Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia warns Europe of 'prepared answer' if West seizes assets; Sunak to announce UK's largest military aid package for Ukraine

Ahead of his trip to Poland this afternoon, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During the call, Mr Sunak assured Mr Zelenskyy of the "UK's steadfast support for Ukraine's defence against Russia's brutal and expansionist ambitions", a Downing Street spokesperson said.

The prime minister also confirmed that the UK will provide an additional £500m in immediate funding - which will include 60 boats, more than 400 vehicles and over 1,600 missiles.

"President Zelenskyy thanked the prime minister for the UK's continued support, saying the new military assistance would make a material difference to ordinary Ukrainians fighting on the frontline to defend their country," the spokesperson said. 

Mr Sunak said he will use his trip to Poland and Germany to "galvanise the international community to support Ukraine's defence".

In a tweet, Mr Zelenskyy said...

The Russian ministry of defence has claimed to have taken control of Novmykhalivka - a town which could lead to further settlements. 

Although the town has no military significance, it lies on roads that lead to settlements that straddle the Sukhiy Yaly River, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Russian forces reportedly entered the town on 9 February and completely cleared it in 73 days - covering a distance of under 5km.

The 79th Separate Air Assault Tavriia Brigade reportedly stated the operation required 30,000 Russian personnel.

The MoD said Russian forces would now likely seek to advance towards the town of Kostyantynivka - which lies 18 miles west of Bakhmut.

Ukraine's anti-corruption agency is treating agriculture minister Mykola Solsky as a suspect in an investigation into the illegal acquisition of state-owned land worth 291 million hryvnia (£5.9m), according to Ukrainian media.

Mr Solsky has overseen the grain industry since his appointment in March 2022. 

In a statement, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine said it had uncovered a scheme led by a current minister.

Although Mr Solsky was not named directly, it said the suspect was the former chairman of the parliamentary agrarian committee, a post held by Mr Solsky before he became agriculture minister.

If confirmed, Mr Solsky would be the first known government minister under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be named as a suspect in a corruption case.

​ The Kremlin has launched an operation to convince Ukrainians to flee Kharkiv - Ukraine's second-largest city - ahead of a possible future offensive, analysts have claimed.

Back in March, Russian state television propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said  forces should destroy Kharkiv City "quarter by quarter" and suggested offering Ukrainian civilians 48 hours to leave the city.

Reports from Russian neo-nationalist publication Tsargrad amplified these calls last week, citing several unspecified military sources in saying a Russian offensive operation was inevitable and that the situation in Kharkiv City would become "worse than Bakhmut and Avdiivka".

Despite these warnings, the Institute for the Study of War said the likelihood of a successful Russian ground offensive in the city was very low if Ukraine received renewed US military aid rapidly.

Moscow has recently stepped up its attacks, while Ukraine is suffering a shortage of air defence capabilities. 

Kharkiv and the surrounding region have experienced the most intense strikes. 

Yesterday, a 240-metre television tower in Kharkiv broke in half and fell to the ground after what local officials said was a Russian missile attack. 

The broadcasting signal was disrupted and smoke rose into the sky as the tower hit the ground.

Rishi Sunak is to announce the UK's largest military aid package to Ukraine during a trip to Poland later today. 

Some 400 vehicles, 60 boats, 1,600 strike and air defence missiles, and four million rounds of ammunition are included in the package.

The announcement comes during a downswing for Ukraine as Russian forces have been gaining the upper hand in recent weeks.

The latest aid package will take the UK to £3bn in military aid to Ukraine this financial year.

Read the full story below...

Ukrainian defence officials have launched a recruitment effort to try to get civilians to sign up for the army. 

Adverts on job sites, billboards and social media posts have been set up in addition to outreach centres in an attempt to conscript people. 

Candidates who sign up are able to select their precise unit and role, as well as how long they will serve.

In a campaign video, troops in the 93rd Mechanised Brigade are heard saying: "Everyone can do it!"

Kyiv is desperate to replenish its depleted forces, which are vastly outnumbered and outgunned by Russia.

The initial patriotic flood of volunteers who flocked to the army following the invasion in February 2022 has dried up, with many people going to lengths to avoid conscription. 

Current law states that Ukrainian men aged 18 or older have to abide to mandatory conscription.

But last week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a new law which will make basic military training mandatory for all men starting from September 2025.

Nine people have been injured in the Black Sea port of Odesa after a Russian drone attack, Ukrainian military officials have said. 

Four of the injured were infants and children, all of whom have been hospitalised.

The governor of the Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said three adults were also injured and at least 14 flats were damaged.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force said it destroyed 15 out of 16 drones over the regions of Odesa, Kyiv, Mykolaiv and Cherkasy.

The air force said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that Russia also launched two short-range Iskander ballistic missiles.

It provided no further information on what happened to the missiles.

Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

This morning, Russia said it had prepared a response in the event the West seizes its frozen assets in favour of Ukraine.

Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of the Russian upper house of parliament, was quoted by the state news agency RIA as saying: "We have a prepared answer.

"We have a draft law, which we are ready to consider immediately, on retaliatory measures. And the Europeans will lose more than we do."

It comes as top officials in the US want to seize nearly $300bn (£243bn) of Russian assets to help support Ukraine.

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Saturday that would allow the confiscation of these assets, though some bankers and European officials are worried that simply taking them would create a dangerous precedent.

Before we bring you today's updates, here is a reminder of what's happened in the past 24 hours: 

• Rishi Sunak is to announce a £500m military aid package to Ukraine alongside the UK's largest provision of munitions so far;
  
• A television tower in Ukraine's city of Kharkiv broke in half and fell to the ground, after what local officials said was likely a Russian missile attack;
  
• Joe Biden has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the US will send air defence weapons once the Senate approves a massive national security aid package that includes $61bn (£49bn) for Ukraine;
  
• Meta Platforms spokesperson Andy Stone has been sentenced to six years in prison by a military court in Moscow.
  

We've been keeping across the main developments in the Ukraine war today while our live coverage is paused - here's what's been happening.

Russian's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said the support of the United States, Britain and France for Ukraine could lead to a direct confrontation between the world's largest nuclear powers. 

"The Westerners are teetering dangerously on the brink of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences," he said. 

"Of particular concern is the fact that it is the 'troika' of Western nuclear states that are among the key sponsors of the criminal Kyiv regime, the main initiators of various provocative steps. 

"We see serious strategic risks in this, leading to an increase in the level of nuclear danger." 

Poland offers to host NATO nuclear weapons

Meanwhile, Poland is prepared to host nuclear weapons belonging to other members of NATO, its president has said.

Andrzej Duda said that was in response to Russia moving nuclear weapons to neighbouring Belarus.

"If there were a decision by our allies to deploy nuclear weapons within the nuclear sharing, also on our territory, in order to strengthen the security of NATO's eastern flank, we are ready," Mr Duda told the Fakt newspaper.

Promise of no 'delays or bottlenecks' on new US aid 

After a massive aid deal for Ukraine finally passed through the US House of Representatives (see post below), the Biden administration wants to start moving weapons and equipment into the country within days of its anticipated final approval, an official has said.

The legislation includes £48bn in military aid for Kyiv.  

The Senate is expected to pass it this week.

It will then go to Mr Biden.

Ammunition, air defence system interceptors and long-range weapons can begin moving "within days" once the bill has become law, a US official told Reuters.

"There won't be any delays or bottlenecks on the US side," the official said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed the new package from Washington will make little difference.

"The Russian armed forces are improving their positions at the front," he told reporters. 

"The money allocated and the weapons that will be supplied will not change this dynamic." 

Russia 'takes control of Ukrainian village'

Russia's defence ministry has claimed its forces have taken control of the Ukrainian village of Novomykhailivka, 25 miles southwest of Donetsk.

Ukraine's general staff said their forces continued to resist Russian attempts to advance near the village. 

Meta spokesperson sentenced for 'publicly defending terrorism'

Meta Platforms spokesperson Andy Stone has been sentenced to six years in prison by a military court in Moscow.

The jail term was handed down in absentia, RIA news agency reported.

Meta is designated an extremist organisation in Russia, while its Facebook and Instagram apps have been banned in the country since the Ukraine War began in February 2022.

RIA said state investigators accused Mr Stone of publishing online comments that defended "aggressive, hostile and violent actions" towards Russian soldiers involved in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.