Ukraine war latest: Poland scrambles jets after Russia launches ‘biggest overnight bombardment of war’ | World News

By Mark Wyatt, live news reporter

Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. 

Before we bring you the latest news, here’s everything you need to know about the war ahead of a new week.

Military developments

Russia has claimed its forces have made it to the Dnipropetrovsk region, which covers parts of southern, eastern and central Ukraine.

The Russian defence ministry said last week that a tank division had advanced to the western border of Donetsk and was continuing its advance into the region.

Dnipropetrovsk has remained almost entirely under Ukrainian control since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Aerial attacks continue

In the skies, Russia has continued its intense aerial assaults across Ukraine, launching hundreds of drones and missiles during attacks last week.

Strikes hit Kyiv, killing at least four and injuring civilians, and Kharkiv, where a major attack killed four more and wounded dozens. Russian forces also targeted Kherson, damaging infrastructure.

The attacks came after Moscow vowed to take revenge on Ukraine after a drone attack on Russia’s bomber fleet known as Operation Spider’s Web.

Russia likely planning ‘multi-pronged’ strike

The Russian defence ministry said its barrage of attacks was in response to the Ukrainian operation, but a US official has told Reuters the complete response is yet to come.

Moscow is likely to launch a significant, multi-pronged strike, they said.

Russia’s UK ambassador has pointed the finger at the UK when he told Sky News that Ukraine must have had assistance in Operation Spider’s Web drone attacks.

A UK government minister declined to “speculate” on whether the UK had aided the strike, but says the country “wants to stand alongside Ukraine”.

Peace talks latest

Ukraine and Russia both returned to Istanbul for a second round of peace talks last week that ended without any major breakthrough.

Ukrainian negotiators said Russia had again rejected an “unconditional ceasefire” – a key demand by Kyiv and its allies in Europe and the US.

The Russian team said it had proposed a two- or three-day truce “in certain areas” of the vast frontline, but gave no further details.

The two sides agreed to exchange prisoners, but no date was announced for the swap, and it has since descended into a blame game and uncertainty.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted talks must occur at the highest level to secure an end to the war.

He told US news outlet ABC News that only “hard pressure” led by Donald Trump would get Vladimir Putin to the table.

“I am convinced that the president of the United States has all the powers and enough leverage to step up,” he said.

Analysis

And if you missed it, our lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim, international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn and military analyst Michael Clarke answered your Ukraine war questions last week. 

Catch up on what they discussed here: