Moscow has claimed it has hit a cargo ship in the Black Sea hours after Ukraine called for a “diplomatic” solution to escalating strikes.
Russia’s defence ministry said it had hit the vessel on Monday afternoon shortly after Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would strengthen its air defences in the Black Sea.
Ukraine has accused Vladimir Putin of scaling up strikes in the region in a bid to curb Kyiv’s export abilities.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Ukrainian president said his forces will also strengthen air defences in the region, saying there is “no total blockade” but that there had been an attempt to cut exports off by Russia.
It comes after UK prime minister Andy Burnham praised Ukraine for “keeping the flame of European freedom alive”, comparing it to Britain’s pivotal role in World War II.
Burnham is set to give Ukraine blueprints for the British Storm Shadow long-range missile, a move expected to give the war-ravaged nation an advantage in striking military targets deep inside Russian territory.
Prime minister Andy Burnham is planning to head to the US next month to speak with US president Donald Trump about Ukraine's needs, reported Bloomberg.
“I am looking forward to going to New York in September,” the PM said, referring to the UN General Assembly gathering.
While the details are not “fully confirmed”, Burnham said it is “likely” he will go.
“Leaving today, I'm quite clear what I need to do in the next few weeks," he said as he wrapped up his first official visit to Ukraine, where he vowed to use pressure on Russia to end the war.
The White House is yet to issue a comment on a likely meeting between Trump and Burnham.
Moscow has withdrawn its UK ambassador as relations between Britain and Russia continue to deteriorate amid Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Andrey Kelin, who had been in the role for more than seven years, left his post on 21 July.
According to The Times, Russia is yet to submit another candidate to the Foreign Office and there is reportedly no indication of when a replacement may be appointed.
Russian citizens are withdrawing billions of roubles from the country’s banks over fears that the Kremlin could seize deposits to fund the war in Ukraine.
Analysts say fears that the Kremlin could confiscate private savings to bankroll the conflict have triggered widespread panic, with more than 286.4bn roubles (£2.5bn) pulled from Russian banks during the first two weeks of August alone.
A staggering £5.3bn was reported to have been withdrawn in July on top of a further £3.32bn in June, according to Central Bank data.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to retaliate after a double-tap drone strike on his hometown killed 16 people.
Rescuers are still searching for survivors in the wreckage of a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih, which was hit twice by Russia on Friday.
More than 130 people were wounded in the daytime attack carried out in two waves, with the second strike targeting emergency workers at the scene of the first.
Zelensky called the attacks an “act of barbarism”, claiming the “absolutely cynical and despicable” second strike was a deliberate attempt to target emergency services.
A former member of Russian protest group Pussy Riot has revealed she was recruited to join Russia’s security service to inform on other activists.
Margarita Konovalova, one of the 15 women who started the feminist collective in 2011, was jailed in 2020 for staging an anti-police brutality protest near the Kremlin. The group became known for their criticism of Vladimir Putin and wearing colourful balaclavas during stunts.
But Konovalova has now admitted she spent the last three years passing information on artists and anti-war activists to the FSB security service, fearing that her relatives would be killed otherwise, The Insider reported.
She was required to gather information about persons of interest - their social circles, relatives, habits, and vulnerabilities, including drug use, infidelity, and mental state to be used as blackmail - but she claimed that she tried to sabotage the cases.
