World

A US official has cast doubt on claims that sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators were victims of a poisoning earlier this month. Three men including Mr Abramovich suffered symptoms including red eyes, constant and painful tearing and peeling skin on their hands and faces, a source confirmed to Sky News. Mr

The Ukrainian city of Mariupol is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe with 160,000 civilians trapped, its mayor has said. Vadym Boychenko said the southern port city must be entirely evacuated and that 26 buses were waiting to begin transporting people away from the area. But he said Russian forces had not agreed to

The near silence and utter wasteland left behind by this Russian invasion is crushingly complete and takes your breath away. The cultural centre of Byshiv village is levelled. There’s a small pile of Ukrainian poetry books which someone has stacked together. Macron warns Biden over regime change confusion – live updates on Ukraine This was

The battlefield in northern Ukraine remains “largely static” but Russian troops are concentrating efforts on the “encirclement” of Ukrainian forces in the east, the Ministry of Defence has said. In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said local counterattacks have hampered Russian attempts to reorganise its forces. It said: “Russian forces appear to be concentrating

Russia claims it has launched missile strikes on a Ukrainian military infrastructure from the Black Sea in the northwestern city of Zhytomyr – around 96 miles from the capital of Kyiv. A crew of a small missile ship off the Black Sea Fleet launched four Kalibr cruise missiles at military facilities belonging to the Ukrainian

It’s taken ten days for the world to learn if anyone survived the bombing of a theatre in Mariupol. Images filmed from inside the building show people covered in dust, clearly in shock, but alive. Only now have those mobile phone pictures made it to the outside world. On 16 March a theatre sheltering more

Those who’ve made it out alive from the city of Chernihiv in north Ukraine call it “hell” – and fear it’s fast turning into another Mariupol by the advancing Russian troops. We witnessed Chernihiv being brutally cut off – from all humanitarian aid and from the outside world. The city has been bombarded for weeks

It is an unremarkable spot, a large car park in front of a Ukrainian supermarket called Epicentre. Yet it means a lot to the people of Mariupol. In fact, it’s a beacon of light in the spring sunshine, marking the end of a horrific ordeal for tens of thousands of people. “Not just a parking

A summit of NATO leaders in Brussels was meant as a show of unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin and of unwavering support for Ukraine. But the 30-member alliance is performing a hugely difficult balancing act in an evolving response to Russia‘s war with its neighbour. Allies needed to help the Ukrainian armed forces defend

Britain and its Western allies will increase the economic pressure on Russia and are looking to see if more can be done to “shorten” the war in Ukraine such as preventing President Vladimir Putin from accessing his gold reserves, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. Speaking ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels, he said

As the US president left the White House for Europe he had a stark answer for one of so many troubling questions. “How concerned are you about the threat of chemical warfare right now?” “I think it’s a real threat”, the president replied. NATO issues nuclear war warning to Moscow – live updates Despite denying

Some 100,000 people are stuck in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol with no food or water, Ukraine’s president has said. In a speech overnight, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “As of today, there are about 100,000 people in the city, in inhumane conditions, in a complete blockade. “No food, no water, no medicine. “Under constant shelling, under

Investigators looking into the China Eastern Airlines crash face a “very high level” of difficulty due to the severe damage to the aircraft, an official has said. Authorities do not have a clear assessment of the cause of Monday’s crash, said Zhu Tao, director of aviation safety at the Civil Aviation Administration of China. He

Russian forces attempting to encircle Kyiv have partially occupied three north-western suburbs, as Ukrainian forces continued to defend the besieged city of Mariupol. The Ukrainian army said in the early hours of Tuesday that it had forced Russian troops out of Makariv – a strategically important Kyiv suburb – after a fierce battle, retaking control

Russian troops appear to have opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in Kherson, with CCTV footage showing protesters fleeing as military vehicles advance. The southern port city was seized early on in the nearly month-long war and Moscow claims it controls the Kherson region. Journalist Max Seddon from the Financial Times tweeted: “Russian troops opened

A deadline for Ukrainians to surrender Mariupol to the Russians has passed, with Ukraine refusing to give up the city. On Sunday, Russia said that Ukrainians could put down their weapons and raise white flags on Monday in exchange for safe passage out. Two corridors would be allowed out of the port city, heading east

Residents in the Ukrainian city of Kherson have been filmed peacefully confronting two military vehicles with Russian markings on – and telling those inside to “go home”. Demonstrators, some waving Ukrainian flags and others with flags draped over their shoulders, were seen in front of the trucks which had Z symbols on the front and

Thousands of Mariupol residents have been “forcibly” taken to Russia, the Ukrainian city’s mayor has claimed. Vadym Boychenko compared the actions of Russian forces to the Nazis capturing and deporting civilians during World War Two. Sky News could not independently verify the claims. Latest updates on Russia’s attack on Ukraine Please use Chrome browser for

Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers are feared to have been killed after a military base was attacked amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. Up to 200 troops were thought to have been inside the barracks in Mykolaiv, in the south of the war-torn country, when they were targeted on Friday. At least 50 bodies have been recovered, a

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for meaningful peace talks with Moscow – but UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned Russia could use them as a “smokescreen” for war crimes. In a video address, Mr Zelenskyy said this was Russia’s only chance to limit the damage from its mistakes in the wake of the

Joe Biden has told China’s president of the “implications and consequences” Beijing faces if it gives Russia material support for its war in Ukraine, as Xi Jinping said the conflict needs to end as soon as possible. The pair spoke for almost two hours in a video call as the US sought to deter China

Several missiles have struck and destroyed a building near the airport in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, according to the city’s mayor. Ukraine’s military said the aircraft repair plant was struck by cruise missiles fired from the direction of the Black Sea, which it said were likely Kh-555 weapons launched from heavy strategic bombers.

The death toll from the bombing of a theatre where hundreds of people – including children – are said to have been sheltering is still unknown, Ukraine’s president has said. Foreign ministry officials said civilians were buried under rubble after Wednesday’s attack in Mariupol and shelling was preventing them from assessing the number of casualties.

Rescue workers have been digging survivors out of the rubble of a theatre which was reportedly bombed in a Russian airstrike in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to officials. Prior to Wednesday’s attack, up to 1,000 men, women and children were thought to have taken shelter in the Drama Theatre’s basement seeking safety

A faked video of the Ukrainian president telling people to surrender is being shared online. The video shows what appears to be Volodymyr Zelenskyy standing behind a podium saying: “It turned out to be not so easy being the president.” He goes on to declare that he has “decided to return Donbas” in eastern Ukraine

Ukraine is “adeptly exploiting” Russian forces’ “lack of manoeuvre” and inflicting heavy losses, the UK Ministry of Defence has said. In its latest intelligence update, it also said Moscow is struggling to overcome “challenges” imposed by Ukraine’s terrain. Russian troops have remained largely on the road network and have “demonstrated a reluctance to conduct off-road

Roman Abramovich appears to be on a mission to get his assets out of Europe as sanctions tighten. His superyacht Solaris, worth £430m, is heading south, apparently towards Turkey, after docking in Montenegro on Sunday. Previously, it had been at a repair yard in Barcelona – and had it remained there it might well have

Ukraine’s president has said latest peace talks appear to have gone well – as he issued Russian soldiers a life or death ultimatum and urged them to surrender. A fourth round of negotiations took place on Monday, but details of any progress have not been revealed. They are due to resume today. Russia said “substantial

Ukraine’s president says “it’s only a matter of time” before Russia missiles hit the homes of people in NATO countries if a no-fly zone is not set up. Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued the warning after more than 30 Russian missiles hit a base about 12 miles from the Polish border – and attacks continued across the

Russia’s military forces have kept up their punishing campaign to capture Ukraine’s capital with fighting and artillery fire in Kyiv’s suburbs. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces shelled several suburbs of the capital, on the 19th day of the invasion. A new round of virtual talks due to take place between Russian and Ukrainian officials has

There is an exodus under way from Russia. Almost invisible compared to Ukraine’s, but hugely significant for the future of the country. An estimated 200,000 Russians have left already to seek refuge abroad, robbing Russia of brains and talent. Tanya Simakova is the editor of lifestyle website The Village. Just over a week ago it was

The Ukrainian parliament has claimed that Russia has installed a new mayor in the southern port city of Melitopol – a day after the city’s elected mayor was allegedly kidnapped by Russian forces. Galina Danilchenko, a former member of the city council, was announced as the new mayor on local TV on Saturday, according to reports.

Thousands of Ukrainians have protested in the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol after Russian troops were accused of kidnapping its mayor. Ukraine’s parliament claims that Ivan Fedorov has been kidnapped by armed men acting on behalf of the Kremlin. At least 2,000 people have taken to the streets of the city to protest