World

It is bitterly cold on the beach and the wind is howling. But they keep digging. One man holds open a white bag while another fills it up with sand. Then the choir begins to sing. It is a wartime serenade to give the volunteers some push to keep going, because on the beaches of

The United States has hit back at Russian claims after Moscow said it has evidence of a Ukrainian network of 30 biological laboratories which were supported by America in a suspected military programme. The Biden administration accused Russia of using the UN Security Council to promote disinformation. The Russian ambassador to the UN said the

The United Nations Security Council will meet later today to talk about Russia’s claims that the US and Ukraine are developing biological weapons. The allegations have been made a number of times, most recently on Wednesday by Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, and Dmitry Chumakov, a Russian deputy UN ambassador. Mr Chumakov urged Western

President Vladimir Putin is “deliberately targeting” civilians in his war in Ukraine, Britain’s ambassador to the country has said. Melinda Simmons said Russian forces are ramping up the level of violence they unleash every time the Ukrainian military successfully resists, calling the situation “incredibly worrying”. She told Sky News in an interview on Thursday it

Russia has confirmed it has used thermobaric weapons in Ukraine, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence. It said its Russian counterpart said the TOS-1A weapon system had been deployed. The UK MoD said the system uses thermobaric rockets, creating incendiary and blast effects. The Russian MoD has confirmed the use of the TOS-1A weapon

Ukraine’s president has told Sky News that his country cannot stop the war against Russia on its own and said nations must act now before it is “too late”. Speaking to Sky News’ Alex Crawford inside the leader’s office in Ukraine’s capital city, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his call for the West to impose a no-fly

Western officials have warned of their “serious concern” that Vladimir Putin could order chemical weapons to be used on Ukraine’s capital. In an assessment, they say an “utterly horrific” attack on Kyiv could be unleashed as Russian forces attempt to overcome the logistical issues that have apparently plagued the convoy heading for the city. Please

Children have been buried under rubble after a Russian airstrike hit a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. The president tweeted that children were among people “under the wreckage”, calling the strike an “atrocity”. Mariupol’s city council said the maternity and children’s hospital had been destroyed, adding that it did not know

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is “not hiding” and “not afraid of anyone” as he revealed his location in Kyiv. In a defiant video message from his office on Bankova Street, he said he is staying there “as long as necessary” and his team is with him. Mr Zelenskyy was previously reported to

The Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and Mariupol, at 10am Moscow time (7am UK) today, according to reports. The corridors, which will also be opened from the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron, the

The Russian military continued shelling and firing at the only evacuation route for those trapped in Irpin, a satellite town about eight kilometres from the Ukrainian capital. The town has come under increasingly heavy bombardment over the past few days with hundreds streaming out of the town to try to get away from the advancing

Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed directly to the Russian people to protest against the Kremlin saying evidence from captured troops shows the invasion was planned. Urging them not to stay silent, he said it was time to “overcome evil” and insisted it was not just a fight for peace in his country, but their

There is no humanitarian corridor in Irpin – a town only five miles away from the Ukrainian capital.  As we watched the pounding the city is taking, with plumes of smoke mushrooming into the sky and the rattle of gunfire from anti-aircraft guns, civilians were trying to flee however they could. We saw some walking

The Kremlin has accused the West of behaving like bandits and claims the world is “too big” for the US and Europe to isolate a country as big as Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the West was engaged in “economic banditry” against Russia and that Moscow would respond. He did not specify what response

NATO has warned that there will “more deaths, more suffering and more destruction” in coming days in Ukraine. The alliance’s Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw all troops from Ukraine without conditions. “The days to come are likely to be worse, with more deaths, more suffering and more destruction,” he

A fire has broken out at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant after the Russian army targeted it “from all sides” in the Ukrainian city of Energodar. Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged troops to immediately stop shooting at Zaporizhzhia power station so firefighters can take action. Officials have warned there is a “real threat

Russian troops have seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant after it was shelled overnight, sparking a fire but no release of radioactive material, the UN’s atomic watchdog has said. The attack on the southeastern city of Enerhodar and its Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant had led to fears of a nuclear disaster, with immediate condemnation from world

Russia has reportedly taken control of Kherson in what would be its first seizure of a major Ukrainian city, while leaders in the south of the country have warned “we are being destroyed” after attacks wiped out water and power supplies. The southern port city of Mariupol said critical infrastructure was being targeted and that

It has now been a week since Russian began its invasion of Ukraine. Sky News asked military and defence experts to identify the key things we have learned so far – and what could happen next. Follow live updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russia was ‘unprepared’ and ‘made a lot of mistakes’ Edward

Russian paratroopers stormed a military hospital in Kharkiv overnight – as forces close in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Fighting was ongoing overnight in Kharkiv and Kherson, while a long convoy of Russian military vehicles is now about 20 miles northwest of the capital, Kyiv. In Kharkiv, Russian paratroopers launched an airborne assault on

Bloodshed in Ukraine and headlines about the threat posed by nuclear weapons have been dominating the news for days. Inevitably, this leads to questions from curious and sometimes anxious children – questions which many adults would struggle to give balanced and nuanced answers to. With sizeable Russian and Ukrainian populations in the UK, sometimes mixing

Latest satellite images show a Russian military convoy stretching for about 40 miles – far bigger than initially thought – as troops close in on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. The images are from satellite technology company Maxar, and they also show evidence of fighting outside the city, including destroyed vehicles and a damaged bridge. Russian troops

Clinging to his mother in the basement of Kyiv’s main children’s hospital, the four-year-old boy ground his teeth, making a scratching sound. Nikita Synytsky, who has leukemia and Down’s syndrome, started making the noise when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last week, causing his life even more trauma. “We are very nervous,” said Tatiana

Russia is preparing to hold peace talks with Ukraine as fierce fighting continued into a fifth day without a breakthrough into a major city. Satellite images showed a more than three-mile-long Russian military convoy nearing Kyiv as Ukraine’s president warned of a “crucial” 24 hours. There were more Russian air attacks and fierce clashes between

It started as a concern, then a rumour, then a fact; Russian units, small in number, infiltrating the city, looking to bring terror to Kyiv – and to plot routes for their main forces to enter the centre of the capital. Within hours, the suspicion levels among Ukrainians had accelerated to near hysteria. Reports of

Vladimir Putin has ordered that Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces are put on high alert. Mr Putin said aggressive statements by NATO leaders and economic sanctions against Moscow were behind the decision. Speaking on state television on Sunday, he said: “As you can see, not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures against our country in

Any rumour of a Russian advance, and hurriedly formed roadblocks suddenly appear on the streets of Kyiv.  The roadblocks are manned by Ukrainian soldiers, alongside them volunteers and reservists fill sandbags and build defences. It is starting to feel like the defence of the capital is taking on a character of its own: a character

Ukraine’s president has said his forces are still in control of Kyiv and is appealing to the country’s “friends” abroad to join the fight. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a fresh address on Saturday: “Everyone who can defend Ukraine abroad please do it directly in a united way. “Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned his country’s citizens that Russian troops are preparing to storm Kyiv, urging them “to stop the enemy wherever you can”. After unleashing airstrikes, Russian tanks rolled into Kyiv on Friday, and troops were descending on the capital from two fronts. In a message posted on social media, Mr Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Ukrainian troops “you are all we have” as he accused European countries of not doing enough to stop the Russian invasion. He said the Russian attack in Ukraine was like a repeat of the Second World War and called on European citizens to protest to force their governments to act

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has made him “target number one” in the wake of the country’s invasion, as he ordered a mass mobilisation decree which paves the way for civilians to take up arms against Vladimir Putin’s forces. The decree was signed at the end of a day of intense fighting on multiple

Boris Johnson has accused Vladimir Putin of choosing a “path of bloodshed and destruction” after explosions were heard in Ukrainian cities. The prime minister said the UK and its allies will respond “decisively”, adding that he was “appalled by the horrific events” in Ukraine. Mr Johnson has spoken to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the country’s president, to

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is still open to diplomacy but will put its national security interests first. He said the country would continue to bolster its military amid a “difficult international situation”. In a video statement released to commemorate the annual Defender of the Fatherland Day, Mr Putin appeared to indirectly address the