Related: Russian fighter jet downed over eastern Ukraine as oil depot set ablaze
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The British government has pledged to send 650 lightweight multi-role missiles worth £162m to Ukraine to protect the country from Russian drones and bombing.
“This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences,” said British defence minister John Healey as he attended the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of some 50 nations, at a US air base in Germany.
Meanwhile, nine new ministers have been appointed by Ukraine’s parliament in the biggest government reshuffle since the Russian invasion.
The shake-up includes new foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, who replaces Dmytro Kuleba, one of the country’s most recognisable faces to Western officials, following his resignation on Wednesday.
Oleksiy Kuleba, a former deputy head of Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, was named deputy prime minister in charge of reconstruction, regions and infrastructure.
The reshuffle took place ahead of Mr Zelensky’s planned visit to the US this month where he hopes to present a “victory plan” to US president Joe Biden. On Thursday, the Ukrainian president said he wanted the government to be “more active” in dealing with allies and investors.
Key Points
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US charges Russian TV contributor and his wife with sanctions violations
The US justice department has charged Virginia-based Russian television contributor Dimitri Simes and his wife Anastasia Simes with two separate schemes to violate American sanctions.
In one of two indictments, Mr Simes and his wife are accused of laundering funds and violating US sanctions for the benefit of Channel One Russia, a Russian broadcasting station sanctioned in May 2022.
In exchange for providing services as a presenter and producer, prosecutors alleged that Simes and his wife received over $1m (£758,800), a personal car and driver, a stipend for an apartment in Moscow and a team of 10 employees from Channel One Russia.
In a second indictment, Anastasia Simes is charged with violating sanctions to benefit Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, a Russian oligarch sanctioned in February 2023. She is accused of purchasing art and other antiques for Udodov from various galleries and auction houses in the United States and Europe.
File: ussian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with moderator Dimitri Simes during a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (via REUTERS)
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 September 2024 05:30
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Father sole survivor in one of the deadliest attacks of war
A father has lost his entire family after his house was destroyed during Russia’s attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Yaroslav Bazylevych’s wife Eugenia and the couple’s three daughters, Yarya, 21, Daria, 18 and Emilia, seven, were all killed on Wednesday morning.
The attack led Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi to accuse Russia of “eliminating Ukrainians by (killing off) entire families”.
Ukrainian emergency services said his daughters – Daryna, 18, her sisters Yaryna, 21, and Emilia, 7, and their 43-year-old mother Yevhenia were killed while sheltering in the staircase of their residential building.
Yaroslav Bazylevych’s wife Eugenia and the couple’s three daughters, Yarya, 21, Daria, 18 and Emilia, seven, were all killed on Wednesday morning (AFP/Getty)
Alexander Butler6 September 2024 05:00
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Zelensky to visit US air base in Germany today – report
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will likely visit the US air base in western Germany today to request increased Western military support, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.
Ukraine’s allies face renewed calls from Mr Zelensky for additional air defences and loosened restrictions on how far into Russia Ukraine can fire American-provided munitions.
“Air defence systems and missiles are needed in Ukraine, not in a warehouse somewhere,” Mr Zelensky said this week. “Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now.”
Top US military leaders, including defence secretary Lloyd Austin, will be in Germany to discuss Ukraine’s wartime needs after Russia conducted one of its deadliest airstrikes in the conflict and Ukraine continued its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 September 2024 04:30
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UK to send 650 air defence missiles worth £162m to Ukraine
The British government will send 650 lightweight multi-role missiles worth £162m to help protect the country from Russian drones and bombing.
The new supply of missiles was announced as British defence minister John Healey attended the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of some 50 nations, at a US air base in Germany.
“This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences,” Mr Healey said.
The Ministry of Defence said the missiles made by Thales have a range of more than 6km and can be fired from a variety of platforms on land, sea and air.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 September 2024 04:07
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Belarus downs Russian drones in a first – reports
In what appears to be the first incident of its kind, the Belarus Air Force has shot down two attack drones launched by its ally Russia – suggesting they had flown off course, a monitoring group claimed.
Belaruski Hajun, a monitoring group in Minsk, said multiple Belarusian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drones near the city of Gomel around 1.30am local time. Gomel lies within about 30km of the Ukraine-Belarus border.
This is the first reported incident involving Belarusian Air Force plane successfully downing Russian drones meant for Ukraine.
A third Russian attack drone was also downed around 2.30am in Belarusian air space, the group said but shared no additional information.
Russia launched another large-scale drone attack on Ukraine overnight, targeting multiple regions of the country, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
Alexander Butler6 September 2024 04:00
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I’ve always dreamed of crossing the Russian border on a Ukrainian tank – now I’ve done it
Alexander Butler6 September 2024 03:00
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Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Alexander Butler6 September 2024 02:00
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Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Alexander Butler6 September 2024 01:00
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The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
Winged explosives weighing up to 1,500 kilograms – and nicknamed the ‘building destroyer’ – have had a devastating impact wherever they have been used, writes Tom Watling. Kyiv is battling them as best it can but needs Western allies to step up and provide more weapons, air defences and ammunition
Alexander Butler5 September 2024 23:00
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Ukraine names new foreign minister, two deputy PMs in cabinet overhaul
Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Thursday to appoint a new foreign minister and two new deputy prime ministers, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy carries out his biggest government shakeup since Russia’s Feb. 2022 invasion.
Andrii Sybiha, 49, an experienced diplomat who does not have a prominent public profile, takes the reins of the foreign ministry, replacing Dmytro Kuleba, who has been one of the best known public faces of Ukraine in the West in recent years.
The new foreign ministry leadership is not expected to affect policy significantly; Zelenskiy and his office have taken the leading role in foreign affairs during the war with Russia.
The Ukrainian leader, who travels to the United States this month and hopes to present a “victory plan” to President Joe Biden, has said that Ukraine needs “new energy” and that this autumn will be important for Ukraine in the war.
Dmytro Razumkov, an opposition lawmaker, predicted the new appointments would change little, saying most decisions were made in Zelenskiy’s office, which was conferred considerable new emergency powers under wartime martial law.
Alexander Butler5 September 2024 22:00
