Russia War

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian strikes destroyed 60,000 tonnes of Russian ammunition at a Baltic Fleet arsenal near St. Petersburg and targeted key defense-industrial facilities. • Zelenskyy claimed that Moscow has been forced to shift its air defenses to protect the Kerch Bridge and the capital city of St. Petersburg. • The Ukrainian leader asserted that Vladimir Putin's rejection of substantive diplomatic proposals is the primary reason the war is being prolonged.

• A new book titled "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump" reveals that a former cabinet member referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "special needs child for the Europeans." • The comments reportedly surfaced during a meeting focused on discussing a proposed minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine. • This disclosure highlights the contentious nature of the Trump administration's internal views toward Ukrainian leadership and its allies in Europe.

Russia intercepted 300 Ukrainian drones across the country and temporarily suspended operations from Moscow airportNearly 60 Ukrainian drones were intercepted heading for Moscow last night, forcing the capital’s airports to briefly suspend its operations during the attack.In total, Russia reportedly downed just over 300 drones across the country.“The Russians are attacking us every day – and we will strike back every day. Our response will grow stronger with each passing day.” Continue reading...

• Finland employs a "whole of society" approach to national security, a strategy developed over a century of preparing for potential Russian aggression. • The Finnish model integrates civilian readiness, military planning, and government coordination to ensure the entire population can withstand and respond to an invasion. • Experts suggest the UK should adopt similar comprehensive preparedness measures to strengthen its own resilience against evolving geopolitical threats.

Keir Starmer has called the firing of warning shots by a Russian warship at a British yacht sailing across the Channel on Tuesday ‘deeply concerning and reckless’.Russia’s defence ministry said the yacht was on a ‘dangerous course’ and several attempts were made to contact it – a claim disputed by the retired couple onboard the 40ft yacht.Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh – watch on YouTube Continue reading...

British retirees Jane and Alan Kelvey say they do not want incident in Channel to stop them enjoying their sailing tripUK politics live – latest updatesA British woman on a yacht in the Channel near which a Russian warship fired warning shots has told how she does not want the incident to be blown out of proportion, saying: “We don’t want world war three to start because of this.”Jane Kelvey, 69, and her husband, Alan, 70, were on their yacht, Bright Future, travelling from the south coast of England towards France on Tuesday when they came into close contact with the Admiral Grigorovich, a 409ft Russian frigate. Continue reading...

PM says firing of warning shots at yacht was reckless and UK is dealing with proxy attacks from Russia ‘every day’Warning shots fired by a Russian warship sailing across the Channel on Tuesday morning were “deeply concerning and reckless”, Keir Starmer said from the G7 summit on Wednesday as he warned that the UK was dealing with proxy attacks from Russia “every single day”.The prime minister said the Ministry of Defence had assessed that the Russian vessel was drifting and fired the shots within a few hundred metres of a British pleasure yacht. Continue reading...

• A Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, reportedly fired a warning shot at a yacht in the English Channel between Normandy and the Isle of Wight. • This naval escalation follows a recent incident involving the seizure of a Russian tanker, heightening tensions in the region. • Separately, Donald Trump announced on Monday that a preliminary agreement to end the conflict between the US and Iran has been signed.

Ministry of Defence investigates after shots apparently fired within 500 metres of vessel near Isle of WightThe Ministry of Defence is investigating reports that a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, fired warning shots within 500 metres of a British yacht sailing a little over 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight.No injuries or damage have been reported by the yacht, which is continuing its journey. A boat from HMS Tyne has visited the yacht to gather details and check the crew are safe. Continue reading...

World leaders will be joined by Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they try to keep Donald Trump on sideSo what we now have is the leaders of Canada, EU, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK waiting for Trump, Macron and Zelenskyy.It sounded as if someone, possibly Meloni, was telling some sort of story that involved the White House, but it’s impossible to make out what it was. Continue reading...

• President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the outcome of the conflict with Russia will determine the future of Europe as he prepares for the upcoming G7 Summit. • Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is fighting for its statehood, independence, and the fundamental right to choose its own sovereign path. • The statement underscores the geopolitical stakes of the war, framing Ukraine's struggle as a critical defense of European stability and democratic values.

• Ukraine has claimed a devastating strike on a bridge in Crimea, resulting in the destruction of approximately 50 Russian military vehicles. • The operation coincides with warnings from Kyiv's drone chief, who asserts that Vladimir Putin will lose access to the Crimean peninsula in the "near future." • This escalation highlights Ukraine's strategic focus on disrupting Russian logistics and supply lines essential for maintaining control over occupied territories.

Voters to choose between pro-Russian opposition and incumbent Nikol Pashinyan, who is more closely aligned with the westArmenians are going to the polls in an election that could cement the country’s shift towards Europe and away from its traditional alliance with Russia.Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party enters the vote as the favourite, ahead of three opposition candidates who advocate for closer ties with Moscow. His main challenger, Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire who built much of his fortune in Russia, has been forced to campaign from house arrest at his mansion outside Yerevan. Continue reading...

• Experts are warning that Vladimir Putin may be considering expanding military operations into Europe as Russia's offensive in Ukraine begins to falter. • A recent drone strike in Romania is being highlighted as a critical warning sign of potential Russian aggression beyond Ukrainian borders. • This shift in strategy would signify a dangerous escalation, potentially drawing NATO allies directly into a larger continental conflict.

Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv hit, with apartment buildings among the targets according to officials, after president said intelligence predicted ‘massive strike’ Russian air raids on major Ukrainian centres including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least five people and wounded dozens by early morning on Tuesday, authorities said.Four people were killed and 16 injured in a Russian attack on Dnipro, in Ukraine’s east, said the regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha. All those injured were taken to hospital, he said, posting pictures of heavily damaged residential buildings, burnt-out vehicles and a destroyed children’s playground. Continue reading...

• Ukrainian drones launched a "massive attack" on Saturday, targeting a tanker at the port of Taganrog and an oil depot in Armavir. • The strikes occurred overnight in Russia's southern Rostov and Krasnodar regions, according to local authorities. • These operations target critical energy infrastructure to disrupt Russian logistics and economic capabilities during the ongoing war.

EU chief diplomat says ‘not much happening’ in talks as she cautions against focus on personalities rather than strategyBut other foreign ministers appear somewhat divided on the concept of appointing a single EU negotiator for Russia.Austria’s Beate Meinl-Reisinge said it was a necessary step as “the EU should not get ready.”“It’s a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, and they are already picking who is suitable, who is not. Let’s not walk into that trap. Negotiations are always a team effort. You have good cops, you have bad cops, you have a strategy [on] how you go to the table, so that is why the substance is much more important.”“This is what Russia does. Because it’s not really gaining ground on the battlefield, what they are doing now is really increasing the terrorist attacks, because you can’t really describe it in other ways, creating fear inside the society. It hasn’t worked for four years, and I don’t think that it’s going to work now.” Continue reading...

• GCHQ chief Anne Keast-Butler has warned that Russia is "relentlessly" targeting the UK's democratic processes and critical national infrastructure. • She highlighted that rapid Russian technical advancements are creating a "narrowing window" for the UK and its allies to maintain a strategic edge. • This warning underscores the escalating cyber threat landscape and the increasing sophistication of Russian state-sponsored attacks.

• Britain and its allies are facing a significant cyber threat from Russia, targeting critical infrastructure, elections, and public trust. • A top UK spy chief has warned of the urgent need for action from all parties, including businesses and individuals, to counter this threat. • The rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have created a narrow window for Britain and its allies to stay ahead of rivals like China and Russia in the cyber arena.

• GCHQ Director Anne Keast-Butler warned that the West is currently in a "space between peace and war," facing significant risks from Russian "hybrid warfare" and AI-driven cyber threats. • To counter this aggression, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signed a strategic defence pact with Poland to combine military expertise and industrial capabilities. • The agreement focuses on the joint development and manufacturing of "next-generation complex weapons" to deter further Russian incursions.

• GCHQ spy chief has warned that Britain and its allies risk losing a cyber conflict against adversaries, specifically Russia, unless cybersecurity is treated with significantly greater urgency. • The chief argues for a comprehensive effort "from boardrooms to living rooms" to increase the priority of cyber defenses tenfold to counter escalating threats. • This warning follows reports from Sweden, Poland, Denmark, and Norway alleging that Russian-linked hackers have targeted critical infrastructure, such as dams and power plants.

• The UK's cyberspy chief has characterized artificial intelligence as an "unstoppable force," warning of its potential to amplify cyber threats. • Authorities in Sweden, Poland, Denmark, and Norway recently reported that Russian-linked hackers targeted critical infrastructure, specifically power plants and dams. • These developments highlight the growing risk of state-sponsored cyberattacks on essential services across Europe, exacerbated by the integration of AI.

• The UK's GCHQ chief warns of AI's increasing role in Russia's hybrid warfare, describing it as an "unstoppable force" used just below traditional warfare levels. • Recent hacks linked to Russia have targeted critical infrastructure in countries including Sweden, Poland, Denmark, and Norway, affecting power plants and dams. • These attacks highlight the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats and the need for countries to adapt their defenses against AI-driven hybrid warfare.

• Britain's cyberspying chief warned on Wednesday that artificial intelligence has become an "unstoppable force" currently being weaponized by adversaries. • The official highlighted that AI is being used to conduct operations that fall just short of traditional warfare, specifically citing threats from Russia. • This warning underscores the growing risk of AI-driven cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns that can destabilize national security without triggering a formal military conflict.

Anne Keast-Butler says Russian forces are ‘going backwards on the battlefield’ for first time since late 2022Nearly half a million Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion more than four years ago, according to a new estimate from the head of the British spy agency GCHQ.Anne Keast-Butler, the chief of the electronic intelligence agency, said in her first speech in the job that Russian forces were “going backwards on the battlefield” inside Ukraine for the first time since late 2022. Continue reading...

After winning the Grand Prix at Cannes film festival, the exiled auteur sent a direct message to the Russian president urging him to stop the warAccoladed director Andrey Zvyagintsev has sent a direct message to Vladimir Putin urging him to start listening to the Russian people and end the “senseless” war in Ukraine, continuing a war of words between Russia’s most revered living film-maker and the Kremlin that started at the Cannes film festival awards ceremony over the weekend.“Except for the limbs torn off from your fellow citizens in the name of an illusory goal, except for the massacre of young people that the country needs to build life and the future – nothing good is on the horizon if we don’t stop,” the exiled auteur said in a message sent to the Russian president’s press secretary through official channels on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Vetting officials also flagged £1m loan when recommending he should be denied security clearanceKey questions: did ‘mitigations’ cover links to China and Russia?Peter Mandelson’s associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel were among the concerns raised by the UK’s vetting agency when it concluded he should be denied clearance, multiple sources have told the Guardian.Mandelson’s links to China’s minister of finance, Lan Fo’an, the sanctions-hit Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and a former Israeli military intelligence general, Tamir Hayman, were all flagged by the agency as areas of concern shortly before he took up his post as the UK’s ambassador to the US, the sources said. Continue reading...

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has urged the United States to evacuate its diplomatic staff from the embassy in Kyiv. • This demand comes as President Vladimir Putin threatens "revenge strikes" against Ukraine, escalating tensions between the two nations. • The move signals a severe breakdown in diplomatic relations and suggests that Russia may be preparing for further military aggression.