Ukraine war latest: British charity founder killed ‘in combat against Putin’s troops’

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban arrived in Kyiv this morning for talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, Orban’s press chief said.

Orban and Zelensky are going to discuss the chance to create peace and current issues of Hungarian-Ukrainian bilateral relations, Bertalan Havasi said.

Russian troops are forging through Ukraine‘s outgunned and undermanned defenses in a relentless onslaught, prompting the West to push for new weapons and strategies to shore up Kyiv.

That, in turn, has brought new threats by President Vladimir Putin to retaliate against the West — either directly or indirectly.

The moves by the West to blunt the offensive and the potential Kremlin response could lead to a dangerous escalation as the war drags through its third year — one that further raises the peril of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.

Russia took advantage of its edge in firepower amid delays in U.S. aid to scale up attacks in several areas along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front. Relatively small units are probing Ukrainian defenses for weak spots, potentially setting the stage for a more ambitious push.

Russian commanders are ordering their forces to kill surrendering Ukrainian soldiers in a plan to “terrify” droves of Russian troops into not giving themselves up.

Many newly conscripted and poorly trained Russian soldiers realise their lives are being squandered in human-wave attacks, according to Ukrainian officials.

Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson for Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, says orders to kill Ukrainians who could be taken prisoner come from the “highest level” – the Kremlin. The instructions are designed to “terrify” their own soldiers, he adds.

The department has representatives from various Ukrainian ministries, with the country’s military intelligence agency playing a key role.

Peter Fouche died on Thursday “in the battlefield” after getting badly injured “in combat against Russian forces”, Halyna Zhuk, commercial director and co-founder of Project Konstantin, said in a video message.

he Netherlands will supply Ukraine with the first of 24 promised F-16 fighter jets soon, the outgoing Dutch government said.

The necessary permits to deliver the jets to Ukraine have been granted, defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said in a letter to parliament ahead of a government transition today after months of coalition building following an election last year.

She did not specify how many planes would be in the first delivery and when they would arrive in Ukraine for security reasons.

The Netherlands has been one of the driving forces behind an international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s to strengthen its air defences against Russia.

The Dutch government earlier supplied F-16s to a training facility in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots and ground staff are being taught to fly and maintain the planes in battle.

In April, Ollongren said she expected promised deliveries by Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States to start within months.

Russian attack submarines have conducted missions around the Irish Sea twice since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, three people familiar with the matter said.

The first deployment of a Russian Kilo-class submarine close to the Irish Sea, happened around 18 months ago while the second occurrence took place more recently, the report added. Officials said the extent of the submarine movements went beyond what British officials had previously seen.

US officials were aware of the sub movements, the report further said citing two people familiar with the matter.

Russia’s and Ireland’s defence ministries, Britain’s foreign ministry and the White House have not issued a comment on the report.

The Kilo-class submarine is a diesel-electric attack submarine capable of firing Russia’s Kalibr cruise missiles, as well as torpedoes and naval mines, Bloomberg said.

Russia in 2022 said its navy would stage a sweeping set of exercises involving all its fleets from the Pacific to the Atlantic, the latest show of strength in its military standoff with the West.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney commented at the time that they were not welcome.

Volodymyr Zelensky pushed his allies from the US to provide more Patriot air defence systems as he met the leaders from the US House of Representatives last night.

“I held a meeting with a bipartisan delegation from the US House of Representatives. We discussed key areas of further American assistance, including additional air defense systems. This is critically important, as the Patriot systems save lives and protect infrastructure,” he said.

He added: “I thank US president Joe Biden, both chambers and parties of Congress, and the entire American people for their unwavering leadership in supporting Ukraine.”

In April this year, the US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington will provide Ukraine additional Patriot missiles for its air defence systems as part of a massive $6bn additional aid package.

The missiles will be used to replenish previously supplied Patriot systems. The package also includes more munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and additional gear to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles and radars into Ukraine’s existing weaponry, much of which still dates back to the Soviet era.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban will make his first trip to Kyiv today to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, the Financial Times reported.

This will be the Hungarian leader’s first visit to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of its smaller neighbour in 2022.

Mr Orban, an outspoken critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, is visiting a day after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union Council. He will meet with Mr Zelensky and other senior officials in Kyiv just days after the two spoke at an EU summit in Brussels, people familiar with the matter said, the report added.

The European leader is among the very few closest ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin among EU leaders and has frequently opposed many EU initiatives to support Ukraine in its defence against Moscow’s aggression since its February 2022 invasion.

Ukraine has rejected Russian defence ministry claims that its forces had captured two villages in eastern Ukraine, and said the fighting continues to rage in the region.

The Russian ministry said its forces were in control of the settlement of Stepova Novoselivka in Kharkiv region, and of Novopokrovske in Donetsk region. Military statements from Ukraine’s Armed Forces denied the Russian assertion in parts.

The Ukrainian military earlier said it had repelled Russian attacks near two towns in Donetsk region – Novooleksandrivka and Spirne, a day after Russian forces claimed control of them. The evening report said fighting continued near both localities.

The evening report identified the Pokrovsk front as the theatre of the fiercest fighting. At least 44 Russian assaults had been repelled in the last 24 hours, with 14 clashes still going on.

The military said Russia maintained a military presence across the border from Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv and Sumy regions, adding that Moscow’s forces were increasing the density of minefields and conducting sabotage activities.

That area is under scrutiny for any sign that Russia plans to open a new front to pressure Ukraine‘s outnumbered defenders.

It was the second day in succession that Moscow has announced the capture of new localities. Russia has announced a string of incremental gains since capturing the city of Avdiivka in Donetsk region in February.

Donetsk and Kharkiv regions remain focal points along the 1,000km (600-mile) frontline in Ukraine’s east and south.