World

There was an awful near silence as the war crime investigators went about their business and the bodies of the victims were methodically packed into body bags. We counted at least 15 body bags being loaded one on top of each other into a succession of ambulances. The death toll is higher and includes several

The biggest landgrab since the Second World War. A dictator threatening the use of nuclear weapons. The world’s most important institution meant to guarantee global security, the UN Security Council, rendered impotent yet again with one of its permanent members doing exactly what it was set up to prevent. The West’s response: a strategy that has

At least 19 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital of Kabul, police say. The attack at an education institute happened as students took an entrance exam inside, police spokesman Khalid Zadran said. Schools are usually closed in Afghanistan on Fridays. “Attacking civilian targets proves the

Vladimir Putin has for seven months insisted his invasion of Ukraine was only a special military operation. That way he hoped the conflict would seem distant and contained to the broad Russian public. With his military suffering setback after setback, a week ago he announced the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of reservists. But even

Four occupied areas of Ukraine will become part of Russia on Friday, the Kremlin has said. It comes after the holding of so-called referendums, which the West dismissed as an illegal sham. President Putin will attend a ceremony in the Kremlin tomorrow at which documents will be signed and they will be incorporated into Russia.

A suspected act of sabotage – possibly by Russia – against gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea was likely a premeditated attack using underwater explosive devices detonated remotely, according to a British defence source. The source said any mines could have been lowered to the seabed on a long line, dropped over the side of

Analysis: Pipeline attacks mean Ukrainian war is ‘now going to the Baltic’ Professor Michael Clarke, a security and defence analyst, said leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea were caused by “three explosions near the seabed”. He added it is “clearly an act of sabotage”, as you need a submarine to

The fugitive behind the US navy bribery scandal – nicknamed “Fat Leonard” – has requested asylum in Venezuela following his arrest, a law enforcement official has revealed. Leonard Glenn Francis, had gone on the run after he escaped his house arrest in San Diego on 4 September. He was allowed to remain under house arrest

Mysterious leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipe network began with “powerful subsea blasts” and resulted from “deliberate actions”. Two pipelines running underwater from Russia to Germany were damaged in a total of three places on Monday. Nord Stream AG, the owner, described the breakages as “unprecedented”. The pipes were not pumping gas to Europe

New satellite images showing large numbers of Russians fleeing to Georgia and Mongolia have been released after Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilise hundreds of thousands of reservists for the conflict in Ukraine. The images show queues of vehicles – cargo trucks and cars – waiting in long traffic jams attempting to get over the borders.

A man has opened fire on an enlistment centre and another recruitment office has been attacked with Molotov cocktails – after Vladimir Putin ordered the conscription of at least 300,000 men in Russia. The violence comes as the first tranche of people ordered to report for duty arrive at military bases, and it follows a

Mahsa Amini, the young woman whose death in police custody has prompted mass protests in Iran, was “tortured and insulted” before she died, her cousin has said. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Erfan Mortezaei told Sky News about what happened to his cousin and how she has become the “voice of the anger

Estonia has warned residents they will be banned from the EU if they join Vladimir Putin’s army, as Finland looks set to stop Russian tourists from crossing its border. On Wednesday, Russia’s leader – faced with a series of defeats in Ukraine – announced a partial mobilisation that could see 300,000 reserves called up to

Protests over mobilisation have taken place in more than a dozen cities across Russia. Police arrested hundreds of people as authorities seek to crack down on dissent over the Ukraine war. Girls as young as 14 years old were among those detained in St Petersburg, reports say, with authorities using stun guns and batons. In

Iran’s president says protesters should be “confronted decisively” following nationwide anti-government unrest sparked by the death of a young woman in police custody. Authorities have been cracking down for days on demonstrators who are angry over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She had been arrested for allegedly wearing “unsuitable attire”. Iranian state TV suggests

The southern counteroffensive by the Ukrainians to recapture the city of Kherson has been known about but unseen. The entire frontline has been closed to everyone for over two weeks, indeed it’s been shrouded in secrecy. After days of negotiation the military relented and allowed Sky News to the Kherson frontline to see what has

Draft-aged Russians have apparently begun to flee the country as it enters is biggest conscription drive since the Second World War – with plane ticket prices soaring above $5,000 (£4,443) and border crossings increasing. Vladimir Putin launched a new mobilisation campaign on Wednesday for the seven-month-old war in Ukraine that has already decimated cities, killed

The foreign secretary has called on countries to reject the “charade” of referenda to be held in Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, James Cleverly said Vladimir Putin plans to fix the results of votes on becoming parts of Russia. It comes as a prosecutor at the

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded “just punishment” for Russia’s crime against his nation. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly by video, Mr Zelenskyy laid out a five-point plan to establish peace in the seven-month-long conflict. The non-negotiable conditions included punishment for Russian aggression, restoration of Ukraine’s security, and territorial integrity and security guarantees. Speaking

Two of five Britons released after being detained by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have told supporters they got out of the “danger zone….by the skin of our teeth”. In a personal message recorded on their flight home, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner thanked all those who had worked to free them. “We’re now out