The Ukrainian military was preparing for an upcoming counteroffensive yesterday, with a top commander saying his forces’ ongoing defence of Bakhmut in the face of fierce and sustained Russian attacks was necessary to “buy time” for that push.

Bakhmut has become a “killing zone” that is probably highly challenging for Russia’s Wagner mercenary forces trying to continue their assault westward, the UK Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

Ukraine has decided to fight on in the ruined city of Bakhmut because the battle there is pinning down Russia’s best units and degrading them ahead of a planned Ukrainian spring counter-offensive, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Russia fired a huge wave of missiles across Ukraine on Thursday as people slept, killing at least six civilians and knocking out power in an attack Kyiv said included six Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles, one of Moscow's most valuable weapons

Russia launched a huge wave of missile strikes across Ukraine while people slept yesterday, killing at least six civilians, knocking out electricity and forcing a nuclear power plant off the grid for several hours.

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group yesterday said his forces had taken full control of the eastern part of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, and Nato’s secretary general said it could all fall to the invading army in the next few days.

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force yesterday warned that Russia’s position around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was in peril unless his troops got ammunition, the latest sign of tension between the Kremlin and the private militia chief.

Kyiv yesterday said it was holding off attacks from Russian troops still attempting to surround Bakhmut, a now-destroyed eastern Ukrainian city that Moscow has been trying to capture for months.

Russian troops and mercenaries rained artillery on the last access routes to the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on Friday, bringing Moscow closer to its first major victory in half a year after the bloodiest fighting of the war

Russian troops and mercenaries rained artillery on the last access routes to the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut yesterday, bringing Moscow closer to its first major victory in half a year after the bloodiest fighting of the war.

Ukrainian forces hung on to positions in the ruined eastern city of Bakhmut yesterday, while Moscow said its security forces had battled Ukrainian saboteurs who had taken hostages in a cross-border raid.

The United States and its European allies sparred with Russia over the war in Ukraine at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi yesterday, with the rival sides each accusing the other of destabilising the world.

The United States and its European allies sparred with Russia over the war in Ukraine at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi on Thursday, with the rival sides each accusing the other of destabilising the world

Insurers are about to pay state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) $22.48 million for its vessel that was hit by a missile during fighting in Ukraine, two officials involved said on Tuesday.

Russian forces carried out relentless attacks on Bakhmut yesterday, trying to encircle the small eastern Ukrainian city and claim their first major prize for more than half a year after some of the bloodiest fighting of the war.

Insurers are about to pay state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) $22.48 million for its vessel that was hit by a missile during fighting in Ukraine, two officials involved have said..The expected settlement is one of the first shipping claims to have been paid out since Russia i

Russian forces yesterday pressed forward their weeks-long drive to encircle and capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut where the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces described the situation as “extremely tense”.

President Vladimir Putin has cast the confrontation with the West over the Ukraine war as an existential battle for the survival of Russia and the Russian people.

"Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy"

Security analysts fear that the Ukraine-Russia war could intensify in the coming days, pushing the whole world into further trouble, unless there are serious peace initiatives to stop the war that began a year ago.