Ukraine war latest: Zelenskyy reveals aim of Kursk invasion; Starmer maintains 'unwavering' support; Ukraine blows hole in another Russian bridge (2024)

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the UK's support for their war effort as having "slowed down" as he called for a removal of restrictions on donated weapons being used inside Russian territory.

Ukrainan forces have been engaged in a military incursion into Russia's Kursk region since 6 August, the aim of which Mr Zelenskyy revealed on Sunday is to create a buffer zone to prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border.

Writing on X, Mr Zelenskyy said: "We are doing everything possible to provide our warriors with the necessary weapons and reinforcements.

"It is crucial that our partners remove barriers that hinder us from weakening Russian positions in the way this war demands."

He added: "Throughout this war, we've seen the UK demonstrate true leadership - in arms, politics, and support for Ukrainian society. This has saved thousands of lives, reflecting the strength of the UK.

"Unfortunately, the situation has slowed down recently. We will discuss how to fix this because long-range capabilities are vital for us. The whole world sees how effective Ukrainians are - how our entire nation defends its independence."

A UK government spokesperson said Mr Starmer "has been clear that UK's support for Ukraine is unwavering".

They said: "That is why he committed to £3bn a year of support to Ukraine, for as long as it takes, within his first week in office.

"Further lethal aid was also accelerated to Kyiv within hours of this government being elected, bolstering the £12bn of UK support already pledged, and ensuring the vital military equipment reaches Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the operation in Kursk aims to create a buffer zone.

It's the first time the Ukrainian president has clearly stated the aim of the incursion into Russian territory, which was launched on 6 August.

He has previously said the operation is to protect communities in the bordering Sumy region from constant shelling.

"It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall - to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions," he has just said in his nightly address.

"This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor's territory - our operation in the Kursk region."

During the address he also repeated calls to Kyiv's allies to speed up deliveries of military aid - singling out the UK, as well as the US and France.

Ukraine is "still inflicting losses" on Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in his nightly address.

He claimed Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk region is damaging "the Russian army, state, their defence industy and their economy".

Mr Zelenskyyposted a video showing a growing cloud from a bridge explosion, with one of its sections destroyed.

He also thanked his soldiers stationed over the Russian border and asked his Ukraine's allies to speed up the delivery of promised military aid.

"Regarding deliveries from our partners - need acceleration, we ask very much. War has no holidays," he warned.

Yesterday, the German government was forced to deny rumours it is planning to halve its military aid to Ukraine in 2025.

A crater was left in the Kyiv region in the aftermath of a Russian missile attack.

Images show locals looking on at the destruction left by the strike, in a seemingly rural area.

Parts of the missile remained scattered across the ground.

This comes after Russia launched its third ballistic missile attack on Kyivthis morning (see 07:35 post).

Preliminary data showed all missiles were destroyed on their approach to the city, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said.

Two people have been killed in a Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk, according to the Russian-installed mayor.

A man and a woman were said to have been killed on Sunday, local mayor Alexei Kulemzin said.

Sky News has not been able to independently verify his claim.

It would continue Kyiv's push into Russian territory and their newfound aggression in the face of Russia's invasion.

This comes after, earlier in the day, Russian forces were said to have taken control of the village of Svyrydonivka, in the same region, according to TASS state news agency.

Chechnya President Ramzan Kadyrov has invited Elon Musk to Russia after being filmed behind the wheel of one of Tesla's Cybertrucks mounted with a machine gun.

Kadyrov, sanctioned by the US after being linked to numerous human rights violations, said he "literally fell in love" with the car and would donate it to Russian forces fighting in the invasion of Ukraine.

The president, who rules over Chechnya, a republic within the Russian Federation, claimed he received the truck from Musk, although this was not independently confirmed.

Messages left with Tesla by AP seeking comment were not immediately returned.

"It's not for nothing that they call this a cyberbeast. I'm sure that this beast will bring plenty of benefits to our troops."

Inviting Musk to Chechnya, Kadyrov said: "I don't think the Russian foreign ministry would mind such a trip.

"And, of course, we're waiting for your new developments that will help us finish our special military operation."

Russian officials often refer to its invasion as a "special military operation".

More than 3,000 people were evacuated in 24 hours between Friday and Saturday from areas in Russia's Kursk region, according to local authorities.

Russia says the Ukrainian incursion has led to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians in total.

More than 10,000 Kursk residents were staying at temporary accommodation centres across the country, the Russian Emergency Ministry said.

Kyiv's offensive came as a shock to Yan Furtsev, an activist and member of the local opposition party Yabloko.

"No one expected that this kind of conflict was even possible in the Kursk region.

"That is why there is such confusion and panic, because citizens are arriving [from frontline areas] and they're scared, very scared."

Russia has denied any talks were taking place with Kyiv about halting strikes on energy targets before Ukraine's Kursk offensive.

The Washington Post reported yesterdaythe incursion derailed indirect talks on civilian infrastructure facilities, with delegations set to be sent to Qatar.

The agreement would have amounted to apartial ceasefire, the Post said.

But Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova refuted the report: "No one broke anything off because there was nothing tobreak off.

"There have been no direct or indirect negotiationsbetween Russia and the Kyiv regime on the safety of civiliancritical infrastructure facilities."

Ukraine's government did not immediately respond to aReuters request for comment.

Ukraine has dismissed Belarusian border tension claims as false.

PresidentAleksandr Lukashenko was just trying to "appease" Russia when he said he was sending a third of the Belarusian army to the Ukrainian border, said Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

"We have not seen an increase in the equipment or manpower of Belarusian units near our border," he said.

"The situation on the border with the Republic of Belarus remains unchanged.

"As you can see, Lukashenko's rhetoric is consistent, exacerbating the situation at regular intervals to appease the terrorist country."

We can now bring you video of the Ukrainian strike on the second bridge in Kursk this week.

A plume of smoke can be seen erupting from the construction in footage published by the Ukrainian air force.

The attacks on bridges crossing the river Seym, one in Zvannoe and the other in Glushkovo, are thought to be attempts to hamper Russian attempts to resupply its troops in the region.