Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow launches ‘largest overnight bombardment' of war so far
Ukraine's air force reported 479 drones and 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine, focusing on central and western parts of the country.
Ukrainian air defences claimed to have destroyed 277 drones and 19 missiles mid-flight, adding that only 10 drones or missiles hit their target. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on X that 'Russia only truly understands one language — the language of force.'
Ahead of the G7 Summit in Canada and the NATO Summit on the Netherlands, he said Ukraine was doing everything to ensure the summits were 'not hollow.' He continued that force 'is precisely the language that must become the working one across all formats of international engagement in the coming months.'
Polish and allied aircraft were activated earlier on Monday to ensure the safety of airspace after Russia launched air strikes targeting western Ukraine near the border with Poland, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said.
"The steps taken are aimed at ensuring security in the regions bordering the areas at risk," the Command said on X.
WATCH: Zelensky says Russia is 'ignoring all peace proposals'
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 12:00
Ukraine's drone attack halts work at electronic plant in Chuvashia, Russia says
A Ukrainian drone strike, among the deepest into Russia in more than three years of the war, forced a temporary suspension of production at an electronics company in the Volga river region of Chuvashia, the head of the region said on Monday.
The strike, some 1,300 km (800 miles) from the border with Ukraine, caused no casualties, Chuvashia Governor Oleg Nikolayev said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
But "the responsible decision was made to temporarily suspend production to ensure the safety of employees" of the VNIIR enterprise where the drones fell, Nikolayev said.
It was not immediately clear whether the drones caused any damage. Nikolayev said that another drone fell onto some fields in the area of the capital of the region, Cheboksary.
Ukraine's military said in a Telegram statement on Monday that "at least two drones" hit the VNIIR facility that specialises in manufacturing navigation equipment used in attack drones, guided aerial bombs and high-precision weapons.
The Ukrainian military said the drone attack sparked a large -scale fire at the VNIIR plant.
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 11:40
Mapped: Regions targeted in Russia's overnight assault on Ukraine
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 11:30
Russia is already at war with Britain and we can no longer rely on Trump, defence adviser warns
Britain is already at war with Russia, one of the authors of the government's strategic defence review has warned, while arguing that the UK can no longer rely on the US as a dependable ally.
Dr Fiona Hill, who served as the White House's chief Russia adviser during Donald Trump 's first term, said the UK is in 'pretty big trouble', warning that the country is stuck between 'the rock' of Russia aggression and the 'hard place' of an increasingly unreliable US under Mr Trump.
Political Correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Russia is already at war with Britain, defence adviser warns
'Russia is at war with us', one of the authors of Sir Keir Starmer's flagship strategic defence review has warned
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 11:20
In pictures: Russia repatriates 1,200 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen in lorries on Ukraine-Belarus border
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 11:00
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk invites Trump to 'live in my house' to experience Russian war
Oleksandr Usyk has issued an invitation to Donald Trump, urging the US president to spend a week at his home in Ukraine to gain an insight into the ongoing conflict.
Trump had previously asserted he could resolve the war "in 24 hours" upon assuming office. However, more than three years after Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion, a resolution remains elusive.
Usyk, a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, conveyed a grim depiction of life in Ukraine, emphasising the necessity for Trump to develop a more profound understanding of the situation.
'I advise American president Donald Trump to go to Ukraine and live in my house for one week, only one week,' Usyk, the WBC, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion, told the BBC.
Albert Toth reports:
Ukrainian boxer Usyk invites Trump to 'live in my house' to experience Russian war
Trump should 'go to Ukraine and live in my house for one week,' the heavyweight champion said
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 10:40
Putin approves big revamp of Russia's navy, Kremlin aide says
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a new naval strategy which aims to fully restore Russia's position as one of the world's leading maritime powers, Kremlin aide Nikolai Patrushev said in an interview published on Monday.
Russia has the world's third most powerful navy after China and the United States, according to most public rankings, though the navy has suffered a series of high-profile losses in the Ukraine war.
Patrushev said the new naval strategy - entitled "The Strategy for the Development of the Russian Navy up to 2050" - had been approved by Putin in late May.
"Russia's position as one of the world's greatest maritime powers is gradually recovering," Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper in an interview.
"It is impossible to carry out such work without a long-term vision of the scenarios for the development of the situation in the oceans, the evolution of challenges and threats, and, of course, without defining the goals and objectives facing the Russian Navy," Patrushev said.
Patrushev gave no further details about the strategy, though Russia is believed to have ramped up spending on defence and security to Cold War levels as a percentage of gross domestic product.
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 10:20
Ukraine's military says it struck two planes at Russia's Savasleyka airfield overnight
The Ukrainian military said on Monday that it had struck two planes at Russia's Savasleyka airfield overnight.
"According to preliminary information, two enemy aircraft (presumably MiG-31 and Su-30/34 aircraft) were struck," the military said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 10:00
Ukraine to do 'everything possible to secure prisoners of war' - Zelensky
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine will do 'everything possible to secure the release of our POWs and the return of our fallen warriors.'
He said that Russia had yet to provide a full list of exchange for over one thousand people.
'The full lists from Russia for the exchange of over one thousand people, as agreed in Istanbul, have still not been provided.
'In typical fashion, the Russian side is once again trying to turn even these matters into a dirty political and information game.
'For our part, we are doing everything we can to keep the exchange track moving forward.'
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 09:30
Russia used almost 500 drones and missiles in overnight assault
Ukraine's air force said on Monday that Russia had used 479 drones and 20 missiles during an overnight assault whose targets included an airfield. This is one of the biggest attacks of the whole war so far.
The air force downed 460 of the drones and 19 of the missiles, including four Kinzhal missiles, it said in a statement. The air force added that it had recorded hits in 10 locations and debris falling in 17 locations.
Bryony Gooch9 June 2025 09:22
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Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Kremlin says Putin is ready to discuss peace in Ukraine but wants to achieve goals
MOSCOW, July 20 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to move toward a peace settlement for Ukraine but Moscow's main objective is to achieve its goals, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television in a clip published on Sunday. Peskov said that the world was now accustomed to U.S. President Donald Trump's sometimes "harsh" rhetoric but pointed out that Trump had also underscored in comments on Russia that he would continue to search for a peace deal. "President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy," Peskov said told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin. "The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear," Peskov said. On Monday, Trump announced a tougher stance on Russia, pledging a new wave of military aid to Ukraine, including Patriot missile defence systems. He also gave Russia a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face additional sanctions.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Four Moscow airports shut as Ukraine blasts capital with massive drone blitz for fourth night as explosions rock city
UKRAINE unleashed chaos at Moscow's four airports with a fourth successive drone blitz rocking the city. Hundreds of passenger planes had to be diverted as waves of flying bombs converged on the Russian capital. 8 8 8 8 Footage showed explosions as Russian air defences attacked incoming unmanned planes in Zelenograd, a district 23 miles northwest of the Kremlin. Ukraine has stepped up assaults since Donald Trump reportedly told Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky it was time to make Russians feel 'the pain' of war. Russia's defence ministry claimed to have downed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight across nine regions - 19 of them over the Moscow area alone. Authorities were forced to twice close airspace over Moscow, hitting airports Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky. A total of 134 planes were diverted, as confusion and frustration gripped passengers caught up in the escalating fallout of the war. State airline Aeroflot was forced to adjust its schedule, while regional airports in Kaluga, Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod were also thrown into disarray. Frustrated passengers - including tourists on summer vacations - were hit by delays, diverted flights and numerous cancellations in an apparent new tactic by Ukraine to paralyse air travel in Vladimir Putin's capital. Passengers — many travelling for summer vacations — were left bedding down on the airport floor. 'The restrictions are necessary for ensuring the safety of civil aircraft flights,' announced Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency. In Zelenograd, a district on the northwestern edge of Moscow, explosions were heard as air defences intercepted drones. Debris sparked fires that damaged buildings and set vehicles alight, according to local reports. In nearby Golube, residents described powerful blasts that shattered windows and shook homes, The Kyiv Post reported. While Russian officials claimed success in intercepting the majority of drones, the repeated closures of Moscow's airspace suggest Ukraine is successfully placing pressure on the capital - targeting not just military assets but the daily functioning of civilian infrastructure. In a separate blow, anti-Kremlin partisan group Atesh claimed responsibility for sabotage on a key rail line in Tula region. They set fire to a relay cabinet, causing what the group described as 'serious disruptions in railway communication'. Atesh said the attack had critically crippled the movement of weapons and military gear from key defence factories. It was a hammer blow to Putin's logistics — and a taste of the chaos Ukraine and its allies are now willing to unleash. Elsewhere, drone strikes were reported on Russian-occupied Donetsk, with footage showing what appeared to be an attack near a regional trauma hospital. In Ukrainian-held Sloviansk, one person was killed in a Russian drone strike. The Kremlin continued its own strikes in response, targeting the Sumy region in Ukraine's northeast after scoffing at Trump's 50-day peace ultimatum. A 78-year-old woman was killed in Shostka, close to the Russian border, while in the Zaporizhzhia region a 69-year-old woman was wounded in another attack. Putin's war machine, ever indiscriminate, continues its campaign of terror against civilians. 8 8 8 The Russian Defence Ministry, desperate to project strength, released footage of a MiG-31K jet launching a hypersonic Kinzhal missile, a menacing display as the Kremlin signals no intent to back down. And in a chilling twist, a Russian Shahed drone exploded dangerously close to a Yak-52 aircraft used as an interceptor. Despite Moscow's bluster, president Zelensky continues to push for peace - on Ukraine's terms. 'The pace of negotiations must be increased. Everything must be done to achieve a ceasefire,' he said. 'And the Russian side must stop hiding from decisions. 'Prisoner exchanges. Return of children. End to the killings. 'And a meeting at the level of leaders is needed to truly ensure peace – a really lasting one. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting.' But Kremlin is showing no signs of backing down. According to German General Christian Fröding, Russia is now preparing to swarm 2,000 drones at Ukraine, launching them simultaneously to try to overwhelm its defences. He warned of growing Chinese support behind the scenes. 'The current situation is such that China is effectively exporting exclusively to Russia, while Ukraine is excluded from this market,' Fröding said. And while Kyiv has not officially commented on its role in the latest strikes, officials have repeatedly insisted that 'Ukraine consistently adheres to international humanitarian law and targets only legitimate military objectives.' According to Ukraine's military: 'All actions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducted in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, with a clear distinction made between civilian and military targets.' 8
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Russia says it downed 142 Ukrainian drones, including 27 over Moscow region
MOSCOW, July 20 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry and the mayor of Moscow said it had downed 142 drones overnight, including 27 over the Moscow region. The drones were reportedly shot down over a number regions in the European part of Russia, as well as over the Black Sea. The latest attacks included four drones headed toward the Russian capital, which were downed on Sunday morning, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram around 1000 local time (0700 GMT). According to Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia, four major airports serving Moscow - Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovskiy - were affected, resulting in 134 flights being redirected. By 1000 Moscow time, only two airports remained closed to air traffic - Vnukovo in the Moscow region and Grabtsevo in the Kaluga region.
