Ukraine-Russia war - latest (2024)

By Ivor Bennett,Moscow correspondent

After months of being on the backfoot, this was the moment Ukraine tried to strike back and its tactics appear to have taken Russian forces by surprise.

Drones, rockets and missiles being fired into Russian territory are nothing new. But hundreds of fighters surging across the border, backed by tanks, is rare.

Russia says it repelled the attack, but it involved sending in reserves and moving troops from elsewhere. That appears to have been part of the aim for Kyiv - to relieve the pressure on other parts of the front.

So why now?

According to Moscow, Russia has gained more than 400 square kilometres in the last two months alone.

It controls nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory.

But Kyiv fears it doesn't have long to turn that around, seeing the US presidential election in November as a rapidly looming deadline.

Should Donald Trump win, the concern is that American aid will expire and the White House will demand a settlement.

If Ukraine is to be in a stronger negotiating position, it needs to start making advances soon.

Our live coverage of the war remains paused today, but if you're checking in, here are the key developments since yesterday afternoon.

Russia 'repels armoured Ukrainian incursion'

Moscow said it repelled up to 300 Ukrainian fighters backed by tanks that launched an incursion into the Kursk area of Russia.

Five people were killed and at least 20 wounded, among them six children, in the fighting, Russian officials said.

It would be one of the largest ground incursions into Russian territory of the more than two-year-old war.

Vladimir Putin called it a "major provocation" - despite Moscow invading Ukraine and waging a war on its territory for more than two years.

Kyiv kept up its air attacks on the border region overnight, the Russian defence ministry said.

The situation was "controllable", said Alexei Smirnov, the acting
governor of the southwestern Russian region.

There were no reports of fresh ground fighting this morning.

Ukraine's general staff has made no mention of any Ukrainian offensive operation inside Russia.

Ambulance attack

Mr Smirnow claimed a Ukrainian drone hit an ambulance outside the border town of Sudzha, killing the driver and a paramedic and wounding a doctor.

A senior Orthodox clergyman said Ukrainian shelling had set ablaze a cathedral and other buildings within a large monastery outside Sudzha, but no one was hurt.

Kursk region is also the site of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, but Mr Smirnov said the facility was operating without incident.

Kharkiv missile attack

A Russian missile attack on Ukraine'sKharkiv yesterday killed at least one person and injured 12, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Russian drone wave

Ukraine's air force shot down 30 drones launched by Russia overnight over seven regions,it said. Twofires caused by the attack have since been put out with nocasualties reported.

While we have been unable to bring you rolling coverage from Ukraine across the past few days, here is a round-up of the latest and most important developments.

F-16s on the battlefield

Ukrainian pilots have begun flying F-16s for operations - in what they hope will be a major turning point in the war with Russia.

The American-made F-16 is an iconic fighter jet that has been the frontline combat plane of choice for the NATO alliance and numerous air forces around the world for 50 years.

Built by Lockheed Martin, they have been on Ukraine's wish list for a long time - and Kyiv hopes they can be used to defend their skies from Russian attack and level the playing field in terms of air superiority.

The fighter jets are equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets, and missiles.

Read more on that story here.

Russia claims rapid advances

Despite promising news for Kyiv in the skies, Russian claims to have made significant progress on the ground inside Ukraine.

Former defence ministerSergei Shoigu - who has since been sidelined to the position of secretary of the Russian security council - claimed forces had seized some 420sqkm of Ukrainian territory since mid-June.

For context, Mr Shoigu (when still defence minister) said in May that forces had taken 547sqkm since January.

If his claims are accurate, then Moscow has taken nearly as much territory in the past six weeks as it did in the first five months of the year.

Today, the Russian defence ministry was cited by state media as having captured the village of Tymofiivka in the Donetsk oblast - where Moscow claims to have made significant advances.

It's important to note that Russia tends to exaggerate its advances, and Ukraine has not commented on either Mr Shoigu's claims or the suggestion that Tymofiivka had been lost.

Here's a wider picture of the situation on the battlefield...

Ukraine 'attempts attack inside Russian territory'

The interim governor of the Kursk region made claims this morning that Russian forces had repelled a Ukrainian attempt to enter its territory.

The MASH Telegram channel, which has contacts in Russian state security, said about 100 Ukrainian fighters had tried to enter Russia in the Sudzha area of the Kursk region.

Ukraine has not previously attempted any major ground incursion into Russian territory, though it has launched drone and shelling attacks into border regions like Belgorod and Bryansk.

Unofficial Ukrainian groups also made up of anti-Kremlin Russian fighters have previously attempted infrequent incursions across the border since the Russian invasion in early 2022.

Successful Ukrainian attacks on Russian navy, air force

In more positive news for Ukraine, Kyiv claimed to have carried out successful attacks on Russian naval and aerial targets.

Yesterday, a Ukrainian strike on Russia's Morozovsk airfield likely destroyed a Su-34 bomber, Kyiv's military intelligence said.

On Sunday, Ukraine said it had sunk a Russian submarine off Crimea - as it hassles and attacks targets on and off the peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Two more charged over alleged Russian-linked arson attack on Ukrainian business in London

A bit closer to home, and two more men have been charged in connection with an allegedly Russian-linked arson attack on a Ukrainian business in London.

They were named as Jakeem Barrington Rose, 22, of Croydon and Ugnius Asmena, 19, of Wandsworth.

Both men are accused of aggravated arson.

Read more here.

While we have been unable to bring you rolling coverage from Ukraine today, here is a round-up of the latest developments.

Russian agents' children didn't know they were Russian

As we have been reporting, the biggest prisoner swap between the West and Russia since the Cold War happened yesterday.

Freed journalist Evan Gershkovich raised the plight of other political prisoners still being held in Russian jails.

"I just spent a month in prison in Yekaterinburg and basically everybody I sat with is a political prisoner, and nobody knows them publicly," he told The Guardian.

Meanwhile, a family ofRussian sleeper agents flown to Moscow as part of the deal were so deepundercover that their children found out they were Russiansonly after the flight took off, the Kremlin has said.

"Before that, they didn't know they had anything to do with our country," Kremlinspokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"And you probably saw that when the children came downthe plane's steps they don't speak Russian and Putingreeted them in Spanish. He said 'buenas noches'".

Construction worker critically injured in drone attack

A Russian drone hit a bus in the northeastern Kharkiv region early today, leaving a construction worker in a critical condition, the regional governor said.

Five others were injured too, Oleg Synegubov added.

He said it happened near the town of Derhachi, about 25 miles from Hlyboke - one of the border settlements where Russia opened a new front in the war in May.

The Ukrainian military halted the Russian offensive there,rushing in reinforcements after Russia pushed up to sixmiles into border areas.

Latest situation on the battlefield

The UK's Ministry of Defence has published a map showing the situation on the ground.

The circles show a grouping of forces, while the arrows show a likely Russian attack.

Areas shaded in light pink mark territory taken by Russia since February 2022, while those in dark pink show territory taken since 2014 - including the Crimean peninsula.

Zelenskyy hoping to get children back to school

The Ukrainian government is preparing "additional measures" to ensure children can attend school in the autumn rather than learn online, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

It is hoped they can "experience normal school life as much as possible under the current circ*mstances", the Ukrainian president added.

He also said that "relations with partners" including "security agreements" are due to be "finalised this August".

Negotiations are set to begin with another European country tomorrow, he said.

While our team hasn't been able to bring you rolling coverage on the war in Ukraine today, we have been keeping an eye on the major updates.

Here's a round-up of what you need to know today:

Biggest prisoner swap since Cold War

As we reported in our last post, a prisoner swap deal between the US and Russia has been agreed.

Jailed Westerners - including American reporter Evan Gershkovich - have been freed in exchange for Russian prisoners.

Read more below.

F-16 fighter jets finally arrive in Ukraine

The first F-16 fighter jets have been delivered to Ukraine to help in its defence against the Russian invasion.

Some of the long-awaited 'Fighting Falcon' warplanes promised to Ukraine are now in the country, officials say, in a move that Kyiv hopes will boost its air force.

The F-16s have been on Ukraine's wishlist since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022 due to their ability to carry out multiple types of missions.

The jets are equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.

Russia has said it has offered rewards for shooting the new planes down.

Read foreign news reporter Michael Drummond's report to learn about the planes and the impact they could have on the war below...

Zelenskyy tells China to apply pressure to Russia

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the idea of China acting as a go-between in ceasefire talks between Kyiv and Moscow, instead calling on Beijing to use its "no-limits" partnership with Russia to end the war outright.

"If China wants to, it can force Russia to stop this war," he said.

"Ido not want [China] to act as a mediator, I would like it to putpressure on Russia to put an end to this war."

"Just as the US is applying pressure, just as theEU is applying pressure - the more influence acountry has, the greater should be its pressure on Russia."

Moldova expels Russian diplomat

Moldova has expelled a Russian diplomat after two Moldovan officials were detained on suspicion of treason and conspiracy.

Both were detained earlier this week and were allegedly collaborating with a foreign embassy in Moldova's capital, Chisinau.

One of the Moldovan officials is suspected of treason for allegedly collecting and providing information to an embassy employee that could be used against Moldova's interests and the other is accused of plotting against the country for personal gain, according to prosecutors.

One of the suspects works in the country's parliament and the other for the border police.

By Michael Drummond, foreign news reporter

A prisoner swap deal between the US and Russia has been agreed.

The parties have agreed to a prisoner transfer and a number of individuals are expected to soon be in US custody, Sky News' US partner network NBC News is reporting.

It comes amid speculation that jailed Westerners including American reporter Evan Gershkovich could be freed in exchange for Russian prisoners.

Details of the possible exchange remain scarce.

You can read about who is included in the swap here...

While our team hasn't been able to bring you rolling coverage on the war in Ukraine today, we have been keeping an eye on the major updates.

Here's a round-up of what you need to know today:

Ukraine repels 'one of the biggest drone attacks of the war'

Ukraine said it had repelled one of Russia's largest long-range drone attacks of the war overnight.

The air force said it had shot down all 89 drones sent at the capital Kyiv and surrounding areas.

"This is one of the most massive attacks by Shahed-131/136 strike drones," the air force said, referring to the Iranian-made drones Russia uses.

Military spy agency spokesman Andriy Yusov said Russia had used a "significant" number of decoy drones that were not loaded with explosives - an apparent attempt to try to deplete Ukraine's air defences and also identify their locations.

Russia-West Prisonerswap could be close

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual Russian-British national jailed on treason charges for 25 years, has been moved from his prison in Siberia and is being sent elsewhere, Russia's prison service told Reuters.

He's the latest of several prisoners to effectively go missing in recent weeks, leading activists to suggest that a prisoner swap with the West may be close.

Putin doubles signing bonuses for Ukraine volunteers

In the latest in a series of moves to increase the size of his fighting forces in Ukraine, Vladimir Putindoubled upfront payments for volunteers to fight inUkraine.

All Russians who sign a contract with the army will nowreceive an upfront payment of 400,000 roubles (£3,628).

With the minimum monthly payment set at204,000 roubles (£1,850), the new decree raises the minimum annual wagein the first year of service to 3.25m roubles (£29,484).

Russia starts third stage of tactical nuclear drills

Russia began the third stage of drills to practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, the defence ministry said earlier.

Soldiers from the Southern and Central military districts will train how to deploy dummy warheads for Iskander-M operational and tactical missile systems and covertly moving them to launch sites, the defence ministry said.

Russia held the first stage of the drills in May and ally Belarus joined the second stage in June.

While our team hasn't been able to bring you rolling coverage on the war in Ukraine today, we have been keeping an eye on the major updates.

Here's a round-up of what you need to know today:

Russia claims to have taken Ukrainian settlement

Russia's defence ministry has said its forces have taken control of Pivdenne in the eastern Donetsk region.

The settlement, which Russia calls by its Soviet-era name ofLeninskoe, joins up to Toretsk - a Ukrainian stronghold and coalmining town.

Kyiv didnot immediately comment on Pivdenne's status.

The towns are located close to the long-time frontline inplace since 2014, when Russian-backed forces seized parts of theDonetsk region from Pivdenne.

Russian forces have been staging heavy assaults close to the nearby city of Pokrovsk in recent days.

Well-known Kremlin critic moved to unknown prison

A prominent Kremlin critic has been moved from his prison to an unknown destination, his lawyer has said.

Ilya Yashin was arrested in June 2022 in a Moscow park and subsequently convicted of spreading false information about Russian soldiers, and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.

The charge stemmed from a YouTube livestream in which he talked about civilians slain in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.

The statement from his lawyer also noted that several other figures imprisoned for criticising the military or for alleged extremist activity because of their work with the organisation of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny also were moved.

Among them are Oleg Orlov, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, musician Alexandra Skochilenko, and former Navalny regional coordinators Lillia Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeyeva.

Russian oil depot hit

The Ukrainian military said it had successfully hit a Russian oil depot in the Kurskregion overnight.

"According to intelligence data, as a result of the attack,a fire broke out at the enemy facility," the General Staff saidon Facebook.

Several oil facilities in Russia have been targeted in recent months.

Russian navy begins drills with most of its fleet

The Russian navy started plannedexercises involving most of its fleet as well as 20,000personnel and 300 ships today.

Russia's Navy is made up of four fleets, the Caspianflotilla and several task forces.

The Northern Fleet in Russia's Arctic, the Pacific Fleet inthe Pacific Ocean, the Baltic Fleet in the Baltic Sea as well asthe Caspian Flotilla in the Caspian Sea will participate in thedrills, TASS state news agency reported.

About 300 surface ships and boats, submarines and supportvessels, some 50 aircraft and more than 200 units of militaryand special equipment will be involved in the combat training.

We're not bringing you live updates on the war in Ukraine today, but in the meantime here is an overview of what has been happening.

Russia is continuing with its biggest offensive operation since the invasion began, during which it had hoped to achieve a grand breakthrough or even a general collapse of the Ukrainian frontline.

It has not managed to achieve either so far, despite Ukraine being short of men, ammunition and defences.

However, Russian forces are staging heavy assaults near the strategic city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine's east.

The Ukrainian military said fighting on the Pokrovsk front was the fiercest of anywhere across the country.

Five years for Russia to achieve goals

Meanwhile, the new head of the British army has said it will likely take Russian troops five years to "grind their way" to Moscow's minimum goal of fully capturing four Ukrainian regions.

General Sir Roly Walker said there would likely be 1.8 million soldiers left dead or wounded.

"If they carry on as they are, it would probably take the Russians five years to grind their way to their minimum objectives of the four oblasts [regions]," he told a conference in London.

He was referring to the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south. They are all partially under Russian control already following more than two and a half years of fighting and more than half a million casualties.

Supersonic bomber hit

Despite fierce assaults on its eastern front, Ukraine saw some military success last week when one of its drones reportedly struck a Russian strategic supersonic bomber.

The Tu-22M3 bomber was parked at an airfield in Russia's Arctic region, some 1,100 miles from Ukraine.

The strike represented a rare success against one of the Kremlin's most hated and effective weapons.

Ukrainian sources told media outlets that two other airfields in the Saratov and Ryazan regions in south-central Russia, where bombers are also parked, were targeted on Saturday morning.

Russia claims it killed 100 soldiers in single strike

Elsewhere, Russia's defence ministry claimed its forces had killed more than 100 Ukrainian troops in a single strike in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

"An Iskander crew launched a missile strike on a temporary deployment point for foreign mercenaries in the building of the Scorpion construction company in the industrial zone of Kharkiv," a statement read.

"Up to 100 militants were killed, including 40 foreign instructors, as well as about 60 servicemen of the 151st Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

The report was not independently verified and Ukraine did not confirm any casualties.

Car bomb attack

A suspected car bomb attack in Moscow left two people injured on Wednesday.

Initial reports in state media outlets named the two victims as Andrei Torgashov, a GRU military intelligence officer, and his wife.

Citing anonymous law enforcement sources, the Kommersant newspaper reported Mr Torgashov had both feet blown off and was in a critical condition in hospital.

Hours later, reports emerged purporting Mr Torgashov was perfectly well.

Footage of the blast, posted on Telegram, appears to show a man and a woman getting into a vehicle before it suddenly explodes.

Assad visits Moscow

Controversial Syrian President Bashar al Assadtravelled to Moscow for a meeting with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

The Kremlin said the pair discussed the Ukraine war and the situation in the Middle East during the surprise visit.

Russia has been a key ally for Mr Assad during the Syrian civil war, helping him regain control over the country following an uprising that began in 2011.

The Syrian leader is the latest in a string of global strongmen to meet the Russian president, which will likely be a cause for concern among Western diplomats.

That brings an end to our live coverage of the Ukraine war for this evening.

Before we go, here's a brief round up of the day's events:

• Controversial Syrian president Bashar al Assad travelled to Moscow for a meeting with Vladimir Putin, in which the pair discussed the Ukraine war and the situation in the Middle East, the Kremlin said;
• The US and Canada intercepted Russian and Chinese military aircraft flying in international airspace near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defence Command reported. Russia's defence ministry said the bombers were carrying out joint air patrols.

• Meanwhile, after two more nights of Russian attacks on Ukraine, Romania's defence ministry said it found fragments of a Russian attack drone in a rural village near the Danube river and the country's border with Ukraine this morning. A NATO spokesperson said there was no evidence that its territory was intentionally targeted;
• Russia said senior US and Russian officials have been holding unofficial diplomatic talks on Ukraine, with the Kremlin later claiming it was open to negotiations with Kyiv about ending the conflict on the condition it was given more details about Ukraine's preparedness for such discussions.

You can scroll through the blog below to catch up on the full day's updates.