Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Kyiv launches major overnight aerial attack as battle for Kharkiv town rages

Ukraine has launched a major aerial attack on the Russian-held port city of Sevastapol in Crimea overnight, as well as several Russian regions.

The assault that stretched across Crimea, Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk likely involved US-provided long-range ATACMS missiles, according to the Russian defence ministry, which claimed the attack had largely been “averted”.

At least 10 ATACMS and 17 attack drones were used in the attack, Russia said. Ukraine does not typically comment on its operations against regions within Russia or the Crimea Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

The attack comes as the chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency warned the new frontline of the war in northeastern Ukraine was “on the edge” with Russian troops advancing towards Kharkiv.

General Kyrylo Budanov said “every hour” counted and Moscow’s assault was intended to exhaust Kyiv’s thin reserves across the frontline.

Up to 30,000 Russian troops are involved in the attack after Moscow unexpectedly began targeting the region last Friday, Kyiv’s security council warned.

Key Points

• Ukraine launches major attack with US missiles on occupied Crimea

• Frontline ‘on the edge’, Kyiv warns

• Putin will be made to pay to rebuild Ukraine, Blinken says in Kyiv

• Up to 30,000 Russian troops attacking Kharkiv, Kyiv says

• Ukraine’s soldiers battle to stop Putin’s forces around Kharkiv

It’s time we gave Ukraine the tools it needs to finish the job

12:00 , Tom Watling

It’s time we gave Ukraine the tools it needs to finish the job

Photos show Putin and Xi meeting in Beijing

11:30 , Tom Watling

We have some more photos dropping on the wires from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing.

US will send artillery, rockets and ammunition in $1bn arms package to Ukraine

11:10 , Tom Watling

US sending largest military aid package to Ukraine so far

Zelensky travels to Kharkiv amid Russian offensive in region’s north

10:48 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has travelled to the city of Kharkiv amid a raging Russian offensive in the north of the region.

Mr Zelensky said on Telegram he held a meeting with the military, and described the situation as extremely difficult though “controlled in general”.

“As of today, the situation in Kharkiv Oblast is generally under control, our soldiers are inflicting significant losses on the occupier. But the direction remains extremely difficult - we are strengthening our units,” he wrote.

Earlier, the Ukrainian military said its forces were fighting Russian troops in northern districts of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region but the invaders had been unable to break through deeper into the border town.

“The enemy’s plans to penetrate deeper into the town of Vovchansk and gain a foothold there were thwarted,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement.

Ukraine’s Zelensky cancels foreign visits as Putin’s forces advance around Kharkiv

10:31 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cancelled all his upcoming foreign trips as he looks to concentrate on Russia’s advance in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.

It comes as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a new $2 billion (£1.6bn) weapons deal during a visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, before suggesting Washington could sign a bilateral agreement with Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Mr Blinken did not go into detail about what would be included in the latest pledge, which will be drawn from the $61bn package passed by Congress last month.

Zelensky cancels foreign visits as Putin’s forces advance around Kharkiv

Russian forces trying to take Lyptsi village in Ukraine's Kharkiv region -RIA

10:00 , Tom Watling

Russian forces are on the approaches to the village of Lyptsi, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, and have started work to seize it, Russian state news agency RIA reported, citing a local Russian-installed official.

The claim cannot be verified and Russian officials often issue premature reports - but civilians fleeing Lyptsi over the past few days told aid workers in Kharkiv city that they could hear the bombs coming “closer and closer”.

The latest update from Ukrainian war tracker DeepState, known to have close ties to the military, suggests Russia forces are still more than three miles away from the village.

The small village of Lyptsi is around 16 miles north of the city centre of Kharkiv, the region’s namesake capital that is home to some 1.3 million citizens.

How Ukraine’s war changed Oleksandr Usyk – and how it didn’t

09:40 , Tom Watling

How Ukraine’s war changed Oleksandr Usyk – and how it didn’t

Vladimir Putin arrives in China to meet Xi Jinping as West watches with growing concern

09:20 , Tom Watling

China has rolled out the red carpet to welcome Russian president Vladimir Putin for a potentially consequential and heavily symbolic state visit that will be closely watched in the West.

Mr Putin’s second visit in less than a year comes as Western nations, led by the US, are putting pressure on China to stop throwing its economic and industrial weight behind Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The two-day trip is Mr Putin’s first abroad since starting his new term as president earlier this month.

Vladimir Putin arrives to meet Xi Jinping in China as West watches with concern

A compilation of Russia’s latest propaganda claims …

09:00 , Tom Watling

Below is a compilation of the latest Russian claims regarding its war in Ukraine.

The claims cannot be verified but we repost them to show you the mood inside Moscow and the messages they are trying to convey to their own public. Much of the propaganda they push is intended to give the impression to the Russian population that the West is funding a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and that, despite this, Russia is nevertheless succeeding in its war.

Russia’s Federal Security Service has claimed it has detained Ukrainian agents in Crimea, and that one of them admitted to having transferred information on air defence systems protecting the Crimean bridge, state news agency RIA reported.

The speaker of Russia’s State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, meanwhile, said this morning that Ukraine was dragging the US and Europe into a big war, and Western leaders needed to avoid a major global catastrophe.

Xi lauds China-Russia ties as Putin arrives in Beijing

08:48 , Tom Watling

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to work with counterpart Vladimir Putin to “rejuvenate” their countries as the pair started a day of talks in Beijing, saying China would “always be a good partner” of Russia, according to Chinese state media.

Putin arrived on Thursday for a two-day state visit that will include detailed talks on Ukraine, Asia, energy and trade with Xi, his most powerful political backer and fellow geopolitical rival of the United States.

“The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it,” Xi told Putin as they met in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

“China is willing to ... jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries, and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world.”

China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.

What’s the latest in Ukraine and Russia? Day 813

08:31 , Tom Watling

Good morning.

Intense fighting has continued in the northeast Kharkiv region in what British Defence Minister Grant Shapps said should be a “wake up call” to Ukraine’s allies who have become “distracted” from the war.

“We must back [the Ukrainians] all the time, not just periodically,” Mr Shapps said, adding that a $60bn US military package “took too long to get through Congress”. It was blocked for seven months by Donald Trump-supporting Republicans keen to shore up more funds for securing their border with Mexico.

Ukrainian war tracker DeepState said Russian forces had advanced into a stretch of land between the villages of Hlyboke and Lyptsi, which is less than 20 miles from the region’s capital Kharkiv, home to some 1.3 million civilians.

An aid worker in Kharkiv city running a shelter for evacuees from Lyptsi told me on Wednesday that the civilians could hear the bombs “coming closer and closer” as they fled the village.

In the fight next-door, a local Ukrainian official said Russian forces had entered the streets of Vovchansk, a town some 35 miles from Kharkiv city.

In southern Ukraine, Russia fired three deadly glide bombs, nicknamed “building destroyers”, at the centre of Kherson city, injuring at least 19 people and destroying several homes.

“The city centre of Kherson. In the middle of the day, three Russian aerial bombs hit a residential area,” regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram yesterday.

In China, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, where the Russian leader said he was “grateful” to China for its efforts to end the war in Ukraine, referring to their peace proposal that was dismissed by Ukraine as simply a recital of the Kremlin’s demands.

Putin says he is ‘grateful to China' for peace efforts on Ukraine war

08:06 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin said he spoke to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about Russian invasion of Ukraine after he reached Beijing for a two-day visit.

“We are grateful to China for its efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis,” he said. The Russian president said he would brief the Chinese leader on the situation in Ukraine where Russian forces are advancing on several fronts.

China had issued a proposal for peace in Ukraine last year but the bid did not conclude and Kyiv has put forth its own peace agreement, seeking ejection of Russian troops from its territory.

Mr Putin’s visit to Beijing comes as Moscow presses forward on a new offensive in Ukraine.

Ukrainian military moves out troops due to ‘intensive’ enemy fire'

07:05 , Arpan Rai

Heavy enemy fire has prompted Ukraine’s military to reposition some troops in the Kupiansk direction to the east of the country’s second largest city, Kharkiv, the General Staff said today.

“In certain districts, as a result of intensive enemy fire, our units regrouped to more advantages positions,” the late-night report said.

Kupiansk was occupied by Russian troops in the first weeks of the February 2022 invasion, but recaptured by Ukrainian forces later in the year. The area has seen heavy fighting in recent months.

Russia's Putin arrives in China for state visit in a show of unity between the authoritarian allies

07:00 , Sam Rkaina

Vladimir Putin landed in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day state visit to China in a show of unity between the authoritarian allies.

Putin‘s visit comes as Russia has become more economically dependent on China following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.

On the eve of the visit, Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine. “We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours,” Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

The Russian leader’s two-day trip comes as his country’s forces have pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.

Along with Moscow’s efforts to build on its gains in the nearby Donetsk region, the 2-year-old war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine’s depleted military that is awaiting new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States.

“We have never refused to negotiate,” Putin was quoted as saying by Xinhua. “We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.”

Fighting rages in Kharkiv’s villages

06:45 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian troops have repelled four Russia attacks along the border, but fighting was raging near a string of villages, a late-night report issued by Ukraine’s General Staff said.

Kyiv says fighting is also ongoing in the northeastern border town of Vovchansk. The capture of the town, 5km (3 miles) from the border, would be Russia’s most significant gain since it launched an incursion into the Kharkiv region on Friday, opening a new front in its invasion and forcing Kyiv to rush in reinforcements.

Ukraine’s ground forces “continued to carry out stabilising moves” near Vovchansk, the report added.

Officials said heavy fire had prompted the military to reposition some troops near Kupiansk to the southeast, an area that has seen heavy fighting in recent months.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s General Staff said troops had pulled back to new positions in the Vovchansk and Lukyantsi areas due to “a consequence of enemy fire and storming action”.

Russia opening up new fronts to stretch Ukraine army

06:00 , Sam Rkaina

Russia is opening new fronts in order to stretch Ukraine‘s army, which is short of ammunition and manpower, along the about 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, hoping defenses will crumble. Russian artillery and sabotage raids have also been menacing Ukraine‘s northern Chernihiv and Sumy regions.

The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed that its troops have retaken the village of Robotnye in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainian forces had gained control of the village last August in what was seen as an important advance in a counteroffensive that eventually petered out.

Elsewhere in Ukraine‘s southern regions, an aerial attack on the central district of Kherson wounded 17 civilians, the regional prosecutor’s office said. And a Russian missile attack injured six people in Mykolaiv, according to Ukraine‘s rescue service.

Putin arrives in China to deepen strategic ties with Xi

05:43 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin reached Beijing early today for talks with Xi Jinping that the Kremlin hopes will deepen a strategic partnership between the two nations, as the Russian invasion plays out in the backdrop.

The two leaders will sit down for informal chats, and a key dinner on Thursday, expected to be the highlight of the Russian leader’s two-day trip.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said those talks would range over Ukraine, Asia, energy and trade.

Mr Putin’s newly appointed defence minister, Andrei Belousov, as well as foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, security council secretary Sergei Shoigu and Ushakov will also attend, along with Russia’s most powerful CEOs.

China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Mr Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since the second World War.

Ahead of his visit, Mr Putin spoke to China’s Xinhua news agency and praised the Chinese leader for helping to build a “strategic partnership” with Russia based on national interests and deep mutual trust.

“It was the unprecedentedly high level of the strategic partnership between our countries that determined my choice of China as the first state that I would visit after taking office as president,” Mr Putin said.

“We will try to establish closer co-operation in the fields of industry and high technology, space and peaceful nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy sources and other innovative sectors,” he said.

Vladimir Putin arrives to meet Xi Jinping in China as West watches with concern

It’s time we gave Ukraine the tools it needs to finish the job

05:22 , Arpan Rai

The presence in Kyiv of the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, at what is becoming a critical juncture in Ukraine’s war of survival against Russia, is, of course, extremely welcome.

Were they being undiplomatically honest, however, the Ukrainians would admit that they would far rather have received a bumper consignment of Patriot missile defence systems, F-16 fighters and Abrams armoured vehicles than the distinguished statesman. That way, they might have a better chance of preventing the Russians from destroying their second city, Kharkiv. Such a denouement is unlikely – but the possibility of it cannot be dismissed.

Like Mr Blinken, Joe Biden has obviously been preoccupied with the Middle East in recent months – and, while a superpower has more than sufficient political and diplomatic “bandwidth” to cope with multiple crises, the decision to send America’s most senior diplomat to Ukraine is an important visible signal that the West is not entirely distracted by the war in Gaza.

Read our full editorial here:

It’s time we gave Ukraine the tools it needs to finish the job

Blinken says US understands urgency for more air defences

05:00 , Sam Rkaina

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Ukraine to highlight U.S. support, though most of the money he announced Wednesday, about $1.6 billion, comes from the $60 billion allotted to Ukraine in the supplemental foreign assistance legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, officials said.

He said the money would be used for three purposes: to provide weapons in the short term, to invest in Ukraine‘s defense-industrial base and to allow Ukraine to buy military supplies from other countries.

At a news conference with Blinken, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said of the aid: “This is a very powerful message to both our friends and our enemies.”

Blinken said Washington understands the urgency of Ukraine‘s need for additional air defences to protect against the Russian onslaught and was prioritizing them in its assistance.

He added that the U.S. has “not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine“ using American-supplied long-range weapons. That decision is up to Kyiv authorities, he said.

Russia says it destroys five ATACMS missiles fired by Kyiv

04:54 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s air defence forces claim they have destroyed five long-range missiles known as ATACMS that Ukraine’s military launched overnight on occupied Crimea, the Russian defence ministry said today.

The ministry did not share evidence to confirm the destruction of US-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems or ATACMS missiles. It also did not share if the attack caused any damage to infrastructure or its forces.

Washington said earlier this week their ATACMS missiles were already reaching Ukrainian forces.

Regional governor Mikhail Razvozhayev confirmed the aerial attack took place and claimed no one was injured.

Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine 10 years ago in a move broadly condemned internationally, and the region has now become an important flashpoint in the war.

Vovchansk focus of recent fighting, near Russian border

04:00 , Sam Rkaina

Vovchansk — just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border — has been the focus of much of the recent fighting, and Ukrainian and Russian troops battled in its streets Wednesday.

Oleksii Kharkivskyi, head of the city’s patrol police, said Russian troops were taking up positions in the city, while the Ukrainian General Staff said its forces were trying to flush them out.

Gunfire could be heard in the background of a video the police official posted on his Instagram page. The Ukrainian presidential office said additional reinforcements were being deployed in the region, including army reserve units.

Recap: Russian forces shell central Kharkiv, two injured, governor says

02:00 , Sam Rkaina

Russian forces shelled the central Shevchenkivsyi district of Kharkiv, Ukraine‘s second largest city, on Wednesday, injuring two people and damaging a five-storey building, the regional governor said.

Oleh Syniehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the two men were being treated in hospital. Reuters was unable to independently verify battlefield reports.

Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian forces in recent weeks. Russian troops pushed their way across the border last week in northern parts of Kharkiv region and military officials say they have captured 12 villages.

Russian offensive is ‘wake-up call’ for civilised countries

01:00 , Sam Rkaina

Russia’s fresh offensive in Ukraine should act as a “wake-up call” for nations that have become “distracted” by other conflicts, the Defence Secretary has said.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday he had postponed all upcoming foreign trips after Russian troops launched an advance in his country’s north-eastern Kharkiv region.

Some Ukrainian troops have been forced to withdraw in the face of the offensive, one of the most significant since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Speaking to Sky News, Grant Shapps expressed confidence that Russia would not seize the city of Kharkiv but said the UK had predicted that an “attention deficit from civilised countries” would enable such a situation to develop.

He said: “I really hope that this is the wake-up call that we have tried to issue now being heard, which is this is not a war in which you can afford to be fully attentive and then switch off or maybe get distracted into a different conflict and then expect nothing to change on the ground.”

He added: “We must back (the Ukrainians) all the time, not just periodically.”

Blinken's Kyiv song choice raises eyebrows as Ukraine fights fierce Russian attacks

00:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Fresh from a day of delivering optimistic prognoses about how Ukraine would fare in the war with Russia despite gloomy news from the front lines, U.S. Secretary of State and amateur musician Antony Blinken may have thought he had the perfect upbeat song to perform with a Kyiv bar band on his fourth visit to the capital since the conflict began in 2022.

“I know this is a really, really difficult time,” Blinken told a packed crowd in the subterranean club Barman Dictat on Tuesday night.

“Your soldiers, your citizens, particularly in the northeast in Kharkiv, are suffering tremendously,” he said. “But they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you, so much of the world is with you. And they’re fighting not just for a free Ukraine but for the free world, and the free world is with you, too.”

Blinken's Kyiv song choice raises eyebrows as Ukraine fights fierce Russian attacks

Ukraine’s Zelensky cancels foreign visits as Putin’s forces advance around Kharkiv

23:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cancelled all his upcoming foreign trips as he looks to concentrate on Russia’s advance in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.

It comes as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a new $2 billion (£1.6bn) weapons deal during a visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, before suggesting Washington could sign a bilateral agreement with Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Mr Blinken did not go into detail about what would be included in the latest pledge, which will be drawn from the $61bn package passed by Congress last month.

Zelensky cancels foreign visits as Putin’s forces advance around Kharkiv

On the eve of his visit to China, Putin says Russia is prepared to negotiate over Ukraine

22:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his regime is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine in an interview with Chinese media on the eve of visit to partner Beijing that has backed Moscow in its full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

“We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours,” Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday.

The Russian leader’s two-day trip starting Thursday comes as his country’s forces have pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.

On the eve of his visit to China, Putin says Russia is prepared to negotiate over Ukraine

21:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia hits high-rise residential building in Kharkiv, injuring at least 20

Russian air strikes injure at least 25 in Ukraine's south, say local officials

20:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian missile and guided bomb strikes on Ukraine‘s southern cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson injured at least 25 people, local officials said on Wednesday.

Nineteen people, including one teenager, received injuries when Russia struck Kherson, Roman Mrochko, head of Kherson’s military administration, said on Telegram. Three people were in a severe condition.

“The city centre of Kherson. In the middle of the day, three Russian aerial bombs hit a residential area,” regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.

Eight apartment blocks, private houses, two schools, and a medical facility were damaged, local officials said. Separately, a Russian missile attack caused a heavy fire in a car repair service in Mykolaiv, emergency services said on Telegram. At least six people were wounded.

Russia denies targeting civilians but thousands have been killed and injured in its strikes during the 27-month-old full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Zelensky cancels foreign visits as Putin’s forces advance around Kharkiv

19:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cancelled all his upcoming foreign trips as he looks to concentrate on Russia’s advance in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.

It comes as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a new $2 billion (£1.6bn) weapons deal during a visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, before suggesting Washington could sign a bilateral agreement with Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Mr Blinken did not go into detail about what would be included in the latest pledge, which will be drawn from the $61bn package passed by Congress last month.

Zelensky cancels foreign visits as Putin’s forces advance around Kharkiv

Dozens of countries signing up for Ukraine peace summit, Switzerland says

17:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Switzerland has had over 50 registrations from the more than 160 delegations the neutral country has invited to a summit next month that Bern hopes will pave the way for a peace process in Ukraine, President Viola Amherd said on Wednesday.

Amherd, speaking at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the two held talks in Berlin, said her government was seeking a broad-based turnout for the summit, but that China had not yet said it would attend.

Countries from South America, Africa and the Middle East were among those that had confirmed they would come, according to Amherd, who in January agreed to host a peace summit at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia has not been invited, and diplomats and foreign policy experts say the talks due to be held near the Swiss city of Lucerne are likely to focus on forging consensus on how to mitigate risks stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Roughly half of the countries who have said they would take part were non-European, and the list of attendees was likely to keep changing until the last minute, Amherd said.

Switzerland was pressing to persuade more countries from the so-called Global South and China to sign up, she added.

“This work is continuing at full speed,” Amherd said.

US will send artillery, rockets and ammunition in $1bn arms package to Ukraine

16:34 , Tom Watling

The US government has unveiled a $1bn arms package for Ukraine which will include additional 155mm artillery pieces and 36,000 rounds of ammunition to go with them along with more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and a pair of Harpoon anti-ship missile systems for coastal defence purposes.

Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defence J. Todd Breasseale announced the security assistance package in a statement released by the Defence Department on Wednesday.

US sending largest military aid package to Ukraine so far

Russian strikes injure at least 17 in Ukraine's south

15:30 , Tom Watling

Russian airstrikes on Ukraine‘s southern cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson injured at least 17 people, local officials said on Wednesday.

Eleven people, including at least one teenager, received injuries when Russia struck Kherson using aviation, the regional governor said on Telegram. Residential buildings and an educational facility were damaged, he said. Separately, a Russian missile attack caused a heavy fire in a car repair service in Mykolaiv, emergency services said on Telegram. At least six people were wounded.

Russia denies targeting civilians but thousands have been killed and injured in its strikes during the 27-month-old full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Estonia parliament backs using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine reparations

15:00 , Tom Watling

Estonia’s parliament has approved a proposal allowing the use of frozen Russian assets to pay compensation for war damage in Ukraine.

Last week European Union ambassadors agreed to use windfall profits from Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU for Ukraine’s defence. The decision could be formally adopted next week.

“We took a big step towards creating a precedent Europe could follow,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.

The Group of Seven countries (G7) froze around $300 billion worth of Russian financial assets soon after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, the EU and other G7 countries have debated how and whether to use the funds to help Ukraine.

Two thirds of 101-member Estonian parliament supported the law, it said in a statement.

The Estonian law would allow frozen assets of individuals and companies which contributed to Russian illegal actions to be used as “an advance payment for the damages Russia owes Ukraine”, the parliament said.

To do that, Estonia would need to receive a request to use the assets, the connection of their owner to illegal acts must be sufficiently proven. The asset owner can challenge their use for Ukraine in Estonian courts.

Ukrainian band told they would play with Neil Young ‘disappointed’ after Antony Blinken walks out

14:30 , Tom Watling

A Ukrainian guitarist has said he was left “disappointed” after being told that he’d be playing Rockin’ in the Free World with Neil Young – before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken came on stage.

Mr Blinken, 62, made a surprise visit to Kyiv to reassure Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky of the continued US support as Russia’s offensive intensifies in the Kharkiv region.

Just hours after declaring that Ukraine is “not alone” on the political stage on Tuesday, the secretary of state picked up a guitar performed to a live audience.

Band ‘disappointed’ as Blinken takes to stage instead of Neil Young

Ukraine's military says it 'partially pushed back' Russian forces from Vovchansk

14:00 , Tom Watling

Ukraine‘s forces have “partially pushed back” Russian forces from the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region on Wednesday, the Ukrainian military said.

In an update on the battlefield situation it said that active combat clashes raged on in north and northwestern parts of the town and a total of 18 Russian assaults were repelled.

Biden could meet Ukraine's Zelenskiy in coming weeks, Blinken says

13:30 , Tom Watling

US President Joe Biden could meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the coming weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said during a press conference in Kyiv.

Mr Blinken added that Washington strongly supported a planned Ukrainian peace summit in Switzerland set for next month and would be “robustly represented” there.

Russian oil still ending up in UK despite sanctions, MPs told

13:00 , Tom Watling

Russian oil is still ending up in the UK despite sanctions, a committee heard.

The import, acquisition, and supply of Russian oil and oil products into the UK was banned in December 2022.

G7 countries also agreed to cap the price of Russian oil and petroleum products, more generally, to reduce Vladimir Putin’s ability to finance his war in Ukraine.

Russian oil still ending up in UK despite sanctions, MPs told

Russia will treat any foreign mercenaries sent to Ukraine as targets, Zakharova says

12:30 , Tom Watling

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that Moscow would consider any foreign mercenaries and foreign weapons sent to Ukraine to be legitimiate military targets.

Ms Zakharova was commenting on reports this week that NATO member Estonia is weighing whether to send troops to Ukraine. Similar proposals have been floated by other European countries, including France.

Russia arrests another senior Defense Ministry official in bribery charges amid broader shake-up

12:00 , Tom Watling

Russian authorities arrested another senior Defense Ministry official on charges of bribery, authorities said Tuesday, days after President Vladimir Putin replaced the defense minister in a Cabinet shake-up and amid expectations of further purges at the ministry.

The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top law enforcement body, wrote in a statement that Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov, the chief of the ministry’s main personnel directorate, was arrested on charges of bribery and placed in custody pending investigation and trial.

Russia arrests another senior Defense Ministry official in bribery charges amid broader shake-up

Russia says Cameron's Ukraine remark was 'absolutely crazy'

11:15 , Tom Watling

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has called remarks by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron saying Ukraine could deploy British weapons in attacks on Russian territory crazy, anti-Russian and aggressive.

Ms Zakharova was speaking at a news briefing in Moscow.

Cameron, during a visit to Kyiv on 3 May, told Reuters that Ukraine had a right to use the weapons provided by Britain to strike targets inside Russia, and that it was up to Kyiv whether or not to do so.

His comment prompted Moscow to warn London that it could hit back at British military installations and equipment both inside Ukraine and elsewhere if British weapons were used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory.

Footage shows moment explosions hit Russian airfield in occupied Crimea

10:45 , Tom Watling

Footage has shown the moment missiles believed to be US-supplied ATACMS long-range warheads hit a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea.

Ukraine calls Putin comment about possible dialogue to end war 'hypocritical'

10:14 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on possible negotiations over his war in Ukraine as “hypocritical” on Wednesday.

“Once again, Putin’s hypocritical ‘negotiation’ activity... At the same time, Russia continues to burn cities in Donbas and is trying to break through in Kharkiv region, while simultaneously scaling up crimes against civilians,” he said on X.

Russia intensifies attacks around Kharkiv as Blinken says US weapons will make ‘real difference’ on frontline

09:45 , Tom Watling

Ukraine expects Russia to throw as many of its resources as possible at an attack around Kharkiv as Kyiv’s forces are “on the edge” given how badly they are outgunned by Moscow’s troops.

Spy chief General Kyrylo Budanov said the assault by Vladimir Putin’s forces is intended to exhaust Kyiv’s thin reserves across the frontline.

Russian troops have captured at least six villages in the last week after storming the northeastern border region, forcing thousands of residents to flee.

Russia intensifies attacks around Kharkiv as Blinken visits Kyiv

Russia takes up positions in Ukraine town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, local police chief says

09:20 , Tom Watling

Russian forces are establishing positions inside the Ukrainian border town of Vovchansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region and fighting there is intense, the local police chief has said.

The capture of the town three miles from the border would be Russia’s most significant gain since it launched an incursion into the Kharkiv region on Friday, opening a new front and forcing Kyiv to rush in reinforcements.

“The situation is extremely difficult. The enemy is taking positions on the streets of the town of Vovchansk,” Oleksiy Kharkivskiy, Vovchansk’s patrol police chief, said on Facebook.

Ukraine‘s military said on Tuesday its forces pulled back to “more advantageous” positions in two areas of the Kharkiv region, including the Vovchansk area.

It cited “a consequence of enemy fire and storming action” and said the decision was taken “to preserve the lives of our servicemen and avoid losses.”

Families leave Kharkiv, but not without their dogs

08:54 , Arpan Rai

Olena Gubenko refused to leave her home in Kharkiv when Russia first invaded Ukraine, but she has now finally evacuated after Vladimir Putin’s troops launched a new offensive into the northeastern region.

She is fleeing along with a pack of over one hundred rescue dogs, which she and other volunteers have rushed to evacuate.

“I’ll be with them, wherever they are... they’re my life,” she said, pushing her frightened canines into cages that volunteers loaded in vans.

Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine

08:45 , Tom Watling

Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Zelensky cancels visit to Spain and Portugal

08:22 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cancelled a visit to Spain and Portugal, authorities said on Wednesday, with CNN Portugal and other media reporting it was because of renewed fighting in his country.

King Felipe of Spain has been due to hold a reception for Mr Zelensky on May 17 and host a meal in his honour.

Mr Zelensky had also been expected to sign a bilateral security cooperation agreement with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following a joint declaration by Nato last year.

A spokesperson for the Portuguese government said the Ukraine president had cancelled the visit but did not give a reason.

The Spanish government said it could not comment for security reasons.

Alongside other European Union countries, Spain committed to support Ukraine with financial and military aid after Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Mr Zelensky’s planned visit was due to coincide with an European Union pledge of long-term security support for Kyiv, according to a draft document.

Defying West, Putin set to meet Xi in Beijing

07:28 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin’s Beijing visit starting tomorrow is likely to be light on hard deals but will mark the start of his new presidential term with a show of support from his most powerful political partner, Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Putin’s two-day mission is expected to highlight the pair’s vaunted “no limits” partnership in defiance from pressure from the United States over Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed Putin’s trip yesterday, saying Xi and Putin would exchange views on ties and “international and regional issues of common concern”.

While diplomats and analysts expect Putin to push Xi for further support for Russia’s war economy, from machines and chemicals to help its military industries to more discounted oil and gas purchases, Putin’s trip is likely to be heavily symbolic of a shared world view centred on countering a US-led order.

“China is Russia’s strategic partner – this is the path chosen by the president of Russia and the leader of China – and nothing is going to change that no matter what the West tries to say or do,” a Russian official said on condition of anonymity.

In an interview with China’s news agency Xinhua published early today, Putin backed China’s plan for a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis, saying Beijing had a full understanding of what lay behind it.

“In Beijing, they truly understand its root causes and its global geopolitical meaning,” Putin said, according to a Russian language transcript published on a Kremlin website.

Putin will also discuss economic ties with China’s premier Li Qiang and visit Harbin, a northeast city with historic Russian connections.

Putin’s arrival follows a mission to Beijing late last month from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in part to warn China’s top diplomat Wang Yi against deepening military support for Russia.

Ukraine grid operator imposes fresh power cuts amid Russian attacks

07:26 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenergo rolled out new controlled country-wide power cuts starting today amid Russian attacks on the war-hit nation’s energy infrastructure.

Ukraine is witnessing power shortages due to the damage caused to generating capacity from recent Russian missile strikes.

The power cuts will be implemented between 6.40am to 9am local time, Ukrenergo said.

This follows cuts that took place across Ukraine yesterday evening.

AP gets rare look as Ukraine tries to slow Russia with drones on new front

07:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

From the sky, the Ukrainian drone unit commander had a bird’s-eye view of Russia’s renewed offensive playing out in the country’s war-ravaged northeast.

Enemy forces have captured a string of Ukrainian villages over the past few days after opening a new front along the border with the Russian region of Belgorod. In the village of Strilecha, long depopulated due to its proximity to the border, a Russian infantry unit rolled in with ease, said one drone operator.

“I saw that the infantry just walked into the village,” said Borchik. “There were a lot of them.” Members of the unit spoke on the condition that only their call signs be used in line with Ukrainian military protocols.

AP gets rare look as Ukraine tries to slow Russia with drones on new front

Why is Putin targeting Ukraine's Vovchansk town in Kharkiv?

06:54 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s invasion has abruptly returned to Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region in full force this month, and Ukrainian military officials believe Vladimir Putin is likely to throw more reserves into the fight for the border area.

Moscow had already committed all the troops it had in the vicinity for the Kharkiv operation, Kyiv’s military spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said, adding that Russia has other reserve forces that he expected to be used in the coming days.

“As of yesterday evening, a rapid trend towards a stabilisation of the situation had emerged – that is, the enemy is, in principle, already blocked at the lines that it was able to reach,” he said in televised comments.

It is unlikely that Russia has the required troop strength to capture Kharkiv city itself, top Ukrainian officials said.

Experts say that the fight for the smaller Vovchansk is instead the most important battle in the new Russian push, as it looks to capture the town some 45km from Kharkiv city centre.

“If Russia wants to go further south, Vovchansk needs to be captured. In this town, Ukraine is putting up a fight, and it seems that stronger Ukrainian defences are starting to appear around 6-8 km from the border in other places too,” said Emil Kastehelmi, an open-source intelligence analyst with Black Bird Group.

The town, as of today, is “almost destroyed”, said Tamaz Gambarashvili, head of Vovchansk’s military administration.“It’s completely under (Kyiv’s) control, but there are small groups that try to enter the outskirts of the city, so there is a shooting battle,” he said.

Russia hit residential areas in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

06:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia carried out a series of air strikes on residential areas in the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Tuesday, local officials said, injuring at least 20 people.

One of the sites hit was a 20-storey building in the city centre, emergency services said. Earlier, officials had said it was a 12-storey building. Regional prosecutors said Russia had used its new guided UMPB D-30 bombs in that attack.

At another site, at least 15 garages near to a residential building caught fire after being struck by the guided bombs, the prosecutors added.

“Twenty people were injured and had an acute stress reaction,” the prosecutors said on the Telegram messaging app. Three children were among them.

Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, said Russia had struck residential areas of Kharkiv city seven times throughout the day.

“Someone’s home was here, where a pile of stones is now. Until Russia destroyed it,” Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram, posting an image from one of the sites.

US Secretary of State Blinken performs ‘Rockin in the Free World’ on guitar in Kyiv bar

05:53 , Arpan Rai

In a bar in Kyiv, America’s top diplomat used a guitar to deliver a message for Ukraine and the world with a performance of a classic tune by Canadian-American singer Neil Young.

Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to the war-torn Ukrainian capital this week as a show of continued support for the US ally amid intensified Russian missile attacks. On Tuesday, he took to the stage at a basement watering hole called Barman Dictat to perform with a band called 19.99.

The song? Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”.

Before taking the stage, Mr Blinken told the crowd at the bar that he recognized Ukrainian forces and citizens were still suffering and pledged support from the US and the rest of the world.

“Your soldiers, your citizens — particularly in the northeast, in Kharkiv — are suffering tremendously. But they need to know — you need to know — the United States is with you, so much of the world is with you and they’re fighting not just for a free Ukraine, but for the free world. And the free world is with you, too,” he said.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington DC:

Antony Blinken plays ‘Rockin in the Free World’ in Kyiv bar

Ukraine launches major attack with US missiles on occupied Crimea

05:51 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces claim they have averted a massive Ukrainian air attack on the Crimean port city Sevastopol and over the Black Sea overnight.

The Russian defence ministry said it destroyed 10 US-provided long-range missiles, known as ATACMS, that Ukraine’s military launched overnight towards occupied Crimea.

Another nine attack drones were destroyed over the Belgorod region, the ministry said.

The Russian defence ministry said five attack drones were also destroyed over Russia’s Kursk region and three over the Bryansk region.

In Crimea, Russia-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said “several air objects” were destroyed by Russia’s air defence systems over the region in the early hours today.

He claimed no one was injured, citing preliminary information. The scale of the attack and the extent of the damage were not immediately known.

Ukraine does not typically comment on its operations against regions within Russia or the Crimea Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

Russian fuel depot under attack, explosions reported

05:24 , Arpan Rai

A drone attack in Russia has caused two blasts at a fuel depot in Rostov region, local governor Vasily Golubev said today.

There were no injuries and no fire as a result of the attack, he said on his Telegram channel.

Last month, a similar attack had blown up an oil pipeline at a Russian military facility in Rostov’s village of Azov. The pipeline was reportedly transporting petroleum products from a local oil depot to tankers in the port area of the Azov Sea port.

Putin will be made to pay to rebuild Ukraine, says US secretary of state

05:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Antony Blinken said on Tuesday (14 May) that what Vladimir Putin has destroyed in Ukraine, Russia “should and must pay” to rebuild, as he confirmed the US intends to use its power to seize Russian assets.

“We’re working with our G7 partners to see that Russia’s immobilised sovereign assets are used to remedy the damage that Putin continues to cost,” the US secretary of state said in a speech from Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

Mr Blinken added that making Russia pay for the damage is “what international law demands and what the Ukrainian people deserve”.