Ukraine has successfully tested its first domestically-produced ballistic missile, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president made the announcement to reporters at the Ukraine 2024 Independence forum in Kyiv.
“It may be too early to talk about it but I want to share it with you,” he said.
Mr Zelensky’s comments came one day after Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defence minister, said Kyiv had plans to produce its own weapons to respond to Russian drone and missile attacks.
Kyiv has so far had to rely on long-range missiles from Western countries, including US-made Atacms and British Storm Shadow missiles.
But Ukraine’s allies, including the US and the UK, have imposed restrictions on Kyiv using their weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.
Earlier today, Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said “no new or different” decisions have been taken by his Government in relation to the war in Ukraine after being asked whether Kyiv should be able to use Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia.
Speaking from the rose garden inside 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: “In relation to Ukraine, as I’ve said many times, the position of this Government is no different to the position of the last Government. No new decisions or different decisions have been taken.
“We have put additional resources in, in terms of what we’re providing, both money commitments and weapons commitments.”
Sir Keir continued: “As I’ve said to president Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, we will stand with them for as long as it takes.
“I’m not going to get into tactical questions about the use of weapons for reasons which I know you’ll understand.”
Mr Zelensky’s appearance in Kyiv came just hours after Ukraine faced a second consecutive night of missile and drone attacks by Russia, which killed five people.
The first series of attacks came overnight Sunday to Monday, with seven people dying after hundreds of missiles and drones were launched at Ukraine.
However, military analysts have suggested Russia likely lacks the capacity to maintain the scale of the attacks.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, said recent strikes by Moscow were some of the largest since the war began.
Russian military bloggers have suggested it is part of Moscow’s response to Kyiv’s Kursk invasion, which was launched on Aug 6.
03:31 PM BST
Kursk offensive slowed down Russian troops in Pokrovsk
Kyiv’s invasion of Kursk slowed down Russian advances in the key logistics hub Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Speaking to the Kyiv Independent, the Ukrainian president said Moscow’s troops had been moving through eastern Donetsk offensive at a faster rate before Aug 6.
Moscow’s troops are understood to be around 10km from the city’s outskirts.
03:10 PM BST
‘Serious’ risk of nuclear accident in Kursk
The UN’s nuclear agency chief has warned there is a risk of a nuclear accident in Kursk after visiting the Russian region’s nuclear power plant on Tuesday.
“The danger or possibility of a nuclear accident has emerged near here,” Rafael Grossi told reporters.
Russia has claimed that the plan has been repeatedly attacked by Ukrainian forces, who are stationed around 40km away after launching an invasion of Kursk on Aug 6.
Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told a news conference that the plant was extremely fragile because it had no protective dome.
He said the site was currently still operating very close to normal conditions, but this meant that the situation regarding its security was even more serious.
02:50 PM BST
Ukraine launches attack ‘on two Russian checkpoints with 500 soldiers’
Ukrainian forces have attempted to break through into Russia’s Belgorod region, Russian Telegram channels claimed on Tuesday.
The southern region, which borders Kursk, reportedly came under attack by 500 Ukrainian troops who attacked two checkpoints at Nekhoteyevka and Shebekino, according to the Mash Telegram channel, which said fighting was “ongoing”.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the situation was “difficult but under control”.
“There is information that the enemy is trying to break through the border of the Belgorod region,” Mr Gladkov said.
“Our military is carrying out planned work. Please remain calm and trust only official sources of information.”
Belgorod borders the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched an invasion on Aug 6, capturing more than 1,150 sq km of land.
02:34 PM BST
Russian pilots ‘drinking from dirty puddles’, says UK MoD
Russian pilots have been restricted to one litre of water per day, the UK Ministry of Defence has suggested.
This is around 1/4 of the daily recommended requirement for Russian troops.
As a result, some troops have been forced to turn to dirty puddles for drinking water, which “impacts morale and effectiveness”, the MoD added.
02:26 PM BST
F-16 fighter jets used to defend Ukraine against Russian drone attacks
Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets were used to counter Russia’s recent missile and drone attacks, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
“We destroyed already some missiles and drones using the F-16,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv.
02:13 PM BST
Russia ‘lacks capacity to sustain air attacks’
Russia likely lacks the capacity to maintain the recent scale of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, military analysts have suggested.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, said recent strikes by Moscow were some of the largest since the war began.
Hundreds of missiles and drones were launched at Ukraine overnight Sunday to Monday, killing seven people. Another large, albeit smaller, attack was then launched overnight Monday to Tuesday, in which five people were killed.
Russian military bloggers have suggested it is part of Moscow’s response to Kyiv’s Kursk invasion, which was launched on Aug 6.
Russia likely lacks the defense-industrial capacity to sustain such massive strikes at a similar scale with regularity, but Ukrainian officials emphasized that this strike series shows the exigent need for Ukraine to receive more air defense systems from its partners, and for…
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) August 27, 2024
02:02 PM BST
Kursk offensive part of plan to win war, says Zelensky
Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk is part of a wider plan to force Russia into peace, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president said other stages of the plan included Kyiv having greater involvement in global security infrastructure, forcing Moscow into peace via diplomacy, as well as putting economic pressure on Russia.
01:31 PM BST
Ukraine can produce two million drones a year, says Zelensky
More coming in from Volodymyr Zelensky’s press conference in Kyiv this afternoon.
Mr Zelensky revealed that Ukraine has the capacity to produce between 1.5 and 2 million drones a year, but “lacks the funding” to do so.
The Ukrainian president made the claim at the 2024 Independence forum in Kyiv just hours after Moscow launched another overnight missile and drone attack against Ukraine.
12:54 PM BST
Ukraine must be in powerful position to achieve peace, says Zelensky
Ukraine must be in a powerful position in order to achieve peace with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
Speaking from a press conference in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky said the war would eventually end through “dialogue” as he revealed plans to present a new peace plan.
Mr Zelensky said Kyiv has plans to present the plan to the US presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, as well as Joe Biden.
12:48 PM BST
Update: Five killed in Russian attacks
The death toll from Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine has risen from four to five, Kyiv said.
Two people were killed when a hotel was “wiped out” by a missile in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, regional officials said.
Three died in drone attacks on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.
12:40 PM BST
Air raid sirens heard near Russia’s Kursk nuclear plant
Air raid sirens were heard on Tuesday afternoon near to the Kursk nuclear power plant, indicating a missile threat.
Rafael Grossi, the UN’s nuclear agency chief, is currently on an inspection tour at the plant to “independently assess conditions” following claims by Vladimir Putin that Kyiv attempted to attack it last week.
12:16 PM BST
Russian spy chief: ‘Ukraine did not plan incursion into Kursk alone’
Sergei Naryshkin, Russia’s foreign intelligence chief, said on Tuesday that Moscow does not believe Ukraine planned its incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region by itself.
Russia has repeatedly claimed, without providing evidence, that the US helped Kyiv launch its lightning attack into Russia on Aug 6.
12:04 PM BST
Ukraine ‘blackmailing’ West, says Moscow
Ukraine is “blackmailing” the West by continuing to ask for permission to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets inside Russia, the Russian Foreign Minister said.
Sergei Lavrov also accused the West of “playing with fire” as he confirmed Russia would be “adjusting” its nuclear weapons doctrine.
11:47 AM BST
Ukraine ‘continuing to advance in Kursk’, says top commander
Ukraine is continuing to make advances in Russia’s Kursk region, Kyiv’s top commander said on Tuesday.
Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces have taken control of more than 100 settlements in the border region since launching a cross-border assault on Aug 6.
Mr Syrskyi also claimed 594 Russian soldiers were captured in Kursk by Ukrainian forces.
Some 115 Russian soldiers were returned to Moscow and 115 to Kyiv in a prisoner swap last week.
11:36 AM BST
Three Belgorod villages attacked by Ukraine, says regional governor
Ukraine attacked three settlements in Russia’s Belgorod region in the last 24 hours, the regional governor claimed on Tuesday.
Vyacheslav Gladkov said a warehouse in the village of Petrovka was damaged, while a car was destroyed by an explosive device in the village of Novoye.
Mr Gladkov also claimed a commercial facility in Golovchino caught fire after being attacked by a “suicide drone”.
He added that there had been no casualties.
11:29 AM BST
Pictured: Workers carry body bag after Russian strike hits Zaporizhzhia
11:16 AM BST
Nuclear watchdog chief to visit Kursk power plant
The head of the international nuclear watchdog will visit a nuclear power plant in Kursk on Tuesday, which Vladimir Putin claimed Ukraine tried to attack last week.
Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he will “independently assess what is happening” at the Russian power plant.
Kyiv did not respond to Putin’s claims.
11:10 AM BST
How Ukraine targeted Belgorod after Kursk offensive
Ukraine launched its daring offensive into Russia’s border region Kursk on Aug 6. Since then, Ukrainian forces claim they have captured more than 1,150 sq km of land across more than 90 settlements.
But it was not the only border region that came under attack as part of a wider counter-offensive by Kyiv.
Around 10 days after Kursk was invaded by Ukrainian forces, Moscow was forced to declare a federal-level state of emergency in the neighbouring Belgorod.
At the time, Belgorod’s Governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the situation was “extremely difficult” as the region faced daily shelling.
“Houses are destroyed, civilians died and were injured,” he said on Aug 14.
The region has continued to face shelling, though Kyiv has so far failed to push through into the border region.
10:55 AM BST
Ukrainian forces ‘pushed back’ at Belgorod checkpoint
Ukrainian forces who attacked a checkpoint at Nekhoteyevkai in Belgorod were pushed back after suffering losses, SHOT, a Telegram news channel, said on Tuesday.
Kyiv has not commented on reports that it attempted to push through into the Russian border region.
10:45 AM BST
‘No new decision’ on Storm Shadow missiles, says Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has said “no new or different” decisions have been taken by his Government in relation to the war in Ukraine after being asked whether Kyiv should be able to use Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia.
Speaking from the rose garden inside 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: “In relation to Ukraine, as I’ve said many times, the position of this Government is no different to the position of the last Government. No new decisions or different decisions have been taken.
“We have put additional resources in, in terms of what we’re providing, both money commitments and weapons commitments.”
Sir Keir continued: “As I’ve said to president Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, we will stand with them for as long as it takes.
“I’m not going to get into tactical questions about the use of weapons for reasons which I know you’ll understand.”
10:38 AM BST
Russia says it has captured another village near Pokrovsk
Russian forces claimed on Tuesday it had captured the village of Orlivka near the city of Pokrovsk, a key target for Moscow.
“Units of the Centre group of forces as a result of active warfare liberated the settlement of Orlovka,” the defence ministry said.
Russian forces have been advancing towards Pokrovsk for months, a central logistics hub in the Donetsk region.
10:25 AM BST
Modi speaks with Putin after Ukraine visit
Narendra Modi spoke with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday following his visit to Ukraine last week.
The Indian Prime Minister visited Kyiv last week, where he “exchanged perspectives” on the war in Ukraine.
10:12 AM BST
Russia ‘wipes out’ hotel in drone attack on Ukraine
Russia launched another major wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine overnight, killing four people and “wiping out” a hotel.
Air defence systems were deployed several times overnight, including in Kyiv, where Reuters witnesses said they heard at least three rounds of explosions.
Two people were killed when a hotel was “wiped out” in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, Serhiy Lisak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region where the Aurora hotel is located, said.
Meanwhile, two more died in drone attacks on Zaporizhzhia in the south east of Ukraine.
It comes after seven people were killed overnight Sunday to Monday as Moscow launched its “biggest air attack” of the war.
One of those killed in Monday’s attack included Ryan Evans, a British safety advisor for Reuters, who was found dead after the Hotel Sapfir was hit in the eastern city of Kramatorsk.
09:58 AM BST
Watch: Aftermath of strike on Ukrainian hotel
Rescuers have been captured working at the site where a hotel was “wiped out” in an overnight Russian drone attack.
Two people were killed when the Aurora hotel was hit in the central city of Kryvyi Rih.
09:45 AM BST
Oil depot hit by Ukraine still burning
An oil depot in Russia’s Rostov region was burning eight days after it was hit by Ukrainian drones, satellite images showed.
The “Kavkaz” oil depot near the town of Proletarsk was attacked by Ukrainian drones on Aug 18.
09:07 AM BST
Pictured: Ukrainian rescuers at site of hotel ‘wiped out’ by Russia
Ukrainian rescuers have been pictured at the Aurora hotel which was ‘wiped out’ in an overnight Russian attack.
Two people were killed when the hotel was hit in the city of Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine.
08:55 AM BST
Ukraine continues offensive in southern Russia
Ukrainian forces have attempted to break into Russia’s Belgorod region, reports suggested.
The southern region, which borders Kursk, came under attack by 500 Ukrainian troops who attacked two checkpoints at Nekhoteyevka and Shebekino, Russian Telegram channels reported.
Belgorod borders the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched an invasion on Aug 6, capturing more than 1,150 sq km of land.
08:32 AM BST
Zelensky promises response to Russian attacks
Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed Ukraine will respond after it was targeted by Russian missile attacks for a second night in a row.
The Ukrainian president said rescue operations were ongoing after the most recent overnight attacks, which he said killed four people and injured 16 more.
“We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks. Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished,” he said.
Rescue operations are ongoing at the sites of strikes and falling debris in the regions of Ukraine that were attacked by Russia last night. All services are on the ground, and the rubble is being cleared.
Unfortunately, despite the effective work of our air defense, 4 people… pic.twitter.com/IJ6uQx6mpy
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 27, 2024
08:22 AM BST
Biden speaks out after Moscow attacks
Joe Biden has labelled Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure as “outrageous”.
Speaking after yesterday’s initial attack, which killed seven people, the US president said he condemned the barrage “in the strongest possible terms”.
“Ukrainian officials report that this outrageous attack resulted in the deaths of Ukrainian civilians and targeted more than two dozen critical energy sites,” Mr Biden said.
“Let me be clear: Russia will never succeed in Ukraine, and the spirit of the Ukrainian people will never be broken.”
07:59 AM BST
Putin will soon turn his war machine on Britain
In Putin’s warped worldview, Britain was behind the Crimean war and defeat of the Czars, we were behind the rise of Hitler, we were behind the counter-revolution and our espionage was behind the end of the Soviet Union, writes Ben Wallace.
Britain is in Putin’s crosshairs.
One of the most senior members of the Russian Siloviki recently commented: “We know Britain is behind the invasion of Kursk”. We weren’t.
Make no mistake, Putin is coming for us. We must be prepared for the inevitable.
Read the full story here.
07:47 AM BST
Pictured: Russian strike hits city in central Ukraine
One of the cities which recorded damage in Russia’s overnight attack was Kryvyi Rih, which is located in central Ukraine.
Serhiy Lisak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region where Kryvyi Rih is located, said on Telegram the civilian building was “wiped out.”
07:41 AM BST
Ukraine reveals extent of new Russian attack
The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday that it downed five missiles and 60 drones during Russia’s overnight attack.
The fresh attack came after around 200 missiles and drones were launched across Ukraine overnight Sunday to Monday.
07:30 AM BST
Ukraine downs 15 drones near Kyiv
Ukraine downed 15 drones and several missiles near Kyiv, which were launched as part of Russia’s massive overnight attack, authorities said on Tuesday.
Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration said: “Everything that flew to the capital of Ukraine was destroyed.”
07:24 AM BST
Welcome to our live coverage
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.
We’re bringing you the latest updates from the Ukraine war.