Russia-Ukraine war – live: Kyiv says its drones destroyed six military planes in blow for Putin’s forces

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:

Resistance by Kharkiv’s vastly outnumbered defenders has infuriated Vladimir Putin, as Askold Krushelnycky reports:

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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