attack on Putin's residence
President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied allegations by Russia that Ukraine launched a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Kyiv had launched an attack overnight using 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Putin's state residence in Russia's northwestern Novgorod region.
Russia said it would now review its position in peace negotiations.
Zelensky dismissed the claim as "typical Russian lies", intended to give the Kremlin an excuse to continue attacks on Ukraine. He said that Russia had previously targeted government buildings in Kyiv.
www.bbc.com
President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied allegations by Russia that Ukraine launched a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Kyiv had launched an attack overnight using 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Putin's state residence in Russia's northwestern Novgorod region.
Russia said it would now review its position in peace negotiations.
Zelensky dismissed the claim as "typical Russian lies", intended to give the Kremlin an excuse to continue attacks on Ukraine. He said that Russia had previously targeted government buildings in Kyiv.
Ukraine denies drone attack on Putin's residence
Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting a presidential residence, which President Zelensky called "typical Russian lies".
www.bbc.com
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Russia's losses in Ukraine rise faster than ever, as US pushes for peace deal
Over the past 10 months, Russian losses in the war with Ukraine have been growing faster than any time since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, BBC analysis suggests.
As peace efforts intensified in 2025 under pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration, 40% more obituaries of soldiers were published in Russian sources compared with the previous year.
Overall, the BBC has confirmed the names of almost 160,000 people killed fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine.
BBC News Russian has been counting Russian war losses together with independent outlet Mediazona and a group of volunteers since February 2022. We keep a list of named individuals whose deaths we were able to confirm using official reports, newspapers, social media, and new memorials and graves.
The real death toll is believed to be much higher, and military experts we have consulted believe our analysis of cemeteries, war memorials and obituaries might represent 45-65% of the total.
That would put the number of Russian deaths at between 243,000 and 352,000.
The number of obituaries for any given period is a preliminary estimate of the confirmed losses, as some need additional verification and will eventually be discarded. But it can indicate how the intensity of fighting is changing over time.
2025 starts with a relatively low number of published obituaries in January, compared with the previous months. Then the number rises in February, when Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked directly for the first time about ending the war in Ukraine.
The next peak in August coincides with the two presidents meeting each other in Alaska, a diplomatic coup for Putin that was widely seen as an end to his international isolation.
In October, when a planned second Russia-US summit was eventually shelved, and then in November, when the US presented a 28-point peace proposal, an average of 322 obituaries were published per day - twice the average in 2024.
It is difficult to put increased Russian losses down to any one factor, but the Kremlin sees territorial gains as a way of influencing negotiations with the US in its favour: Putin aide Yuri Ushakov stressed recently that "recent successes" had had a positive impact.
Murat Mukashev was among those who gambled on a quick peace deal, and it cost him his life.
Mukashev was an activist who had never supported Putin's policies.
Over the years, he had taken part in demonstrations against police violence and torture, and joined rallies for LGBT rights and the release of Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin's main opponent who died in prison in 2024.
He had repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine on social media from 2022. Then, in early 2024, Mukashev was detained near his home in Moscow and charged with large-scale drug dealing.
While his case was being tried he was offered a contract with the defence ministry, according to his friends and family.
They saw the heavy charges levelled against him as a typical ploy to get people to sign up. A 2024 law allows the accused a way out of a criminal conviction if they join up - an attractive option in a country with an acquittal rate of less than 1%.
Mukashev refused the offer, and the court sentenced him to 10 years in a high-security penal colony.
In prison in November 2024, he changed his mind. Friends said he was encouraged by Trump's promises to end the war quickly and decided he needed to sign up as soon as possible to secure his release before a peace deal was reached.
"He saw this as a chance to be released instead of being imprisoned for 10 years of strict regime," reads a statement from his support group.
There was no explanation of how he reconciled taking part in the war with his reluctance to kill.
On June 11 2025, Mukashev died fighting as part of an assault squad in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine.
Like him, the majority of Russians killed at the front in 2025 had nothing to do with the military at the start of the full-scale war, BBC figures show.
But since the bloody battle for the city of Avdiivka in October 2023, there has been a steady increase in casualties among so-called "volunteers" - those who have voluntarily signed a contract since the start of the invasion.
They now appear to form the majority of Russia's new recruits, as opposed to professional soldiers who joined the army before the invasion or those mobilised for military service afterwards.
A year ago 15% of Russian military deaths were volunteers, but in 2025 it was one in three.
Local governments, under pressure to maintain a constant flow of new recruits, advertise hefty pay-outs, meet people who have large debts and campaign in universities and colleges.
This means that the Kremlin has been able to compensate for heavy losses at the front while avoiding the politically risky move of a large-scale mandatory mobilisation.
By October, 336,000 people had signed up for the military this year, according to National Security Council deputy chief Dmitry Medvedev - well over 30,000 a month.
Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte has since said that 25,000 Russian soldiers are being killed every month. If both are right, Russia is still recruiting more soldiers than it is losing.
Based on obituaries and relatives' accounts, most of those who signed up to fight did so voluntarily; but there are reports of pressure and coercion, especially on regular conscripts and those charged with criminal offences.
Some recruits mistakenly believe that after they have signed up for a year they can return to their old life with money in their pockets.
A new recruit can earn up to 10m roubles (£95,000; $128,000) in a year. In reality all contracts signed with the defence ministry since September 2022 are automatically renewed until the war is over.
According to Nato, the total number of Russian dead and wounded in the war is 1.1 million, and one official has estimated there have been 250,000 fatalities.
This is in line with the BBC's calculations, although our list does not include those killed serving in the militia of two occupied regions in eastern Ukraine, which we estimate to be between 21,000 and 23,500 fighters.
Ukraine has also sustained heavy losses.
Last February, President Volodymyr Zelensky put the number of battlefield deaths at 46,000 and 380,000 others wounded.
Tens of thousands more were either missing in action or held captive, he added.
Based on other estimates and cross-referencing data, we believe the number of Ukrainians killed by now is as high as 140,000.
BBC
Over the past 10 months, Russian losses in the war with Ukraine have been growing faster than any time since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, BBC analysis suggests.
As peace efforts intensified in 2025 under pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration, 40% more obituaries of soldiers were published in Russian sources compared with the previous year.
Overall, the BBC has confirmed the names of almost 160,000 people killed fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine.
BBC News Russian has been counting Russian war losses together with independent outlet Mediazona and a group of volunteers since February 2022. We keep a list of named individuals whose deaths we were able to confirm using official reports, newspapers, social media, and new memorials and graves.
The real death toll is believed to be much higher, and military experts we have consulted believe our analysis of cemeteries, war memorials and obituaries might represent 45-65% of the total.
That would put the number of Russian deaths at between 243,000 and 352,000.
The number of obituaries for any given period is a preliminary estimate of the confirmed losses, as some need additional verification and will eventually be discarded. But it can indicate how the intensity of fighting is changing over time.
2025 starts with a relatively low number of published obituaries in January, compared with the previous months. Then the number rises in February, when Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked directly for the first time about ending the war in Ukraine.
The next peak in August coincides with the two presidents meeting each other in Alaska, a diplomatic coup for Putin that was widely seen as an end to his international isolation.
In October, when a planned second Russia-US summit was eventually shelved, and then in November, when the US presented a 28-point peace proposal, an average of 322 obituaries were published per day - twice the average in 2024.
It is difficult to put increased Russian losses down to any one factor, but the Kremlin sees territorial gains as a way of influencing negotiations with the US in its favour: Putin aide Yuri Ushakov stressed recently that "recent successes" had had a positive impact.
Murat Mukashev was among those who gambled on a quick peace deal, and it cost him his life.
Mukashev was an activist who had never supported Putin's policies.
Over the years, he had taken part in demonstrations against police violence and torture, and joined rallies for LGBT rights and the release of Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin's main opponent who died in prison in 2024.
He had repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine on social media from 2022. Then, in early 2024, Mukashev was detained near his home in Moscow and charged with large-scale drug dealing.
While his case was being tried he was offered a contract with the defence ministry, according to his friends and family.
They saw the heavy charges levelled against him as a typical ploy to get people to sign up. A 2024 law allows the accused a way out of a criminal conviction if they join up - an attractive option in a country with an acquittal rate of less than 1%.
Mukashev refused the offer, and the court sentenced him to 10 years in a high-security penal colony.
In prison in November 2024, he changed his mind. Friends said he was encouraged by Trump's promises to end the war quickly and decided he needed to sign up as soon as possible to secure his release before a peace deal was reached.
"He saw this as a chance to be released instead of being imprisoned for 10 years of strict regime," reads a statement from his support group.
There was no explanation of how he reconciled taking part in the war with his reluctance to kill.
On June 11 2025, Mukashev died fighting as part of an assault squad in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine.
Like him, the majority of Russians killed at the front in 2025 had nothing to do with the military at the start of the full-scale war, BBC figures show.
But since the bloody battle for the city of Avdiivka in October 2023, there has been a steady increase in casualties among so-called "volunteers" - those who have voluntarily signed a contract since the start of the invasion.
They now appear to form the majority of Russia's new recruits, as opposed to professional soldiers who joined the army before the invasion or those mobilised for military service afterwards.
A year ago 15% of Russian military deaths were volunteers, but in 2025 it was one in three.
Local governments, under pressure to maintain a constant flow of new recruits, advertise hefty pay-outs, meet people who have large debts and campaign in universities and colleges.
This means that the Kremlin has been able to compensate for heavy losses at the front while avoiding the politically risky move of a large-scale mandatory mobilisation.
By October, 336,000 people had signed up for the military this year, according to National Security Council deputy chief Dmitry Medvedev - well over 30,000 a month.
Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte has since said that 25,000 Russian soldiers are being killed every month. If both are right, Russia is still recruiting more soldiers than it is losing.
Based on obituaries and relatives' accounts, most of those who signed up to fight did so voluntarily; but there are reports of pressure and coercion, especially on regular conscripts and those charged with criminal offences.
Some recruits mistakenly believe that after they have signed up for a year they can return to their old life with money in their pockets.
A new recruit can earn up to 10m roubles (£95,000; $128,000) in a year. In reality all contracts signed with the defence ministry since September 2022 are automatically renewed until the war is over.
According to Nato, the total number of Russian dead and wounded in the war is 1.1 million, and one official has estimated there have been 250,000 fatalities.
This is in line with the BBC's calculations, although our list does not include those killed serving in the militia of two occupied regions in eastern Ukraine, which we estimate to be between 21,000 and 23,500 fighters.
Ukraine has also sustained heavy losses.
Last February, President Volodymyr Zelensky put the number of battlefield deaths at 46,000 and 380,000 others wounded.
Tens of thousands more were either missing in action or held captive, he added.
Based on other estimates and cross-referencing data, we believe the number of Ukrainians killed by now is as high as 140,000.
BBC
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- Aug 29, 2023
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- 42,218
Zelensky says peace deal is 90% ready in New Year address
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said a peace agreement to end the war with Russia is "90% ready", in a New Year address that largely focused on resistance to Moscow's full-scale invasion.
Zelensky said the remaining 10% of the agreement to end nearly four years of conflict would "determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".
In his own New Year speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his troops that "we believe in you and our victory".
Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow also released what it said was evidence of Ukraine using drones to target Putin's private home on Lake Valdai in north-west Russia, allegations Kyiv has strenuously denied.
It included a map allegedly showing that the drones were launched from the Sumy and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine and a video of a downed drone lying in snowy woodland. A serviceman standing next to the wreckage claims it is a Ukrainian Chaklun drone.
The BBC hasn't been able to verify the footage, and it is not possible to locate where it was shot.
Russia would review its position on the ongoing peace negotiations as a result of the alleged incident, the Kremlin said.
However, Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, on Wednesday described the Russian claims as a "deliberate distraction" and an attempt to derail the peace process.
In his 20-minute address to the nation, Zelensky said that Ukraine did not want peace "at any cost", adding that "we want the end of the war – not the end of Ukraine".
He said that a Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region means "everything will be over", a reference to Russia's maximalist demand that Moscow secure full control of the industrial area in any peace agreement.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions are known collectively as Donbas.
Its fate has been a major obstacle throughout negotiations, with Russia consistently unwilling to compromise on its aim to seize full control of Donbas.
In the address, Zelensky thanked leaders that have supported Ukraine, but said that "intentions must become security guarantees, and therefore - be ratified".
Following talks between Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Florida earlier this week, the Ukrainian leader said Washington had offered security guarantees for 15 years - but a time frame for their implementation is not yet clear.
"Signatures under weak agreements only fuel war," Zelensky said in his address. "Either the world stops Russia's war, or Russia drags the world into its war."
By comparison, Putin's New Year address was much shorter.
Addressing the war in Ukraine, which Moscow describes as a "special military operation", Putin said: "We strive to bring joy and warmth through our care for those in need of support and, of course, to stand by our heroes – the participants in the special military operation – in both word and deed."
Separately, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used his New Year message to praise the "invincible alliance" between Pyongyang and Moscow, while praising soldiers who are fighting in "alien lands".
North Korea has sent thousands of troops to aid Russia in its invasion, along with missiles and long-range weapons, South Korean officials have said.
At least 600 of those soldiers have died, according to South Korean estimates.
Zelensky has expressed a desire for peace negotiations to resume and accelerate this month with the involvement of both US and European officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron said European states and allies who are due to meet in Paris on 6 January "will make concrete commitments to protect Ukraine and ensure a just and lasting peace on our European continent".
On Wednesday, Trump's advisers held talks with Zelensky and national security advisers from the UK, France and Germany about ending the war in Ukraine.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said they discussed "strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart".
But any deal will ultimately need Russian buy-in, which does not seem forthcoming - and which the alleged drone incident over Putin's residence may have pushed further into the distance.
BBC
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said a peace agreement to end the war with Russia is "90% ready", in a New Year address that largely focused on resistance to Moscow's full-scale invasion.
Zelensky said the remaining 10% of the agreement to end nearly four years of conflict would "determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".
In his own New Year speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his troops that "we believe in you and our victory".
Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow also released what it said was evidence of Ukraine using drones to target Putin's private home on Lake Valdai in north-west Russia, allegations Kyiv has strenuously denied.
It included a map allegedly showing that the drones were launched from the Sumy and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine and a video of a downed drone lying in snowy woodland. A serviceman standing next to the wreckage claims it is a Ukrainian Chaklun drone.
The BBC hasn't been able to verify the footage, and it is not possible to locate where it was shot.
Russia would review its position on the ongoing peace negotiations as a result of the alleged incident, the Kremlin said.
However, Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, on Wednesday described the Russian claims as a "deliberate distraction" and an attempt to derail the peace process.
In his 20-minute address to the nation, Zelensky said that Ukraine did not want peace "at any cost", adding that "we want the end of the war – not the end of Ukraine".
He said that a Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region means "everything will be over", a reference to Russia's maximalist demand that Moscow secure full control of the industrial area in any peace agreement.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions are known collectively as Donbas.
Its fate has been a major obstacle throughout negotiations, with Russia consistently unwilling to compromise on its aim to seize full control of Donbas.
In the address, Zelensky thanked leaders that have supported Ukraine, but said that "intentions must become security guarantees, and therefore - be ratified".
Following talks between Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Florida earlier this week, the Ukrainian leader said Washington had offered security guarantees for 15 years - but a time frame for their implementation is not yet clear.
"Signatures under weak agreements only fuel war," Zelensky said in his address. "Either the world stops Russia's war, or Russia drags the world into its war."
By comparison, Putin's New Year address was much shorter.
Addressing the war in Ukraine, which Moscow describes as a "special military operation", Putin said: "We strive to bring joy and warmth through our care for those in need of support and, of course, to stand by our heroes – the participants in the special military operation – in both word and deed."
Separately, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used his New Year message to praise the "invincible alliance" between Pyongyang and Moscow, while praising soldiers who are fighting in "alien lands".
North Korea has sent thousands of troops to aid Russia in its invasion, along with missiles and long-range weapons, South Korean officials have said.
At least 600 of those soldiers have died, according to South Korean estimates.
Zelensky has expressed a desire for peace negotiations to resume and accelerate this month with the involvement of both US and European officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron said European states and allies who are due to meet in Paris on 6 January "will make concrete commitments to protect Ukraine and ensure a just and lasting peace on our European continent".
On Wednesday, Trump's advisers held talks with Zelensky and national security advisers from the UK, France and Germany about ending the war in Ukraine.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said they discussed "strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart".
But any deal will ultimately need Russian buy-in, which does not seem forthcoming - and which the alleged drone incident over Putin's residence may have pushed further into the distance.
BBC
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New year drone strike kills 24 in Russian-occupied Ukraine, Moscow says
A Ukrainian drone strike killed 24 people and injured at least 50 more as they celebrated the new year in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, Russian officials said, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks.
Three drones struck a cafe and hotel in the resort town of Khorly on the Black Sea coast, the region’s Moscow-installed leader, Vladimir Saldo, said in a statement on Telegram on Thursday. He said one of the drones was carrying an incendiary mixture that sparked a blaze.
On Thursday evening a Ukrainian military spokesperson told the Interfax Ukraine news agency that Kyiv’s forces exclusively targeted Russian military or energy sites.
The general staff spokesperson did not refer specifically to Russian accounts of a strike on a hotel, but said all strikes by the Ukrainian military were published on a general staff social media page.
“The Defence Forces of Ukraine adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law and strike exclusively at enemy military targets, fuel and energy facilities of the Russian Federation, and other legitimate targets,” Interfax quoted the spokesperson as saying.
A number of Russian officials condemned the attack. The chair of the upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, said it strengthened Russia’s resolve to quickly achieve its goals in its almost four-year invasion of Ukraine.
The strike “once again demonstrates the validity of our initial demands”, Matviyenko said.
The statement follows claims from Moscow that Ukraine had launched a long-range drone attack against one of Vladimir Putin’s official residences in north-western Russia on Tuesday. Kyiv said the claims were a lie.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday that its specialists had accessed the navigation system in one of the drones it claimed was used in the attack, and that data extracted confirmed that Putin’s residence was the target.
The ministry did not share evidence of its findings, but officials said it would transfer the data to US officials “through established channels”.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the CIA had determined that no attempted attack had taken place. Donald Trump had initially said he was “very angry” about the purported attack, but he later posted a link on social media to a New York Post editorial describing the Russian claims as “bluster”.
Russia’s defence ministry also released a video of a downed drone it said was involved in the attack.
The night-time clip shows a man in camouflage gear, a helmet and a Kevlar vest standing near a damaged drone lying in snow. The man, his face covered, talks about the drone. Neither the man nor the defence ministry provided any location or date, and neither the video nor its claims could be independently verified.
Kyiv has called the allegations of an attack on Putin’s residence a ruse to derail ongoing peace negotiations, which have gathered pace in recent weeks on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in his new year address that a peace deal was “90% ready” but that the remaining 10%, believed to include key sticking points such as territory, would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live”.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Wednesday that he, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine “to discuss advancing the next steps in the European peace process”.
“We focused on how to move the discussions forward in a practical way on behalf of [the] peace process, including strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart,” he wrote on X.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, reaffirmed that European and Ukrainian officials planned to meet on Saturday, and Zelenskyy is expected to hold talks with European leaders next week.
www.theguardian.com
A Ukrainian drone strike killed 24 people and injured at least 50 more as they celebrated the new year in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, Russian officials said, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks.
Three drones struck a cafe and hotel in the resort town of Khorly on the Black Sea coast, the region’s Moscow-installed leader, Vladimir Saldo, said in a statement on Telegram on Thursday. He said one of the drones was carrying an incendiary mixture that sparked a blaze.
On Thursday evening a Ukrainian military spokesperson told the Interfax Ukraine news agency that Kyiv’s forces exclusively targeted Russian military or energy sites.
The general staff spokesperson did not refer specifically to Russian accounts of a strike on a hotel, but said all strikes by the Ukrainian military were published on a general staff social media page.
“The Defence Forces of Ukraine adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law and strike exclusively at enemy military targets, fuel and energy facilities of the Russian Federation, and other legitimate targets,” Interfax quoted the spokesperson as saying.
A number of Russian officials condemned the attack. The chair of the upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, said it strengthened Russia’s resolve to quickly achieve its goals in its almost four-year invasion of Ukraine.
The strike “once again demonstrates the validity of our initial demands”, Matviyenko said.
The statement follows claims from Moscow that Ukraine had launched a long-range drone attack against one of Vladimir Putin’s official residences in north-western Russia on Tuesday. Kyiv said the claims were a lie.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday that its specialists had accessed the navigation system in one of the drones it claimed was used in the attack, and that data extracted confirmed that Putin’s residence was the target.
The ministry did not share evidence of its findings, but officials said it would transfer the data to US officials “through established channels”.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the CIA had determined that no attempted attack had taken place. Donald Trump had initially said he was “very angry” about the purported attack, but he later posted a link on social media to a New York Post editorial describing the Russian claims as “bluster”.
Russia’s defence ministry also released a video of a downed drone it said was involved in the attack.
The night-time clip shows a man in camouflage gear, a helmet and a Kevlar vest standing near a damaged drone lying in snow. The man, his face covered, talks about the drone. Neither the man nor the defence ministry provided any location or date, and neither the video nor its claims could be independently verified.
Kyiv has called the allegations of an attack on Putin’s residence a ruse to derail ongoing peace negotiations, which have gathered pace in recent weeks on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in his new year address that a peace deal was “90% ready” but that the remaining 10%, believed to include key sticking points such as territory, would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live”.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Wednesday that he, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine “to discuss advancing the next steps in the European peace process”.
“We focused on how to move the discussions forward in a practical way on behalf of [the] peace process, including strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart,” he wrote on X.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, reaffirmed that European and Ukrainian officials planned to meet on Saturday, and Zelenskyy is expected to hold talks with European leaders next week.
New year drone strike kills 24 in Russian-occupied Ukraine, Moscow says
Ukraine rejects claim, saying its forces exclusively targeted Russian military or energy sites
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UK and France to send troops to Ukraine if peace deal agreed
The UK and France have signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal is made with Russia, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said.
After talks with Ukraine's allies in Paris, he said the UK and France would "establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment" to deter future invasion.
The allies also proposed that the US would take the lead in monitoring a ceasefire.
Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be a "legitimate target", but has not yet commented on the announcement.
www.bbc.com
The UK and France have signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal is made with Russia, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said.
After talks with Ukraine's allies in Paris, he said the UK and France would "establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment" to deter future invasion.
The allies also proposed that the US would take the lead in monitoring a ceasefire.
Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be a "legitimate target", but has not yet commented on the announcement.
UK and France to send troops to Ukraine if peace deal agreed with Russia
The announcement was made by UK PM Sir Keir Starmer after a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Paris.
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Russia hits Ukraine with rarely-used Oreshnik missile in fresh strikes
Russia has used the Oreshnik ballistic missile as part of a massive overnight strike on Ukraine.
Four people were killed and 25 others injured in Kyiv on Thursday night, where loud booms could be heard for several hours, setting the sky alight with explosions.
It is only the second time that Moscow has used the Oreshnik, which was first deployed to hit the central city of Dnipro in November 2024.
Russia's defence ministry said the strike was a response to a Ukrainian drone attack on Vladimir Putin's residence in late December, which Kyiv denies carrying out.
While the ministry did not specify what had been the Oreshnik's target, shortly before midnight (22:00 GMT) videos began circulating on social media showing numerous explosions on the outskirts of the western city of Lviv.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian authorities confirmed that a ballistic missile had struck infrastructure in Lviv, about 60km (40 miles) from the Polish border.
The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range, hypersonic ballistic missile, meaning it can potentially reach up to 5,500km (3,417 miles). It is thought to have a warhead that deliberately fragments during its final descent into several, independently targeted inert projectiles, causing distinctive repeated explosions moments apart.
"Such a strike close to EU and Nato border is a grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community," Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.
The strike was launched "in response to [Putin's] own hallucinations," he added, referring to the alleged drone attack on the president's home in December.
The EU immediately cast serious doubt on whether the strike had ever happened, and last week Donald Trump said he did not think any such attack had taken place.
Zelensky said in addition to the Oreshnik there were 13 ballistic missiles that targeted energy facilities and civilian infrastructure overnight, along with 22 cruise missiles and 242 drones.
One damaged a building at the Qatari embassy, he added.
He accused the attacks of aiming "against the normal life of ordinary people" during a cold spell and added everything possible was being done to restore heating and electricity.
As Lviv and other western regions were targeted on Thursday night, more than a dozen missiles and hundreds of drones were deployed during the attack on Kyiv.
A paramedic was among those killed while arriving at a damaged apartment in Kyiv. The capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, and Zelensky said it had been a "double-tap" hit – in which the first strike is followed by a second, killing rescuers who have arrived to help the injured.
Two apartment buildings along the east bank of the Dnipro River and a high-rise building in the city's central district were also targeted.
The power supply was disrupted in several of the city's neighbourhoods in the middle of a particularly harsh winter and as Kyiv braces for -15C (5F) temperatures this weekend.
The targeting of power plants has become a constant feature of this war, with Ukraine increasingly responding in kind to Russia's sustained attacks on energy infrastructure that regularly leave millions without access to electricity or heating.
On Thursday night, as Moscow's attack on Ukraine was ongoing, half a million people in the Russian region of Belgorod were left without power following Ukrainian shelling of infrastructure, the local governor said.
Authorities also said that a Ukrainian strike on a Russian power plant in the city of Oryol, further north, affected the water and heating systems.
BBC
Russia has used the Oreshnik ballistic missile as part of a massive overnight strike on Ukraine.
Four people were killed and 25 others injured in Kyiv on Thursday night, where loud booms could be heard for several hours, setting the sky alight with explosions.
It is only the second time that Moscow has used the Oreshnik, which was first deployed to hit the central city of Dnipro in November 2024.
Russia's defence ministry said the strike was a response to a Ukrainian drone attack on Vladimir Putin's residence in late December, which Kyiv denies carrying out.
While the ministry did not specify what had been the Oreshnik's target, shortly before midnight (22:00 GMT) videos began circulating on social media showing numerous explosions on the outskirts of the western city of Lviv.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian authorities confirmed that a ballistic missile had struck infrastructure in Lviv, about 60km (40 miles) from the Polish border.
The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range, hypersonic ballistic missile, meaning it can potentially reach up to 5,500km (3,417 miles). It is thought to have a warhead that deliberately fragments during its final descent into several, independently targeted inert projectiles, causing distinctive repeated explosions moments apart.
"Such a strike close to EU and Nato border is a grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community," Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.
The strike was launched "in response to [Putin's] own hallucinations," he added, referring to the alleged drone attack on the president's home in December.
The EU immediately cast serious doubt on whether the strike had ever happened, and last week Donald Trump said he did not think any such attack had taken place.
Zelensky said in addition to the Oreshnik there were 13 ballistic missiles that targeted energy facilities and civilian infrastructure overnight, along with 22 cruise missiles and 242 drones.
One damaged a building at the Qatari embassy, he added.
He accused the attacks of aiming "against the normal life of ordinary people" during a cold spell and added everything possible was being done to restore heating and electricity.
As Lviv and other western regions were targeted on Thursday night, more than a dozen missiles and hundreds of drones were deployed during the attack on Kyiv.
A paramedic was among those killed while arriving at a damaged apartment in Kyiv. The capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, and Zelensky said it had been a "double-tap" hit – in which the first strike is followed by a second, killing rescuers who have arrived to help the injured.
Two apartment buildings along the east bank of the Dnipro River and a high-rise building in the city's central district were also targeted.
The power supply was disrupted in several of the city's neighbourhoods in the middle of a particularly harsh winter and as Kyiv braces for -15C (5F) temperatures this weekend.
The targeting of power plants has become a constant feature of this war, with Ukraine increasingly responding in kind to Russia's sustained attacks on energy infrastructure that regularly leave millions without access to electricity or heating.
On Thursday night, as Moscow's attack on Ukraine was ongoing, half a million people in the Russian region of Belgorod were left without power following Ukrainian shelling of infrastructure, the local governor said.
Authorities also said that a Ukrainian strike on a Russian power plant in the city of Oryol, further north, affected the water and heating systems.
BBC
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Last year was Ukraine's deadliest for civilians since 2022, UN says
2025 was the deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, according to the United Nations (UN).
Conflict-related violence killed at least 2,514 civilians last year, the UN's Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said, compared with 2,088 in 2024 and 1,974 in 2023. The number of injured civilians also increased sharply each year.
The year's deadliest attack killed at least 38 civilians in the western city of Ternopil in November, it reported, including eight children.
On Tuesday President Volodymyr Zelensky said overnight Russian strikes had killed four people in Kharkiv and left "several hundred thousand households" without power in and around Kyiv amid freezing temperatures.
The total number of civilians killed and injured in 2025 represented a 31% increase on 2024, and 70% on 2023, according to the UN mission.
It previously said at least 8,006 civilians were killed and 13,287 injured in the first 12 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In November, it reported more than 14,534 civilians had been killed since the war began.
The mission's chief Danielle Bell said 2025's figures represented "a marked deterioration in the protection of civilians".
"Our monitoring shows that this rise was driven not only by intensified hostilities along the frontline, but also by the expanded use of long-range weapons, which exposed civilians across the country to heightened risk."
www.bbc.com
2025 was the deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, according to the United Nations (UN).
Conflict-related violence killed at least 2,514 civilians last year, the UN's Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said, compared with 2,088 in 2024 and 1,974 in 2023. The number of injured civilians also increased sharply each year.
The year's deadliest attack killed at least 38 civilians in the western city of Ternopil in November, it reported, including eight children.
On Tuesday President Volodymyr Zelensky said overnight Russian strikes had killed four people in Kharkiv and left "several hundred thousand households" without power in and around Kyiv amid freezing temperatures.
The total number of civilians killed and injured in 2025 represented a 31% increase on 2024, and 70% on 2023, according to the UN mission.
It previously said at least 8,006 civilians were killed and 13,287 injured in the first 12 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In November, it reported more than 14,534 civilians had been killed since the war began.
The mission's chief Danielle Bell said 2025's figures represented "a marked deterioration in the protection of civilians".
"Our monitoring shows that this rise was driven not only by intensified hostilities along the frontline, but also by the expanded use of long-range weapons, which exposed civilians across the country to heightened risk."
Ukraine war: Last year was deadliest for civilians since 2022, UN says
Conflict-related violence killed at least 2,514 civilians last year, the UN's monitoring mission in Ukraine said.
www.bbc.com
finalfantasy7
T20I Debutant
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India supports russia
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Trump meets Zelensky as US envoy says ending war with Russia down to one issue
US President Donald Trump has begun talks with Volodymyr Zelensky at Davos on Thursday, after his envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about finalising a deal to end the war in Ukraine."I think we've got it down to one issue and we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it's solvable," Witkoff said ahead of his trip to Moscow for talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff did not specify the single issue but recent talks have focused on the future status of Ukraine's industrial heartland in Donbas, with a proposal for a demilitarised and free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Kyiv.
"If both sides want to solve this we're going to get it solved," Witkoff said.
Ahead of Witkoff's visit to Moscow with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the US president said: "I think they're getting close; a lot of people are being killed, we've got to get it done."
Last week, Trump said he thought Putin was "ready to make a deal" but that Zelensky was "less ready".
The Ukrainian president travelled through the night to get to Davos on Thursday.
He had initially called off his trip to deal with the aftermath of Russian strikes on Kyiv's power infrastructure which have left large areas of the capital without heating, water or power during the harshest winter so far in almost four years of Russia's full-scale war. Thousands of apartment blocks remain without heating.
There has been concern in Kyiv that Trump's spat with his European Nato allies over the future of Greenland has deflected him from the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky said after talks with Trump in Miami late last month that a 20-point US plan to end the war was 90% ready and that Ukraine's position on Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, was different to Russia's.
Specifically, Zelensky has offered to withdraw troops from the 25% of Donetsk region that Ukraine still controls by up to 40km (25 miles), to create an economic zone, if Russia does the same. Russian forces have advanced slowly in the east in the past year and Putin is known to covet control of the entire region.
The other big sticking point that Zelensky highlighted last month was future control of Ukraine's enormous Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, seized by Russia in March 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that discussion with the American envoys would continue "on the Ukrainian issue and other related topics" and refused to say whether he shared Witkoff's optimism on achieving a deal.
Putin has also not yet decided whether to join Trump's Board of Peace on Gaza.
Ukraine's president had hoped to sign two key documents with Trump at Davos covering future security guarantees as well as economic prosperity, but said there was "one mile left to finalise these documents".
It is not yet clear if any signings will take place during their meeting at the World Economic Forum.
However, the head of Ukraine's national security and defence council, Rustem Umerov, said on Wednesday night that his team in Davos had discussed the issues of economic development, post-war recovery and security guarantees with their US counterparts.
Source: BBC
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'It's all about the land': Zelensky says Ukraine to talk to US and Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky says trilateral talks on ending the war in Ukraine are to take place with Russia and the US in the United Arab Emirates, after he met President Donald Trump in Davos.
As the diplomatic pace appeared to intensify, Trump said his meeting with Zelensky was good, and US envoy Steve Witkoff headed to Moscow for talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff, who was travelling to Moscow with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, said he was optimistic about a deal.
"I think we've got it down to one issue and we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it's solvable," he said before leaving the Swiss resort.
www.bbc.com
President Volodymyr Zelensky says trilateral talks on ending the war in Ukraine are to take place with Russia and the US in the United Arab Emirates, after he met President Donald Trump in Davos.
As the diplomatic pace appeared to intensify, Trump said his meeting with Zelensky was good, and US envoy Steve Witkoff headed to Moscow for talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff, who was travelling to Moscow with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, said he was optimistic about a deal.
"I think we've got it down to one issue and we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it's solvable," he said before leaving the Swiss resort.
US optimistic on end to war as Zelensky says Ukraine to talk to US and Russia
The meeting came as US envoy Steve Witkoff headed to Moscow for a meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
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Russia, Ukraine and US to hold trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi
Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators will hold talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, in what officials say is the first meeting attended by all three countries since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
The Kremlin confirmed Russian officials would attend the talks following a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US envoys in Moscow.
Russia described those talks as "useful in every respect", but said a long-term peace deal could not be reached until territorial issues had been resolved.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised European allies for a lack of "political will" in taking action against Russia.
Present at the Thursday night meeting with Putin and two other Russian aides were three US representatives, including Steve Witkoff, and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were "substantive, constructive and very frank", but reiterated that any agreement for durable peace would not be possible without resolving territorial issues.
"Until this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation," he said.
Ushakov added that Putin emphasised Russia was "sincerely interested" in a diplomatic solution.
"Without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage, there is no hope of achieving a long-term settlement," he said, a reference to the summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska last year.
Witkoff last year said that Russia had agreed to allow the US and Europe to give Ukraine "robust" security guarantees as part of a potential peace deal.
After meeting with Trump in Davos, Zelensky also made clear that the future status of territory in eastern Ukraine remained an unsolved issue ahead of talks in Abu Dhabi.
"It's all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet," Zelensky told reporters in Davos, adding that "the Russians have to be ready for compromises, not only Ukraine".
The territorial sticking points include Russia's demand that Ukraine give up the 25% of the Donetsk region that Kyiv still controls.
Zelensky joked in Davos that he hoped the UAE knew about the planned meeting on Friday, but in a measure of the seriousness of the talks he named some of his most senior officials as part of the Ukrainian negotiating team.
The head of the country's national security and defence council, Rustem Umerov, was already talking to US officials in Davos, along with Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Zelensky's office, and negotiator David Arakhamia. They will be joined in the UAE by the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov.
On the Russian side, the delegation in Abu Dhabi will be led by General Igor Kostyukov, director of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, while investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev will meet with Witkoff separately to discuss economic issues.
Zelensky said last month that a 20-point US plan to end the war was 90% ready and that Ukraine's position on Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, was different to Russia's.
He has offered to withdraw troops by up to 40km (25 miles) from the region in order to create an economic zone in Donbas, if Russia does the same.
The US proposal for Ukraine's industrial heartland in Donbas is for a demilitarised and free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Kyiv.
Zelensky also told reporters in Davos that he had reached an agreement with Trump on future US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a deal.
He gave no details but said it would need to go before the US Congress and Ukrainian parliament before signing.
Zelensky had initially called off his trip to Davos in order to deal with the aftermath of Russian strikes on Kyiv's power infrastructure, which have left large areas of the capital without heating, water or power during the harshest winter so far in almost four years of Russia's full-scale war.
Another sticking point Zelensky has is future control of Ukraine's enormous Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, seized by Russia in March 2022.
BBC
Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators will hold talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, in what officials say is the first meeting attended by all three countries since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
The Kremlin confirmed Russian officials would attend the talks following a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US envoys in Moscow.
Russia described those talks as "useful in every respect", but said a long-term peace deal could not be reached until territorial issues had been resolved.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised European allies for a lack of "political will" in taking action against Russia.
Present at the Thursday night meeting with Putin and two other Russian aides were three US representatives, including Steve Witkoff, and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were "substantive, constructive and very frank", but reiterated that any agreement for durable peace would not be possible without resolving territorial issues.
"Until this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation," he said.
Ushakov added that Putin emphasised Russia was "sincerely interested" in a diplomatic solution.
"Without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage, there is no hope of achieving a long-term settlement," he said, a reference to the summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska last year.
Witkoff last year said that Russia had agreed to allow the US and Europe to give Ukraine "robust" security guarantees as part of a potential peace deal.
After meeting with Trump in Davos, Zelensky also made clear that the future status of territory in eastern Ukraine remained an unsolved issue ahead of talks in Abu Dhabi.
"It's all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet," Zelensky told reporters in Davos, adding that "the Russians have to be ready for compromises, not only Ukraine".
The territorial sticking points include Russia's demand that Ukraine give up the 25% of the Donetsk region that Kyiv still controls.
Zelensky joked in Davos that he hoped the UAE knew about the planned meeting on Friday, but in a measure of the seriousness of the talks he named some of his most senior officials as part of the Ukrainian negotiating team.
The head of the country's national security and defence council, Rustem Umerov, was already talking to US officials in Davos, along with Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Zelensky's office, and negotiator David Arakhamia. They will be joined in the UAE by the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov.
On the Russian side, the delegation in Abu Dhabi will be led by General Igor Kostyukov, director of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, while investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev will meet with Witkoff separately to discuss economic issues.
Zelensky said last month that a 20-point US plan to end the war was 90% ready and that Ukraine's position on Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, was different to Russia's.
He has offered to withdraw troops by up to 40km (25 miles) from the region in order to create an economic zone in Donbas, if Russia does the same.
The US proposal for Ukraine's industrial heartland in Donbas is for a demilitarised and free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Kyiv.
Zelensky also told reporters in Davos that he had reached an agreement with Trump on future US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a deal.
He gave no details but said it would need to go before the US Congress and Ukrainian parliament before signing.
Zelensky had initially called off his trip to Davos in order to deal with the aftermath of Russian strikes on Kyiv's power infrastructure, which have left large areas of the capital without heating, water or power during the harshest winter so far in almost four years of Russia's full-scale war.
Another sticking point Zelensky has is future control of Ukraine's enormous Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, seized by Russia in March 2022.
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Ukraine condemns 'brutal' Russian strikes ahead of second day of peace talks
Ukraine has condemned a fresh wave of Russian strikes overnight which killed one person and injured 23 others, as talks with the US aimed at ending the war are set to resume.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the "brutal" attack - "cynically" ordered by Russian leader Vladimir Putin - had "hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table".
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the US have been meeting in Abu Dhabi for the first trilateral talks since the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
A source told the BBC that some progress had been made but the key issue of territory remains unresolved.
The mayor of Ukrainian capital Kyiv said one person had died and four had been wounded while Kharkiv's mayor reported that 19 people had been hurt during a sustained assault on the city in the early hours of Saturday morning.
On the second day of the three-way talks in Abu Dhabi, Sybiha said the "barbaric" overnight assault proved "that Putin's place is not at the board of peace, but at the dock of the special tribunal".
US President Donald Trump said last week that Putin had accepted an invitation to join his 'Board of Peace' - an organisation focused on ending global conflicts. Putin has not confirmed this.
Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that three of the four people who had been injured had been hospitalised.
He added that the capital's critical infrastructure had been damaged, leaving 6,000 buildings without heating.
Temperatures have fallen to around -12C in parts of Ukraine, according to the Met Office. In a statement following the assaults, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "The main target of the Russians was the energy infrastructure."
Last week, Russia attacked Kyiv's power infrastructure, forcing Zelensky to initially call off his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 19 people had been injured during the strikes in the early hours of Saturday morning. A maternity hospital and a hostel for displaced people were damaged.
Russia occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine, including parts of the eastern Donbas region. The Kremlin wants Ukraine to hand over large areas of the territory, but Ukraine has ruled this out.
In Davos, Zelensky said: "It's all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet."
He said that he had reached an agreement with Trump on future US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a deal.
He gave no detail but said it would need to go before US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament before signing.
The day before the talks in Abu Dhabi began, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Putin in Moscow, which the Russian president described as "useful".
Following the first day of talks, Rustem Umerov, who is leading the Ukrainian delegation, said on social media: "The meeting focused on the parameters for ending Russia's war and the further logic of the negotiation process aimed at advancing toward a dignified and lasting peace."
BBC
Ukraine has condemned a fresh wave of Russian strikes overnight which killed one person and injured 23 others, as talks with the US aimed at ending the war are set to resume.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the "brutal" attack - "cynically" ordered by Russian leader Vladimir Putin - had "hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table".
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the US have been meeting in Abu Dhabi for the first trilateral talks since the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
A source told the BBC that some progress had been made but the key issue of territory remains unresolved.
The mayor of Ukrainian capital Kyiv said one person had died and four had been wounded while Kharkiv's mayor reported that 19 people had been hurt during a sustained assault on the city in the early hours of Saturday morning.
On the second day of the three-way talks in Abu Dhabi, Sybiha said the "barbaric" overnight assault proved "that Putin's place is not at the board of peace, but at the dock of the special tribunal".
US President Donald Trump said last week that Putin had accepted an invitation to join his 'Board of Peace' - an organisation focused on ending global conflicts. Putin has not confirmed this.
Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that three of the four people who had been injured had been hospitalised.
He added that the capital's critical infrastructure had been damaged, leaving 6,000 buildings without heating.
Temperatures have fallen to around -12C in parts of Ukraine, according to the Met Office. In a statement following the assaults, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "The main target of the Russians was the energy infrastructure."
Last week, Russia attacked Kyiv's power infrastructure, forcing Zelensky to initially call off his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 19 people had been injured during the strikes in the early hours of Saturday morning. A maternity hospital and a hostel for displaced people were damaged.
Russia occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine, including parts of the eastern Donbas region. The Kremlin wants Ukraine to hand over large areas of the territory, but Ukraine has ruled this out.
In Davos, Zelensky said: "It's all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet."
He said that he had reached an agreement with Trump on future US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a deal.
He gave no detail but said it would need to go before US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament before signing.
The day before the talks in Abu Dhabi began, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Putin in Moscow, which the Russian president described as "useful".
Following the first day of talks, Rustem Umerov, who is leading the Ukrainian delegation, said on social media: "The meeting focused on the parameters for ending Russia's war and the further logic of the negotiation process aimed at advancing toward a dignified and lasting peace."
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Peace talks on Russia-Ukraine war end as fighting rages
The first three-way peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US have ended in Abu Dhabi with no apparent breakthrough, as fighting rages.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the possibility of a second meeting as early as next week, while an American official said a new round would begin on 1 February.
The two-day talks ended after waves of Russian air strikes targeted Ukraine's badly damaged energy infrastructure, killing one person and injuring 35 others, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia accused Ukraine of attacking an ambulance in Ukrainian territory under its control, killing three medics. Later, it reported a Ukrainian missile attack on energy infrastructure in Belgorod.
www.bbc.com
The first three-way peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US have ended in Abu Dhabi with no apparent breakthrough, as fighting rages.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the possibility of a second meeting as early as next week, while an American official said a new round would begin on 1 February.
The two-day talks ended after waves of Russian air strikes targeted Ukraine's badly damaged energy infrastructure, killing one person and injuring 35 others, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia accused Ukraine of attacking an ambulance in Ukrainian territory under its control, killing three medics. Later, it reported a Ukrainian missile attack on energy infrastructure in Belgorod.
Peace talks on Russia-Ukraine war end as fighting rages
No breakthrough is reported at the first three-way talks but reports suggest they will resume next month.
www.bbc.com
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Zelensky condemns deadly Russian drone strike on passenger train
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned as "terrorism" a Russian drone attack on a passenger train that local officials say killed at least four people.
Zelensky said another four people were missing after the train with more than 200 people on board was hit in Ukraine's north-eastern Kharkiv region on Tuesday.
Earlier, officials in Ukraine's southern port of Odesa said three people were killed in an overnight Russian drone attack.
Russia has not commented. Moscow has in recent months intensified its drone and missile strikes targeting Ukraine's energy and transport infrastructure as the country faces its harshest winter in years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned as "terrorism" a Russian drone attack on a passenger train that local officials say killed at least four people.
Zelensky said another four people were missing after the train with more than 200 people on board was hit in Ukraine's north-eastern Kharkiv region on Tuesday.
Earlier, officials in Ukraine's southern port of Odesa said three people were killed in an overnight Russian drone attack.
Russia has not commented. Moscow has in recent months intensified its drone and missile strikes targeting Ukraine's energy and transport infrastructure as the country faces its harshest winter in years.
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Trump says Putin will not attack Ukraine cities during cold week
US President Donald Trump says Russia's Vladimir Putin has agreed not to attack Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and other cities and towns for a week due to "extraordinary cold" weather.
Russia has not confirmed any such agreement, but Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Trump's announcement and said he expected Russia to keep its promise.
Trump did not specify when the pause would begin, but temperatures in the Ukrainian capital are due to plummet from Thursday night and reach -24C (-11F) in the next few days.
Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the bitter winter, as it has during cold periods since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Speaking at a televised cabinet meeting in Washington DC, the US president said: "I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that."
"It was very nice. A lot of people said, 'Don't waste the call, you're not going to get that.' And he [Putin] did it," Trump added.
The Ukrainians, he said, "almost they didn't believe it, but they were very happy about it because they are struggling badly".
Later on Thursday, in a post on social media, Zelensky said Trump had made an "important statement" about "the possibility of providing security for Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during this extreme winter period".
"Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We expect the agreements to be implemented," he said.
The BBC understands that Ukraine has agreed to mirror Moscow's actions - pausing its own attacks on Russian oil refineries in response.
Last week, Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators met in the UAE for the first trilateral talks since the war began.
All sides described the talks as constructive, but there has been no announcement that Russia had agreed to pause its attacks for the duration of the extreme cold currently gripping the region.
Instead, attacks have continued, crippling the power supply to major Ukrainian cities, leaving millions without heating or electricity.
Electrical companies carry out round-the-clock repairs, but their work can be quickly undone by Russian air attacks.
Even when power is restored, the supply only lasts a few hours - enough to charge appliances but not to substantially warm up homes.
BBC
US President Donald Trump says Russia's Vladimir Putin has agreed not to attack Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and other cities and towns for a week due to "extraordinary cold" weather.
Russia has not confirmed any such agreement, but Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Trump's announcement and said he expected Russia to keep its promise.
Trump did not specify when the pause would begin, but temperatures in the Ukrainian capital are due to plummet from Thursday night and reach -24C (-11F) in the next few days.
Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the bitter winter, as it has during cold periods since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Speaking at a televised cabinet meeting in Washington DC, the US president said: "I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that."
"It was very nice. A lot of people said, 'Don't waste the call, you're not going to get that.' And he [Putin] did it," Trump added.
The Ukrainians, he said, "almost they didn't believe it, but they were very happy about it because they are struggling badly".
Later on Thursday, in a post on social media, Zelensky said Trump had made an "important statement" about "the possibility of providing security for Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during this extreme winter period".
"Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We expect the agreements to be implemented," he said.
The BBC understands that Ukraine has agreed to mirror Moscow's actions - pausing its own attacks on Russian oil refineries in response.
Last week, Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators met in the UAE for the first trilateral talks since the war began.
All sides described the talks as constructive, but there has been no announcement that Russia had agreed to pause its attacks for the duration of the extreme cold currently gripping the region.
Instead, attacks have continued, crippling the power supply to major Ukrainian cities, leaving millions without heating or electricity.
Electrical companies carry out round-the-clock repairs, but their work can be quickly undone by Russian air attacks.
Even when power is restored, the supply only lasts a few hours - enough to charge appliances but not to substantially warm up homes.
BBC
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Russian drone attack on bus carrying mine workers in Ukraine kills at least 12
A Russian drone attack on a bus carrying mine workers in Ukraine’s central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region has killed at least 12 people, officials said.
The bus was driving about 40 miles (65km) from the frontline, according to police. Images published by Ukraine’s state emergency service showed what appeared to be an empty bus, its side windows shattered and windscreen hanging from the front.
An old woman with a shopping bag crosses a road lined with market stalls with netting draped over it
‘It’s not just about surviving’: the Ukrainian frontline city where life goes on under cover
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said those killed were travelling from one of its mining facilities after they had finished their shift.
“The enemy drone hit near a company shuttle bus in the Pavlograd district. Preliminarily, 12 people were killed and seven more were wounded,” the head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Ganzha, said on Telegram.
An earlier drone attack in the region overnight killed a man and a woman in the central city of Dnipro, Ganzha said in an earlier post. A drone also struck a maternity hospital in the southern Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday, wounding at least seven people including two women receiving a medical examination.
The attacks came the same day a unilateral reduction in Russian strikes on Ukraine announced by the US president, Donald Trump, was due to end. Trump said on Thursday that Vladimir Putin had agreed to stop strikes on Kyiv and “various towns” during cold weather.
The terms of his agreement with the Russia president were not clear, however, and the Kremlin did not link the alleged truce to the weather.
A second round of talks between Russian, Ukrainian and US officials on a US-drafted plan to end the nearly four-year Ukraine war will begin on Wednesday, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Sunday.
www.theguardian.com
A Russian drone attack on a bus carrying mine workers in Ukraine’s central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region has killed at least 12 people, officials said.
The bus was driving about 40 miles (65km) from the frontline, according to police. Images published by Ukraine’s state emergency service showed what appeared to be an empty bus, its side windows shattered and windscreen hanging from the front.
An old woman with a shopping bag crosses a road lined with market stalls with netting draped over it
‘It’s not just about surviving’: the Ukrainian frontline city where life goes on under cover
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said those killed were travelling from one of its mining facilities after they had finished their shift.
“The enemy drone hit near a company shuttle bus in the Pavlograd district. Preliminarily, 12 people were killed and seven more were wounded,” the head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Ganzha, said on Telegram.
An earlier drone attack in the region overnight killed a man and a woman in the central city of Dnipro, Ganzha said in an earlier post. A drone also struck a maternity hospital in the southern Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday, wounding at least seven people including two women receiving a medical examination.
The attacks came the same day a unilateral reduction in Russian strikes on Ukraine announced by the US president, Donald Trump, was due to end. Trump said on Thursday that Vladimir Putin had agreed to stop strikes on Kyiv and “various towns” during cold weather.
The terms of his agreement with the Russia president were not clear, however, and the Kremlin did not link the alleged truce to the weather.
A second round of talks between Russian, Ukrainian and US officials on a US-drafted plan to end the nearly four-year Ukraine war will begin on Wednesday, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Sunday.
Russian drone attack on bus carrying mine workers in Ukraine kills at least 12
Employees of Ukraine’s largest private energy firm, DTEK, were travelling about 40 miles from frontline, says police
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Russia ends 'week-long pause' with major attack on Ukraine energy sites
Russia has launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine in some time, targeting power plants and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and many other locations.
The strikes were launched as temperatures dropped below minus 20C (-4F) overnight and have left more than 1,000 tower blocks in the capital without heating once again and damaged a power plant in the eastern city of Kharkiv beyond repair.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was "choosing terror and escalation" rather than diplomacy to end this war and called for "maximum pressure" on Moscow from Ukraine's allie.
The attack comes after a so-called "energy truce" agreed by Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin expired at the weekend.
It also came on the day Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte was in Kyiv to meet President Zelensky and to address the national parliament.
Donald Trump's initiative was meant to give diplomacy a chance. Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine are due to meet in Abu Dhabi for another round of talks co-ordinated by the US later this week.
It is clear that Russia has other ideas.
And in fact, there is always a gap between Russia's massive strikes which makes Ukrainians doubt there was ever any real pause at all.
We heard the first explosions in Kyiv soon after midnight and the air raid lasted more than seven hours. There were several subsequent blasts.
Residents spent the night sheltering in metro stations, with some pitching tents on the platforms to protect them from the freezing cold.
President Zelensky has said more than 70 ballistic and cruise missiles were fired - significantly more than usual - together with 450 drones which are used to overwhelm Ukraine's air defences.
Ukraine's Air Force said it had intercepted only 38 of the missiles, which means many reached their target.
Officials here have complained repeatedly of a shortage of missiles to protect the skies. Ukraine relies on US-made Patriot missiles, in particular.
"Timely delivery of missiles for air defense systems and the protection of normal life are our priority," Zelenksy wrote on X this morning. "Without pressure on Russia, there will be no end to this war."
Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of using the coldest days of winter to "terrorise people".
The private power company DTEK has confirmed that two of its power plants were hit again overnight, in what it says was the ninth massive attack on the sector since October.
State-run facilities were also hit in Kyiv and elsewhere, adding to serious damage caused by the series of previous targeted attacks.
Each time makes it harder to carry out repairs and leaves the system more fragile, and prone to blackouts.
Teams of engineers have been working through the night for weeks to fix things - drafted in from all over the country and hailed as heroes.
But there are not enough workers to keep up with demand.
We have met residents who have had no heating in their homes for days, in some cases weeks. They sleep in hats and coats, and under piles of blankets, but it is still bitterly cold.
Many use soup kitchens to get free hot meals because there are also power cuts here for hours on end.
People believe these attacks are intended to turn them against the authorities in Kyiv, to make their lives so miserable they submit to Russia's demands - including to hand over land in the eastern Donbas region that Moscow currently does not control.
Instead, there is a lot of anger here at Russia for attempting to freeze civilians in their homes as well as resistance to any form of compromise with Moscow.
"Russia won't get what it wants," Vera told the BBC this weekend, as she queued for a bowl of stew served by volunteers. "We are stronger than them in any case."
Volodymyr said he planned to sleep in a local school for a few days, which has a generator to keep it warm. "In the daytime you move around a bit," he said. "But at night it's really cold."
He was furious with Russia. "They are bombing civilians. They want us to freeze and die," he said.
Several residential buildings were damaged in the latest attack and set on fire by falling debris as Ukraine shot down missiles and drones. Several people were injured.
BBC
Russia has launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine in some time, targeting power plants and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and many other locations.
The strikes were launched as temperatures dropped below minus 20C (-4F) overnight and have left more than 1,000 tower blocks in the capital without heating once again and damaged a power plant in the eastern city of Kharkiv beyond repair.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was "choosing terror and escalation" rather than diplomacy to end this war and called for "maximum pressure" on Moscow from Ukraine's allie.
The attack comes after a so-called "energy truce" agreed by Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin expired at the weekend.
It also came on the day Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte was in Kyiv to meet President Zelensky and to address the national parliament.
Donald Trump's initiative was meant to give diplomacy a chance. Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine are due to meet in Abu Dhabi for another round of talks co-ordinated by the US later this week.
It is clear that Russia has other ideas.
And in fact, there is always a gap between Russia's massive strikes which makes Ukrainians doubt there was ever any real pause at all.
We heard the first explosions in Kyiv soon after midnight and the air raid lasted more than seven hours. There were several subsequent blasts.
Residents spent the night sheltering in metro stations, with some pitching tents on the platforms to protect them from the freezing cold.
President Zelensky has said more than 70 ballistic and cruise missiles were fired - significantly more than usual - together with 450 drones which are used to overwhelm Ukraine's air defences.
Ukraine's Air Force said it had intercepted only 38 of the missiles, which means many reached their target.
Officials here have complained repeatedly of a shortage of missiles to protect the skies. Ukraine relies on US-made Patriot missiles, in particular.
"Timely delivery of missiles for air defense systems and the protection of normal life are our priority," Zelenksy wrote on X this morning. "Without pressure on Russia, there will be no end to this war."
Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of using the coldest days of winter to "terrorise people".
The private power company DTEK has confirmed that two of its power plants were hit again overnight, in what it says was the ninth massive attack on the sector since October.
State-run facilities were also hit in Kyiv and elsewhere, adding to serious damage caused by the series of previous targeted attacks.
Each time makes it harder to carry out repairs and leaves the system more fragile, and prone to blackouts.
Teams of engineers have been working through the night for weeks to fix things - drafted in from all over the country and hailed as heroes.
But there are not enough workers to keep up with demand.
We have met residents who have had no heating in their homes for days, in some cases weeks. They sleep in hats and coats, and under piles of blankets, but it is still bitterly cold.
Many use soup kitchens to get free hot meals because there are also power cuts here for hours on end.
People believe these attacks are intended to turn them against the authorities in Kyiv, to make their lives so miserable they submit to Russia's demands - including to hand over land in the eastern Donbas region that Moscow currently does not control.
Instead, there is a lot of anger here at Russia for attempting to freeze civilians in their homes as well as resistance to any form of compromise with Moscow.
"Russia won't get what it wants," Vera told the BBC this weekend, as she queued for a bowl of stew served by volunteers. "We are stronger than them in any case."
Volodymyr said he planned to sleep in a local school for a few days, which has a generator to keep it warm. "In the daytime you move around a bit," he said. "But at night it's really cold."
He was furious with Russia. "They are bombing civilians. They want us to freeze and die," he said.
Several residential buildings were damaged in the latest attack and set on fire by falling debris as Ukraine shot down missiles and drones. Several people were injured.
BBC
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Russia jails stand-up comic Artemy Ostani over war joke
A Russian comedian has been sentenced to more than five years in a penal colony for telling a joke about a disabled war veteran.
Twenty-nine-year-old stand-up comedian Artemy Ostanin received his sentence in a Moscow court on Wednesday after being convicted of inciting hatred.
His case centres on a 2025 comedy routine in which he joked about a veteran who lost his legs in a wartime explosion and had to ride a skateboard, calling him a “legless skater”. Footage of the performance went viral, provoking outrage among Russian nationalists who claimed Ostanin had disrespected soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
Ostanin, who was arrested last March while trying to flee to Belarus, denied that his joke referred to Russians in combat in Ukraine. He was also found guilty of offending Christians over a separate joke about Jesus that angered Orthodox nationalists.
“The final sentence for Ostanin is imprisonment for five years and nine months in a general regime penal colony,” judge Olesya Mendeleyeva was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
‘Laws used to silence speech’
In his final statement to the court, Ostanin denounced the proceedings as unjust, saying, “I hope no one ever finds themselves in the same situation of brutal legal abuse that I did.” When asked whether he understood the sentence, he replied, “To hell with your judicial practice. No, I don’t,” the news agency Reuters reported.
In addition to his prison term, Ostanin was fined 300,000 rubles ($3,900) and placed on a government list of designated “terrorists and extremists” – a measure often used against political opponents.
www.aljazeera.com
A Russian comedian has been sentenced to more than five years in a penal colony for telling a joke about a disabled war veteran.
Twenty-nine-year-old stand-up comedian Artemy Ostanin received his sentence in a Moscow court on Wednesday after being convicted of inciting hatred.
His case centres on a 2025 comedy routine in which he joked about a veteran who lost his legs in a wartime explosion and had to ride a skateboard, calling him a “legless skater”. Footage of the performance went viral, provoking outrage among Russian nationalists who claimed Ostanin had disrespected soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
Ostanin, who was arrested last March while trying to flee to Belarus, denied that his joke referred to Russians in combat in Ukraine. He was also found guilty of offending Christians over a separate joke about Jesus that angered Orthodox nationalists.
“The final sentence for Ostanin is imprisonment for five years and nine months in a general regime penal colony,” judge Olesya Mendeleyeva was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
‘Laws used to silence speech’
In his final statement to the court, Ostanin denounced the proceedings as unjust, saying, “I hope no one ever finds themselves in the same situation of brutal legal abuse that I did.” When asked whether he understood the sentence, he replied, “To hell with your judicial practice. No, I don’t,” the news agency Reuters reported.
In addition to his prison term, Ostanin was fined 300,000 rubles ($3,900) and placed on a government list of designated “terrorists and extremists” – a measure often used against political opponents.
Russia sentences stand-up comic to more than five years over war joke
Artemy Ostanin sentenced to more than five years in a penal colony after joking about a 'legless' war veteran.
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