Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky accuses Putin of spying with oil tankers as Trump ‘sort of’ decides on missiles for Kyiv – UK Times

Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russian forces had captured almost 5,000 square km (1,930 square miles) of land in Ukraine in 2025 and that Moscow retained complete strategic initiative on the battlefield.

Putin, addressing a meeting with Russian top military commanders, said Ukrainian forces were retreating in all sectors of the front. He said Kyiv was trying to strike deep into Russian territory, but it would not help it to change the situation in the more than 3 1/2-year-old war.

“At this time, the Russian armed forces fully hold the strategic initiative,” Putin told the meeting in northwestern Russia, according to a Kremlin transcript.

“This year, we have liberated nearly 5,000 square km of territory – 4,900 – and 212 localities.”

Ukrainian forces, he said, “are retreating throughout the line of combat contact, despite attempts at fierce resistance.”

Russia’s Defence Ministry on Tuesday reported the capture of two more villages along the front, which Ukraine’s top commander says now extends over 1,250 km (775 miles).

Ukrainian accounts of the situation on the front line say Kyiv’s forces have made gains in the Donetsk region, particularly near the town of Dobropillia. President Volodymyr Zelensky has also said Ukrainian forces have regained ground in the border Sumy region, where Russia has established a foothold.

Russia hosted a delegation of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government Tuesday and issued a strong warning against a foreign military presence in the country.

Speaking at the start of an international meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the Taliban government for efforts to combat the Islamic State and other extremist groups, as well as eradicate illegal drugs.

Lavrov emphasized that “the deployment of military infrastructure of any third countries on the territory of Afghanistan, as well as on the territories of neighboring states, is categorically unacceptable under any pretext.”

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Russia will send Dmitry Medvedev to North Korea for celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the country’s ruling party.

It comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joined Vladimir Putin and others at a Chinese military parade in Beijing last month.

China’s Premier Li Qiang will also travel to North Korea in its highest-level visit since 2019.

A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry called China and North Korea “traditional friends and neighbors” and said it is “an unswerving strategic policy” of the Chinese government and the ruling Communist Party “to maintain, consolidate and develop” relations with North Korea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of using oil tankers for intelligence gathering and sabotage operations.

Zelensky, writing in a post on Telegram after receiving a briefing from Ukraine’s foreign intelligence chief, said Ukraine was co-operating with allies on the matter.

“Currently, Russians are using tankers not only to earn money for the war, but also for reconnaissance and even sabotage activities. It is entirely possible to stop this.”

Russia and India have begun joint military drills in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan in a sign of deepening cooperation between Delhi and Moscow.

The Russian defence ministry said the “Indra 2025” drills would take place at the Mahajan range and continue until 15 October.

“The main goal of the drills is honing the cohesion of both countries’ units in the fight against terrorism, including the perfection of counter-terrorism operations’ tactics,” the ministry said.

Ukrainian soldiers carried out a successful counter-attack in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Kyiv’s military said.

The Skhval unit “eliminated” 50 Russian troops in a battle in Sichneve while eight others were taken prisoner, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Footage published on Telegram appeared to show Ukrainian troops advancing to a settlement and clearing out Russian positions. The footage could not be independently verified.

Sichneve lies at the administrative border with the key region of Donetsk, which Russian forces are desperate to capture.

Britain’s shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge has accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of “blaming Nato for provoking Putin”.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference, Mr Cartlidge said: “There are those who claim that Nigel Farage’s party are the true conservatives, but let us remind ourselves what happened when Putin launched his all-out invasion.

“On that day, what did Farage do? Whose side was he on as our continent was suddenly threatened with war for the first time since 1945? That day, he chose to blame Nato for provoking Putin.”

Farage has previously faced criticism for suggesting that the eastwards expansion of Nato was responsible for Russia’s invasion, rather than Putin’s imperialist ambitions.

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan told Vladimir Putin in a phone call that more momentum is needed to achieve peace in Ukraine, his office said.

The statement cited Erdogan as saying Turkey will continue to work for peace.

It said bilateral relations and regional and global issues, including Turkey’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, were also discussed on the call.