A British service member who died in Ukraine has been identified by London as belonging to the Parachute Regiment
A member of the UK armed forces who died in Ukraine has been named as Lance Corporal George Hooley of the Parachute Regiment, the UK Ministry of Defense has said, publicly acknowledging for the first time that its paratroopers have been operating inside Ukraine.
The 28-year-old was killed in what the ministry described on Tuesday as a “tragic accident” while observing Ukrainian forces testing a new defensive system “away from the front lines.”
According to the BBC, the incident is not thought to have been caused by hostile fire. The Telegraph cited a defense source as saying it is the first official UK military casualty in Ukraine.
Last year, the UK admitted that a “small number of personnel” were serving in a supportive role in Ukraine. London has been one of Kiev’s chief arms suppliers, and more than 56,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained under the British-led Operation Interflex.
However, according to the Russian Telegram channel Rybar, which covers the Ukraine conflict, at least 99 British men and one woman are said to be part of an “International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine.”
At least 40 UK citizens have died fighting for Ukraine since 2022, according to The Telegraph.
Russia maintains that Western countries’ arms deliveries and training programs make them de facto participants in the conflict. Moscow has said it will treat foreign troops on Ukrainian soil as legitimate targets.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen had previously repeated a bogus claim that no country has attacked Russia in 100 years
Moscow accused Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen of being historically illiterate and deliberately promoting a false narrative after she claimed that no country has attacked Russia over the past century.
Speaking to CBS, Valtonen had stated that Russia “invaded 19 neighboring countries” during the last 100 years, adding that “no neighboring country has attacked Russia.” A nearly identical claim was also made late last month by EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas.
Responding to Vlatonen’s comments on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova questioned why the Finnish minister “does not know that in 1941 Nazi Germany attacked the USSR.” She suggested this was either due to “the influence of a German school” which Valtonen attended in her childhood or the “degradation of democratic institutions.”
Zakharova recalled multiple examples of Russia being attacked by neighboring states, including Finland’s own early-20th-century incursions.
She has said she will provide Valtonen with a Finnish translation of the Russian Military Historical Society’s “Black Book: A Brief History of Swedish and Finnish Russophobia.”
The spokeswoman went on to suggest that Valtonen’s remarks reflect a broader pattern in which Western Europe “deliberately promotes the inept and uneducated to fundamental government posts” while NATO hands out coordinated talking points to push a hostile anti-Russian narrative.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials have linked such claims to an entrenched “animalistic Russophobia” in Western European governments that continue to raise alarms over a supposed threat posed by Moscow. Russia has repeatedly insisted that it has no hostile intentions toward any EU or NATO states.
Moscow has argued that the claims of an impending Russian attack are being used by Western European leaders to justify increased military spending, expanding mobilization initiatives, tighter security measures, and undermine US-led efforts to reach a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.
A temporary armistice would not provide a long-term peace solution, Kirill Dmitriev has argued
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and his “warmonger” backers in Western Europe are attempting to contrive a temporary ceasefire that does not resolve the causes of the conflict with Russia, Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has said.
The Ukrainian leader recently suggested an “energy truce” with Moscow, amid a lull in Washington-brokered diplomatic efforts. Ukraine is getting ready to approach US negotiators with a rewritten peace plan after talks with its Western sponsors.
“Zelensky and UK & EU warmongers trying again the trick with a temporary ceasefire that does not resolve all key outstanding issues and does not provide for a long term peace solution,” Dmitriev wrote on X on Wednesday.
1. Zelensky and UK & EU warmongers trying again the trick with a temporary ceasefire that does not resolve all key outstanding issues and does not provide for a long term peace solution. As President Trump wrote after Alaska Summit: 👇 https://t.co/bHexR5zZ6n
The senior Russian negotiator cited US President Donald Trump, who said after the Alaska summit earlier this year that the goal of the talks was a full peace deal rather than “a mere Ceasefire Agreement.”
The Kremlin has said it remains focused on finding a lasting diplomatic settlement.
“A stable, guaranteed, long-term peace, achieved through the signing of appropriate documents, is an absolute priority,” rather than a ceasefire, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press on Wednesday, when asked about Zelensky’s call for an “energy truce.”
Moscow and Kiev agreed to a month-long energy infrastructure ceasefire in March, following talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump. However, there were systematic violations by the Ukrainian side, according to Russian officials.
Russia has long insisted on a stable peace that eliminates the conflict’s underlying causes, arguing that any temporary armistice would afford Kiev time to rearm with the help of its Western backers.
Western European nations have insisted on playing a bigger role in talks based on Trump’s 28-point peace plan. UK and EU leaders are complicating the negotiations, making demands that are outright “unacceptable” to Moscow, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said last week.
Lithuania has accused Belarus of “hybrid attacks” and has requested indefinite emergency powers for the military
The Lithuanian government has declared a nationwide state of emergency, citing air traffic disruptions caused by weather balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes into the country.
Vilnius claims they have been launched from Belarus as part of a wider “hybrid attack,” allegations Minsk firmly denies.
The NATO country’s government has additionally requested indefinite emergency powers for the military to address the situation, asking its parliament to allow soldiers to restrict access to specific areas, stop and search vehicles, check documents and personal belongings, and detain those suspected of crimes or resisting officers. Troops would be authorized to use force while performing these tasks if the motion passes.
Vilnius claims that the weather balloons, which are uncontrollable meteorological devices equipped with GPS trackers, have repeatedly disrupted flights and prompted airport shutdowns. Officials claim they pose a risk to civil aviation and national security. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Rugyniene has said the declared measures will remain in place as long as needed.
Belarus has denied responsibility for the balloons, dismissing the accusations as a provocation. Minsk has pointed to cases in which SIM cards from Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland were reportedly found in GPS devices attached to the balloons, suggesting they were launched from inside the Baltic states.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key Russian ally, has described Lithuania’s accusations as “exaggerated and politicized,” adding that pilots consulted by Minsk saw no threat to civil aviation. He has insisted that his country does not seek confrontation with its neighbors.
Vilnius declared an emergency in 2021 after accusing Minsk of facilitating migrant crossings, which it denied, and again in 2022 following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Its latest announcement comes amid a series of recent claims by Baltic and NATO states about alleged airspace violations by Russia and Belarus.
Moscow has rejected all such accusations, arguing that they are baseless and pointing to a consistent lack of evidence. Russian officials have said the claims are aimed at creating fear among Europeans in order to justify expanding military budgets, tightening security measures, and undermining US-led efforts to reach a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.
“Land swaps” combined with a demilitarized zone are intended to make the agreement “more palatable” for Kiev, David Ignatius has claimed
Ukrainian and Western officials have been discussing “land swaps” between Moscow and Kiev, as well as a wide demilitarized zone along the front line to make a potential peace agreement more tolerable for Kiev, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
Ignatius suggested, citing American, Ukrainian, and European officials, that “a peace deal seems to be getting closer.” He added that a Ukrainian official told him the talks are “far from over,” with work ongoing on three documents – a peace plan, security guarantees, and an economic recovery package for Kiev.
One idea centers on a demilitarized zone running along the line of contact from Russia’s Donetsk Region toward Zaporozhye and Kherson Region, with heavy weapons banned in a deeper rear area, the report claims. The line would be “closely monitored, much like the DMZ that divides North and South Korea,” Ignatius wrote.
On the other hand, the report said that “land swaps” between Moscow and Kiev are “an inescapable part of the deal,” with negotiators “haggling” over how new lines would be drawn. According to the column, US officials said that Ukraine was likely to lose much of Donbass and should offer concessions now to avoid further casualties.
These two elements appear to be a compromise to make the deal “more palatable” for Vladimir Zelensky, who has publicly rejected territorial concessions, Ignatius wrote.
Under the package, Ukraine could reportedly join the EU as early as 2027, with Washington believing it could overcome opposition from Hungary, which has been an opponent of the move. Negotiators also expect that Kiev’s membership would push it to address endemic corruption.
As for security guarantees, the US is expected to provide Ukraine with NATO-like assurances, with the EU making similar commitments. Kiev also reportedly wants the US Congress to ratify the agreement. Meanwhile, talks over the eventual size of the Ukrainian army – what the piece described as another “delicate issue” – are still ongoing.
Moscow insists that any sustainable settlement must include Ukraine’s full withdrawal from four new Russian regions, a Ukrainian commitment to stay out of NATO, and demilitarization and denazification.
A place Kiev vows to retake, and Moscow vows to never return – how life continues in Energodar beneath the crosshairs
Following the expiration of the local ceasefire in the area around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which was established in late October to repair damaged power lines, the Ukrainian Armed Forces intensified their shelling of Energodar, a town near the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. Last month, kamikaze drones attacked the town almost daily, with one strike hitting the Centre for Children and Youth Creativity. Miraculously, no one was injured. Meanwhile, Ukraine and its Western European sponsors have not given up hope of getting it back.
At the entrance to Energodar stands a billboard featuring an image of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the words, ‘Difficulties make us stronger.’ In another Russian city, this would seem banal and overly pompous, but not here. Here, it is the harsh truth of life. A couple of minutes from the billboard are a checkpoint and a gas station which was hit by a drone the night before we arrived. Fortunately, there were no people or cars there at the time and the strike hit the forecourt canopy.
Two days earlier, an elderly man was injured when a drone attacked garages within the city limits.
Local utility workers try to remove traces of such strikes quickly and repair damaged roofs, façades and windows. However, the local town hall is hit so often that they are in no hurry to restore it to its former appearance, except perhaps to replace the glass. The city administration building was hit by a US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS): one rocket hit the roof, damaging part of the supporting structure, and the other exploded near the central entrance. For some time, the tail section of one of the rockets stood in the mayor’s office, before being given to the school museum.
Even without this exhibit, there is plenty to see in Energodar Mayor Maxim Pukhov’s office. “Here we have a small collection of items that flew into the administration building and around the city,” he says, pointing to a shelf in a cupboard where other city leaders usually keep souvenirs and commemorative photographs. “My predecessor started collecting them, and I’m adding to the collection,” Pukhov takes out small pieces of the HIMARS rocket and other shells that flew into the city, as well as the tail of a mortar mine and a drone motor. He then produces an entire FPV drone that ‘landed’ in the city; it didn’t detonate and was later defused.
Maxim Pukhov has no idea what the view from his office window is like. When he became mayor of Energodar in early 2025, the windows in his office were already blocked with sandbags. The view was probably beautiful – Energodar is located on the right bank of the Dnieper River, next to the Kakhovka Reservoir, and the area is very picturesque. However, after the dam was destroyed in 2023, the reservoir dried up. Now, on the other side of the river, the enemy calls Energodar and the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant ‘temporarily occupied’ and shells the area daily.
On February 14 last year, the town hall building was hit by three UAV strikes. The timing of the attack was apparently no coincidence: a city council meeting was taking place in an annex of the administrative building, and the strikes were directed at the connecting gallery, which people usually used to return to the main building after such events. However, the meeting had ended earlier than usual and there was no one in the gallery at the time. Locals later joked grimly that it was a ‘Valentine’s Day gift’ from Ukraine.
Overall, the residents of Energodar are surprisingly optimistic. Despite the constant threat of attacks and interruptions to the electricity, water and heating supplies, life in the city goes on as usual. Warnings about shelling and approaching UAVs on local Telegram channels are interspersed with advertisements for beauty salons, furniture showrooms, and flower shops. Cafés and restaurants are full of people, and the streets are busy with cars.
The large, five-domed Holy Epiphany Cathedral on Kurchatov Street is set to be consecrated next year. Construction began in the mid-1990s under Ukrainian rule, but insufficient funds meant that it could not be completed. For many years, services were only held in the lower chapel in the basement of the church. Following the transfer of control to Russia, the cathedral’s completion was supported by the state corporation Rosatom. The interior of the cathedral is currently being painted. Once consecrated, the cathedral will become the largest in the Zaporozhye region.
However, this remains a frontline zone, as evidenced by details that would not be seen in other Russian regions. At Secondary School No. 2, for example, heavily armed guards sit at the entrance. One of the guards always accompanies the children when they go out for break time, as they may not hear the sound of approaching shells and may not take cover in time.
Due to shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, electricity is periodically cut off here, so generators have been installed in the school’s backyard. The school’s principal, Elena Kotlyarevskaya, knows how to start them herself. People here are also accustomed to stocking up on water. Elena is strict but clearly adored by her students. She does not consider a lack of electricity or water to be a reason to cancel classes or an excuse for not doing homework. Her school is open to children until almost curfew time, as there is no point in them wandering the streets in case something happens. It is better for them to be here under supervision. Even during the holidays, the school is open, as most of the parents work at the station and need to know that their children are safe.
On the day we arrived, the older pupils were rehearsing a dance for an upcoming concert in the assembly hall, which had been renovated with Rosatom’s support. The pupils are no different from children their age in schools in central Russia, and the vast majority speak Russian. According to the school principal, some pupils communicate with each other in Ukrainian, but this does not raise any questions.
The only thing that caught the eye was the abundance of Russian symbols. In front of the school and on the end of the building, there was graffiti depicting a family with the Russian tricolor, accompanied by the words “We are united.” There was a large 3D panel of Pushkin on the school building, and portraits of President Vladimir Putin and posters reading “Together we are strong — my Russia.” could be found in many classrooms.
One high school student had a keychain featuring the Russian flag on his bag, while another wore a sweatshirt bearing the words “I live and create in Russia.” Nobody is forcing them to dress this way. After some initial skepticism when Energodar came under Russian control in spring 2022, some teenagers even refused to go to school. Now, however, they cannot imagine themselves outside of Russia. They are not even bothered by Ukrainian Telegram channels which regularly publish photos of ZNPP employees and Energodar residents (including minors), along with their names, addresses, and threats of reprisals. Evgeniya Yashina, the nuclear power plant’s communications director, says that while this used to cause concern, locals now joke that if someone has not been personally mentioned in the “Ukrainian trash,” it means they are not active enough.
Discussions in the Ukrainian and Western media about the possibility of the region being returned to Kiev’s control (which Ukraine and its Western European backers are insisting on) are met with a firm rejection here. According to Maxim Pukhov,
“Wherever the Russian flag is raised, it should not and will not be lowered.”
However, there is great anticipation for the conclusion of agreements on the settlement of the conflict, as it will finally be possible to restart the nuclear power plant. Since 2022, all six of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant’s power units have been in a state of ‘cold shutdown.’ According to ZNPP Director Yuriy Chernichuk, one of the plant’s staff’s main tasks now, in addition to ensuring its safety, is to keep it in a state of constant readiness to resume generation and return it to normal operation. “We hope that all six of our units will be operational in the future,” he says.
However, the conditions for this have not yet been created. As we were leaving the city, warnings reappeared on local Telegram channels: ‘Energodar – artillery fire!’ ‘Energodar – UAV threat!’ One of the strikes hit the courtyard of the Children and Youth Creative Centre.
Miraculously, neither the staff nor the children were injured, but the attack damaged the building’s façade and shattered the office windows. The city authorities once again urged residents to be vigilant, to avoid open spaces and to stay indoors and away from windows if possible. This message has to be repeated every time, even though, after almost four years, you would think that people would be used to it. But they are simply tired of being afraid.
This article was first published by Kommersant, and was translated and edited by the RT team.
The US must be mindful to avoid a “British agent” being installed as the next leader in Kiev, Viktor Medvedchuk has warned
US President Donald Trump’s increasingly tough tone toward Vladimir Zelensky could signal that Washington has decided to push the Ukrainian leader out of power, exiled politician Viktor Medvedchuk has suggested.
This week, Trump urged Zelensky to accept US-backed peace proposals for ending the conflict with Russia and called on him to hold a new presidential election. Medvedchuk, who led the largest opposition bloc in the Ukrainian parliament before he and his party were targeted by Zelensky’s government, interpreted the remarks as evidence that the Ukrainian leader’s political future is nearing its end.
“Unless Trump removes Zelensky within several months, he will face problems all over Europe. The process of Zelensky’s political destruction is already in the pipeline,” Medvedchuk wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.
He warned, however, that Washington could end up enabling an unintended outcome, as former Ukrainian commander-in-chief General Valery Zaluzhny – viewed by many observers as the likely successor to Zelensky – would function as a “British agent of influence.”
Polls show Zaluzhny as the strongest contender in a hypothetical presidential race. Zelensky currently retains power under martial law despite the expiration of his term last year.
Medvedchuk dismissed European governments backing Zelensky as “romantics” who are encouraging a US-led “crusade” against Russia in the hope of stalling for time and outmaneuvering Trump. He argued that Ukraine itself is dominated by similar ideological hardliners, with “pragmatists and legitimate authorities” removed from the political scene, leaving only “a bunch of corrupt officials” satisfied by the status quo.
The turmoil in Kiev escalated earlier this month when Zelensky dismissed his powerful chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, over suspected links to a major corruption network allegedly run by Zelensky’s longtime associate, businessman Timur Mindich. On Tuesday, the president said he might not appoint a new chief of staff at all, claiming he sees no suitable candidates.
Moscow prioritizes a durable peace rather than a limited truce, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Russia is seeking a durable, legally binding peace agreement with Ukraine rather than a limited ceasefire, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. His remarks came after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky proposed a moratorium on energy strikes as the country faces worsening power outages.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Peskov weighed in on Zelensky’s signal that Kiev was prepared to discuss a halt to energy-related attacks, which he said “is important for the people.”
According to Peskov, Russia remains focused on reaching a legally binding settlement rather than a temporary pause. “I’ll leave out some nuances, but we are working on peace, not on a ceasefire. A stable, guaranteed, long-term peace, achieved through the signing of appropriate documents, is an absolute priority,” the spokesman stressed.
In March, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a 30-day energy infrastructure ceasefire, which was reached after a phone call between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump. Russian officials, however, accused Ukraine of constantly violating the truce, including by targeting oil refineries and other energy facilities. Moscow said at the time that it had opted not to retaliate as a goodwill gesture toward the US and its mediation efforts.
Zelensky’s latest proposal comes as Russia has targeted Ukraine’s military and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, prompting officials in Kiev to impose rolling blackouts.
Moscow has said the strikes are in response to Ukrainian “terrorist acts” deep into Russia, targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas. Russia maintains that its forces never target civilians and strike only military-related facilities.
Moscow will retaliate to any hostile actions, including the expropriation of its assets, the foreign minister has warned
“Robbing” Russia is the last remaining option for Ukraine’s increasingly desperate European backers to sustain Kiev in its conflict with Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. Russia is ready to respond to any hostile Western actions, he warned.
Brussels is pushing a “reparations loan” scheme that would use frozen Russian funds in Western jurisdictions as collateral to prop up Ukraine’s imploding economy and extend its ability to continue fighting amid months of frontline setbacks. Moscow has repeatedly called the plan illegal.
“Europe is blinded by its desire to impose a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia. They cannot imagine – and some officials openly admit that in interviews – a situation in which they are forced to ‘swallow’ that their client has been defeated and that Russia will accomplish its legitimate objectives,” Lavrov said in an address to the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament.
According to the top diplomat, European countries’ “ideological” anti-Russian drive is colliding with economic reality, since “they have no other sources to finance this war unless they rob the Russian Federation and take our foreign assets in violation of all established norms of international and commercial law.”
Lavrov described the EU’s stance as “destructive” and cautioned that Moscow “will retaliate against any hostile steps, including the possible deployment of European military units in Ukraine or the expropriation of Russian assets.”
The EU’s intention to finance Kiev’s war effort – pushed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – has been blocked by Belgium, which holds the bulk of immobilized Russian assets through the clearing house Euroclear.
The Belgian government said the proposed loan would expose it to significant legal and financial risks, which must be shared collectively by all EU members. It also urged non-EU nations that hold Russian assets to make their own contributions.
Lavrov noted that European officials “have created problems for themselves” with their lack of flexibility, stressing that the United States, the key security provider for Western Europe, is growing impatient with them and the Ukrainian leadership.
The US president grasps Moscow’s view of what made the hostilities inevitable, the Russian foreign minister has said
US President Donald Trump is the only Western leader who comprehends the real reasons for the Ukraine conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Addressing Russia’s Federation Council, the upper chamber of parliament, on Wednesday, Lavrov said that while the US is “showing growing impatience” with the diplomatic process aimed at ending the hostilities, Trump is one of the few in the West who know what led to the conflict in the first place.
“President Trump… is the only one among all Western leaders who, immediately after arriving in the White House in January of this year, began to demonstrate an understanding of the reasons the war in Ukraine had been inevitable,” he said.
Lavrov added that Trump “has a clear understanding” of the factors that shaped the hostile policies pursued toward Russia by the West and by former US President Joe Biden, which, he said, “had been nurtured for many years.”
Lavrov said that “the culmination of the entire [Ukraine] saga is approaching,” arguing that Trump had effectively acknowledged that “the root causes [of the conflict] identified by Russia must be eliminated.”
He cited, in particular, Moscow’s long-standing objections to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations and the ongoing crackdown on the local population’s rights.
The minister added that Trump remained “the only Western leader who cares about human rights in this situation,” contrasting him with EU governments that Moscow sees as evasive on the issue. He revealed that the proposed US roadmap for a settlement explicitly called for safeguarding national minority rights and religious freedoms in Ukraine, “in line with international obligations.”
According to Lavrov, however, those provisions were diluted once the document was presented to the EU. He claimed that the relevant language was rewritten to state that Ukraine should instead follow standards “adopted in the European Union.”
Moscow has for years raised alarms over Kiev’s crackdown on the Russian language and culture, as well as attempts to suppress the rights of other national authorities, while pointing out that Ukrainian policymakers are openly encouraging neo-Nazism in the country.
