Russia Ukraine war live: Zelensky says Putin has not broken Ukrainians on fourth anniversary of invasion – UK Times

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian officials of playing games in the peace talks in an interview ahead of the war entering fifth year.

“Russians are playing games” and not serious about bringing the war to a close, Zelensky said responding to a question on how the peace talks were progressing, speaking from his presidential office in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian leader has also accused Vladimir Putin of using overtures to Donald Trump to weaken Kyiv’s negotiating position.

“I see it, because they are very poor actors. They are playing with Trump and playing with the entire world. That’s how it is,” Zelensky said.

“Putin thinks he looks convincing and that he can be trusted. No — he is a bad actor,” he said.

An unidentified attacker detonated an explosive device next to a police patrol vehicle in central Moscow early on Tuesday, killing himself and one officer, while injuring two others, officials have confirmed.

The incident occurred just after midnight near the Savyolovsky Train Station in the Russian capital’s downtown area, according to Moscow’s Interior Ministry branch. The assailant reportedly approached a traffic police car before detonating the device, resulting in the immediate death of an officer and hospitalisation for two colleagues.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry into the attack. No details regarding the assailant’s identity, potential motives, or further specifics have been released.

When war in Ukraine broke out in 2022, Olena Kutsa was five months pregnant.

As Russian troops rolled and explosions echoed across the country, the Head of Emergency Response for the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, who was five-months pregnant, left her home – not knowing If she would ever return.

Olena moved into her office alongside 25 volunteers. The building became both coordination hub and temporary home as sirens wailed outside. Sleeping bags were laid out on floors. Phones rang constantly. Supplies came and went in a blur of urgency.

Four years on, Olena reflects on four long years with a mixture of resolve and quiet disbelief. Her child is now old enough to ask questions about the sirens.

Ukraine has defended its independence and exists not only on the world map, Volodymyr Zelensky has said as Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country marked the fourth anniversary.

“Putin has not achieved his goals. He has not broken the Ukrainian people. He has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to achieve peace. And to ensure justice,” the Ukrainian president said in a televised address.

An unidentified assailant detonated an explosive device next to a patrol vehicle in Moscow in the early hours today, killing himself and a police officer, and leaving two other officers injured, officials said.

The attack happened minutes after midnight near the Savyolovsky Train Station in the Russian capital’s downtown, according to Moscow’s branch of the Interior Ministry.

It said the assailant approached a traffic police vehicle and detonated an explosive device, killing an officer on the spot and injuring two others, who were hospitalised.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said it has launched a probe into the attack. It didn’t name the assailant or give any information about his possible motives or any further details.

The attack came on the day marking the fourth anniversary of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops into Ukraine.

Safe to say, things have not gone to plan. Ukrainian territory has been occupied, too often after being razed to the ground, and force has been used to the most obscene degree against the civilian population.

Yet, after some successful Ukrainian counterattacks, Russia today occupies less of Ukraine’s sovereign territory than in the early stages of the war, and its military has proved to be poorly trained, badly led, ill equipped, undisciplined, and not entirely loyal – as was demonstrated by the rebellion staged by the Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, which came surprisingly close to toppling the Russian president himself.

Volodymyr Zelensky declared on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine that World War Three had already begun.

His statement reflected the increasingly global nature of Russia’s war, which has seen troops from countries across the world brought in to either bolster Putin’s aggression or support Ukraine’s resistance.

Since February 2022, around 55,000 Ukrainians have been killed in bitter fighting on the frontlines, according to Ukrainian estimates. Russia has suffered an estimated 1.2 million casualties, including at least 325,000 deaths, according to recent analysis.

Some 20,000 men from overseas are now estimated to have joined Russia’s invasion. Many have been falsely sold the promise of lucrative employment away from the frontlines. Ukraine has offered professional soldiers fixed contracts paying rates higher than what they could earn at home.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now been raging for four years – and despite repeated attempts at peace talks brokered by the US, there appears to be no end in sight.

As the war marks the grim anniversary milestone on Tuesday, the bloody war of attrition continues, having claimed the lives of more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians.

In the last year, Moscow has ramped up its use of drones by 200 per cent, regularly launching hundreds of strikes from unmanned aircraft.

Vladimir Putin’s forces have also increasingly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions without power or heat as they face their coldest winter in years, with temperatures as low as -26C.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian officials of playing games in the peace talks in an interview ahead of the war entering fifth year.

“Russians are playing games” and not serious about bringing the war to a close, Zelensky said responding to a question on how the peace talks were progressing, speaking from his presidential office in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian leader has also accused Vladimir Putin of using overtures to Donald Trump to weaken Kyiv’s negotiating position.

“I see it, because they are very poor actors. They are playing with Trump and playing with the entire world. That’s how it is,” Zelensky said.

“Putin thinks he looks convincing and that he can be trusted. No — he is a bad actor,” he said.

The Kremlin’s efforts to push greater control over the information space with restrictions on Whatsapp and Telegram has caused domestic trouble in Russia.

Russia’s reliance on Telegram as the most widely used social media platform for communication and access to information, says Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of Russian political analysts R.Politik and senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

“Although preparations for such a move had been evident, the decision nonetheless came as a shock to many, including senior officials, businesses, and representatives of the pro-war community,” she said.

The move “has triggered unexpected internal resistance across the elite, including from domestic policy overseers, regional authorities, parts of United Russia, the military, pro-war bloggers and even the systemic opposition,” analysts have said.

She added that while the systemic opposition’s decision to speak out against the measure carries no tangible political weight, “it signals emerging discrepancies within the ruling elite”.

“The FSB, which stands behind the decision, was compelled to justify its actions publicly,” she added.

“The measure is highly likely to be implemented, yet it will have a noticeable impact on public sentiment.”