The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that the bloc should not fall into a Russian “trap” of discussing who would represent Europe in possible future talks.
"I find that it's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them when they're already picking who is suitable or who is not," Kallas said when arriving for an informal gathering of European foreign ministers in Cyprus today.
"Let's not walk into that trap. Negotiations is always a team effort," she said, adding "that's why the substance is much more important than who".
Her comments come as the bloc’s foreign ministers gathered in Cyprus for informal talks discussing what the main requests would be of Russia in any peace negotiations.
Several EU leaders have been pondering who could lead possible talks with Russia, with Ms Kallas and Finland’s president Alexander Stubb being suggested as possible options.
Meanwhile, new intelligence from GCHQ suggests that nearly 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed over the course of the Ukraine war.
The agency’s director Anne Keast-Butler revealed the figures during her inaugural public speech on Wednesday.
Key Points
- EU should not fall into Russian trap on envoy, Kallas says
- Almost 500,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine war, GCHQ says
- Ukraine rejects Russian claims of capturing two more Ukrainian villages
- Russia's spy chief accuses Nato of preparing for 'large-scale conflict' in the east
- Ukraine war is at ‘turning point’ and Kyiv has six months to seize initiative, says senior commander
Sweden to procure up to 20 Gripen aircraft for Kyiv in new deal
15:02 , Alex Croft
As we reported earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky is in Sweden to sign a major defence deal on fighter jets - we can now bring you more.
Kyiv will acquire Swedish fighter jets in a major defence deal signed on Thursday, Mr Zelensky's office said.
As a first step, Sweden will procure for Kyiv up to 20 Gripen E/F aircraft for €2.5 billion (£2.2bn), financed from a European loan.
Sweden also aims to donate 16 Gripen C/D aircraft as bilateral assistance when Ukraine proceeds with the intended purchase, the statement said.
Watch: Zelensky writes urgent letter to Trump over critical air defence shortage
14:00 , Alex Croft
Nato's German-Netherlands corps to take command role in Estonia and Latvia
13:30 , Alex Croft
Nato's German-Netherlands Corps will take on the role of a tactical headquarters for Estonia and Latvia within the defence alliance's plans around mid-year, Germany's defence ministry said on Thursday.
"The deployment of an additional tactical headquarters to the region strengthens the cohesion of Nato and supports the deterrence of Russia," the ministry said in a statement.
Citing sources, Reuters news agency reported this week that Nato would strengthen the defence of its eastern flank with a new structure to facilitate the rapid deployment of forces in Latvia and Estonia in the event of a war with Russia.
Moscow dismisses EU foreign policy chief's remarks on limiting Russian army as 'idiotic'
13:00 , Alex Croft
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas' remarks about the need to limit Russia's armed forces were "idiotic."
Discussing peace talks in a press conference earlier, Ms Kallas said: “If Ukraine is required to make concessions on limiting its military capabilities, this should also be mirrored by Russia if it is part of the agreement.”
She also warned that the bloc should not fall into a Russian trap discussing who would represent Europe in possible future talks and that negotiations are a team effort.
"I find that it's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them when they're already picking who is suitable or who is not," Kallas said when arriving for an informal gathering of European foreign ministers in Cyprus today.
"Let's not walk into that trap. Negotiations is always a team effort," she said, adding "that's why the substance is much more important than who".
Ukraine's parliament ratifies €90bn loan from Europe
12:30 , Alex Croft
Ukraine's parliament has ratified on Thursday a €90 billion (£77bn) loan agreement with the European Union with 298 votes, well ahead of the 226 votes required for a majority.
The financial aid, intended to bolster Kyiv's defence against Russia, faced opposition from outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban before his electoral defeat last month.
The EU is set to offer interest-free loans for 2026-2027, funded by its borrowing on capital markets and underpinned by the EU budget headroom.
Ukraine is not expected to pay the money back from its own funds, with the capital only due for repayment once Russia pays war reparations after the conflict is over.
Russia has central bank assets that are frozen in the EU which are worth around €210 billion and which could be used for the repayment.
The scheme was designed to effectively make use of the frozen Russian funds to help Ukraine without confiscating the money, a step that had been rejected as legally risky.
The €90 billion is to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's needs for the next two years, estimated at €135 billion in total. Of the total, Ukraine will get €45 billion in 2026 and another €45 billion in 2027.
Read more about the loan here.
Ukraine preparing 'strong step' on Gripen fighter jets with Sweden - Zelensky
12:01 , Alex Croft
Ukraine is preparing a "major defence package" with Sweden and a "strong step" on Gripen fighter jets, president Volodymyr Zelensky said as he arrived to Sweden.
“I am in Sweden today on a working visit,” he wrote on X.
“We are preparing a major defense package for Ukraine and a strong step regarding Gripen fighter jets, which will definitely make our combat aviation more effective.”
Mr Zelensky said on Telegram that he will meet prime minister Ulf Kristersson and representatives of the Swedish defence industry.
“Thank you, @SwedishPM, for ensuring that our relations – between Ukraine and Sweden – are always substantive, and that our cooperation is strong,” he added.
I am in Sweden today on a working visit. We are preparing a major defense package for Ukraine and a strong step regarding Gripen fighter jets, which will definitely make our combat aviation more effective. Meetings are scheduled today with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and… pic.twitter.com/WjwV589PKk
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 28, 2026
Ukraine war is at ‘turning point’ and Kyiv has six months to seize initiative, says senior commander
11:28 , Alex Croft
Ukraine faces a critical six-month window to seize the battlefield initiative from Russia and strengthen its position for potential peace negotiations, a senior commander has said, predicting an imminent "turning point" in the conflict now in its fifth year.
Russian forces have made incremental gains since their full-scale invasion in February 2022, but their advances have slowed this year. Ukrainian troops are now intensifying pressure on the frontline in an effort to push back the invaders.
Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, who commands Ukraine's Third Army Corps – one of the nation's most respected fighting formations – told Reuters in an interview that he believes Russia's military is exhausted and incapable of achieving significant breakthroughs.
Should Ukraine's military successfully build and sustain momentum over the coming months, it could gain the upper hand along the frontline, compelling Russia to abandon its ambitions for the last remaining part of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine that it does not yet occupy, he explained.
Read more here:
Ukraine war is at crucial turning point, says senior commander
Zelensky in Sweden to announce news on aircraft
10:59 , Alex Croft
Volodymyr Zelensky is in Sweden on Thursday, local news agency TT and public broadcaster SVT reported, citing sources.
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said the Ukrainian president will present news involving aircraft - we’ll bring you the latest lines here.
Russia's spy chief accuses Nato of preparing for 'large-scale conflict' in the east
10:29 , Alex Croft
Russia’s spy chief has accused Nato of preparing for a conflict in the east, according to Moscow’s state news agency RIA.
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, on Thursday said Nato was making practical preparations for what he called a "large-scale conflict in the east”.
Naryshkin was also cited as saying that the European Union was rapidly arming itself and turning into a military alliance "directed against Russia."
Watch: Zelensky writes urgent letter to Trump over critical air defence shortage
10:00 , Alex Croft
US embassy in Kyiv to remain open despite threats of Russian attack
09:31 , Alex Croft
The US embassy in Kyiv will remain open, it confirmed on Thursday, days after Russia called on diplomats to leave the city ahead of planned strikes.
"The US Embassy is open. There are no changes to our operations and reports otherwise are false," the embassy said in a post on X.
Several EU states have summoned their Russian ambassadors over Moscow's threat.
Von der Leyen discusses Ukraine's path to EU membership with Zelensky
09:00 , Arpan Rai
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she discussed Ukraine's path to EU membership with president Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Air defence and drone and counter-drone capabilities are among Europe's most urgent defence priorities. And Ukraine will be fully integrated into these efforts," she said in a post on X yesterday.
"The coming weeks will be important to take decisive steps forward in the accession process," she said.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this month suggested permitting Ukraine "associate" membership in the bloc, allowing it to participate in EU meetings and institutions without a vote, as an interim step toward full membership – a proposal that Zelensky has labelled as unfair.
Zelensky has said Ukraine has pressed ahead with reforms needed for EU membership, with an opportunity for substantive progress on talks following the electoral defeat of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, a staunch opponent of Ukraine's EU membership.
Von der Leyen added that Europe continues to support Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
Ukraine rejects Russian claims of capturing two more Ukrainian villages
08:40 , Arpan Rai
The Russian defence ministry has claimed its troops have taken control of one village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region and another in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region yesterday.
But the claims were swiftly denied by Ukraine’s military and the country's most widely read military blog.
Russia's defence ministry said its forces had taken control of Hraniv in Kharkiv region on the border with Russia and Vozdvyzhivka in a highly contested part of Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukraine's 14th Army dismissed the Russian report, saying Hraniv was under the control of the Ukrainian military.
"Units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine are reliably holding designated defensive lines, effectively repelling enemy offensive actions, and inflicting significant losses on them in personnel and equipment," it said on Facebook.
DeepState, a Ukrainian war blog that tracks the two sides along the 1,250-km (775-mile) front line using open sources, said the Russian report of Vozdvyzhivka's capture was untrue.
It said a group of Russian servicemen had briefly entered the village earlier this month but had been evicted or killed.
On Tuesday, the 14th Army also denied the capture of one of two villages the Russian military claimed to have seized in Sumy region, a border area where Moscow says it wants to expand a buffer zone.
Zelensky asks Trump for air defences in a rare letter: 'Fighting for survival'
08:26 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged US president Donald Trump to help Ukraine with air defence systems and interceptors, saying that ballistic missiles are Russia's "last major advantage on the battlefield".
In a letter to Trump and the US Congress, Zelensky said: "I ask for your help in protecting Ukraine's skies from Russian missiles. We have already proposed that Ukraine is ready to purchase the number of Patriot systems and interceptor missiles we need.”
Ukraine's only means of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles is US-made interceptors for the Patriot air defence system.
Throughout the four years of war, Kyiv has been short of interceptors, but the Iran war has threatened to make resources even more scarce.
"The current pace of deliveries through the PURL program is no longer keeping up with the reality of the threat we face," Zelensky said in his letter, referring to a programme where US munitions are paid for by European allies and then shipped to Ukraine.
"For us – for a nation fighting for its survival – there is hardly anything more painful to see than Patriot batteries with no missiles loaded," he added.
Russia used 30 ballistic missiles against Ukraine in its latest major strike on Sunday, and only 11 of them were shot down, according to Ukraine's air force.
Zelensky also said that Moscow's troops launched two nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic Oreshnik missiles for that strike.
“One struck the Kyiv region, while another, reportedly, fell in temporarily occupied territory in Ukraine's Donetsk region."
Zelensky expressed gratitude but added that "...as long as Putin still has even one meaningful advantage in conventional weapons, he will avoid conventional diplomacy. Today, his ballistic missiles remain exactly that – his last major advantage on the battlefield”.
UK and Poland to sign defence treaty to tackle Russian threats
08:07 , Arpan Rai
Britain has signed a new defence and security treaty with Poland to combat threats, including from an increasingly aggressive Russia, officials said.
The deal, due to be signed by Polish prime minister Donald Tusk and Sir Keir Starmer in London, will improve border security, tackle organised crime and deepen defence cooperation with the European Union, a statement from the British government yesterday said.
Before leaving Poland, Tusk said both nations saw "Russia as a strategic threat" and the two leaders are expected to discuss an increase in hybrid attacks, cyberattacks and espionage.
The latest defence deal with an EU member, following similar agreements with France and Germany, underlines Starmer's push to repair the damage inflicted by Brexit almost 10 years ago and to respond to calls by US president Donald Trump for Europe to take more responsibility over the continent's defences.
Watch: UK spy chief warns of 'unstoppable' AI and threats from Russia
07:40 , Arpan Rai
Spy chief warns of ‘relentless’ Russian cyber attacks on UK and Europe
07:23 , Arpan Rai
The head of GCHQ has warned Russia is “relentlessly” targeting critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains and public trust in the UK and Europe.
Anne Keast-Butler, in her inaugural GCHQ annual lecture yesterday, said Russia is increasing its daily hybrid activity against countries including Britain, and to urge the public and businesses to make cyber security “10 times more urgent”.
The UK intelligence spy agency’s chief also highlighted the organisation’s efforts in “disrupting Russia’s efforts to smuggle western tech, fending off cyber attacks, and countering reckless sabotage and assassination attempts”, adding, “as we remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine, [Vladimir] Putin is going backwards on the battlefield”.
Earlier this year, Dr Richard Horne, head of the National Cyber Security Centre which is part of GCHQ, warned that most nationally significant cyber attacks on Britain were carried out by hostile states including China, Iran and Russia.
EU should not fall into Russian trap on envoy, Kallas says
06:52 , Arpan Rai
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that the bloc should not fall into a Russian trap discussing who would represent Europe in possible future talks and that negotiations are a team effort.
"I find that it's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them when they're already picking who is suitable or who is not," Kallas said when arriving for an informal gathering of European foreign ministers in Cyprus today.
"Let's not walk into that trap. Negotiations is always a team effort," she said, adding "that's why the substance is much more important than who".
Father killed and children wounded in Russian attack on playground
06:49 , Arpan Rai
At least one person was killed and four others were injured after Russian forces hit a playground in Ukraine's Kherson, officials said.
Police officials said a father was killed while his 36-year-old wife and their two daughters – aged three and six – suffered blast injuries and multiple shrapnel wounds.
The strike took place around 5.30pm local time in the Korabelny district after Russian forces fired multiple-launch rocket systems at a playground where families had gathered, said city military administration head Yaroslav Shanko.
A 50-year-old man was also injured in the attack.
Almost 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Putin’s war on Ukraine, says GCHQ
06:27 , Arpan Rai
Russia has lost 500,000 soldiers since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK’s intelligence chief said in London.
GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler gave the latest figure for Russian casualties in Ukraine during her first public speech at Bletchley Park, saying it proved Vladimir Putin was “going backwards in the battlefield”.
Ms Keast-Butler warned Russia was risking a wider conflict in Europe by targeting critical infrastructure and supply chains across the continent.
She also said Russian security services were behind espionage plots in multiple countries and blamed Moscow for “scaling up its daily hybrid activity against the UK and Europe”.
Assessments by Western intelligence and independent analysts suggest both Russia and Ukraine have seen hundreds of thousands of troops killed in the war, with Moscow’s losses likely significantly higher than Kyiv’s. Neither side publishes regular figures on its own casualties, and both accuse each other of exaggerating their enemy’s losses.
500,000 Russian soldiers killed in Putin’s war on Ukraine, says GCHQ
Belgium summons Russian ambassador over Russia's call for foreigners to leave Kyiv
06:15 , Arpan Rai
Belgium has summoned the Russian ambassador after Russia called on diplomatic personnel and foreign citizens to leave Kyiv ahead of planned strikes, Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot said yesterday.
"Threatening embassies is not diplomacy, it is intimidation. And it is a flagrant violation of international law and the Vienna Convention," he also said, adding that Belgium will stay in Kyiv "and will not be intimidated".
Several other EU states have also summoned their Russian ambassadors over Moscow's threat.
Watch: Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia injure 12, including infant
05:58 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine's draft law on EU loan pact seeks funds of €90bn
05:27 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted a draft law on the ratification of a loan agreement with the European Union, a document posted on parliament's website showed this morning.
The draft sets out a framework for Ukraine to attract total funds of €90bn (£78bn), according to an accompanying explanatory note.
Watch: Zelensky writes urgent letter to Trump over critical air defence shortage
05:12 , Arpan Rai
EU ministers to discuss Russia strategy as Kyiv pushes for European role
05:02 , Arpan Rai
European Union foreign ministers will discuss today how to approach any possible future talks with Russia, as Ukraine seeks to replace the US with Europe as the main mediator in negotiations with Moscow.
The EU has pursued a policy of isolating Russia since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It has imposed sanctions and had few high-level political and diplomatic contacts with Russia.
But with Washington embroiled in a new conflict with Iran, US-led talks to end the conflict making little progress and the war now in its fifth year, some European officials have said the EU should be ready for when the time comes to hold talks with Moscow.
The Kremlin said yesterday that Russian president Vladimir Putin was open to negotiations with Europe, the RIA news agency reported.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has in recent weeks publicly called for diplomacy to be reinvigorated and for Europe to become part of the process.
Zelensky had said it is worth determining who will represent Europe specifically.
Ukraine war is at ‘turning point’, says senior commander
04:44 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine faces a critical six-month window to seize the battlefield initiative from Russia and strengthen its position for potential peace negotiations, a senior commander has said, predicting an imminent "turning point" in the conflict now in its fifth year.
Russian forces have made incremental gains since their full-scale invasion in February 2022, but their advances have slowed this year. Ukrainian troops are now intensifying pressure on the frontline in an effort to push back the invaders.
Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, who commands Ukraine's Third Army Corps – one of the nation's most respected fighting formations – told Reuters in an interview that he believes Russia's military is exhausted and incapable of achieving significant breakthroughs.
Read more here:
Ukraine war is at crucial turning point, says senior commander
Almost 500,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine war, GCHQ says
04:19 , Arpan Rai
Nearly 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed over the course of the Ukraine war, new intelligence from GCHQ suggests.
The agency’s director Anne Keast-Butler revealed the figures during her inaugural public speech on Wednesday as she set out the biggest threats facing the UK.
She said Russia is "targeting critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains and public trust".
Ms Keast-Butler added: "In the face of such aggression and chaos, GCHQ is working tirelessly with intelligence and defence partners to degrade and reduce the Russian threat."
She warned the UK is at a "moment of consequence" with Russia "relentlessly targeting" critical infrastructure across the country.
Von der Leyen discusses Ukraine's path to EU membership with Zelensky
04:06 , Arpan Rai
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she discussed Ukraine's path to EU membership with president Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Air defence and drone and counter-drone capabilities are among Europe's most urgent defence priorities. And Ukraine will be fully integrated into these efforts," she said in a post on X yesterday.
"The coming weeks will be important to take decisive steps forward in the accession process," she said.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this month suggested permitting Ukraine "associate" membership in the bloc, allowing it to participate in EU meetings and institutions without a vote, as an interim step toward full membership – a proposal that Zelensky has labelled as unfair.
Zelensky has said Ukraine has pressed ahead with reforms needed for EU membership, with an opportunity for substantive progress on talks following the electoral defeat of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, a staunch opponent of Ukraine's EU membership.
Von der Leyen added that Europe continues to support Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
Ukraine rejects Russian claims of capturing two more Ukrainian villages
03:55 , Arpan Rai
The Russian defence ministry has claimed its troops have taken control of one village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region and another in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region yesterday.
But the claims were swiftly denied by Ukraine’s military and the country's most widely read military blog.
Russia's defence ministry said its forces had taken control of Hraniv in Kharkiv region on the border with Russia and Vozdvyzhivka in a highly contested part of Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukraine's 14th Army dismissed the Russian report, saying Hraniv was under the control of the Ukrainian military.
"Units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine are reliably holding designated defensive lines, effectively repelling enemy offensive actions, and inflicting significant losses on them in personnel and equipment," it said on Facebook.
DeepState, a Ukrainian war blog that tracks the two sides along the 1,250-km (775-mile) front line using open sources, said the Russian report of Vozdvyzhivka's capture was untrue.
It said a group of Russian servicemen had briefly entered the village earlier this month but had been evicted or killed.
On Tuesday, the 14th Army also denied the capture of one of two villages the Russian military claimed to have seized in Sumy region, a border area where Moscow says it wants to expand a buffer zone.
Watch: Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia injure 12, including infant
03:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Recap: Belarus warned not to get ‘dragged into Russia’s war’ as opposition leader visits Ukraine
02:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Belarus's exiled opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, made her inaugural visit to Kyiv on Monday.
It comes amid intense international focus on the extent of support the Belarusian government might offer Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The visit by Ms Tsikhanouskaya followed a significant diplomatic exchange the previous day, when French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation with President Alexander Lukashenko. Mr Lukashenko has governed Belarus with an iron fist for more than three decades, maintaining close ties with the Kremlin.
During their call, the French leader "underscored the risks for Belarus of allowing itself to be dragged into Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine," according to a presidential aide in Macron’s office.
You can read the full report below:
Belarus warned not to get ‘dragged into Russia’s war’ as opposition leader in Ukraine
Ukraine war is at ‘turning point’ and Kyiv has six months to seize initiative, says senior commander
01:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukraine faces a critical six-month window to seize the battlefield initiative from Russia and strengthen its position for potential peace negotiations, a senior commander has said, predicting an imminent "turning point" in the conflict now in its fifth year.
Russian forces have made incremental gains since their full-scale invasion in February 2022, but their advances have slowed this year. Ukrainian troops are now intensifying pressure on the frontline in an effort to push back the invaders.
Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, who commands Ukraine's Third Army Corps – one of the nation's most respected fighting formations – told Reuters in an interview that he believes Russia's military is exhausted and incapable of achieving significant breakthroughs.
You can read the full report below:
Ukraine war is at crucial turning point, says senior commander
EU's von der Leyen discussed Ukraine's path to EU membership with Zelensky
Thursday 28 May 2026 00:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she had discussed Ukraine's path to EU membership with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The coming weeks will be important to take decisive steps forward in the accession process," she said in a post on social media platform X.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this month suggested permitting Ukraine "associate" membership in the bloc, allowing it to participate in EU meetings and institutions without a vote, as an interim step toward full membership - a proposal that Zelenskiy has labelled as unfair.
Zelenskiy has said Ukraine has pressed ahead with reforms needed for EU membership, with an opportunity for substantive progress on talks following the electoral defeat of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, a staunch opponent of Ukraine's EU membership.
Ms Von der Leyen added that Europe continues to support Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
"Air defence and drone and counter-drone capabilities are among Europe's most urgent defence priorities. And Ukraine will be fully integrated into these efforts," she said.
Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter over Ukraine's critical missile defence shortages
Wednesday 27 May 2026 23:20 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
President Zelensky has sent President Trump an urgent letter warning of UKraine’s critical missile defence shortages, reports have suggested.
The letter, as seen by the Kyiv Independent, reads: "When it comes to air defence against missiles, we rely on our friends.
"When it comes to defending against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the United States."
It comes as Russia steps up its mass aerial strikes on Ukraine and has threatened a new wave of long-range strikes on Kyiv.
Almost 500,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine war, GCHQ says
Wednesday 27 May 2026 23:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Nearly 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed over the course of the Ukraine war, new intelligence from GCHQ suggests.
The agency’s director Anne Keast-Butler revealed the figures during her inaugural public speech on Wednesday as she set out the biggest threats facing the UK.
She said Russia is "targeting critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains and public trust".
Ms Keast-Butler added: "In the face of such aggression and chaos, GCHQ is working tirelessly with intelligence and defence partners to degrade and reduce the Russian threat."
Lithuania to buy more than 900 armoured vehicles from Finland, Lithuanian president says
Wednesday 27 May 2026 22:30 , Daniel Keane
Lithuania will purchase more than 900 armoured vehicles from Finnish defence group Patria, including 300 by 2030, the Baltic country's President Gitanas Nauseda said on Wednesday.
Pictured: A woman carries flowers in front of a burned-out market after a Russian attack in Kyiv
Wednesday 27 May 2026 21:30 , Daniel Keane
Finland suspects Russian military aircraft violated its airspace to evade thunderstorm
Wednesday 27 May 2026 20:30 , Daniel Keane
Finland's defence forces said on Wednesday they suspected a Russian military aircraft had violated Finnish airspace while evading a thunderstorm in the Gulf of Finland.
The Finnish air force responded to the incident with an operational flight, the defence forces said in a statement, adding it had happened near Porkkala on the southwestern coast of Finland.
The Finnish border guard is investigating the incident, Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said.
North Korea claims it has tested AI-guided missiles and rockets
Wednesday 27 May 2026 19:30 , Daniel Keane
Moscow’s ally North Korea has reportedly used artificial intelligence for the first time in its missile technology, according to the state-run KCNA news agency on Wednesday.
Pyongyang tested a “newly-developed lightweight multi-purpose missile launching system and multiple tactical cruise missile weapon system” on Tuesday under Kim Jong Un’s supervision, KCNA reported.
The launches included a tactical ballistic missile, artillery rockets and tests involving “the AI-guided hit accuracy of [a] tactical cruise missile”.
Missile downed in southern Russian city of Taganrog, regional governor says
Wednesday 27 May 2026 18:30 , Daniel Keane
A missile was downed in the southern Russian city of Taganrog in the early hours of Wednesday, Yuri Slyusar, the governor of the Rostov region, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Details about casualties are being clarified, he added.
Taganrog is a port city at the eastern end of the Sea of Azov, east of the border with Ukraine.
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers fire a howitzer toward Russian positions
Wednesday 27 May 2026 17:30 , Daniel Keane
Latvia to increase anti-drone defences on Russian border
Wednesday 27 May 2026 16:30 , Daniel Keane
Latvia is increasing anti-drone defences on its borders with Russia and Moscow-allied Belarus in response to drones flying into the NATO country, an army official told Reuters.
Ukrainian drones have strayed into NATO Baltic countries' airspace in recent weeks, sowing confusion and raising tensions with Russia at a time when US commitment to NATO's collective security is in question.
Ukraine, which has been targeting Russia's Baltic oil loading ports, has said Russian jamming of their drones' signals had caused them to veer off course.
"We plan to deploy (drone) interceptor teams over the next two weeks", Modris Kairiss, head of the Latvian Army Autonomous Systems Competence Centre, told Reuters at a side event of the Drone Summit conference in Latvia.
