Ukraine says its drones have destroyed at least six military aircraft and badly damaged eight others, in what would be one of the country’s most successful cross-border strikes in the war.
Kyiv successfully hit the Engels-2 air base, located in Russia’s Saratov Oblast, located over 750 kilometers away from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled border, a military source told Kyiv Independent.
It comes as a Ukrainian commander claimed their positions have been coming under daily attacks by drones dropping tear gas and other chemicals.
The use of such gas, known as CS and commonly used by riot police, is banned during wartime under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Ihor, the commander of a Ukrainian reconnaissance team who is deployed near the front-line city of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, told the Daily Telegraph: “Nearly every position in our area of the front was getting one or two gas grenades dropped on them a day.”
Meanwhile, a top Ukrainian commander warned Ukraine’s fightback in Avdiivka has been significantly setback by delays in Western aid and supplies.
Key Points
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Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian warplanes in one of its biggest drone attacks of the war
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Russia carrying out ‘illegal chemical attacks’ on Ukrainian troops
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Top Ukrainian military chief’s stark warning to western allies about Putin
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Six killed and 10 injured in latest Russian attack on Kharkiv
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Ukraine and Russia blame each other for Zaporizhia attacks
Ukraine military chief’s chilling warning to the West about Russia’s threat
16:23 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine military chief’s chilling warning to the West about Russia’s threat
Russia carrying out ‘illegal chemical attacks’ on Ukrainian troops, soldiers claim
15:31 , Alexander Butler
The Russian army is carrying out a systematic campaign of illegal chemical attacks on Ukrainian troops, soldiers have claimed.
A Ukrainian commander said their positions have been coming under daily attacks by drones dropping tear gas and other chemicals.
The use of such gas, known as CS and commonly used by riot police, is banned during wartime under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Ihor, the commander of a Ukrainian reconnaissance team who is deployed near the front-line city of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, told the Daily Telegraph: “Nearly every position in our area of the front was getting one or two gas grenades dropped on them a day.”
Tajikistan rejects Russian claim that Ukraine is recruiting its citizens
15:17 , Alexander Butler
Tajikistan’s foreign ministry on rejected a claim by a top Russian security official that Ukraine’s embassy in the Tajik capital was recruiting mercenaries to fight against Russia.
“We note that this assertion by the Russian official has no basis to it,” Russian news agencies quoted Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shokhin Samadi as saying.
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a top ally of President Vladimir Putin, said on Wednesday, without providing evidence, that “Ukrainian special services” were behind last month’s deadly concert shooting near Moscow and that the Ukrainian embassy in Tajikistan was recruiting fighters, state media reported.
Ukraine has denied having anything to do with the attack that killed at least 144 people, and the United States has said Islamic State militants bore sole responsibility.
UK needs wartime defence spending in face of most dangerous time since Cold War, ex-civil service chief warns
14:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Britain must ramp up its defence and aid spending and bolster its diplomatic and intelligence networks amid “the most dangerous period” since the Cold War, the UK’s formerly top civil servant has warned.
Writing in The Independent, former cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill urged the government to nearly double Britain’s defence spending to reach 4 per cent of GDP, and to restore the international aid budget to 0.7 per cent of national income, which was slashed by Boris Johnson in 2021.
And warning of the threat should Vladimir Putin prevail in his war on Ukraine, he called for Kyiv’s allies “to “upgrade defence industrial capacity to wartime levels”, “run our own factories 24/7” and buy weaponry and munitions for Ukraine, whether or not Congress funds the US to do so.
Britain must spend more on defence, warns former top civil servant
Finland to keep border with Russia closed until further notice
14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Finland will extend the closure of its border crossing points with Russia beyond the current April 14 deadline “until further notice” due to a high risk of organized migration orchestrated by Moscow, the Finnish government said on Thursday.
The Finnish Interior Ministry said in a statement that the Nordic country’s national security and public order would come under serious threat if the estimated hundreds of third-country nationals were to continue to attempt to enter from Russia without proper documentation.
“Based on information provided by public authorities, the risk that instrumentalized migration (by Russia) will resume and expand as seen previously remains likely,” the ministry said.
Finland to keep border with Russia closed until further notice
Russia calls for investigation into ‘dangerous’ Transdniestria drone attack
13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia on Saturday condemned as a provocation a drone attack on a military facility of pro-Russian separatists in Moldova’s breakaway Transdniestria region and called for an investigation.
A kamikaze drone hit a facility belonging to the separatist authority’s defence ministry six km (four miles) from the border with Ukraine, the region’s security ministry said on Friday.
Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked fears that Moscow might seek to sweep west through southern Ukraine all the way to Transdniestria, linking up with its garrison there. Those fears faded as Kyiv’s troops beat back Russian forces to the eastern side of the Dnipro river.
The nearest front lines lie around 200 km (125 miles) from eastern Moldova.
“We regard this incident as yet another provocation aimed at exacerbating the already tense situation around Transdniestria,” Russia‘s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
“We expect a thorough investigation into all the circumstances of what happened. We trust that those behind this reckless action will fully realize its dangerous consequences.”
Russian missile strike on Kharkiv kills six and wounds 11
12:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian forces attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles overnight, killing at least six people and wounding 11 more in Kharkiv, Ukraine‘s second largest city, local officials reported.
Governor of the Kharkiv region Oleh Syniehubov said missile strikes on the city damaged residential buildings, a petrol station, a kindergarten, a cafe, a shop and cars.
Overall, Russia fired 32 Iranian-made Shahed drones and six missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to the air force commander.
Ukrainian air defence forces shot down three cruise missiles and 28 drones, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk said in a statement.
“Russian killers continue to terrorise Ukrainians and attack Kharkiv and other peaceful cities,” he said.
Russian officials again try to link the Moscow concert attack with Ukraine despite Kyiv’s denials
12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian authorities on Friday again tried to link the deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall to Ukraine, saying one of the detained suspects had photos on his phone depicting troops in camouflage uniforms with the Ukrainian flag.
Ever since the March 22 mass shooting and fire at the Crocus City Hall concert venue that killed 145 people, Russian officials have sought to blame Ukraine for the massacre, even though Kyiv has denied any involvement and an affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility.
Authorities, including President Vladimir Putin, have provided no evidence for the link as they sought to shift the narrative from the failure by security services to prevent the attack.
Russian officials again try to link the Moscow concert attack with Ukraine despite Kyiv’s denials
Ukrainian man who helped Russia target missile strike on pizzeria jailed for life
11:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A Ukrainian man has been jailed for life for helping Russia target a missile strike on a pizzeria in the eastern city of Kramatorsk last year.
“A local resident was sentenced to life imprisonment for guiding the occupiers’ missile attack on the pizzeria in Kramatorsk,” the office of the war-torn country’s prosecutor general said on Wednesday.
The 27 June attack on Ria Pizza killed 13 people, including novelist Victoria Amelina, and wounded 61. The attack also destroyed several nearby structures.
Ukrainian man who helped Russia target missile strike on pizzeria jailed for life
Ukrainian forces still control eastern town of Chasiv Yar, top general says
10:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian forces are still in control of the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine despite attempts by Russian troops to break through their defences, Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Saturday.
Russia‘s RIA news agency on Friday cited an official as saying Russian forces had entered the suburbs of the town, which Moscow sees as an important staging point for Kyiv’s troops. Ukrainian military said the report was untrue. “Chasiv Yar remains under our control, and all enemy attempts to break through to the settlement have failed,” Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday.
A rapid Russian advance on Chasiv Yar, a heavily fortified town with a pre-war population of 12,200 situated west of the ruined Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut, would be a grim setback for Kyiv.
Russian forces are inching forward in eastern Ukraine after capturing the bastion town of Avdiivka in February. Kyiv’s soldiers are trying to dig in, facing long-term shortages of artillery shells with U.S. aid stuck in Congress.
Avdiivka fightback thwarted by Western weapon delays, military chief warns
10:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
During his interview, the first with Western media since the fall of the city, Maksym Zhorin was blunt about the reality of the eastern frontline while Western weapons supplies are delayed or simply being withheld – and he was frank about the future of European security.
A US military package worth roughly $60 billion has been in limbo in Washington for seven months, victim to squabbling politicians, while European partners have failed to send more than half of the million artillery shells they promised to Kyiv by this year, unable to agree on how to finance their production.
Hours after Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced a long-term proposal for a €100 billion military package to Ukraine this week – a step in the right direction for Kyiv – Mr Zhorin said that the pledge will help but it is, like all Western aid, coming too late.
Thousands in Russia’s Orenburg forced to evacuate as ‘critical’ flooding causes dam burst
09:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Thousands of people living in Russia’s Orenburg region have been forced to evacuate after severe flooding caused a dam to burst in the Ural river.
“Don’t wait for the situation to become threatening! Leave! You need to evacuate as quickly as possible,” the region’s mayor Sergei Salmin told residents, Reuters reported.
The situation in the city, about 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Moscow, is “critical” and some 300 houses have already been submerged, according to the mayor.
Burst dam forces thousands in Russia’s Orenburg to evacuate
‘Prepare for your own war’: Top Ukrainian military chief’s stark warning to western allies about Putin
09:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia is ready to “swallow” Europe whole, a top Ukrainian commander has warned – less than two months after he led a costly evacuation from a key city on the eastern frontline.
Speaking to The Independent from an undisclosed location in Donetsk, deputy commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, Maksym Zhorin, issued a troubling warning to Kyiv’s Western partners.
The West, he said, must urgently prepare. “Create serious defence systems that could counteract Russia because it will undoubtedly open its mouth and try to swallow the rest of Europe,” he warned.
Top Ukrainian military chief sends warning to western allies about Russia
Russian descent vehicle lands in Kazakhstan with three astronauts
08:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A Russian descent vehicle landed in Kazakhstan on Saturday, returning from the International Space station with astronauts from Russia, Belarus and the United States, live footage broadcast by Russia’s Roscosmos space agency showed.
Russian Oleg Novitsky and Belarusian Marina Vasilevskaya departed for the ISS last month on a Soyuz spacecraft. They returned to Earth on Saturday along with U.S. astronaut Loral O’Hara, who had been aboard the orbital station since September.
Four dead and 20 injured after Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia hit by Russian missiles
08:00 , Tara Cobham
Russia fired five missiles on Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday, killing at least four people, injuring 20 and damaging residential buildings and industrial facilities, the regional governor said.
Two journalists covering the aftermath of the strikes were among those wounded in the city, which is near the frontline in the war with Russian forces.
“What marks today’s strikes: first, there were two missile strikes, and then, about 40 minutes later, there were other strikes at the same place – just as rescuers, police started working,” Ivan Fedorov said on national TV.
The local prosecutor’s office said 20 people were wounded. They included a nine-year old boy. Four were in hospital in grave condition.
Fedorov said at least three apartment blocks, 10 private houses, shops and an unidentified industrial facility were damaged.
Emergency crews encountered the body of a victim lying next to a pool of blood. At least two cars in the street were engulfed in flames.
Images shared by Fedorov and the interior ministry, captured shattered windows of a cafe and a small shop.
Ukraine’s air force issued a ballistic missile raid alert for the region, part of which is occupied by Russia. Moscow has recently stepped up usage of ballistic missiles that are harder to intercept.
Zelensky marks second anniversary of Russian troops leaving Chernihiv
07:00 , Jane Dalton
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky inspected new fortifications for servicemen near the Belarusian border in the Chernihiv region, on the second anniversary of the Russian army fleeing the Chernihiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions.
He posted on social media: “The Chernihiv region, like all of our border areas, is subjected to constant Russian humiliation: airstrikes and terror.
“The border areas of the Chernihiv region are home to 15,000 people who are constantly subjected to strikes.
“Over the course of the past year, Russian terrorists fired 15,000 shells at them.
“They have no mercy. They try to get each person here and destroy all life.
“Everyone who defends our people in the Chernihiv region, our communities across Ukraine, and everyone in the world who supports Ukraine is a true defender of life. I am grateful to all such people.”
MSF condemns missile attack on its office
06:40 , Vishwam Sankaran
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has condemned a missile attack on its office building in Pokrovsk yesterday in Donetsk oblast.
The building was completely destroyed, injuring five, including MSF’s security staff, the humanitarian organisation said.
“This act of violence against a humanitarian organisation cannot be brushed off as just another casualty of war,” Vincenzo Porpiglia, emergency coordinator for MSF in Ukraine, said.
MSF said it has suspended its medical humanitarian activities in the Donetsk region temporarily.
“Attacks on any facility where humanitarian staff work not only jeopardise the safety of our staff, but also hinder the provision of lifesaving care to those in need,” Mr Porpiglia said.
Russia’s use of prohibited chemical weapons is now ‘systemic,’ Ukraine says
06:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
Ukraine says Russia’s use of weapons with prohibited chemicals has become “systemic.”
The command of Ukraine’s Support Forces has recorded 371 uses of munitions containing prohibited chemicals over the past month, many of which included grenades delivered via drones.
The Support Forces’ report noted that Russian troops used weapons banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention 1412 times over the past year.
“Such actions on the part of the Russian Federation are taking on systemic pattern, and this tendency only grows,” the report noted.
Six killed and 10 injured in latest Russian attack on Kharkiv
05:40 , Vishwam Sankaran
Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast earlier today has left 6 dead and at least 10 injured, according to the city’s mayor Ihor Terekhov.
The attack began at midnight, destroying several buildings and dormitories, private vehicles, as well as local businesses, Kyiv Independent reported.
The city has been under a constant near-daily barrage of missile attacks from Russian troops since the invasion began in February 2022.
Government estimates suggest over 20,000 buildings have been destroyed in Kharkiv since Russia’s invasion began.
In pictures: Attack on Zaporizhia
05:30 , Jane Dalton
Special tribunal may be formed to hold Russia accountable, says EU’s top justice official
05:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
A special international tribunal may be set up by the end of the year to hold Russia accountable for war crimes in its invasion of Ukraine, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said.
“We are discussing this tribunal with various international actors,” Mr Reynders told Deutsche Welle in the Netherlands.
A political declaration by the Restoring Justice for Ukraine conference on 2 April, signed by 44 countries, condemns Russia’s actions in Ukraine and calls for setting up a special tribunal to address Russian crimes in Ukraine.
“Two main options are now being considered — an international tribunal based on a multilateral agreement or a simplified solution based on a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe,” Mr Reynders said on the sidelines of the conference.
“The next step is a matter of political will. Now is just the beginning of the year, and by the end of the year, this should become possible,” he said.
India to receive Russian warships despite sanctions – report
04:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
India will reportedly receive two Russia-made warships despite US sanctions.
One of the ships will be delivered to India in September and the other expected next year, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed Indian officials.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, India has positioned itself as a neutral country, while maintaining closer economic ties with Moscow.
The ships are part of an agreement signed between India and Russia in 2018.
Russia continues to be India’s largest supplier of military equipment, contributing more than a third of the country’s arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Russia keeps trying to link Moscow concert attack to Ukraine
04:00 , Jane Dalton
Russian authorities have again tried to link the deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall to Ukraine, saying one of the detained suspects had photos on his phone depicting troops in camouflage uniforms with the Ukrainian flag:
Russian officials again try to link the Moscow concert attack with Ukraine despite Kyiv’s denials
‘Pure barbarity’: Rescuers killed as Russia launches double drone attack on Kharkiv – recap
02:45 , Jane Dalton
Resistance by Kharkiv’s vastly outnumbered defenders has infuriated Vladimir Putin, as Askold Krushelnycky reports:
‘Pure barbarity’: Rescuers killed in Russian ‘double tap’ drone attack on Kharkiv
Russia bombards Kharkiv
01:15 , Jane Dalton
Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, near the Russian border, came under intense air attack on Friday afternoon, according to local media and regional officials.
There were no immediate reports of casualties but Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian grid infrastructure in recent weeks, aiming to disrupt the country’s power and energy network.
Three killed in Russian missile strikes in Zaporizhia
Friday 5 April 2024 23:59 , Jane Dalton
Russia fired five missiles on Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhia on Friday, killing at least three people and damaging homes and an industrial facility, the regional governor said.
“What marks today’s strikes: first, there were two missile strikes, and then, about 40 minutes later, there were other strikes at the same place – just as rescuers and police started working,” Ivan Fedorov said.
Thirteen people were wounded, including a nine-year old boy, and four were taken to hospital in a serious condition. Two journalists were among the wounded in the city, which is near the front line in the war.
At least three apartment blocks, 10 private houses, shops and an unidentified industrial facility were damaged, he added.
Ukraine’s air force issued a ballistic missile raid alert for the region, part of which is occupied by Russia. Moscow has recently stepped up usage of ballistic missiles that are harder to intercept.
Ukrainian man who helped Russia stage missile strike on pizzeria jailed for life
Friday 5 April 2024 22:59 , Jane Dalton
A Ukrainian man has been jailed for life for helping Russia target a missile strike on a pizzeria in the eastern city of Kramatorsk last year:
Ukrainian man who helped Russia target missile strike on pizzeria jailed for life
Russians expelled from Nato HQ in recent years, alliance says
Friday 5 April 2024 22:00 , Jane Dalton
Comments by Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg about expulsions of Russians from Nato headquarters referred to incidents from recent years, not recent months, as originally reported by German daily Bild, the alliance said on Friday.
Bild also issued a correction to its report, clarifying that Stoltenberg had not mentioned a timeframe when talking about the expulsions in an interview with the German outlet.
In the interview, Stoltenberg said: “We have seen that Russian intelligence services have operated across European countries for many years. We’re also seeing attempts to step up their activities but of course, Nato allies are monitoring, following this very closely.”
Cameron to press US Republicans to back military aid
Friday 5 April 2024 21:00 , Jane Dalton
Foreign secretary David Cameron will travel to the United States next week to urge politicians to approve a package of military aid for Ukraine.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has held up a bill for months that would supply $60 billion in military and financial aid.
Lord Cameron said he would meet Mr Johnson to urge him to pass the aid package.
“Speaker Johnson can make it happen in Congress. I am going to go see him next week and say we need that money, Ukraine needs that money,” he posted.
In February, Cameron urged Republican lawmakers not to “show the weakness displayed against Hitler” in the 1930s.
Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian warplanes in one of its biggest drone attacks of the war
Friday 5 April 2024 20:00 , Jane Dalton
Ukrainian officials claimed Friday they used a barrage of drones to destroy at least six military aircraft and badly damage eight others at an airfield in Russia’s Rostov region, while Russian defense officials claimed they intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones and that only a power substation was damaged in the attack.
The assault appeared to be one of Kyiv‘s biggest air attacks in the war, coming as its forces step up their assaults on Russian soil. The Associated Press could not independently verify either side’s claims.
Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian warplanes in one of its biggest drone attacks of the war
Russian minister casts prospective Ukraine peace talks as Western plot to win hesitant Global South
Friday 5 April 2024 19:00 , Tom Watling
Russia’s top diplomat warned Thursday that prospective negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine could be successful only if they take Moscow‘s interests into account, dismissing a planned round of peace talks as a Western ruse to rally broader international support for Kyiv.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov charged that Ukraine’s Western allies are currently involved in a massive diplomatic blitz to persuade as many countries of the Global South as possible to join a meeting in Switzerland to discuss a potential peace plan.
Russian minister casts prospective Ukraine peace talks as Western plot to win hesitant Global South
‘Pure barbarity’: Rescuers killed as Russia launches ‘double tap’ drone attack on Kharkiv
Friday 5 April 2024 18:00 , Tom Watling
Resistance by Kharkiv’s vastly outnumbered defenders has infuriated Vladimir Putin, as Askold Krushelnycky discovers at the scene of a cruel attack on brave Ukrainian rescue workers
‘Pure barbarity’: Rescuers killed in Russian ‘double tap’ drone attack on Kharkiv
Ukraine and Russia blame each other for Zaporizhia attacks
Friday 5 April 2024 16:58 , Jane Dalton
A Russian air attack on Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhia, home to Europe’s largest nuclear plant, killed two people and injured six more, the regional governor said.
A nine-year old boy was among the injured, Ivan Fedorov added on the Telegram messenger. It was unclear what was hit but an image posted by the governor showed a cafe with shattered windows.
Separately, the Russian state-run RIA news agency quoted the press service of the Russian-controlled facility as saying that Ukrainian military drones attacked the nuclear power plant. However, it caused no damage to its critical infrastructure, it said.
A series of blasts were reported in the city of Zaporizhia on Friday afternoon.
Scandals blight Denmark’s buildup of its armed forces as it eyes possible threats from Russia
Friday 5 April 2024 16:00 , Tom Watling
A series of scandals has blighted Denmark’s Armed Forces at a time when the Scandinavian country and member of the NATO alliance is building up its defenses, chiefly as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The events have so far led to the dismissal this week of Denmark’s top military chief, Gen. Flemming Lentfer, who failed to inform the defense minister about an incident on the frigate HDMS Iver Huitfeldt last month while deployed to the Red Sea, where it was part of a U.S.-led operation to defend commercial shipping against Houthi militants.
Scandals blight Denmark’s buildup of its armed forces as it eyes possible threats from Russia
Several Russian spies uncovered in Nato HQ
Friday 5 April 2024 15:40 , Jane Dalton
Several Russian personnel have been expelled from Nato headquarters amid espionage claims, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg told Germany’s Bild tabloid in an interview released on Friday.
“We realised that they were carrying out activities that were not actually diplomatic work, but intelligence work,” Stoltenberg was quoted as saying by Bild.
There was no immediate comment from Nato.
In rare call, Russian defense minister warns French counterpart against sending troops to Ukraine
Friday 5 April 2024 15:10 , Tom Watling
Russia’s defense minister warned his French counterpart against deploying troops to Ukraine in a rare phone call Wednesday and noted that Moscow is ready to take part in talks to end the conflict.
Sergei Shoigu told French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu that if Paris follows up on its statements about the possibility of sending a French military contingent to Ukraine, “it will create problems for France itself,” according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry. It didn’t elaborate.
The conversation followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments in February, in which he said that the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out.
In rare call, Russian defense minister warns French counterpart against sending troops to Ukraine
Russian bomb destroys Medics Without Borders office in eastern Ukraine
Friday 5 April 2024 14:40 , Tom Watling
A Russian bomb has destroyed a Medics Without Borders (MSF) office in Pokrovsk near the frontline in eastern Ukraine, the organisation has reported.
“Today, April 5th at around 3am, our MSF office in Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, in Ukraine was bombed and completely destroyed,” a statement read. “All our staff are safe. Five civilians who were close to the office were injured.”
Ukraine’s prosecutor general said a 14-year-old boy was among those injured in the attack.
The small city in Donetsk Oblast has been regularly hit by Russian forces, who are just over 30 miles away in the recently-occupied city of Avdiivka.
Today, April 5th at around 3:00am, our @MSF office in Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, in Ukraine was bombed and completely destroyed. All our staff are safe. Five civilians who were close to the office were injured. #WarInUkraine pic.twitter.com/SnHC0CusUC
— MSF Ukraine (@MSF_Ukraine) April 5, 2024
Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine
Friday 5 April 2024 14:10 , Jane Dalton
Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine.
Ukraine and Russia each intercept drones
Friday 5 April 2024 13:40 , Jane Dalton
In a conflicting version of events, Russia’s defence ministry said 44 drones were intercepted and destroyed in the Morozovsky district, more than 60 miles from the border.
Rostov governor Vasily Golubev said eight people near the airfield targeted by Ukraine were injured.
Russian military bloggers confirmed an attempted attack by Ukrainian drones on a military air base in Morozovsk but said there were no casualties at the base and no damage to warplanes.
The Russian defence ministry said nine more drones were intercepted over the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod, Krasnodar and the nearby Saratov region, bringing the total of attack drones deployed by Ukraine overnight to 53.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 13 Russian drones launched overnight at the southern regions of Odesa, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk, but five missiles got through. Authorities did not report any casualties.
Russian military planes destroyed in Ukrainian attack, say officials
Friday 5 April 2024 13:30 , Jane Dalton
Ukrainian officials say they have used a barrage of drones to destroy at least six military aircraft and badly damage eight others at an airfield in Russia’s Rostov region.
Russian defence officials, however, claim they intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones and that only a power substation was damaged.
The assault appears to be one of Kyiv’s biggest air attacks in the war, coming as its forces step up their assaults on Russian soil.
The overnight attack, which officials said was conducted by Ukraine’s Security Service in co-operation with the army and Ukrainian intelligence, targeted a military airfield near Morozovsk in Russia.
They said about 20 airfield staff were killed or injured.
Morozovsk airfield is used by Russian bombers that have been launching guided aerial bombs at Ukraine’s cities and frontline positions, the officials say.
If true, the attack would be among Ukraine’s most successful cross-border strikes.
Germany says Russia very likely responsible for Baltic GPS disruptions
Friday 5 April 2024 13:00 , Tom Watling
Russia is very likely to have been behind a series of disturbances affecting GPS navigation in the Baltic region, the German Defence Ministry said on Thursday, pointing to the Kaliningrad exclave as a source of the problem.
“The persistent disruptions to the global navigation satellite system are very likely of Russian origin and are based on disruptions in the electromagnetic spectrum, including those originating in the Kaliningrad Oblast,” a spokesperson for the ministry told Reuters, confirming a report by news website t-online.
The spokesperson declined to give details on how Berlin made its assessment or the exact nature of the disruptions, citing “reasons of military security”.
Kaliningrad is Russian territory wedged between Lithuania and Poland on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
The Russian embassy in Berlin declined to comment on the matter.
Last month, a government source told Reuters that Russia was believed to have jammed the satellite signal on an aircraft used by British defence minister Grant Shapps when it flew close to Kaliningrad.
The aviation industry has voiced concern over a surge in GPS interference linked to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The jamming of GPS signals can be disruptive to commercial airliners but they can usually navigate by other means.
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