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Liberating Russian-targeted territories is Ukraine's top priority

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Liberating Russian-targeted territories is Ukraine's top priority We can tackle any objects in Russian territory because Russia is aggressive against Ukraine and we have all moral and juridical right to do this. But for the moment, for us, it's more important to liberate our territories. So that is our priority aim. At least nine people died earlier today in a new wave of strikes across Ukraine, in which Russia used powerful weapons, including rare hypersonic missiles. Russia had reportedly not fired Kinzau hypersonic missiles, which can evade their defenses since the beginning of the conflict. And this latest barrage was the most severe to hit Ukraine for weeks, cutting power to the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, which is Europe's biggest. Well, earlier this evening, I spoke to Alexei Honcharenko, people's deputy of Ukraine, and former chairman of the Odessa Oblast Council...

Ukraine War: Zelenskyy says Ukraine will not attack Russia

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Ukraine War: Zelenskyy says Ukraine will not attack Russia It was a highly anticipated visit and Berlin pulled out all the stops. Warmly welcoming, arguably the world's most in-demand president for the first time since Russia invaded his country. There were no signs of the tension which have at times fizzled between Germany and Ukraine over the last year. A man on a mission to get more weapons. Zelensky could hardly complain about almost 3 billion euros of new military aid and a promise of more to come. We are also very clear on our message to Ukraine, but at least also to the Russian aggressor. We will support Ukraine as long as it is necessary. That is to say, we hope that the war will end quickly. Also because military support, support with weapons, will enable Ukraine to defend its country. An ally which previously angered Kiev with its hesitancy to send arms, Germany is now...

Russian infighting 'out of control' in Bakhmut

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Russian infighting 'out of control' in Bakhmut The agreement, the understanding is that Ukraine will not strike targets on Russian territory. Well, this is the grey area. I mean, yes, the UK is saying we don't want these weapons to be used to strike Russian territory, but it's interesting that US, for example, so far has been reluctant to offer anything of the range of storm shadow. Perhaps where that grey area is crystallised is Crimea, because Crimea is de facto Russian territory now, but of course it's regarded by the UK and Western Allies as part of Ukraine still. So one thinks that that would be seen as a legitimate target in Western capitals, although obviously the reaction from Moscow would probably be pretty strong. Yeah, and it is true over the weekend that a Russian military aircraft, a couple of helicopters, a bomber and a combat aircraft were shot down ...

Ukraine War: What are the two likely strategic aims for Ukraine?

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Ukraine War: What are the two likely strategic aims for Ukraine? The next few days and weeks in Ukraine are likely to be a picture of confusion with different messaging about who's advancing where. Now, there are two likely strategic aims for Ukraine. Firstly, to reclaim the Donbas. The Russians said that that's what they wanted to take, so obviously the Ukrainians will want to throw the Russians out of the Donbas if they can. But the second aim is really to break the land bridge, this bridge between the Donbas and Crimea. That land bridge is really important to the Russians, but it's pretty important to the Ukrainians, because if they can drive south from Zaporizhia, the area that includes Zaporizhia nuclear power station, to Militopol on the coast, then they'll break that land bridge clean apart. And so that sort of area presents lots of challenges to the Ukrainians,...

Ukraine War: Aftermath of seven-hour barrage of Russian missile strikes

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Ukraine War: Aftermath of seven-hour barrage of Russian missile strikes I was aware the missiles struck and it caused fire. Set this car ablaze. Pretty much this one has burnt itself out. Some of the others have gone up in flames as well. And these things have been. All these type of incidents have been going on for months and months now. There has been a bit of a lull in recent weeks. The Ukrainian military says that about, well, at least 80 rockets were fired at Ukraine. Among some cruise missiles, 34, the air force say, were taken out. Now, some of these incidents are actually because of the air defence systems. They actually either hit the rocket, perhaps it doesn't explode, or their own rockets come down to earth. Quite a lot of people, at least six people, have died in this incident. They say it's across all of the country. And that is what the Russians are trying to d...

Ukraine War: Iran allegedly secretly supplying ammunition to Russia

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Ukraine War: Iran allegedly secretly supplying ammunition to Russia Russia is burning through ammunition in Ukraine. It means Russian industry is under pressure to produce more. Now claims have emerged that Moscow is also receiving help from a close ally. A source alleges that two ships transported a large amount of ammunition in January from Iran to Russia, paid for in cash. The security source told me the two ships are thought to have been carrying up to 100 million bullets and around 300,000 shells of varying sizes for different weapons like machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars. It's not been possible independently to verify the volume and one expert said it did sound quite high. But Iran is certainly suspected of supplying an amount of ammunition to Russia to help replenish stockpiles that are thought to be running low. Sky News' data and forensics unit looked into t...

Pro-Ukrainian group 'responsible for Nord Stream pipeline attacks'

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Pro-Ukrainian group 'responsible for Nord Stream pipeline attacks' It was the moment the war in Ukraine spread beyond its borders, undersea sabotage on pipelines in the Baltic. The attacks on Nord Stream were blamed by the West at the time in September on Russia. Now Western intelligence is accusing a freelance group of Ukrainians with links to the government in Kiev. Its officials are denying involvement, instead accusing Russia of being responsible. The pipelines were built to carry gas from Russia to Europe via Germany. Leaks were reported on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline first, then a day later more were discovered on Nord Stream 1. Now more than four months later, German intelligence reportedly claims a wealthy Ukrainian, hardy yachts, explosives and divers to launch the attacks. Germany's defence minister was drawing the dots to Kiev, while urging against jumping to c...

Ukraine War: What missiles have Russia fired?

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Ukraine War: What missiles have Russia fired? I mean, he caveated his remarks so that he wasn't departing from the official government line, which is that Ukraine makes the calls here when Ukraine's ready, then Ukraine may negotiate. But the fact that he, that comment we were taking out of context, and people will say that Rishi Sunak believes that there has to be a negotiation at, so at what point are we going to lean on the Ukrainians to negotiate? And I think that in Kiev, I think it won't be very, they won't welcome the fact that he said it. It's also, it's just not true that all wars end at the negotiating table. It's a line we've heard from the beginning, right from the start. People should read a book occasionally. The Second World War did not end in negotiation. One of yours perhaps. Yes. The First World War did not end in a meaningful negotia...

Ukraine War: 'Executed' soldier video could be a war crime

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Ukraine War: 'Executed' soldier video could be a war crime President Zelensky has promised that Ukraine will find the Russians allegedly responsible for shooting dead an unarmed Ukrainian soldier. Footage emerged online yesterday, purportedly showing the killing and a warning that we're about to show the moments leading up to that incident. In it, an unarmed man is seen smoking a cigarette before saying, Glory to Ukraine. The man is then shot repeatedly. Sky News has been unable to independently verify the location and date of the footage. But Ukraine says the man killed is thought to be Ukrainian serviceman called Timofey Shadora, who went missing in the area around the heavily contested city of Bakhmut in early February. A video appeared today showing how the occupiers brutally killed a soldier who bravely said to their face, Glory to Ukraine. I want all of us together...

Ukraine War: Is the defence of Bakhmut a distraction?

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Ukraine War: Is the defence of Bakhmut a distraction? I'm joined now by the former senior military intelligence officer, Philip Ingram. Good to see you again, Philip. Now, of course, Russian forces have made some advances in recent days in Bakhmut, but on the whole, there's been very little movement on the front line in recent weeks and months. Why is that? Yeah, well, exactly. Day 374 of Vladimir Putin's 10-day Special Military Operation. And the Russians, we keep talking about this spring offensive. They're probing the front lines in different places. Bakhmut will more detail that in a moment, but further north, up around Kramina and in the south, around Donetsk, they're trying to see where their weakness is in the Ukrainian defences. And they're not really finding any. The things that are influencing at the moment, the weather, the ground is softening up. ...

Russian Defense Ministry acknowledges retreat north of Bakhmut

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Russian Defense Ministry acknowledges retreat north of Bakhmut A Ukrainian tank rumbled toward back-mood on Friday as Kiev claimed its forces had advanced more than a mile around the shattered ruins of the eastern city. Russian forces have fought for months to seize back-mood without success. The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said that Ukraine had deployed more than 1,000 troops in up to 40 tanks in more than two dozen attempted attacks in the direction of the town of Solodar. The military admitted it was regrouping its forces, suggesting its fighters had fallen back. The leader of a Russian mercenary force gave a different assessment. Evgeny Progoshin, founder of the Wagner paramilitary group, said the Defense Ministry was lying and Russian forces had been routed and forced to flee. Reuters has been unable to verify reports of battlefield movement. Ukraine this week released w...

Ukraine War: Assessing the Counteroffensive Progression and Challenges

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Summary: The eighth week of the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian defenses is underway, with progress hampered by challenging obstacles like extensive trench systems and minefields. Ukraine strategically uses Western weapons to target Russian rear areas and ammunition dumps, attempting to break through the dense minefields obstructing their advance. The conflict's dynamics may shift as Ukraine's 9th Corps awaits reinforcement from the more seasoned fighters of the 10th Corps. The outcome of the battle for the city of Bakhmut could have broader implications for the conflict's trajectory and resource allocation f...

Bakhmut won't fall into Russian hands 'any time soon'

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Bakhmut won't fall into Russian hands 'any time soon' So I would say in central back, 10 days ago with the times team and spoke to a lot of the soldiers fighting there and the commanders fighting there and was able to move into some areas of the center of the city. I don't think it's going to fall anytime soon. And here's why. The Russians have managed to dominate the battlefield around the city. It's a small city or large town, depending on how you look at it. In the last 48 hours, they have the Russians have captured the entire east side of the city. The city is divided north to south by a thin river. But they've been fighting in that eastern side really since the beginning of December. So it's not like they've just swept in yesterday and grabbed it. They've just got the last few streets that they didn't already hold. They have got t...

Fleeing Russian soldiers on the rise as Ukraine troops advance in Bakhmut

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Fleeing Russian soldiers on the rise as Ukraine troops advance in Bakhmut Now, the chief of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has said that President Zelensky was being deceptive after suggestions that Ukrainian forces had recaptured the city of Bakhmut. Yeah, he said that the situation on the flanks is shaping up according to the worst predicted scenario for Russia that is, so that signals more misery it would seem for Putin's troops. Well joining us this morning to help unravel these new developments is political reporter Stefan Boscher. Good morning to you Stefan, really good to have you with us and it does need unraveling this because we've had conflicting reports in the past few days about this spring offensive and movements being made by Ukraine in Bakhmut. That's right, some of the most movement was seen on a very stagnant Eastern front for a very long time now ov...

Russia Accuses Ukraine of Moscow Drone Attack

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Summary: Russia accuses Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow, hitting non-residential buildings and an ammunition depot in Crimea. No casualties reported in both incidents. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated after several airstrikes on Odessa and the end of a grain shipment agreement. The situation in Odessa remains challenging as Russia continues to target port infrastructure. Unverified claims and footage raise questions about the true nature of the drone attack on Moscow. ...

Cluster Bombs | What You Need to Know About Ukraine's Controversial New Weapon

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Cluster Bombs | What You Need to Know About Ukraine's Controversial New Weapon Summary: Cluster munitions are bombs that open in the air, releasing smaller bomblets across a wider area, targeting multiple objectives simultaneously. More than 120 countries have banned the use of cluster munitions due to the risks posed to civilians from unexploded bomblets. The United States has been providing cluster bombs to Ukraine to support its ground troops in countering heavily fortified Russian positions. The Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty, prohibits the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster bombs. The use of c...

Zelenskyy Tours Europe as Ukraine Prepares Counteroffensive Against Russia

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Zelenskyy Tours Europe as Ukraine Prepares Counteroffensive Against Russia Denied the opportunity to address Eurovision on Saturday, Vladimir Zelensky has nevertheless been granted audiences with some of Europe's most powerful leaders in the last few days. A warm embrace between the Ukrainian President and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday morning at Chekars. British admiration meeting with Ukrainian gratitude. Winston Churchill made many of his famous speeches in World War Two from this room. And in the same way today, your leadership, your country's bravery and fortitude are an inspiration to us all. You did a lot. Your government and His Majesty, the King and of course your people, your society where we're a temple from all our hearts from Ukrainians. The UK will provide Ukraine with air defence missiles and attack drums, in addition to the storm shadow long range ...

Ukraine War: Multiple people 'killed in drone attack'

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Summary: A drone attack in the Sumi district near Kiev, carried out by Russia n forces, resulted in four deaths and multiple injuries, targeting a school. Ukrainian counterattacks have targeted Moscow , causing a significant explosion, while Russia claims attacks on its territory as well. Ukraine successfully destroyed a key Russia n missile system in Crimea , signaling a strategic victory. President Zelensky 's offensive strategy involves attacks on Russia n soil, increasing pressure on President Putin . Leadership changes in the Russia n Air For...

Ukraine War: Russian Air Strikes Target Grain Warehouse in Port City

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Summary: Russian air strikes target grain facilities in Ukraine's port cities, disrupting the grain trade. Ukraine's significant role as a grain supplier to African nations makes the attacks impactful on vulnerable communities. The motives behind Russia's aggressive actions remain unclear, but it could be an attempt to force the international community's hand in resolving the conflict. Russian air strikes have intensified as they target key grain supplies in Ukr...

Ukraine Russia: Strikes on Chernihiv Condemned by UN

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Summary: Missile strikes in Chernihiv during an Orthodox holiday resulted in casualties and chaos. Ukraine 's president condemned the act and called for international support. The conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues, with implications for both nations. Drone attacks on Moscow challenge Putin 's perceived invincibility. The ongoing war in Ukraine presents challenges for both Ukrainian and Russia n forces. ...