Vladimir Putin’s officials have threatened escalation after hundreds of drones targeted Moscow overnight in one of the biggest aerial assaults on Russia of the war so far.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned of “massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis” in response to the strikes, which hit the capital’s oil refinery for the second time this week.
Meanwhile, Andrey Gurulyov, a retired lieutenant general and state duma deputy, called for Russia to “strike the enemy mercilessly” in response to the attack.
It comes after Volodymyr Zelensky warned that “Moscow will burn” if attacks continue after Ukraine launched a heavy drone strike on Russia in retaliation for damage done to a historic monastery in Kyiv this week.
Hundreds of drones targeted Moscow overnight, hitting the Russian capital's oil refinery for the second time this week, in one of the biggest aerial assaults on Russia of the war so far.
The Ukrainian president said: “We don't want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it," Zelenskiy said in a voice message sent to reporters on a WhatsApp group. "But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.”
Key Points
- Lavrov warns of 'massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis' against Ukraine
- Russian oligarchs call on Kremlin to retaliate with nuclear weapons
- Zelensky says air defence, PURL will be central to Ramstein talks
- Zelensky says he spoke to Trump and Macron after G7 summit
- Moscow refinery on fire as Russia downs 555 Ukrainian drones, traffic halted
- Kyiv attacked hours after Trump counts Putin’s battlefield losses
Ukraine, Germany sign agreement on anti-ballistic capabilities, Zelensky says
18:00 , Bryony Gooch
Ukraine and Germany signed an agreement on anti-ballistic capabilities, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, calling on other Western allies to join the effort and deliver results by winter.
Speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, known as the Ramstein group, Zelensky said Ukraine urgently needed long-range artillery and unmanned vehicles. He also asked to develop additional financial instruments to finance the Ukrainian army long-term.
In pictures: Zelensky with Rutte at the Nato summit
17:00 , Bryony Gooch
Watch: Trump claims Moscow losing more troops than Kyiv as he admits Putin on ‘the offensive’
16:00 , Bryony Gooch
Nato boss claims allies working 'very hard' to meet targets following Hegseth warning
15:30 , Bryony Gooch
Nato’s secretary general responded to Pete Hegseth’s warning that the US could pay less into the alliance if other allies didn’t meet their targets.
He said Nato was working “very hard” to meet targets, adding: “When you look at the individual countries, there are still some who need to do more.”
He went on to praise Poland and the Baltic countries for being “really ahead” when it comes to meeting targets.
Poland and Baltic countries have taken a more proactive approach to defence investment amid existential concerns with a number of drone skirmishes on borders as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.
Russia has attacked Ukrainian ports with over 1,500 drones this year, deputy PM says
15:17 , Bryony Gooch
Russia has attacked Ukrainian ports with more than 1,500 drones since the start of 2026, deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Thursday.
Despite the attacks, the Ukrainian maritime export corridor is working, and Ukrainian ports have handled 40 million tons of cargo since the start of the year, Kuleba said on Telegram.
Putin 'has got to take a decision' one day, says Nato's secretary general
15:00 , Bryony Gooch
Vladimir Putin “one day has got to take a decision whether he wants to play ball or not,” Nato’s secretary general has said when asked about prospects of making progress with Russia.
“In the meantime we have to do everything to make sure Ukraine stays as strong as possible in the fight, so that is what we are working on.”
He added that up to 48 per cent of the Russian state budget is now being spent on defence. “These are crazy numbers,” he said.
“We cannot be naive about Russia,” he stressed, adding that Nato is “very strong” and “we will do everything to make sure that they understand that it will be their biggest mistake if they try” to attack the alliance.
And that ends the press conference.
Lavrov warns of 'massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis' against Ukraine
14:43 , Bryony Gooch
Russia’s foreign minister has warned that Russia will hit targets that affect the combat capability of Ukraine’s armed forces on a regular basis now, following a major attack in the Moscow region.
Vladimir Putin’s armed forces downed an estimated 180 drones heading for the capital alone had been downed on Thursday.
Russia will carry out "massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis" against Ukraine, Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
Russian oligarchs call on Kremlin to retaliate with nuclear weapons
14:33 , Bryony Gooch
Russia’s more hardline oligarchs have called on the Kremlin to retaliate after a significant attack from Ukraine in the Moscow region.
Konstantin Malofeev, a Russian media mogul closely linked to Ukrainian separatists in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, said on Telegram: “Why aren’t we using the nuclear weapons that our ancestors created and stockpiled through the efforts of the entire country precisely for moments like this?”
Andrey Gurulyov, a retired lieutenant general and state duma deputy, called for Russia to “strike the enemy mercilessly” in response to the attack. “We need to strengthen our air defence system, but most importantly, we need to hit the enemy,” he reportedly told RTVI. “Hit the enemy mercilessly, without overthinking it.”
Zelensky says Ukraine urgently needs more long-range artillery as he outlines drone deals with 27 countries
14:31 , Bryony Gooch
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine needs more long-range artillery and unmanned vehicles urgently as the war continues.
He went on that 15 Nato countries and 12 non-Nato countries were now involved in drone deals with Ukraine.
“Every project supporting Ukrainian drones and our weapons production in Ukraine and together of course with you, with partners, every sanctions measure against Russia, this war, all of it must grow and of course we are ready to share our experience more actively ready.”
Watch: Starmer says Channel incident involving Russian warship 'reckless'
14:30 , Bryony Gooch
Zelensky calls attack on monastery in Kyiv a 'crime against humanity'
14:27 , Bryony Gooch
Volodymyr Zelensky reflected on the importance of a monastery attacked by Russia on Monday which was not only significant for Ukraine, but “for the entire Christian world.”
He said: “It was from the labyrinth and the hills of Kyiv that Christianity spread eastward across our part of Europe.
“Taking such places is in fact a crime against humanity,” he added, reflecting on the major attack on Moscow this morning.
“So our long range sanctions are hitting Russian oil facilities, refineries very, very effectively, and Russia is already facing fuel shortages.
“The federal budget revenues are falling significantly and at the same time our mid-range strikes are seriously disrupting Russian military logistics, but Putin is not stopping this war.
“He insists on continuing it, so the rhetoric must grow.”
Zelensky is speaking at Nato now
14:23 , Bryony Gooch
We will bring you the latest lines as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky speaks live from Nato.
Moscow fuel supply situation is 'normal' after Ukrainian drone attack, local authorities say
14:00 , Bryony Gooch
The supply of petroleum products to Moscow and the operation of petrol stations in the Russian capital is "proceeding as normal" after a major Ukrainian drone attack, local authorities said on Thursday.
U.S. open to Poland's offer to host permanent U.S. base, Polish minister says
13:48 , James Reynolds
The U.S. Department of War is open to Poland's offer to host permanent U.S. military presence in Poland, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday after meeting U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Brussels.
Allies are stepping up to meet US demands, says Rutte
13:46 , James Reynolds
Speaking to the media following a Nato alliance meeting in Brussels, secretary-general Mark Rutte said allies are confirming plans to meet their increased defence spending target of 5 per cent of GDP by 2035.
“Some allies will already get there this year, way ahead of schedule,” he said.
He said the US, through attending Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, “expressed strong commitment to Nato very clear today”.
He says there is “broad agreement” between allies to “step up” their role as the US revises its commitments.
Russian regulator demands explanation after one Moscow chain of petrol stations hikes prices by 19 per cent
13:30 , Bryony Gooch
Russia's anti-monopoly watchdog on Thursday asked a major petrol retailer in Moscow for an explanation after it hiked prices for 95-octane petrol by 19 per cent in the last week.
FAS, the watchdog, sent the demand to Neftemagistral, a company which runs around 100 petrol stations in the Moscow region and in the capital itself.
The price hike followed Ukrainian drone attacks on a Moscow oil refinery, which supplies the Moscow region with fuel.
In pictures: A person sweeps up debris following a Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow region
13:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russia and Ukraine carry out another exchange of war dead, RBC reports
12:30 , Bryony Gooch
Russia and Ukraine carried out another exchange of war dead on Thursday, with Moscow receiving 33 bodies and Ukraine receiving 522 bodies, Russia's RBC news outlet reported, citing a Russian lawmaker.
Zelensky: 'Moscow will burn' if attacks continue
12:06 , Bryony Gooch
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday heavy drone attacks on Russia were retaliation for a strike that damaged a historic monastery in Kyiv this week, and that "Moscow will burn" if attacks continue.
Scores of drones targeted Moscow overnight, hitting the Russian capital's oil refinery for the second time this week.
“We don't want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it," Zelensky said in a voice message sent to reporters on a WhatsApp group. "But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn."
At least 10 people were killed on Monday across Ukraine in a drone and missile attack that damaged the 1,000-year-old Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery.
Russia fires 246 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight
12:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russia launched seven missiles and 239 drones at Ukraine in an overnight attack, Ukraine’s air forces reported.
Forces were able to down or suppress 216 targets - including four missiles and 212 drones.
Missiles came from the Voronezh, Bryansk and Kursk regions. Drones were fired from Kursk, Orel, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, as well as the Russian occupied Crimea and Donetsk regions.
Suspect detained after Russian artist shot in Poland
11:30 , Bryony Gooch
A suspect has been detained by authorities after a Russian artist who was critical of President Vladimir Putin was shot dead, the Polish prime minister has confirmed.
Donald Tusk said that the suspect, using a Georgian passport, had been detained by Lublin police and the internal security agency as services work to “establish the mastermind”.
He warned on Wednesday that the killing had all the hallmarks of a political assassination.
Robert Kuzovkov, known by the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot and killed at close range near his home in the eastern Polish city of Biala Podlaska on Monday.
Podejrzewany o udział w zabójstwie Rosjanina w Białej Podlaskiej zatrzymany przez lubelskich policjantów i ABW! Posługuje się gruzińskim paszportem. Służby pracują nad ustaleniem zleceniodawcy.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) June 18, 2026
Macron says Trump 'took note of fact Russia does not want peace'
11:00 , Arpan Rai
Emmanuel Macron has said that president Donald Trump “took notice” of the fact that Russia was not seeking peace.
Speaking at a press conference at the G7 summit, the French president said Washington acknowledged that Moscow was not looking to end its war in Ukraine.
He said the G7 had “showed a real change in the approach from the US on Ukraine”.
Trump had earlier suggested that the US could impose sanctions on Russia if it did not take steps to end the war.
Kremlin says new Ukrainian attacks set back prospects for Putin-Zelenskiy meeting, IFX reports
10:57 , Bryony Gooch
Ukraine's latest attacks on Russia are pushing back the prospect of any direct contacts between President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported.
Ushakov made his remarks after Moscow bore the brunt of one of the largest Ukrainian aerial assaults of the war so far.
Zelensky says air defence, PURL will be central to Ramstein talks
10:55 , Bryony Gooch
The supply of air defences to Ukraine through NATO's PURL programme and the creation of an anti-ballistic missile system by Ukraine and its allies will be discussed at a meeting of the group on Thursday, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In a voice message sent to reporters on a WhatsApp group, Zelensky said that the overnight strikes on Moscow and other locations in Russia were a response to a Russian strike this week that damaged a medieval Ukrainian monastery complex.
16 people injured in drone attacks on Moscow, authorities report
10:30 , Bryony Gooch
More than a dozen people have been injured in Ukrainian drone attacks on the Moscow region, authorities have said.
Moscow’s regional governor said 16 people were injured in drone attacks that hit the Russian capital's oil refinery for the second time this week.
Russia, for its part, fired missiles into Kyiv, also for the second time this week, following an attack that damaged Kyiv's landmark 1,000-year-old monastery and drew international condemnation.
Russia is firing warning shots off the Isle of Wight: How worried should Britain be?
10:15 , Arpan Rai
A Russian warship fired warning shots at a retired British couple sailing on a UK-registered yacht in the English channel, risking a major international incident.
The frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired several shots near the 40ft civilian yacht, Bright Future, on Tuesday as it sailed around 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight.
The popular route is regularly traversed by ferries, yachts, commercial ships and the international high-speed rail service, the Eurostar.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson insisted that that the event was “an isolated incident” that was “not linked” to the UK’s interception of the Russian shadow fleet tanker the Smyrtos over the weekend.
Russia is firing warning shots off the Isle of Wight: How worried should Britain be?
Zelensky says Moscow oil refinery hit and asks Russia to choose diplomacy
10:00 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said his forces attacked the Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya for the second time in a week as he said it is about time the war ended.
“Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
He said the attack was a “fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities” and against the facilities that “sustain Russia’s war machine”.
“It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine is stepping up its aerial attacks on Russia – and in particular its critical oil infrastructure – to demonstrate to allies in the US and Europe that it is now of the offensive and Russia is on the defensive, giving Kyiv the strategic edge to end the war.
Zelensky's G7 allies issued a joint statement after this week's G7 summit noting Ukraine's battlefield progress and that Russia is sustaining record losses.
Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This is a fully justified response to… pic.twitter.com/NhFl4FlT9L
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 18, 2026
Zelensky will join Ukraine alliance meeting at Nato, Rutte says
09:45 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will join a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an alliance that provides military aid for Kyiv, at Nato headquarters in Brussels today, secretary general Mark Rutte said.
The meeting comes after Zelensky also attended a gathering of G7 leaders in France, which ended with a joint statement of support for Kyiv and a vow to increase pressure on Russia.
Kyic faces ballistic missiles attack overnight
09:30 , Arpan Rai
Kyiv came under the second air attack this week as Russia unleashed ballistic missiles on the Ukrainian capital, city officials said.
"The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic missiles. Stay in safe places until the air raid alert is over!" Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, said in a Telegram post early on Thursday, without details.
A Reuters witness heard explosions in Kyiv, and authorities in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy said one person was killed in a drone attack. Air strike alerts were issued for most of Ukraine's territory.
Earlier this week, a 1,000-year-old monastery that symbolises Ukraine's spiritual and cultural heritage was badly damaged in a major attack by Russia that killed 10 people nationwide. The attack drew condemnation from European leaders. Russia denied striking the monastery.
Watch: Trump claims Moscow losing more troops than Kyiv as he admits Putin on ‘the offensive’
09:15 , Arpan Rai
Photos show massive destruction and oil tanker lid blown in Moscow
09:05 , Arpan Rai
One killed as drones spark fire at two commercial facilities in Russia's Rostov
08:44 , Arpan Rai
A drone attack killed one, injured another two people and caused a fire at two commercial facilities in the southern Russian region of Rostov, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said on Telegram.
He added that a locomotive was also damaged after drones attacked the town of Gukovo, saying that defence systems continued to repel the attack.
Sweden, Norway and Canada to announce defence package for Ukraine
08:34 , Arpan Rai
Sweden, Norway and Canada will announce a new Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) package to supply Ukraine with US weapons, Sweden's defence minister Pal Jonson said in Brussels today.
Zelensky says Moscow oil refinery hit and asks Russia to choose diplomacy
08:18 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said his forces attacked the Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya for the second time in a week as he said it is about time the war ended.
“Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
He said the attack was a “fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities” and against the facilities that “sustain Russia’s war machine”.
“It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine is stepping up its aerial attacks on Russia – and in particular its critical oil infrastructure – to demonstrate to allies in the US and Europe that it is now of the offensive and Russia is on the defensive, giving Kyiv the strategic edge to end the war.
Zelensky's G7 allies issued a joint statement after this week's G7 summit noting Ukraine's battlefield progress and that Russia is sustaining record losses.
Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This is a fully justified response to… pic.twitter.com/NhFl4FlT9L
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 18, 2026
Zelensky will join Ukraine alliance meeting at Nato, Rutte says
06:40 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will join a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an alliance that provides military aid for Kyiv, at Nato headquarters in Brussels today, secretary general Mark Rutte said.
The meeting comes after Zelensky also attended a gathering of G7 leaders in France, which ended with a joint statement of support for Kyiv and a vow to increase pressure on Russia.
Timeline of UK-Russia incidents at sea since the war in Ukraine began
06:16 , Arpan Rai
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is investigating after a Russian warship fired warning shots at a British yacht that came near it in the English Channel.
The Admiral Grigorovich, a Russian frigate, fired warning shots after making attempts to contact the yacht, the MoD claimed, in order to prevent a potential collision. Russia’s defence ministry has claimed its sailors were acting “in strict accordance” with international shipping regulations.
While this is being viewed as an isolated incident, it came days after tensions between the UK and Russia spiked when Britain seized a sanctioned vessel transiting through the Channel.
Timeline of UK-Russia incidents at sea since the war in Ukraine began
.jpeg?w=600)
