Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s forces kill seven in Chernihiv strike as drone crashes in Kursk

Ukraine has said that a Russian missile strike in the northern city of Chernihiv has killed seven people and injured 144 others, as five people were injured in a Ukrainian drone in the Russian city of Kursk.

Around 15 children, including a six-year-old girl, and 15 police officers were among the dead following the strike, which hit a central square in the historic city, about 92 miles northeast of the capital, Kyiv, as locals walked to church to celebrate a religious holiday.

Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the news while on a visit to Sweden on Saturday.  “An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging service.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Vladimir Putin’s troops used Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack targets in the country’s central, northern and western regions.

It comes as a Ukrainian drone crashed into the rooftop of a railway station in the Russian city of Kursk, injuring five people and setting off a fire, the TASS news agency said on Sunday, citing regional governor Roman Starovoit.

Key Points

• Seven killed in Chernihiv missile strike

• Drone crashes into railway station in Russia’s Kursk, five injured

• Putin visits top military brass in Rostov-on-Don

• Ukraine shoots down 15 Russian drones

• Lavrov warns of ‘direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers’

Zelensky vows revenge over deadly Chernihiv 'terror attack'

09:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed revenge for the attack which left seven dead and 144 injured in Chernihiv.

“I am sure our soldiers will give a response to Russia for this terrorist attack,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address, delivered early on Sunday at the end of a visit to Sweden. “A notable response.”

He said that of the 144 people injured, 15 were children, and named the girl killed as Sofia. Fifteen others were police officers, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. Klymenko said most of the victims were in vehicles, crossing the road, or returning from church.

Regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said 41 people were in hospital on Saturday.

Zelensky said the strike on Chernihiv, a city of leafy boulevards and centuries-old churches about 145 km (90 miles) north of Kyiv, coincided with the Orthodox holiday of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Netherlands and Denmark will give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

15:03 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Netherlands and Denmark announced on Sunday that they will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, in a long-awaited announcement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called an important motivation for Ukraine‘s force.

The timeline depends on how soon Ukrainian crews and infrastructure are ready for the powerful US-made jets, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Mr Zelensky as the two visited a Dutch air base.

Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge.

Mr Zelensky welcomed the “historic” announcement and praised Mr Rutte for making the Netherlands the first country to offer the planes.

The announcement came minutes after the two leaders inspected two F-16 jets parked in a hangar at the Dutch base in the southern city of Eindhoven.

“It makes me proud that Denmark, together with the Netherlands, will donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine‘s fight for freedom against Russia and its senseless aggression. Denmark’s support for Ukraine is unwavering, and with the donation of F-16 aircraft, Denmark is now leading the way,” Danish Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said in a statement.

Russia says Ukrainian drones attack four regions

13:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia said Ukrainian drones had attacked four separate regions in a flurry of attempted strikes on Sunday, injuring five people and forcing two of Moscow’s airports to briefly divert flights.

Russia‘s Kursk, Rostov and Belgorod regions, all of which border Ukraine, reported attempted drone strikes, while Russia‘s defence ministry said it had jammed a Ukrainian drone in the Moscow region, forcing it to crash in an unpopulated area.

Russia‘s aviation watchdog said it had briefly halted flights to the city’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports in response.

The Kursk region’s governor said five people had been injured and a fire had broken out when a drone hit Kursk city’s railway station. Rostov’s governor said no injuries or damage had occurred.

Later on Sunday, Russia‘s Defence Ministry said it had prevented two separate drone strikes on Belgorod region, the border province most regularly attacked by Ukraine. The local governor said on Telegram that 12 airborne targets had been downed on the approaches to Belgorod city.

Russia says Ukrainian drones attack three regions

13:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia said Ukrainian drones had struck three separate regions on Sunday, injuring five people and forcing two of Moscow’s airports to briefly divert flights.

Russia‘s Kursk and Rostov regions, both of which border Ukraine, reported drone strikes while Russia‘s defence ministry said it had jammed a Ukrainian drone in the Moscow region, forcing it to crash in an unpopulated area.

Russia‘s aviation watchdog said it had briefly halted flights to the city’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports in response.

Kursk region’s governor said that 5 people had been injured and a fire broke out when a drone hit a railway station. Rostov’s governor said no injuries or damage had occurred.

Ukrainian drone strikes both on border regions and on the Russian capital have become increasingly common in recent months, with repeated strikes on Moscow’s financial district.

Russia said in May that two Ukrainian drones tried to attack the Kremlin.

Ukraine typically does not comment on who is behind attacks on Russian territory, although officials have publicly expressed satisfaction over them.

Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials

12:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The number of troops killed or wounded in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion is approaching 500,000, according to US officials, in an estimate not accounting for civilian deaths.

Russia’s military casualties are approaching 300,000, including up to 120,000 deaths, while Ukraine has lost 70,000 troops, with between 100,000 and 120,000 injured, according to Washington officials quoted by the New York Times.

In addition, Ukraine has suffered at least 26,384 civilian casualties since the beginning of the invasion on 24 February, 2022.

This is according to the latest estimates from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and includes 9,444 killed and 16,940 injured.

Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials

Ukraine’s Zelensky in Netherlands in push to boost air defences

11:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday in an ongoing push to boost Ukraine‘s air defences, days after the United States approved the possible delivery of F-16 fighter jets by the Netherlands and Denmark.

The Netherlands, together with Denmark, has in recent months led international efforts to train Ukrainian pilots for F-16’s and to ultimately deliver the jets to help counter the air superiority of Russia, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“The main issue is F-16 for Ukraine to protect our people from Russian terror. We are getting stronger”, Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.

The agenda also includes the Global Peace Summit and bringing Russia to justice, Zelenskiy said.

Zelensky will meet outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a military air base in Eindhoven, Rutte’s office said without providing further details.

Rutte said in May the Netherlands was seriously considering handing over F-16’s, but it’s not clear how many they would have available and when.

Ukraine‘s Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on Saturday said training had begun for Ukrainians to operate F-16’s, but added it would take at least six months and possibly longer to also train engineers and mechanics.

Training will take place in Denmark and Romania, officials from a coalition of 11 nations have said.

Ukraine, which expects several dozens of pilots to be trained, said last week it did not expect to be able to use F-16’s this autumn or winter.

The Netherlands could deliver F-16’s as its armed forces are transitioning to newer F-35 fighters.

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into moon in failed mission

10:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia’s first lunar mission in decades has failed after its spacecraft crashed into the moon.

The Luna-25 was due to land on the south pole of the moon on Monday, in a space race between Russia and India.

But the country’s state space corporation, Roskosmos, said an “abnormal situation” occurred as mission control tried to move the craft into a pre-landing orbit at 11.10am on Saturday.

“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon,” Roskosmos said in a statement.

The moon mission was Russia’s first in 47 years.

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into moon in failed mission

Russia jams a Ukrainian drone in Moscow region - defence ministry

08:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian air defences jammed a Ukrainian drone flying towards Moscow early on Sunday and it crashed, the defence ministry said.

There were no casualties, the defence ministry said.

Drone crashes into railway station in Russia’s Kursk, five injured

07:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Ukrainian drone crashed into the rooftop of a railway station in the Russian city of Kursk, injuring five people and setting off a fire, the TASS news agency said on Sunday, citing regional governor Roman Starovoit.

Ukraine already preparing for ‘worst-case scenario’ winter siege, says UK

07:00 , Shweta Sharma

Ukraine is already stockpiling fuel ahead of another challenging winter under siege from Russia, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

The ministry said in its intelligence report that “despite the consistent pressures of war, Ukrainian efforts to build up fuel stockpiles will likely be successful in ensuring that it will have sufficient fuel reserves during the approaching winter period.”

It also noted that “Ukraine has been effective in mobilising its mining sector to maintain output, ensuring a continuous supply of coal is available for thermal power and heating plants in the winter, with substantial gas stocks providing a further reserve”.

Ukraine already preparing for ‘worst-case scenario’ winter siege, says UK

UN condemns ‘heinous’ Russia’s Chernihiv missile attack

06:30 , Shweta Sharma

The UN condemned Russia for carrying out the “heinous” missile strike in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.

“It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians,” said Denise Brown, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

“I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine, causing deaths, massive destruction and soaring humanitarian needs.

“Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law. It must stop.”

Training has begun for Ukrainians to operate US F16

06:00 , Shweta Sharma

Training had begun for Ukrainians to operate US F16 fighter jets but it would take at least six months and possibly longer, defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov, two days after a US official said F16s would be transferred to Ukraine once its pilots were trained.

Mr Reznikov said in a TV interview that six months of training was considered the minimum for pilots, but it was not yet known how long it would take to train engineers and mechanics.

Ukraine wants sophisticated US-made warplanes so it can counter the air superiority of Russia, whose forces invaded the country in February 2022.

“Therefore, to build reasonable expectations, set a minimum of six months in your mind, but do not be disappointed if it is longer,” he told Kanal 24 anchor Andriana Kucher, who shared the interview on her YouTube channel.

A US official said on Thursday that Washington had approved sending F16s to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands to defend against Russia as soon as pilot training was completed.

Mr Reznikov said he would not give details on where and when the training was taking place.

Number of injured in the missile attack on Chernihiv rises to 144

05:30 , Shweta Sharma

The number of people injured from Russia’s missile strike in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv has risen to 144.

Seven people including a 6-year-old girl and 15 children were left dead in the missile strike that tore into the roof of theatres and buildings, sparked a fire and damaged infrastructure.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that of the 144 people injured, 15 were children, and named the girl killed as Sofia.

Fifteen others were police officers, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. He said most of the victims were in vehicles, crossing the road, or returning from church.

The deadly strike coincided with the Orthodox holiday of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Drone attack on railway station in central Russia, governor claims

04:30 , Shweta Sharma

A Ukrainian drone crashed into the rooftop of a railway station in Kursk, the central Russian city.

Five people were injured and the attack set off a fire at the railway station, Kursk region governor Roman Starovoit said, according to Tass.

“Ukrainian drone attack in Kursk. According to preliminary information, it crashed into the roof of the railway station building, setting off a fire on the rooftop. Five people were slightly injured by shards of glass,” he said on Telegram.

The city is located 150kms from the border with Ukraine.

Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials

04:00 , Matt Drake

The number of troops killed or wounded in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion is approaching 500,000, according to US officials, in an estimate not accounting for civilian deaths.

Russia’s military casualties are approaching 300,000, including up to 120,000 deaths, while Ukraine has lost 70,000 troops, with between 100,000 and 120,000 injured, according to Washington officials quoted by the New York Times.

In addition, Ukraine has suffered at least 26,384 civilian casualties since the beginning of the invasion on 24 February, 2022.

This is according to the latest estimates from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and includes 9,444 killed and 16,940 injured.

Read the full report below.

Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials

How much of a threat does Wagner mercenary group pose in Belarus?

03:00 , Matt Drake

The newfound presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus, exiled from Russia after their mutinous march on Moscow, has fuelled fresh anxieties in Ukraine and on Nato’s eastern flank.

Belarus’s neighbours have moved to a heightened state of alert since dictator Alexander Lukashenko appeared to broker a last-minute deal with the Kremlin to defuse the short-lived mutiny on 23 June and host Wagner troops on Belarusian soil.

During a recent meeting at the strategically important Suwalki Gap, a sparsely populated land corridor near their countries’ borders with Belarus and Russia’s enclave of Kaliningrad, Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nauseda warned that north of 4,000 mercenaries were believed to be in Belarus, while Poland’s premier Mateusz Morawiecki branded them “extremely dangerous”.

Read the full report by Andy Gregory below.

Wagner threat in Belarus explained as mercenary group ‘a victim of its brand name’

Russian-backed general admits his troops 'cannot win'

02:00 , Matt Drake

Alexander Khodakovsky, chief of the pro-Russian Vostok Battalion of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, wrote a lengthy Telegram post.

He said his troops "cannot win" against Ukraine and suggested freezing the current front line.

According to a translation by the Kyiv Post, he said: "Can we bring down Ukraine militarily? Now and in the near future, no.

"When I talk to myself about our destiny in this war, I mean that we will not crawl forward, like the Ukrainians, turning everything into destroyed Bakhmuts in our path. And, I do not foresee the easy occupation of cities."

More than 40 people in hospital after rocket attack

01:00 , Matt Drake

A Russian missile struck the central square of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, killing seven people including a six-year-old child.

At least 129 were injured including 15 children and 15 police officers.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was on a visit to Sweden, posted on Telegram messaging app: "A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre.

"An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss."

Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuver

Sunday 20 August 2023 00:00 , Matt Drake

Russia reported an “abnormal situation” Saturday on its moon-bound Luna-25 spacecraft, which launched earlier this month.The country’s space agency, Roscosmos, said the spacecraft ran into unspecified trouble while trying to enter a pre-landing orbit, and that its specialists were analyzing the situation.“During the operation, an abnormal situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters,” Roscosmos said in a Telegram post.Roscosmos did not specify whether the incident will prevent Luna-25 from making a landing.

Ukraine's long F16s training process has begun

Saturday 19 August 2023 23:02 , Matt Drake

Training has begun for Ukrainians to operate US F16 fighter jets but it would take at least six months and possibly longer, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Saturday.

The Ukrainian Defence Minister’s comments came two days after a US official said F-16s would be transferred to Ukraine once its pilots were trained.

Mr Reznikov said in a TV interview that six months of training was considered the minimum for pilots, but it was not yet known how long it would take to train engineers and mechanics. Ukraine wants the sophisticated US-made warplanes so it can counter the air superiority of Russia, whose forces invaded the country in February 2022.

“Therefore, to build reasonable expectations, set a minimum of six months in your mind, but do not be disappointed if it is longer,” he told Kanal 24 anchor Andriana Kucher, who shared the interview on her YouTube channel.

Trump boasts about his relationship with Putin saying he was ‘the apple of his eye’

Saturday 19 August 2023 21:00 , Matt Drake

Donald Trump has doubled down on claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin “would have never” launched a war on Ukraine if the four-times indicted former American president was still in power.

Mr Trump’s remarks came during his appearance on Fox Businnes’Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show aired on Friday. He went on to make bizarre comments about his relationship with Putin.

“Putin would’ve never gotten into Ukraine, but that’s just on my relationship with him. My personality over his,” Mr Trump said. “I was the apple of his eye and I would say, ‘Don’t ever do it.’ It was tough stuff there but he would have never done it.”

Mr Trump’s comments have sparked scrutiny, with fellow GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie decrying the ex-presidennt’s self-admitted fondness for the Russian dictator. Mr Christie, who met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine earlier this month, also warned about the danger of American politicians supporting anti-Democratic figures.

Read the full report by Andrea Blanco below.

Trump boasts about his relationship with Putin saying he was ‘the apple of his eye’

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Swedish prime minister pictured together

Saturday 19 August 2023 20:30 , Matt Drake

Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Sweden on his first foreign trip since attending a NATO summit in Lithuania last month.

At a joint news conference, Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the two countries had agreed to cooperate on the production, training and servicing of Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would start manufacturing the vehicles as part of the deal.He also encouraged Kristersson to “share” Sweden’s Gripen fighter aircraft with Ukraine.“We do not have superiority in the air, and we do not have modern aircraft. In reality, the Swedish Gripen is the pride of your country, and I believe that the prime minister could share this pride with Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.Sweden has said it will allow Ukrainian pilots to test the Gripen planes but has so far ruled out giving any to Kyiv.

Chernihiv rocket attack is a 'terrorism' and 'war crime'

Saturday 19 August 2023 20:00 , Matt Drake

The mayor of Chernihiv, Oleksandr Lomako, described the Russian strike on the northern Ukrainian city as a "terrorist attack".

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "You can see it’s the centre of the city. There were many people, it was midday.

"Today is a religious holiday and people were at the service.

“There is no other way to interpret it than a war crime against civilians, yet another Russian war crime."

Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials

Saturday 19 August 2023 19:30 , Matt Drake

The number of troops killed or wounded in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion is approaching 500,000, according to US officials, in an estimate not accounting for civilian deaths.

Russia’s military casualties are approaching 300,000, including up to 120,000 deaths, while Ukraine has lost 70,000 troops, with between 100,000 and 120,000 injured, according to Washington officials quoted by the New York Times.

In addition, Ukraine has suffered at least 26,384 civilian casualties since the beginning of the invasion on 24 February, 2022.

This is according to the latest estimates from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and includes 9,444 killed and 16,940 injured.

Read the full story by Andy Gregory, Chris Stevenson and Laura Sharman below.

Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials

15 children and 15 police officers killed in rocket attack

Saturday 19 August 2023 19:16 , Matt Drake

Seven people including a 6-year-old child were killed and 129 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said on Saturday.

People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said. Of the 129 counted as wounded in the search and rescue operation, 15 were children and 15 were police officers, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a Telegram post.

Ukrainian media reported that a public event featuring drone manufacturers had been taking place inside the theatre at the time of the attack. Both sides in Russia’s 18-month-old invasion have widely used drones on the battlefield.

Images show aftermath of Russian rocket attack

Saturday 19 August 2023 18:49 , Matt Drake

Seven people including a 6-year-old child were killed and 129 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said on Saturday.

People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said. Of the 129 counted as wounded in the search and rescue operation, 15 were children and 15 were police officers, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a Telegram post.

Pictures show debris scattered across a square in front of the regional drama theatre, where parked cars were heavily damaged.

Event ‘hosting drone manufacturers’ was taking place during Chernihiv attack

Saturday 19 August 2023 17:24 , Matt Drake

A six-year-old child was among seven dead and more than 100 others wounded after the attack in the northern Ukrainian city.

Ukrainian media reported that a public event featuring drone manufacturers was taking place inside the Chernihiv Regional Academic Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater at the time of the strike.

Interior minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that an unspecified event had been taking place in the building at the time of the attack.

Russian attack on city main square 'heinous' says UN official

Saturday 19 August 2023 16:35 , Matt Drake

Denise Brown, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said she was "extremely disturbed" by Russia’s rocket attack in Chernihiv in which seven people were killed and more than 100 others were injured.

Mrs Brown said: "It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians.

"I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine, causing deaths, massive destruction and soaring humanitarian needs."

Zelensky asks for Sweden for Gripen jets on first visit since Russian invasion

Saturday 19 August 2023 15:38 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine has begun discussing with Sweden the possibility of receiving Gripen jets to boost its air defences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday after meeting Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Zelensky’s visit is his first to Sweden since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 and the talks about obtaining Gripen jets, which he cast as preliminary, follow approval from the United States for Denmark and the Netherlands to send F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

"Today we discussed in detail the future steps regarding the possibility of opening the subject of receiving Swedish Gripens," Zelensky said at a joint news briefing with Kristersson, adding that the topic would be central to his meetings with other Swedish officials.

ICYMI: Footage appears to show moment drone attack hits building in central Moscow

Saturday 19 August 2023 14:30 , Matt Mathers

Footage purports to show the moment a drone attack struck Moscow, Hayden Vernon reports.

Russian officials accused Ukraine of launching an attack on a building in Moscow’s business district.

Unverified footage on social media appeared to show an explosion next to recognisable Moscow skyscrapers.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defences had shot down the drone with its debris falling on the city’s Expo Center.

Ukraine did not confirm the attack, but officials in Kyiv have never formally acknowledged launching attacks on targets in Moscow.

Watch the clip below:

Footage appears to show moment drone attack hits building in central Moscow

‘Wagner is victim of it’s own brand name’: How much of a threat does mercenary group pose in Belarus?

Saturday 19 August 2023 14:00 , Matt Mathers

The newfound presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus, exiled from Russia after their mutinous march on Moscow, has fuelled fresh anxieties in Ukraine and on Nato’s eastern flank.

Belarus’s neighbours have moved to a heightened state of alert since dictator Alexander Lukashenko appeared to broker a last-minute deal with the Kremlin to defuse the shortlived mutiny on 23 June and host Wagner troops on Belarusian soil.

Wagner threat in Belarus explained as mercenary group ‘a victim of it’s brand name’

How much of a threat does mercenary group pose in Belarus? Andy Gregory reports:

Seven killed in Chernihiv missile strike

Saturday 19 August 2023 13:32 , Sonal Hayat

Seven people including a 6-year-old child were killed and 90 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said on Saturday.

People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said, adding 12 of the wounded were children and 10 were police officers.

"A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv.

A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre," President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was on a working visit to Sweden, posted on Telegram.

"An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss," he added.

Navies of Russia and China complete joint training exercises

Saturday 19 August 2023 13:10 , Natalie Crockett

Naval forces in Russia and China have completed joint patrol exercises in the Pacific Ocean, it was reported on Saturday.

The three-week-long drills comprised more than 50 training and combat exercises, citing Russia’s Pacific Fleet, Interfax news agency said.

The Russian vessels are now crossing the East China Sea en route to China’s port of Qingdao, it added.

Saturday 19 August 2023 12:35 , Natalie Crockett

Russian warplane damaged in Ukrainian drone attack on airfield, Moscow says

A Ukrainian drone strike on a military airfield in Russia’s Novgorod region, caused a fire damaging a warplane, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

Nobody was hurt and the blaze fire was quickly extinguished at the airfield, which lies in a region northwest of Moscow, it said.

“As a result of the terrorist attack on the territory of the airfield, a fire broke out in the parking lot of aircraft, which was quickly eliminated by firefighters. One aircraft was damaged,” the ministry said in a statement.

Drone air strikes deep inside Russia have increased in recent months. One smashed into a building in central Moscow on Friday after Russian air defences shot it down, disrupting air traffic at all civilian airports of the Russian capital.

Ukraine typically does not comment on who is behind attacks on Russian territory or Crimea, although officials have publicly expressed satisfaction over them.

Five dead and dozens injured in Russian drone strike on Chernihiv

Saturday 19 August 2023 11:53 , Natalie Crockett

Five people have died and 37 wounded, including 11 children, have been injured in a Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said on Saturday.

People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when a central square in the city was hit, the ministry said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was on a working visit to Sweden, said in a message posted on Telegram: “A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre.”

“An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss,” he added.

A video accompanying Zelensky’s post showed debris scattered across a square in front of the regional drama theatre, where parked cars were heavily damaged.

‘Wagner is victim of it’s own brand name’

Saturday 19 August 2023 11:00 , Natalie Crockett

The newfound presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus, exiled from Russia after their mutinous march on Moscow, has fuelled fresh anxieties in Ukraine and on Nato’s eastern flank.

Belarus’s neighbours have moved to a heightened state of alert since dictator Alexander Lukashenko appeared to broker a last-minute deal with the Kremlin to defuse the shortlived mutiny on 23 June and host Wagner troops on Belarusian soil.

During a recent meeting at the strategically important Suwalki Gap, a sparsely populated land corridor near their countries’ borders with Belarus and Russia’s enclave of Kaliningrad, Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nauseda warned that north of 4,000 mercenaries were believed to be in Belarus, while Poland’s premier Mateusz Morawiecki branded them “extremely dangerous”.

Read more from Andy Gregory here:

Wagner threat in Belarus explained as mercenary group ‘a victim of it’s brand name’

Fatalities reported after Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s Chernihiv - Zelensky

Saturday 19 August 2023 10:54 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that people had been killed and wounded after a Russian missile struck a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.

"A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theater," he posted on Telegram along with footage of the aftermath.

"An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss. There are dead, there are wounded." Zelensky did not specify the number of casualties.

ICYMI: Russia shuts down human rights group that preserved the legacy of Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov

Saturday 19 August 2023 10:21 , Matt Mathers

Separate Russian courts on Friday ordered the liquidation of a human rights organization that preserved the legacy of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov and the arrest of a prominent election monitor, in the latest moves in a widespread crackdown on dissent.

Sakharov, who died in 1989, was a key figure in developing the Soviet Union’s hydrogen bomb program but later become renowned for his activism in promoting human rights and freedom of conscience.

He was awarded the Nobel prize in 1975 but was not allowed to travel to Norway to receive it. In 1980 he was sent into internal exile, which lasted six years.

Jim Heintz reports:

Russia shuts down human rights group that preserved the legacy of Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov

Zelensky to visit Sweden and meet with PM, royals

Saturday 19 August 2023 09:47 , Matt Mathers

Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Sweden today and meet with the country’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson.

The Ukraine president will also meet with Sweden’s royal family and other officials to thank them for supporting his country during Russia’s invasion.

“Our primary task is the strengthening of Ukrainian warriors on the ground and in the sky, the development of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the defence industry, Ukraine’s European integration and common security in the Euro-Atlantic space,” he wrote in a Telegram post announcing his arrival.

Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials

Saturday 19 August 2023 09:22 , Matt Mathers

The number of troops killed or wounded in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion is approaching 500,000, according to US officials, in an estimate not accounting for civilian deaths.

Russia’s military casualties are approaching 300,000, including up to 120,000 deaths, while Ukraine has lost 70,000 troops, with between 100,000 and 120,000 injured, according to Washington officials quoted by the New York Times.

In addition, Ukraine has suffered at least 26,384 civilian casualties since the beginning of the invasion on 24 February, 2022.

Andy Gregory, Chris Stevenson and Laura Sharman report:

Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials

Putin visits top military brass in Rostov-on-Don

Saturday 19 August 2023 08:37 , Matt Mathers

President Vladimir Putin visited the commander of Russia’s operation in Ukraine and other top military brass, the Kremlin said on Saturday, a meeting that came after Ukraine claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front.

"Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation group in Rostov-on-Don," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia, which launched its invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, calls its actions a special military operation.

The Kremlin added that Putin, Russia’s supreme commander-in-chief, listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Army in charge of Moscow’s operations in Ukraine, and other top military commanders and officers.

The meeting came after Ukraine, whose counteroffensive to recapture land taken by Russia in the first months of the war has been slower than expected, said it liberated a small village along the frontline, its first since July.

The Kremlin did not provide any additional details of the meeting and it was not clear when the meeting took place. Videos published by the RIA state news agency showed Gerasimov greeting Putin in what appeared to be night-time and leading him into a building after a brief handshake.

Ukraine shoots down 15 drones overnight

Saturday 19 August 2023 08:25 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine has said it shot down 15 of 17 attack drones launched by Russia overnight.

Kyiv said the aircraft were Iranian-made Shahed drones targeting Ukraine’s northern, central and western regions.

It was not immediately clear what happened to the two drones that were not downed.

The reports could not immediately be independently verified.

It was not immediately known what objects and areas Russia targeted in its strikes.

Ukraine forces contine making gains in the south

Saturday 19 August 2023 07:30 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s forces have continued to make gains in the south despite most of the front lines in the war elsewhere remaining static, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said Kyiv’s troops made progress along the course of the Mokri Yaly river and had secured the village of Urozhaine in the face of “stiff Russian resistance”.

“In the north, Russian forces have continued probing attacks in the Kupiansk area but achieve no significant advances,” the MoD added.

ICYMI: Canada imposes sanctions on Russian individuals, entities over ‘human rights violations’

Saturday 19 August 2023 07:15 , Shweta Sharma

Canada is imposing sanctions on 15 Russian individuals and three entities in what Ottawa said was a response to rising levels of human rights violations and violence faced by political opponents and critics in Russia, the foreign ministry said on Friday.

The sanctioned individuals and entities are senior officials of the Russian government, judiciary and investigative committee, as well as federally funded courts, the ministry said in a statement.

Russia bans 54 British nationals from entering the country

Saturday 19 August 2023 06:45 , Shweta Sharma

Russia has banned entry to 54 British nationals, including the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan, in a tit-for-tat move to UK sanctions against its citizens and enterprises, the foreign ministry said yesterday.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in March for Russian president Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine, charges Moscow denies.

Moscow also added Britain’s minister of state for defence Annabel Goldie as well as a number of correspondents from the BBC, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph to the travel ban list.

“In response to London’s aggressive implementation of hostile anti-Russian policy involving the active use of a unilateral sanctions mechanism with regard to our citizens and domestic economic operators, a decision was made to expand Russia’s stop-list by including representatives from the UK’s political circles, power structures, professional legal community and press corps (a total of 54 individuals),” the ministry’s statement said.

Russia shoots down Ukraine-launched missile over Crimea, defence ministry claims

Saturday 19 August 2023 06:15 , Shweta Sharma

Russian defence ministry claimed its air defence forces shot down a Ukraine-launched missile over the Crimean Peninsula in an overnight attack.

There were no casualties and no damage, the ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine preparing something ‘powerful’ to strengthen army and state - Zelensky

Saturday 19 August 2023 05:45 , Shweta Sharma

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said in a cryptic message that Ukraine is preparing “powerful things” for their warriors and the state.

“We are preparing powerful things for Ukraine, strengthening our state, our warriors,” he said in his nightly video address.

“Today and this week in general, it is the main task. Weapons for our warriors. New opportunities for our defense. New support packages from our partners.”

He said they are doing everything to prepare for Ukraine’s Independence Day on 24 August to take “another step towards the circle of the strongest states in the world”.

Lavrov warns US and Nato risking a situation of ‘direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers'

Saturday 19 August 2023 04:57 , Shweta Sharma

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that possession of nuclear weapons is to protect Russia from security threats and the US and Nato allies are only escalating a situation of direct armed conflict of nuclear powers.

“The possession of nuclear arms is today the only possible response to some of significant external threats to security of our country,” Mr Lavrov said in an interview for the state-owned magazine The International Affairs, published early today on the foreign ministry website.

He said Nato allies and the US are risking “a situation of direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers”.

“We believe such a development should be prevented. That’s why we have to remind about the existence of high military and political risks and send sobering signals to our opponents,” he said.

Last month, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow would have to use a nuclear weapon if Ukraine‘s counteroffensive against Russian troops was a success.