World

Russia will have to bolster its defences on the border if Finland joins NATO, its ambassador to the EU has warned. Speaking to Sky News’ Beth Rigby, Vladimir Chizhov said it would “necessitate certain military technical measures, like improving or raising the degree of defence preparations along the Finnish border”. Finland’s leaders earlier said it

Finland has announced it wants to join NATO as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. President Sauli Niinisto said the country, which shares an 810-mile border and a difficult past with Russia, must apply for membership to the organisation “without delay”. In a joint statement with the country’s prime minister Sanna Marin, they added: “We

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “opened a new chapter” in post-Cold War history, said Boris Johnson as he agreed defence pacts with Sweden and Finland. The prime minister visited Stockholm and Helsinki to sign the agreements, which say the UK will come to the aid of Sweden and Finland if they are attacked, and vice-versa if

As Russian troops continue their pounding of the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, a photo-journalist has revealed the grim extent of the suffering inside. In a series of stark pictures, a photographer with the press office of the Azov Special Forces Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard has unveiled the horror of the dimly-lit, makeshift

The Russian offensive in the breakaway Donbas region of eastern Ukraine is “building” and is expected to peak in the next two to three weeks, according to Sky’s defence analyst Michael Clarke. He also said what happens between now and the end of this month will determine how much room for manoeuvre President Vladimir Putin

US President Joe Biden says he fears Vladimir Putin does not have a way out of the Ukraine war. Speaking in Washington DC on Monday, Biden described the Russian president as “a very calculating man” but without an exit strategy and admitted “I’m trying to figure out what we do about that”. He said Putin

Russia’s ambassador to Poland had red paint thrown in his face by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine. Sergey Andreev’s face was covered with the substance as he arrived to pay his respects at a Warsaw cemetery to Red Army soldiers who died during the Second World War. He had been due to lay

Vladimir Putin says Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine was a pre-emptive move to ward off aggression, accusing the West of “preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea”. The Russian president was leading anniversary celebrations in Moscow of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Victory Day in Russia – an annual

Daughters of a British aid worker captured in Ukraine have told Sky News they are “preparing for the worst”. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Courtney Coman, 17, and her sister Chelsea, 20, say they do not believe their father will be “coming home any time soon”, after being accused of being a “mercenary” by the

Sixty people are feared dead under rubble after a Russian bomb hit a school in eastern Ukraine. About 90 people were sheltering in the building when the bomb struck, causing a fire to engulf it on Saturday, the governor of the Luhansk region said. Two people have been confirmed dead and 60 others are “likely

A further £1.3bn in military support will be provide by the UK to Ukrainian forces as they fight against Russia’s invasion. The escalation of British assistance for Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces is the highest rate of UK military spending on a conflict since the height of the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. The £1.3bn, drawn from

New satellite images of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol show how the site has been the target of extensive shelling over the course of the war. The images, which were released by satellite imaging company Planet, show what the site looked like on eight separate dates, beginning on 10 March. One of the images appears

A war zone is no place for the vulnerable, no place for the sick. We’re visiting the cancer ward of a Ukrainian children’s hospital, where doctors know this and are planning an evacuation operation that is as delicate as it is tough. They hope to organise a medical convoy that will take some of the

The Russian assault on the last defenders at Mariupol’s steelworks will continue to hold back its plans to control the Donbas region, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. It is estimated around 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are underneath the Azovstal plant – the last pocket of resistance in a city almost completely destroyed. A few

From the most dangerous areas around Kharkiv there is an almost constant exodus of people fleeing homes they cannot be sure they will ever see again. Oleg Koval, 43, and his wife Yulia, 23, stayed behind to help those in need. At first, they were just giving their friends a lift away from danger, but

A British man who joined a controversial Ukrainian military unit says he is willing is spend the next year defending against Russia’s invasion – and he has not been deterred by the capture of other Britons. Mark Ayres has spent the past two months in Ukraine after joining the Azov Regiment, which has far-right origins

The European Union has announced plans to ban Russian oil by the end of the year as part of a sixth package of sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the bloc’s parliament in Strasbourg that member states should cease to buy oil supplies within six

Russian forces have begun storming the steel mill containing the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol. The takeover began after evacuations from the bombed-out plant saw scores of Ukrainian survivors finally reaching safety following long days and nights holed up inside under constant shelling. One woman said the assault began “as soon as we were

Ukrainian troops will beat Russia and the country will “be free” from occupation, Boris Johnson has told Ukraine’s parliament – adding that it is a fight of “good versus evil”. The UK prime minister, who has become the first world leader to address Ukrainian MPs since Russia invaded in late February, said Ukraine had proven

India and neighbouring Pakistan have been suffering from extreme heatwaves this year, melting pavements, forcing school closures and triggering fire alerts. With high temperatures expected to continue in May, extreme heat swept across large areas of both countries last week and follows the hottest March since the India Meteorological Department (IMD) began keeping records 122