Ukraine-Russia war – live: Latest missile strike by Putin’s forces kills boy and his grandmother in Kharkiv

A Russian missile strike killed a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother on Friday in the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, officials said, a day after a strike in the same region killed at least 52 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months.

Reporters saw emergency crews pulling the body of the boy – who was wearing pyjamas with a Spiderman design – from the rubble of a building after the early morning attack, which injured 28 more people, including an 11-month-old baby, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said.

The boy’s father, Oleh Bychko, said he had managed to pull his younger son and wife out of the rubble after the strike. Bychko, his face scratched and his clothes covered in blood, stood shocked and lost for words after the death of his 10-year-old son, Tymofiy.

A day earlier, a Russian rocket blast turned a village cafe and store in Hroza, a village in eastern Ukraine to rubble, killing at least 51 civilians, according to Ukrainian officials.

About 60 people, including children, were attending a wake at the cafe when the missile hit, the officials said.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, attending a summit of about 50 European leaders in Spain to rally support from Ukraine’s allies, called the strike as a “demonstrably brutal Russian crime” and “a completely deliberate act of terrorism”.

Key Points

Boy, 10, killed and dozens injured as Russian rocket strikes Kharkiv

Russian missile strike on Ukraine village kills over 50 during memorial service

Putin deliberately attacked civilians in Kharkiv strike, says Zelensky

Putin delivers rambling speech on ‘denazifying’ Ukraine

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet forced into major retreat from Crimea port

Putin’s navy has suffered ‘functional defeat’ in Black Sea, says UK

Boy, 10, and grandmother killed as Russian rocket strikes Kharkiv

10:42 , Tara Cobham

Russia unleashed new air strikes on Ukraine early on Friday, killing a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother in the city of Kharkiv and damaging grain and port infrastructure in the Odesa region in the south, Ukrainian officials said.

The boy and his grandmother were killed when Russia hit Ukraine’s second biggest city with two Iskander ballistic missiles, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said. Twenty-eight others were wounded, including an 11-month-old baby, he said.

The boy’s father, Oleh Bychko, said he had managed to pull his younger son and wife out of the rubble after the strike. Bychko, his face scratched and his clothes covered in blood, stood shocked and lost for words after the death of his 10-year-old son, Tymofiy. Reporters saw emergency crews pulling the body of the boy – who was wearing pyjamas with a Spiderman design – from the rubble of a building.

The missile attack destroyed much of a residential building, where rescue workers worked among the rubble of bricks, twisted metal and wood.

The attacks followed a Russian missile strike on Thursday in which Ukrainian officials said dozens of people were killed in the village of Hroza in northeastern Ukraine during a gathering to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier. The attack on Hroza was one of the deadliest single strikes on civilians since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Russian missile strike on Ukraine village kills 52 during memorial service

08:30 , Tara Cobham

A Russian missile slammed into a cafe and grocery store in a village in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing 52 people during a gathering to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier, Ukrainian officials said.

Large piles of bricks, shattered metal and building materials remained where the cafe and shop were hit early in the afternoon in Hroza village in Kharkiv region.

“A deliberate missile strike on a village in Kharkiv region on an ordinary store and cafe,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, delivered while attending a summit of the European Political Community in Spain. “Russian troops could not have been unaware of where they were hitting. This was no blind strike.”

He added that a six-year-old boy was among the dead in what appeared to be one of the biggest civilian death tolls in any single Russian strike.

Moscow did not immediately comment on the events in Hroza. Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians, but many have been killed in attacks that have hit residential areas as well as energy, defence, port, grain and other facilities.

In pictures: Aftermath of Russian air attack on Kharkiv

16:07 , Tara Cobham

Russia scrambles fighter jet to escort US patrol plane over Norwegian Sea

15:30 , Tara Cobham

Russia scrambled a MiG-31 fighter jet on Friday to escort a US Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol plane approaching its airspace over the Norwegian Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

Ukraine freezes assets of three Russian tycoons, say prosecutors

15:00 , Tara Cobham

A Ukrainian court has frozen the Ukrainian assets of three Russian businessmen over their alleged support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, prosecutors and the security service said on Friday.

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said assets owned by Mikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven and Andrey Kosogov had been frozen. They were considered part of President Vladimir Putin’s close circle and contributed to “large-scale financing of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression”, it said.

The three businessmen did not immediately comment on the moves and comments by the SBU and prosecutors.

“At the request of prosecutors… assets of 20 Ukrainian companies totalling over 17 billion hryvnias ($464.48 million)were frozen,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said on the Telegram messaging app.

It said the frozen assets included securities and corporate rights of mobile phone operators, a mineral water producer, financial and insurance companies.

“The beneficial owners of the companies are three Russian oligarchs who own one of the largest Russian financial and investment consortia,” it said.

Watch: Scale of deadly Russian strike in Kharkiv village

14:28 , Tara Cobham

Turkish ship not damaged in Black Sea explosion, says maritime authority

14:00 , Tara Cobham

A Turkish-flagged general cargo ship that was sailing on Thursday in the Black Sea en route to Ukraine’s Izmail port did not sustain damage from an explosion, Turkey’s maritime authority and the ship’s captain told Reuters on Friday.

“An explosion occurred 15-20 meters behind the Kafkametler ship en route to Izmail port from Batumi port while it was cruising off the coast of Romania/Sulina (port),” the authority said.

The ship continued sailing to its destination to deliver its cargo following checks and there was no evidence that the explosion was caused by a mine, it added.

Maritime sources said on Thursday that the vessel had hit a sea mine and sustained minor damage, although the crew was safe.

The vessel’s Istanbul-based operator Kafkametler Maritime said the vessel was currently on its way to Izmail port and ship congestion in the Danube channel meant it was moving slower. The company added that the crew were safe and the vessel did not need any maintenance.

The vessel’s captain said separately in a statement that while the cause of the blast was not clear, the explosion appeared to have been caused by a bottom mine in the Black Sea.

What are Russia’s Iskander missiles?

13:30 , Tara Cobham

Ukrainian officials have said a number of Russian Iskander ballistic missiles have struck the northeastern Kharkiv region in the last 24 hours.

A 10-year-old boy and his grandmother were killed in the city of Kharkiv itself , officials said on Friday morning, after a strike on Thursday afternoon in the same region killed at least 52 civilians in the village of Hroza. That attack was one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months.

Officials said preliminary information indicated the Kremlin’s forces used two Iskander missiles in the attack on Friday, the same as in the previous day’s strike. A number of people, including young children, were injured in both attacks, Kyiv said.

Tom Watling reports:

What are Russian Iskander missiles?

Every family in Hroza affected by missile attack, says Interior Minister

13:00 , Tara Cobham

People from every family and household in Ukraine’s north-eastern village of Hroza have been affected by a Russian missile attack that killed 52 people on Thursday, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has said.

The missile slammed into a cafe and grocery store during a gathering to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier, Ukrainian officials said.

“From every family, from every household, there were people present at this commemoration. This is a terrible tragedy,” Klymenko told Ukrainian television.

He said the strike was clearly targeted and that Ukrainian security services had launched an investigation into the matter.

Kremlin says no final report yet on cause of Prigozhin plane crash

12:30 , Tara Cobham

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that investigators had not yet produced a final report on the cause of the plane crash that killed Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin in August.

On Thursday President Vladimir Putin said fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of the victims.

New Russian strikes on Ukraine also hit port facilities

12:00 , Tara Cobham

Russia unleashed new air strikes on Ukraine early on Friday, killing a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother in the city of Kharkiv and damaging grain and port infrastructure in the Odesa region in the south, Ukrainian officials said.

The drone strikes targeted Odesa and Mykolaiv regions in the south, Dnipropetrovsk region in the southeast, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions in the centre and also Kharkiv region in the northeast, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

One drone attack damaged a grain silo in the Izmail district of the Odesa region, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. Nine trucks caught fire at the site but the fire was put out quickly.

“The air alert in Odesa lasted for three-and-a-half hours,” Kiper said. “The enemy once again targeted the border and port infrastructure of the Izmail district.”

The Ukrainian military said that operations at an international ferry checkpoint ‘Orlivka’ on the border with Romania were suspended and vehicles were rerouted following the drone attacks.

Sunak says attack on Ukrainian supermarket shows Putin’s ‘barbarity’

11:30 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak has said Russia’s attack on a Ukrainiansupermarket, which has killed 49 people, including a six-year-old boy, shows Putin’s ‘barbarity’

The Russian strike targeted a supermarket in eastern Ukraine in the village of Hroza.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Sunak said: “It just illustrates Russia’s barbarity and President Putin can say all he likes.

“There is one person responsible for all of this illegal unprovoked war and it is him and he should stop. That’s why the UK has been steadfast in supporting Ukraine and will continue to do so.”

Lucy Leeson reports:

Rishi Sunak says Russia’s attack on Ukrainian supermarket shows Putin’s ‘barbarity’

UN rights chief deploys field team to probe Russian attack on Hroza

11:00 , Tara Cobham

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday deployed a field team to probe the Russian attack on the Ukrainian village of Hroza that left at least 52 people dead.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, who saw for himself the horrific impact of such strikes, is profoundly shocked and condemns these killings,” OHCHR spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell  told reporters in Geneva.

“He has deployed a field team to the site to speak to survivors and gather more information.”

Russia says it destroyed Ukrainian navy drone near Crimea

10:30 , Tara Cobham

A Ukrainian navy drone was destroyed off the coast of Crimea by the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation forces, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday.

The Defence Ministry did not provide further details of the incident.

Russia to look at revoking ratification of nuclear test ban treaty

10:15 , Tara Cobham

Russia on Friday indicated it was moving swiftly towards revoking its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty after President Vladimir Putin held out the possibility of resuming nuclear testing.

Putin on Thursday said Russia’s nuclear doctrine – which sets out the conditions under which he would press the nuclear button – did not need updating but that he was not yet ready to say whether or not Russia needed to resume nuclear tests.

The Kremlin chief said that Russia could look at revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as the United States had signed it but not ratified.

Just hours after Putin’s comments, Russia’s top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, said the State Duma lower house of parliament would swiftly consider if there was a need to revoke Russia’s ratification of the treaty.

“At the next meeting of the State Duma Council, we will definitely discuss the issue of revoking the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty,” Volodin said.

Putin’s comments, followed by Volodin’s, indicate that Russia is seriously considering revoking ratification of the treaty, which bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere.

Sweden pledges more military aid to Ukraine

10:00 , Tara Cobham

Sweden will send Ukraine a new military support package worth 2.2 billion crowns ($199 million) – consisting mainly of artillery ammunition – and is looking into sending fighter jets, Defence Minister Pal Jonson said.

Jonson told a news conference the armed forces were due to report by Nov. 6 on the potential for sending Jas Gripen jets to Ukraine after the government asked them to assess the issue.

But he reiterated that Sweden would for domestic security reasons need to become member of NATO before it would be able to potentially spare any fighter jets.

Sweden hopes to join the NATO defence alliance soon although its accession has been held up by member states Turkey and Hungary.

The new military aid package will be Sweden’s 14th to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, taking the total value of the Nordic country’s such aid to just over 22 billion crowns.

Watch: Putin suggests cocaine and grenades caused Prigozhin plane crash

09:34 , Tara Cobham

Vladimir Putin has suggested cocaine and grenades caused a fatal plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner bosses

The Russian leader has said hand grenade fragments were found in the bodies of the victims in the plane crash that killed the Wagner chief in August

Putin hinted that those on board might have played a role in their own deaths, insinuating alcohol or cocaine might have led to play with grenades.

He added that there was no evidence of an “external impact” on the plane.

Lucy Leeson reports:

Putin suggests cocaine and grenades caused fatal plane crash that killed Prigozhin

Putin says Prigozhin’s plane blown up by hand grenades on board

09:00 , Tara Cobham

Russian president Vladimir Putin said the plane carrying Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was blown up from the inside and fragments of hand grenades have been found in the bodies of those killed in the crash.

This is the first time Mr Putin commented on the details of the plane crash that killed Prigozhin – the mercenary leader who had challenged his regime and launched a military coup by marching onto Moscow in a dramatic threat to the Kremlin not seen in decades.

“Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash,” Mr Putin told a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, but did not share any details on the type and number of hand grenades that could have been detonated on board.

Arpan Rai reports:

Putin says plane of Wagner chief Prigozhin blown up by hand grenades on board

Putin deliberately attacked civilians in Kharkiv strike, says Zelensky

08:30 , Tara Cobham

Vladimir Putin’s missile attack on a cafe and grocery store in northeastern Ukraine that led to 51 deaths, six injuries and three people left missing was “no blind strike”, said president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The strike is the deadliest in the Kharkiv region since Mr Putin’s Ukraine invasion and also among the biggest civilian death tolls in any single Russian missile attack, especially after January this year.

The missile strike occurred on Thursday afternoon in Kharkiv’s Hroza village where dozens had gathered to mourn a fallen Ukraine soldier, officials said.

“A deliberate missile strike on a village in Kharkiv region on an ordinary store and cafe,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Thursday.

Arpan Rai reports:

Putin deliberately attacked Ukrainians in Kharkiv missile strike, says Zelensky

Putin delivers rambling speech on ‘denazifying’ Ukraine

08:21 , Tara Cobham

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called the Canadian parliament’s standing ovations to honour a Ukrainian war veteran who served in Nazi Waffen SS units “disgusting”, and said it showed Moscow was right to “denazify” Ukraine.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month formally apologised after the speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, Anthony Rota, praised 98-year-old ex-soldier Yaroslav Hunka in the chamber while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was present. Rota said he had made a mistake and resigned.

“He essentially lumped together Nazi collaborators, SS troops and the Ukrainian military of today who are fighting against Russia,” Putin told an audience at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi in response to a question.

“He lumped them together. This only confirms our thesis that one of our goals in Ukraine is denazification.”

Ukraine says gains made amid intense fighting in east

08:05 , Tara Cobham

Ukrainian forces have advanced in the eastern part of the war-hit nation where officials said Vladimir Putin has deployed over 110,000 troops, but Kyiv officials reported pressure further north.

The intensity of assaults have increased in the Lyman-Kupiansk sector, Ilia Yevlash, spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern group of forces, said. Mr Yevlash called the two towns the “most difficult area” as Russian forces use both ground and air forces.

Russian forces are actively using fighter jets, Su-35 and Su-25, and helicopters Ka-52 and Mi-8 in the region, he said. They were backed by Su-35 attack aircraft and started attacking along the frontline in the direction of Makiivka in the Luhansk region.

Arpan Rai reports:

Ukraine says gains made in intense fighting in east despite Russia’s aerial dominance

Biden and Steinmeier to ‘reaffirm commitment to Ukraine’ at White House meeting

06:59 , Andy Gregory

Joe Biden will meet with German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the White House on Friday to commemorate German-American Day, the White House has said in a statement.

The two leaders will reaffirm their ties, “including our close coordination as Nato Allies on a range of important issues such as defending democratic values and our shared commitment to support Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s invasion,” it said.

Biden considering using grant programme to send Ukraine military aid

05:58 , Andy Gregory

Joe Biden’s administration is considering using a US State Department grant programme to send additional military aid to Ukraine, Politico has reported, citing two officials with knowledge of the discussions.

The US president had suggested on Wednesday he would be making a “major” speech on alternative funding routes for Ukraine, after the US Congress left military funding for Kyiv out of a stopgap funding bill last weekend.

Turkish cargo ship ‘hits mine in the Black Sea’

04:55 , Andy Gregory

A Turkish-flagged cargo ship has sustained minor damage after hitting a mine in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania, maritime and security sources have told Reuters.

British maritime security company Ambrey, citing information it had received, said the ship struck a sea mine 11 nautical miles north of Sulina in Romania, near the entrance to the Sulina Canal.

“The vessel reportedly experienced an explosion at approximately 0920 UTC (GMT). The vessel dropped anchor for a short period to assess the damage,” Ambrey said in a note. “At 1210, the vessel resumed sailing,” Ambrey said, adding that no casualties were reported.

It was one of the first incidents for several months involving a ship hitting a sea mine. The Black Sea area has been listed as a high risk zone by insurers and floating mines remain a peril.

A Ukrainian government source confirmed a vessel had struck a mine, adding it was “probably a World War II mine, or the landing mines that were left there last year”, declining further comment. Yoruk Isik, head of the Bosphorus Observer consultancy, told Reuters separately that the vessel was the Kafkametler and had sustained minor damage to a ballast tank, but the crew was safe.

It comes a day after the UK warned that Russia could use sea mines to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea, including by laying them on the approach to Ukrainian ports.

Video report: Russian strike hits village in Kharkiv

03:52 , Andy Gregory

Which have been Russia’s deadliest missile attacks on Ukraine?

02:44 , Andy Gregory

One of the deadliest Russian attacks on civilians has taken place today, when a Russian missile struck a village cafe and store in the small village of Hroza in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 51 civilians attending a memorial service.

Here is a long list of some of Russia’s deadliest strikes since invading last February:

A look at Russia’s deadliest missile attacks on Ukraine

European leaders vow to stand by Ukraine as Zelensky warns continent ‘must be strong’

01:43 , Andy Gregory

Nearly 50 European leaders have used the European Political Community summit in Spain to stress that they stand by Ukraine, at a time when resolve appears to be weakening in some Western nations.

In attendance at the summit, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky warned that beside maintaining such unity, more military aid to get through the winter was essential and warned now was not the time to waver in the face of the threat from Russia.

“Europe must be strong” despite what happens in other places like the US, Mr Zelensky said, calling on leaders to provide more air defence systems, artillery shells, long-range missiles and drones. Victory or defeat in Ukraine would determine the fate of all of Europe, he added.

US support for Ukraine is ‘irreplaceable’, says EU foreign policy chief

Friday 6 October 2023 00:38 , Andy Gregory

Even if the European Union promised to continue its support for Kyiv, it could never replace Washington’s contribution if funds were to dry up there, the EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has said.

“Certainly we can do more. But the US is something irreplaceable for the support of Ukraine,” Mr Borrell said at the European Political Community summit in Granada.

That was a worry lingering over the third meeting of the forum, after the US Congress hastily agreed upon stopgap legislation last weekend which kept the federal government funded, but left out billions in funding for Ukraine’s war effort which the White House had vigorously backed.

With the future of such aid called into question by a key faction of Republicans, Mr Biden called other world powers on Tuesday to co-ordinate on Ukraine in a deliberate show of US support.

Watch: White House condemns ‘horrifying’ Russian attack on Ukraine grocery store

Thursday 5 October 2023 23:41 , Andy Gregory

Hand grenade fragments were found in the bodies of victims in Prigozhin’s plane crash, Putin says

Thursday 5 October 2023 22:45 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin has claimed that hand grenade fragments were found in the bodies of people who died in the crash of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane in August.

Experts investigating the crash – involving Prigozhin and two of his top lieutenants, among seven others – found no indication the private jet had suffered an “external impact” before crashing during its journey from Moscow to St Petersburg, the Russian president claimed.

There was no way to independently verify Mr Putin’s claims.

A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded that an intentional explosion caused the crash, and Western officials have pointed to a long list of Putin foes who have been assassinated. The Kremlin called allegations he was behind the crash as an “absolute lie.”

A Russian investigation was launched but no findings have been released. Moscow rejected an offer from Brazil, where the Embraer business jet was built, to join the inquiry.

Hand grenade fragments were found in the bodies of victims in Prigozhin’s plane crash, Putin says

Russians knew what they were doing, says Zelensky

Thursday 5 October 2023 22:14 , Jane Dalton

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that a Russian missile attack that killed 51 people in a Ukrainian village was “no blind strike”.

“A deliberate missile strike on a village in Kharkiv region on an ordinary store and cafe,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address, delivered while attending a summit of the European Political Community in Spain.

“Russian troops could not have been unaware of where they were hitting. This was no blind strike.”

Outgoing Slovak PM will leave question of Ukraine military aid to next government

Thursday 5 October 2023 21:51 , Andy Gregory

Slovakia’s outgoing caretaker government will not send more military aid to Ukraine for now, prime minister Ludovit Odor has been quoted as saying on the sidelines of the Granada summit, instead leaving it to the next administration following last weekend’s election.

The election was won by three-time leftist prime minister Robert Fico’s Smer-SSD party, with pledges to stop military aid to Ukraine, but to continue sending humanitarian and reconstruction aid. It is seeking coalition partners to form government in the coming weeks.

Before falling apart last year, the country’s previous centre-right government was a staunch backer of Ukraine and supplied various military gear, including fighting vehicles as well as an S-300 air defence system and MiG-29 jets.

Mr Odor’s technocrat government had continued help for Ukraine, with which Slovakia shares a border.

“I believe that a government will be formed that will be pro-European and will continue to help Ukraine,” he said on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit, according to the Tasr news agency.

“In what form will depend on the government, but I do not think that, at the least, anyone will stop the commercial part of aid,” he said, adding there was no consideration of stopping weapons deliveries from private companies.

Germany aims to give Kyiv extra air missile system

Thursday 5 October 2023 19:50 , Jane Dalton

Germany is working on the supply of an additional Patriot air defence missile system to Ukraine in the winter months, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

“This is what is most necessary now – to ensure air defence with this highly efficient system,” Scholz said after the first day of the EU Political Community summit in Granada, Spain.

The German chancellor said Russia would try to threaten Ukraine‘s infrastructure and cities again this winter with missile and drone attacks, and that is what made the air defence system a priority.

“We must of course ensure that there is no escalation of the war and that Germany does not become part of the conflict,” Scholz said.

Deadliest attack on Ukraine in months

Thursday 5 October 2023 19:20 , Jane Dalton

More than 50 people have been killed – including a six-year-old boy – after a Russian missile hit a shop and cafe in northeastern Ukraine where mourners had gathered for a wake. It is one of the deadliest such attacks since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion 19 months ago. Full story:

Russia missile strike kills more than 50 in deadliest attack on Ukraine in months

Helping Moscow avoid sanctions is criminal, says Zelensky

Thursday 5 October 2023 18:52 , Jane Dalton

All those who help Russia circumvent sanctions are criminals and those who continue to support Russia are all supporting evil, Mr Zelensky has warned on social media, as he again appealed for western support in the face of fears that it could be waning

He sent condolences to those who lost loved ones in the missile attack on a shop in Kharkiv:

French and Italian leaders greet Zelensky warmly

Thursday 5 October 2023 18:22 , Jane Dalton

President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a summit of the European Political Community in Granada, Spain, was warmly greeted by the French president Emmanuel Macron and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

Zelensky pleads for more western backing to halt terror attacks

Thursday 5 October 2023 17:52 , Jane Dalton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, at a summit of the European Political Community in Granada, Spain, has asked for more western support, saying: “Russian terror must be stopped.”

“Russia needs this and similar terrorist attacks for only one thing: to make its genocidal aggression the new norm for the whole world,” he told the gathering, including Rishi Sunak.

“Now we are talking with European leaders, in particular, about strengthening our air defence, strengthening our soldiers, giving our country protection from terror. And we will respond to the terrorists.

“The key for us, especially before winter, is to strengthen air defence, and there is already a basis for new agreements with partners.”

Last winter, Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy system and other vital infrastructure in a steady barrage of missile and drone attacks, triggering continuous power outages across the country.

UN chief condemns deadly Ukraine strike

Thursday 5 October 2023 17:49 , Jane Dalton

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned an attack on a village in northeastern Ukraine that reportedly killed dozens of people, a UN spokesperson said.

“Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law and they must stop immediately,” Stephane Dujarric said.

Putin claims 90,000 Ukrainian troops killed

Thursday 5 October 2023 17:22 , Jane Dalton

Ukraine has lost more than 90,000 troops since the start of its counteroffensive in early June, Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed.

Mr Putin also said Kyiv had lost 557 tanks and around 1,900 armoured vehicles.

Kyiv does not disclose official figures, but in August, US officials estimated up to 70,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed.

No one will survive if Russia is attacked, Putin warns

Thursday 5 October 2023 16:55 , Jane Dalton

Vladimir Putin has said no one in the world in their right mind would use nuclear weapons against Russia, and that no one would survive if his country was attacked.

In response to a question, the Russian president said potential enemies knew about Russia’s nuclear arsenal, and he was not ready to declare whether Russia needed to resume nuclear weapons testing, saying that “theoretically we could revoke ratification” of the international nuclear test ban treaty.

In a keynote annual speech at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, he said Russia had almost completed work on its nuclear-capable Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system and successfully tested the nuclear-powered nuclear-capable Burevestnik strategic cruise missile.

In pictures: The rescue operation

Thursday 5 October 2023 16:19 , Jane Dalton

Rescuers removing debris after a Russian missile hit a crowded shop and cafe in the village of Hroza:

Death toll reaches 51

Thursday 5 October 2023 16:02 , Jane Dalton

The death toll now stands at 51, Ukrainian officials say.

Regional governor Oleh Synehubov said the cafe and shop were reduced to rubble early in Hroza village in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region.

Death toll rises to 50

Thursday 5 October 2023 15:54 , Jane Dalton

Ukrainian authorities say the death toll in the Kharkiv attack has risen to 50.

Presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak and Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said a six-year-old boy was among the dead, and seven other people were wounded.

Emergency crews were searching the rubble of damaged buildings.

About 60 people were in the cafe attending a wake after a funeral, said internal affairs minister Ihor Klymenko.

Missile used in deadly attack

Thursday 5 October 2023 15:52 , Jane Dalton

Russia used an Iskander missile in an attack that killed dozens of people in a village in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday, Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko said.

“According to preliminary findings, the venue was hit by an Iskander,” he said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Iskander is a mobile ballistic missile system designed for tactical strikes on small, high-value land targets.

Village was holding memorial service at cafe where 49 killed by Russian shelling, says Kyiv minister

Thursday 5 October 2023 15:04 , Andy Gregory

Residents in the Kharkiv village where 49 have been killed in a Russian attack had been gathered for a memorial service at the cafe that was hit by shelling, Ukraine’s interior minister has said.

Ihor Klymenko said that residents of the small village of about 330 people had been holding a memorial service in the cafe that was hit.

“From every family, from every household, there were people present at this commemoration. This is a terrible tragedy,” Klymenko told Ukrainian television.

Death toll rises to 49 in Kharkiv

Thursday 5 October 2023 14:31 , Andy Gregory

The death toll in the village of Groza has risen to 49, Kharkiv’s regional govenor has said.

Nearly 50 killed in Russian attack on Kharkiv food shop, Zelensky says

Thursday 5 October 2023 14:05 , Andy Gregory

Nearly 50 people have been killed in a Russian attack on a village in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The missile hit a food shop and has killed 47 people, Mr Zelensky said on Telegram.

In a more recent post, regional governor Oleh Sinegubov said Russian troops shelled a cafe and a shop in a village in the Kupyan district, where there were many civilians.

The bodies of 48 dead people, including a 6-year-old boy, have been recovered from the rubble, he said, as rescuers continued to clear the debris. Six others, including one child, are injured, he said.

Zelensky says he is confident of continued US support despite ‘political storm’

Thursday 5 October 2023 13:59 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told more than 40 European leaders that he is confident US support to Kyiv will not be discontinued despite the removal of the House speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The US government is currently in shutdown after a failure to agree on financing for the next fiscal year. The speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr McCarthy, was subsequently removed on Tuesday following a move against him led by hard right Republicans, many of which are loyal to Donald Trump.

In his address to the European Political Community today in the southern Spanish city of Granada, Mr Zelensky admitted there was a “political storm” over Washington, but he added that he was confident it would be resolved before it can have a demonstrative effect on Ukrainians.

“I am confident in America,” he said. “They are strong people with strong institutions, and a strong democracy.”

You can read more about the potential ramifications of a frozen Congress for Ukraine below.

Explained: How Kevin McCarthy’s ousting in the US could leave Ukraine in a tough spot

Slovakia’s president refuses caretaker government’s Ukraine aid plan

Thursday 5 October 2023 13:39 , Andy Gregory

Slovakia’s president has refused a plan by her country’s caretaker government to send further military aid to Ukraine.

President Zuzana Caputova said the caretaker government does not have the authority and parties that oppose such support – led by former prime minister Robert Fico and his leftist Smer (Direction) party – are in talks to form a government following last week’s election.

The presidential office said that Ms Caputova, who has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine and visited Kyiv twice since the start of the Russian invasion, has not changed her view on the necessity of military assistance for Ukraine.

But the statement said that “approving a military aid package by the current outgoing government would create a risky precedent for the change of power after any future elections”. It said the president is ready to support military assistance proposed by any government with full powers.

Slovakia has been a major supporter of Ukraine, donating arms including its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets. The caretaker government had been planning to send ammunition to Ukraine’s armed forces and to train Ukrainian soldiers in demining.

Spain offers new air defence system to Ukraine

Thursday 5 October 2023 12:57 , Tom Watling

Spain has offered new air defence and anti-drone systems to Ukraine to protect its energy and port infrastructures, a government source said told Reuters on Thursday.

The Spanish army will also train Ukrainian soldiers to use these news systems as well as provide more demining equipment, the source added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as his entourage, are currenly in the southern Spanish city of Granada for the European Political Community forum.

Zelensky addresses the European Political Community in Spain

Thursday 5 October 2023 12:37 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed some 50 leaders gathered in Granada, Spain, for the third European Political Community forum.

During his address, he stressed that a priority was securing air defences ahead of the winter, when a Russian strike campaign targeting critical infrastructure across Ukraine will likely ramp up.

He concluded his speech by urging continued European unity in the face of continued Russian aggression, reiterating that Ukraine’s soldiers were defending not just their nation but the whole continent from Vladimir Putin.

Watch: Ukraine ‘develops real-life invisibility cloak’

Thursday 5 October 2023 12:30 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine has reportedly developed a real-life “invisibility cloak” that can hide soldiers from Russian thermal cameras thanks to its unique properties that block heat signature radiation.

The images show two men standing next to each other, with a third, on the left, barely visible at all thanks to the new cloak.

Mykhailo Fedorov, minister of digital transformation of Ukraine, shared the footage on Wednesday 4 October.

“Have you ever read about invisibility cloaks in fairy tales? Well, Ukrainians made it,” a statement read.

“The cloak blocks heat radiation and makes defenders invisible to Russian thermal cameras. It will help our soldiers work effectively during the night.”

Oliver Browning reports:

Ukraine ‘develops real-life invisibility cloak’ to hide soldiers from thermal cameras