World

Boris Johnson has told Vladimir Putin of his “deep concern about Russia’s current hostile activity” on the Ukrainian border amid fears Moscow is planning to invade its neighbour. More than 100,000 Russian troops have amassed near the border in a major military build-up. The prime minister spoke to the Russian president in a phone call

As Boris Johnson prepares to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to cool tensions over Ukraine, one of Russia’s top diplomats says he doesn’t trust British diplomacy. Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told Sky News: “There is always room for diplomacy, but frankly, we don’t trust British diplomacy. I think in

Boris Johnson has urged Russia to “step back” from any military action against Ukraine, pledging that the UK “stands shoulder to shoulder” with Kyiv. During a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the prime minister said a Russian invasion would be a “political and humanitarian disaster” and a “military disaster as well”. A series

On 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup. Many democratically elected politicians including the country’s de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and President U Win Myint were detained. Others fled or were forced into hiding. The military regime said concerns of widespread electoral fraud in the 2020 vote was the reason it

A British woman found guilty of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus has won her appeal to overturn the conviction at the country’s Supreme Court, her lawyers said. The then 19-year-old, from Derby, was given a suspended four-month jail term in 2020 after a judge found her guilty of public mischief following a trial. The

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone starts with a checkpoint and souvenir wagons. You can buy Chernobyl condoms that glow in the dark, keyrings and t-shirts. “Visit Chernobyl, die later” was the slogan on one. We had to set off early through driving snow from Kyiv, but despite the weather, the drive took little more than a

Rafael Nadal has become the most successful man in tennis history by winning the Australian Open and his 21st Grand Slam title. He took on Daniil Medvedev in a gruelling five-hour and 24-minute marathon – the second-longest in the tournament’s history – to clinch the trophy. At the winning moment, Nadal dropped his racket to

Surprise and shock; maximum lethal force; and objectives secured with speed – that is what could be expected if Russia’s military launches a new invasion of Ukraine, according to a well-regarded defence and security expert. There is still no certainty that Russian President Vladimir Putin will opt for new military action but Britain, the United

Boris Johnson will step up his presence in the Russia-Ukraine crisis by holding a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting the region “in the coming days”. The prime minister will “ramp up deterrence to avoid bloodshed” between the two former Soviet states and is determined to “accelerate diplomatic efforts” during the trip, a

The five children are all now orphans – and still very much in shock when we meet them. Their two-roomed home is silent apart from their weeping which is interspersed with stunned silences. Propped up in front of them is a photograph of their mother who was killed in a car bomb a few days

Anastasiia Bezpalko’s most popular TikTok video is a guide on what to pack to be prepared if war breaks out in Ukraine. Filmed in her living room, the 19-year-old runs through how to make the perfect emergency survival bag. The rucksack must be small. Don’t forget your important documents. A first aid kit is essential.

Britain’s cyber security centre has urged UK organisations to check their cyber defences because of concern about the potential for new Russian cyber attacks linked to tensions with Ukraine. The public-facing arm of the spy agency GCHQ encouraged everyone to read new guidance published on its website entitled: “Actions to take when the cyber threat

A man has been charged by Irish police after the body of a pensioner was brought to a post office in an alleged attempt to collect his pension. It follows the arrest of two men in their 30s yesterday as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident that took place last week. The second

They are taking the latest twists and turns in the diplomatic crisis over Ukraine in their stride here in the country’s capital. Kyiv feels like a city caught in a moment of time, suspended between humdrum normality and the threat of looming conflict. There are thousands of Russian troops just a few hours drive north

Warning: This article contains distressing content. In our first few days in Herat, we’ve met whole families who’ve sold their kidneys so they can eat. In one case, three brothers and their two sisters told us they flogged their organs for around £1,150 a piece to buy food for the rest of the family. We’ve

With a soldier on board, we were given directions to drive off main roads and along snow-covered tracks to a desolate spot and await further instructions.  The soldier’s telephone rang and he was given new orders, turning us around, then taking a sharp right down another track where a car was waiting for us. As

Boris Johnson has said the UK will “contribute” to any new NATO deployments if Russia invades Ukraine. The prime minister also told MPs that Western allies will react “in unison” to any Russian attack on Ukraine by imposing sanctions “heavier than anything we have done before”. He condemned Moscow for sending more than 100,000 troops

The Ukrainian soldiers speak in whispers as they trudge through the snow and mud of their trenches, keeping low as they pass the most exposed sections, past signs warning of sniper activity. Nothing has changed here for years. The daily exchanges with Russian-backed separatists and, what the Ukrainians are certain of, professional Russian soldiers, goes

With NATO bolstering its eastern flank, some UK and US embassy staff evacuating Kyiv and Britain warning of a Russian plot to install a puppet regime in Ukraine, signs of hostility seem far stronger than any signals of hope for a peaceful solution to a growing crisis with Russia. It was only last Friday that

A 36-year-old Australian man has pleaded guilty to abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith and keeping her inside his home for more than two weeks. Terence Darrell Kelly has appeared in Carnarvon Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to a charge of child stealing. The 36-year-old could face up to 20 years in prison on a conviction

A British man who died in Thailand following an alleged assault has been named as Marcus Evans. The 49-year-old, from Berrow, Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, was killed in the early hours of Saturday morning in the Kanchanaburi Province in the west of the country. Thai Police were called to a house – thought to belong to

Britain has accused Russia of a shadowy plot to install a pro-Kremlin government in Kyiv as Moscow weighs up a further invasion of Ukraine. In a highly-unusual move that appeared to be based on specially declassified intelligence, the Foreign Office alleged that a former Ukrainian MP was “being considered as a potential candidate” as a

Russia’s defence minister has accepted an invitation to meet his UK counterpart Ben Wallace amid fears that an invasion of Ukraine is “imminent”. The British defence secretary offered earlier this week to hold talks with Sergei Shoigu in London to discuss mutual security concerns, against heightened tensions with the Kremlin over its former Soviet neighbour.

It doesn’t matter that I lived in Russia and experienced its winters for a number of years. It doesn’t matter that I reported on the wintry months of the Ukrainian separatist uprising in 2014 into 2015. Because each time one comes back, the weather is as horrendous and painful as ever. Looking out across miles

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said that any movement of “Russian military forces across Ukraine’s border” will be met with a “swift, severe and united response”. He also warned Moscow’s “extensive playbook of aggression” would also be met with action – following his crunch talks with his counterpart foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, aimed

Austria’s parliament has approved a universal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for adults – the first of its kind in Europe. The mandate will come into force next month, with authorities writing to every household to inform them of the new rules. From mid-March, police will start checking people’s vaccination status during routine checks. Those who cannot

Britain’s armed forces have flown some 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine this week amid fears of an imminent, new Russian invasion. British surveillance aircraft have also been spotted. Open source flight-tracking software has plotted Royal Air Force C-17 transport aircraft flying back and forth between the UK and Ukraine. Sky News understands that “several” flights

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Russia that the world is watching as Moscow continues military manoeuvres involving 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine. After talks with Ukraine’s government in Kyiv, America’s top diplomat said Russia could double that number in short order and launch an attack on its neighbour. Mr Blinken

The eruption of a Tonga volcano sent “violent” waves across the Pacific and caused a boat loading oil about 6,600 miles away to topple, spilling thousands of barrels into Peruvian waters. Dozens of fishermen have protested outside Peru’s main oil refinery, La Pampilla, which processes around 117,000 barrels a day and is managed by Spanish

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant, combined with the roll-out of up to 20bn doses of vaccine means the COVID-19 pandemic could be over this year, according to one of the world’s leading public health experts. But Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and former SAGE adviser told Sky News that more

A battered army ambulance pulls up in the freezing, snowy yard of a long-since abandoned factory in eastern Ukraine that is now the headquarters of the army’s 24th battalion.   The Soviet-era vehicle has been converted into a troop carrier; I say converted, in fact I mean everything has been torn out, plywood lines its

Satellite pictures have emerged showing Tonga covered in ash after a huge undersea volcano erupted. A plume of smoke can be seen rising from Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano in images taken before the eruption, with the volcanic island appearing to have all but disappeared afterwards. Australia and New Zealand sent military surveillance flights to assess damage to

The body of a British woman swept away by the tsunami in Tonga has been found, her brother has confirmed. Angela Glover, from Brighton, disappeared after an undersea volcano erupted near the country on Saturday, sending large tsunami waves crashing across the island’s shore. The 50-year-old’s family and friends had appealed for information on her