Ukraine says it has recaptured territory in Kharkiv

Ukraine’s forces have made advances in the Kharkiv area after launching a large-scale counter-attack, according to a senior official.

The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade said its forces had retaken two kilometres square of territory and seized control of a battalion defence position held by Russian troops.

The brigade added that Russia lost around 300 soldiers in four days, and “a significant amount of equipment and weapons were broken or damaged”.

Several other Russian strongholds in the northeast of Kharkiv were also captured.

“The main aim of the operation was to bring down the offensive potential of the 20th Army of the Russian Federation. At the moment, this task has been accomplished,” Brigade Commander Andrii Biletskyi said.

”The assault operations prevented the enemy’s attack from the direction of Makiivka and relieved tension from other critical front-line areas in the neighbouring brigades’ zones,” he added.

03:00 PM BST

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02:59 PM BST

Putin will respond with ‘severe punishments’ for Kursk incursion

Vladimir Putin will issue “severe punishments” for Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk, Russian officials have claimed.

A plan to respond to the incursion, the biggest by a foreign power into Russia since World War Two, was also decided in a meeting between the Russian president and senior officials.

“I tell you sincerely that the president has made a decision,” Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the US, said.

“I am firmly convinced that everyone will be severely punished for what has happened in Kursk region.”

Antonov also warned that the US would at some point remove all restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine and cannot be trusted.

“The current administration behaves like a person who extends one hand and holds a dagger behind their back with another one,” he said.

02:56 PM BST

High-voltage line at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant back in operation

Ukraine has resumed electricity supply to the Europe biggest Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant via a high-voltage line, Ukrainian nuclear power form Energoatom said on Friday.

Russia’s Rosatom nuclear company said earlier on Friday that automatic systems of the station in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine, switched off one of the lines.

02:21 PM BST

British soldier died while defending iconic Snake Island

A former British soldier who volunteered to fight in Ukraine was killed while helping Kyiv defend the iconic Black Sea outpost of Snake Island, an inquest was told.

Christopher “Pez” Perryman, 38, from County Durham, suffered fatal chest injuries from shrapnel during combat around the island on Oct 24 last year, Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court heard.

The Iraq war veteran was serving with Ukraine’s International Legion, the volunteer fighting force created by President Volodymyr Zelensky in the opening days of the Russian invasion.

The inquest was told that no precise details of the military operation that Mr Perryman was on had been made available by Ukraine’s military authorities, but that he had died almost instantly as a result of shelling during combat.

Snake Island, a rocky outcrop close to the Black Sea port of Odesa, became a famous symbol of Kyiv’s fighting spirit when a Ukrainian soldier there told a Russian warship commander to “go f--- yourself” rather than surrender.

02:01 PM BST

Pictured: Russian soldiers on the front line

In these photos taken from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry, a Russian soldier fires from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

01:45 PM BST

Modi urges Zelensky to sit down with Russia

India’s Narendra Modi urged President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and offered to act as a friend to help bring peace as the two leaders met in wartime Kyiv.

Modi, whose visit to Moscow last month was criticised by Kyiv, said he had come to Ukraine with a message of peace and called for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine at the earliest opportunity.

“The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis,” Modi said.

“I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do that I want to assure you as a friend,” he said.

01:16 PM BST

India ready to make ‘proactive contributions’ to help end Ukraine conflict

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday that New Delhi had not been neutral or an indifferent bystander during the Russia-Ukraine conflict and was always on the side of peace.

Mr Modi, who is visiting Kyiv, reiterated India’s position that the conflict can be resolved only through dialogue and diplomacy and that New Delhi is ready to make proactive contributions towards efforts for peace.

12:58 PM BST

Two killed in Kharkiv region

At least two civilians have been killed and two others injured in a Russian attack on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, according to the local governor.

The strike targeted the village of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, located about 10 miles from the frontline.

12:39 PM BST

Pictured: Zelensky meets Modi

India’s Narendra Modi met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday, weeks after the Ukrainian leader blasted the Indian prime minister over his trip to Moscow.

12:20 PM BST

EU’s Borrell says reduced German aid to Ukraine ‘worrisome’

The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Friday that Germany’s plans to reduce its military aid to Ukraine to help it fight against Russia’s invasion was “worrisome” and “bad news”.

“Something that is very much worrisome is the announcement that Germany will decrease its military support in the next years. That’s bad news,” he said at a conference in Santander in northern Spain.

12:04 PM BST

Penal colony prisoners take hostages in Russia

A group of prisoners has taken hostages at a prison in Russia’s Volgograd region, state media has reported.

At least three prisoners are involved in the incident, according to TASS news agency.

At least one prison staff member has been killed, and the hostages are all prison employees.

“Casualties” have been reported.

The prison, located in the town of Surovikino, is a “harsh regime” penal colony with a capacity for up to 1,241 male inmates.

11:44 AM BST

Satellite photos show port destruction

Satellite imagery has revealed the extent of the damage from a reported Ukrainian missile strike on a ferry in the Russian port of Kavkaz, which was used to transport fuel and weapons to occupied Crimea.

11:31 AM BST

Crimea ferry services halted following Ukrainian attack

Ferry services between southern Russia and Crimea have been halted following a Ukrainian attack, according to the Russian Transport Ministry.

On Friday, Ukraine’s Navy reported that it had destroyed a ferry at Port Kavkaz in Russia’s Krasnodar region.

Ukraine claimed the vessel was used to transport fuel and weapons to Crimea.

The suspension of services will allow for a cleanup mission, according to the Russian Transport Ministry, as cited by local authorities.

11:16 AM BST

Kyiv advances almost 35 kilometres into Russia

Kyiv has advanced 28-35 kilometres (18-21 miles) into Russia’s Kursk Oblast as the incursion enters its third week, according to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

10:54 AM BST

Zelensky meets with Modi in Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, in the Indian leader’s first visit to the war-torn country.

Mr Zelensky shook hands and greeted Modi at the entrance of the Mariinsky presidential palace in Kyiv, before a planned meeting where Mr Modi is expected to push for “dialogue and diplomacy” between Ukraine and Russia.

10:53 AM BST

Ukraine hits Russian ferry in Kavkaz

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10:21 AM BST

Kursk city builds bomb shelters

Concrete shelters are being constructed in Kursk as Ukraine advances towards the city.

Acting governor Alexei Smirnov said that ten locations in “crowded places” would get shelters and that there are plans to install 60 in total.

“On my instructions, the Kursk city administration identified key points for placing concrete modular shelters in crowded places,” he said.

“Also, the operational headquarters is currently considering installing reinforced concrete structures in other settlements in our region.”

10:02 AM BST

Ukraine denies attacking Kursk nuclear power plant

Ukraine has denied accusations by Russian President Vladimir Putin that it launched an attack on the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.

“Russia’s desired scenario of Ukraine’s Defense Forces attacking the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant to accuse them of nuclear terrorism fell apart, so Putin joined the propaganda,” said Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

“Everything points to the fact that Russia itself can carry out this provocation and will try to bring it to the international level.”

Putin earlier claimed that Ukraine tried to “strike the nuclear power plant overnight”, but provided no evidence to back up his claim.

09:46 AM BST

Two killed in Summy attack

Two people were killed and one injured in a Russian attack in Summy Oblast on Thursday, as Russian forces targeted civilian infrastructure in the village of Esman.

Russia dropped a KAB-guided aerial bomb on the area, killing two men, aged 67 and 74, and injuring the wife of one of the victims.

Two additional people were wounded in similar attacks on communities near the Russia-Ukraine border.

09:31 AM BST

Footage shows attack on Russian ship

Footage has emerged of the aftermath of the Ukrainian attack on a Russian ship.

09:15 AM BST

‘No movement’ of Belarusian troops near border

No signs of the movement of Belarusian troops have been spotted near the Ukrainian border despite Minsk’s announcement that it would send additional forces to the area.

“We do not see any movement directly near our border - neither equipment nor personnel,” Andriy Demchenko, Ukraine’s border guard service spokesman, told national television.

He added that the situation in the area “generally has not changed”.

On Sunday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that his country had deployed nearly a third of its armed forces along the border.

He said that Kyiv had moved 120,000 troops there.

09:00 AM BST

Ukraine advances two kilometres in Kharkiv

Ukraine has advanced almost two square kilometres deep into the front line area after launching a counterattack in Kharkiv Oblast.

Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade said its forces also seized control of a battalion defence position held by Russian troops, along with several Russian strongholds.

The brigade added that Russia lost around 300 soldiers in four days, and “a significant amount of equipment and weapons were broken or damaged”.

“The main aim of the operation was to bring down the offensive potential of the 20th Army of the Russian Federation. At the moment, this task has been accomplished,” Brigade Commander Andrii Biletskyi said.

”The assault operations prevented the enemy’s attack from the direction of Makiivka and relieved tension from other critical front-line areas in the neighbouring brigades’ zones,” the brigade added.

08:52 AM BST

Watch: Modi arrives in Ukraine

Footage has emerged of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving in Ukraine.

08:29 AM BST

Ukraine confirms attack on Russian ship

Ukraine has confirmed that it destroyed a ferry in the Russian port of Kavkaz that was used to deliver fuel and weapons to occupied Crimea.

“Another undoubtedly military objective has been destroyed. Its purpose was to provide fuel for the invaders. The ferry sank and this port (Kavkaz) is not usable until the ferry is removed,” Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk told Ukrainian television.

“It was the ferries that accounted for three quarters of all logistics and were the main channel (of supply),” he added.

08:15 AM BST

Harris says she will stand with Ukraine

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said in her Democratic National Convention speech on Thursday that she will stand with Nato allies and with Ukraine if she became president.

It comes as the Biden administration pledged it will send about $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, according to reports.

US officials said the latest package of aid includes air defence missiles, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelins and an array of other anti-armour missiles, counter-drone and counter-electronic warfare systems and equipment, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, vehicles and other equipment.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not been publicly announced. The formal announcement could come as soon as Friday, which is the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day.

07:58 AM BST

Ukrainian soldiers train in UK

Ukrainian soldiers have been photographed undergoing military training at an undisclosed location in the UK.

Operation Interflex is a UK-led infantry training program given to Ukrainian citizens with little or no previous military experience.

The five-week course covers first aid, battlefield tactics, and firearms training.

Over 45,000 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been trained by Operation Interflex since 2022.

07:43 AM BST

Ukrainian drone attempted to attack Kursk nuclear plant

A Ukrainian drone attempted to attack Russia’s Kursk nuclear power station overnight, the state-run news agency TASS said on Friday, citing an unnamed source.

The drone was shot down near a spent nuclear fuel storage, the agency said.

The Kursk plant is one of Russia’s top nuclear power stations.

07:43 AM BST

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Kyiv

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The visit, which follows a trip by Modi to Moscow in July, is important for Western-backed Kyiv, which has been trying to nurture diplomatic relations in the Global South in its efforts to secure a fair settlement to end the war.

“I look forward to the opportunity to ... share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict,” Modi said before the trip. “As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region.”