Ukrainian troops ‘executed by Russian soldiers as they surrender’

New video footage appears to show Ukrainian soldiers being executed as they surrender to Russian troops after an ambush.

The clip, recently obtained by CNN, was filmed in late August in the eastern Donetsk region. It shows three soldiers kneeling down with their hands behind their back before being shot.

The Telegraph has chosen not to show the footage because it is too graphic.

A Ukrainian official told CNN the incident is part of a pattern of apparent executions, which have increased in pace this year.

There have been 15 such cases – in which surrendering Ukrainian troops are killed rather than being taken prisoner – since November, according to Ukrainian intelligence sources.

Andriy Kostin, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, said the alleged killings are war crimes. “If prisoners of war surrender, if they show that they surrender, if they are without weapons in their hands, then summary execution is a war crime,” he said.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet responded to the footage.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s top general said its incursion into Kursk has worked by halting Russia’s advance into a key area of Ukraine.

Kyiv launched an invasion into the region on August 6 and said it has captured 1,300 sq km of Russian territory – including 100 towns.

The move was designed to slow Russia’s advance towards the key town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking to CNN, Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskii suggested that the tactic was working, saying: “Over the past six days, the enemy hasn’t advanced a single metre in the Pokrovsk direction.”

04:01 PM BST

Thank you for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine

Here’s a reminder of today’s events:

• President Zelensky said Ukraine has been able to hold ground in Russia’s Kursk region following its incursion into the territory on Aug 6

• A top Ukrainian general said the incursion into Kursk stopped the Russian advance into the east of the country, saying: “our strategy is working”

• Britain announced it’s providing 640 air defence missiles to Ukraine as part of a package worth £162 million

• President Zelensky accused Britain of slowing down its delivery of long-range missiles in a speech urging international supporters to provide more weapons to Ukraine

03:51 PM BST

Zelensky accuses Britain of slowing delivery of long-range missiles

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the UK and US of slowing down their deliveries of long-range missiles to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president said: “Now we hear that your long-range policy has not changed, but we see changes in the Atacms, Storm Shadows and Scalps – a shortage of missiles and cooperation.”

His comments came ahead of a visit to Germany where he will attend a meeting of the Ramstein group of 50 allies supporting Kyiv militarily.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has ramped up calls for Western allies to drop restrictions on missiles in order to strike inside Russia.

But Mr Zelensky said the shortages now “applies even to our own territory, which is occupied by Russia, including Crimea”.

“We think it is wrong that there are such steps. We need to have this long-range capability not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine, but also on the Russian territory, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace,” he added.

01:59 PM BST

Putin needs to stop talking about our elections, top US national security adviser says

Vladimir Putin should stop talking about the US election, Joe Biden’s top national security adviser has said.

John Kirby, the White House’s national security communications adviser, made the comments when asked by reporters for his response to the Russian president endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Mr Kirby stressed that the Russian leader “ought to stop talking about our elections, period”, Ukrainian media reported.

He added: “He shouldn’t be favouring anybody one way or another. The only people who should get to determine who the next president of the United States is is the American people.”

01:27 PM BST

Russia lost 6,000 troops in Kursk, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Friday that Russia has lost 6,000 troops during Kyiv’s invasion of Kursk.

The Ukrainian president made the claim at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he repeated calls for Western nations to expedite the delivery of air defence systems and long-range missiles.

12:47 PM BST

We have stopped Russia in the east, claims top Ukraine general

Ukraine’s top general has said its incursion into Russia has worked by halting Russia’s advance into a key area of Ukraine.

Kyiv launched an invasion into Kursk on Aug 6 and said it has captured 1300 sq km of Russian territory – including 100 towns.

The move was designed to slow Russia’s advance towards the key town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.

Speaking to CNN, Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskii suggested that the tactic was working, saying: “Over the past six days, the enemy hasn’t advanced a single metre in the Pokrovsk direction.

“In other words, our strategy is working.”

On Thursday, Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed the Kursk offensive had failed to slow Russia’s advance and had instead weakened Ukraine’s defence of Donetsk.

12:27 PM BST

Russia to impose restrictions on US media in retaliation to sanctions

Moscow will impose restrictions on American media outlets in Russia as a response to Washington's sanctions on state-funded news network RT, the Kremlin has said.

The US treasury department charged two RT employees and slapped its top editors with sanctions on Wednesday, accusing them of trying to influence the upcoming 2024 US presidential election.

"A symmetrical response is not possible. There is no state news agency in the US, and there is no state TV channel in the US," Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told the state RIA Novosti news agency.

"But there will certainly be measures here that will restrict their media disseminating their information," he said.

Peskov did not say what restrictions Russia would introduce against US media.

Most US media outlets downsized or pulled their staff from Russia when Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive amid laws targeting independent reporting on the conflict.

11:41 AM BST

Britain to send 650 air defence missiles to Ukraine

Britain is providing Ukraine with 650 new lightweight missiles in a package worth £162 million, it announced on Friday.

The Thales-made Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) has a range of more than six kilometres (3.73 miles), the Ministry of Defence said, and can be fired from platforms on land, sea, and air.

The announcement comes after Russia launched 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine on Monday, killing seven people and damaging energy infrastructure nationwide, in what Kyiv described as the war’s “most massive” attack.

Kyiv has repeatedly called on Western nations to expedite the delivery of air defence support systems to help defend itself from Moscow’s missile and drone attacks.

The new supply of missiles, announced by John Healey, the Defence Secretary, at a US air base in Germany, is expected to arrive by the end of the year.

“This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences,” Mr Healey said in a statement.

11:07 AM BST

Watch: Lorries burned after Shahed drones shot down outside Lviv

Video footage shows four lorries burning after being struck by the wreckage of three Russian drones shot down outside Lviv on Friday morning.

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Firefighters took one and a half hours to get the fire under control and there were no casualties, the region’s military leader said on Telegram.

10:11 AM BST

We need more weapons to ‘drive Russia’ out of Ukraine, Zelensky says

President Zelensky has stressed the need for more weapons to “drive Russia” out of Ukraine.

In a speech to international supporters in Germany, Mr Zelensky said: “Ukraine needs more weapons to drive Russia off Ukrainian lands.”

The Ukrainian president said Kyiv needed a “much stronger” fleet of F-16 fighter jets and said forces are “suffering” from a shortage of missiles, adding: “We need long-range capability also for use on Russian territory.”

09:51 AM BST

US to provide $250m of military aid to Ukraine

Washington will provide $250 million (£189 million) in new military aid for Ukraine as Kyiv faces advancing Russian forces in the east and devastating strikes by Moscow.

Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, told a meeting in Germany of Ukraine's international supporters: "I'm pleased to say that president Biden will announce today an additional $250 million security assistance package for Ukraine. It will surge in more capabilities to meet Ukraine's evolving requirements.”

09:40 AM BST

Ukraine holds ground in Russia’s Kursk region

President Zelensky has said Ukraine still controls 100 towns in Russia’s Kursk region.

Last Monday, Ukraine said they controlled 100 towns and 1,250 sq km in the region – suggesting its forces have clung on to the territory following Kyiv's daring incursion into Russia on Aug 6.

However, speaking in Germany today, the Ukrainian leader said its forces now control more than 1,300 sq km in the region.

09:14 AM BST

Zelensky travels to Germany as he reiterates calls for long-range missiles

Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany where he has reiterated calls for Western nations to give Ukraine long-range missile capabilities.

The Ukrainian president will then travel to Italy after a meeting with Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, in Frankfurt.

09:01 AM BST

Pictured: lorries burned after Shahed drones shot down outside Lviv

Four lorries have been destroyed in a fire after Russian attack drones were shot down outside Lviv.

Wreckage from three Shahed drones fell in an industrial zone in the Lviv region at around 3.15am this morning, after Ukrainian air defences shot the aircraft down, reports said.

Over thirty firefighters managed to extinguish the fire in one and a half hours but the vehicles were unsalvageable, the region’s military leader said on Telegram.

Maksym Kozytskyi said: “Overall, the enemy attacked our oblast [region] with three attack drones while the two air-raid warnings, issued in Lviv, last night were in effect. Our air defence downed all [drones]. Most importantly, there were no casualties.”

08:23 AM BST

‘Highly versatile’ against drones

The weapon is “highly versatile” against armoured personnel carriers, warships and unmanned drones, the Ministry of Defence said.

The Thales-made supersonic missile travels at Mach 1.5 (approximately 1150 mph), with a range of 6km (3.7 miles).

07:58 AM BST

Ukraine downs 27 Russian drones overnight

The Ukrainian air force shot down 27 out of 44 Russia-launched drones overnight, it said on Friday.

Russia also used two missiles in the attack, the air force added in the statement on Telegram.

07:55 AM BST

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