Ruined city of Avdiivka, Ukraine Avdiivka was on the front lines of war between Kyiv and Moscow for almost a decade. Fierce fighting raged there for months following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. The withdrawal was far less drawn out. When the Ukrainian military abandoned the town on Saturday, handing Russia its most important victory in months, it was rapid and ruthless. “Leave the 300 (wounded),” one soldier was purportedly ordered, “and burn everything.” Hours after Russian troops raised their flags over Avdiivka, one horrifying story has emerged of several injured soldiers who failed to escape – and were later killed as Russian troops reached their position. Members of Ukraine's National Guard Omega Special Purpose fire a SPG-9 anti-tank grenade launcher toward Russian troops in the front line town of Avdiivka, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine November 8, 2023. The Ukrainian servicemen there were part of the 110th S...

Early Monday morning, as families were preparing to start their week, waves of explosive drones struck Ukraine’s capital. A man falls on the ground following a drone attack in Kyiv. [Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP] The blasts echoed across Kyiv, setting buildings ablaze and sending people scurrying to shelters. At least three people were killed. Exactly how many drones were used in the attack on the capital was not immediately clear. According to the Associated Press, the drones appeared to include Iranian-made Shaheds, though Iran’s government has denied this. A drone flies over Kyiv. [Sergei Supinsky/AFP] Social media video posts showed drones buzzing over the capital and smoke billowing in the early morning light. The sound of sustained gunfire could also be heard in one video, in what appears to be an attempt to shoot a drone down. Russia is allegedly using Iranian-made Shaheds – renaming them Geran-2 – drones that pack an explosive charge and can linger over targets before attacking. Their d...

Russia’s defence minister says Moscow’s forces have taken control of the last major Ukrainian-held city in Luhansk. damaged residential buildings are seen in Lysychansk Smoke rises over the remains of a building destroyed by a military strike in Lysychansk  Russia’s defence minister tells President Vladimir Putin that Moscow’s forces “have established full control over the city of Lysychansk” in Ukraine’s Luhansk region. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says his country is being “provoked”, claims Ukraine fired several missiles at military targets inside Belarus. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says “colossal investments” are needed to rebuild his war-torn country. Ukrainian forces hit a Russian base with more than 30 strikes in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol without causing any casualties.

Russian forces destroyed five Ukrainian army command posts in the Donbas and in the Mykolaiv regions with high-precision weapons and also struck three storage sites in the Zaporizhzhia region, says the defence ministry. Details later...

Ukrainian officials have said they struck a Russian tugboat in the Black Sea using two Harpoon missiles on Friday. It is the first time Ukraine has announced it has destroyed a Russian vessel with Western-supplied weapons. A statement from the Ukrainian military says the Harpoons used were given to Ukraine by the US. Ukrainian military officials have said they struck the Russian Navy's Vasiliy Bekh tugboat in the Black Sea using two Harpoon missiles supplied by the US. The action marks the first time Ukraine has announced it has destroyed a Russian vessel with Western-supplied armaments. On Friday, the attack was announced on Ukraine's Armed Forces Strategic Communications Directorate's Telegram channel. It published a video purporting to show the anti-ship missile blowing up the vessel. Insider could not independently verify the footage. The head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Maxim Marchenko, said, "This morning, our naval forces struck th...