Ukraine-Russia war: Britain donates amphibious vehicles as Ukraine cements Dnipro foothold

Britain has agreed to donate scores of amphibious vehicles and raiding crafts to Ukraine as it cements its positions on the left bank of the Dnipro river.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said the UK would supply 20 Viking amphibious vehicles and 23 raiding crafts as part of a deal to strengthen its navy.

“Together, we will strengthen the Ukrainian navy, safeguard maritime transportation routes, and secure freedom of navigation,” president Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Vikings are armoured all-terrain vehicles which operate on tracks and were originally designed for the Royal Marines.

Ukrainian soldiers have cemented a bridgehead over the Dnipro north of Kherson city in recent weeks. The river separates the Russian-occupied and Ukrainian-controlled parts of the wider Kherson region.

03:19 PM GMT

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That’s all today from the Telegraph’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

03:17 PM GMT

Today's headlines

• Volodymyr Zelensky confronted Viktor Orban for a ‘frank’ conversation at the inauguration of new Argentina president Javier Milei

• Russia made confirmed advances at multiple points along the frontline over the weekend

• The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said as much as 40 per cent of all combat is now taking place near Avdiivka

• Russia said the annexed territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson would vote in 2024’s presidential elections

• Vladimir Putin unveiled a new nuclear submarine named after the reactionary tsar Alexander III

• Alexei Navalny has been removed from his prison colony to an unknown location, his lawyers said

• Ukraine released photos purporting to show the dead body of former MP Illia Kyva, who was assassinated by the SBU security service last week

03:16 PM GMT

Ukraine releases footage of assassinated 'traitor MP' to warn collaborators

Photos purporting to show the dead body of a former Ukrainian MP who was assassinated in a Moscow park by the Ukrainian security service (SBU) have emerged.

Ukraine’s state news agency, Ukrinform, released images that appear to show a body lying face down in blood-speckled snow.

“This is a signal to all traitors and war criminals who have flipped to the enemy side,” a source was quoted as saying. “Remember: Russia will not protect you.”

The body was said to be that of Illia Kyva, a pro-Russian former member of the Ukrainian parliament who fled to Russia after it invaded in February 2022.

His body was discovered in a park in the upmarket Odintsovo suburb of Moscow on Wednesday last week.

He was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison for high treason earlier this year after publicly calling for the occupation of Ukraine.

02:58 PM GMT

Zelensky hails new naval coalition with Britain and Norway

Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed a new naval coalition with Britain and Norway which aims to strengthen the Ukrainian navy.

“Together, we will strengthen the Ukrainian navy, safeguard maritime transportation routes, and secure freedom of navigation,” he said.

02:12 PM GMT

Navalny removed from prison colony to unknown location

Alexei Navalny has been removed from his prison colony to an unknown location, his spokeswoman has said.

Kira Yarmysh said the opposition politician had been due to appear via video link but did not. She said prison officials blamed it on electricity problems.

“It is already the sixth straight day that we don’t know where Alexei is and what is happening to him,” Ms Yarmysh wrote on X.

01:29 PM GMT

Netanyahu criticises Putin in phone call over Gaza truce call and Iran

Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised Vladimir Putin’s stance on a truce in Gaza and his co-operation with Iran in a call with the Russian president.

The Israeli prime minister told Mr Putin of his “dissatisfaction” with “positions expressed against Israel” at the United Nations and the “dangerous co-operation between Russia and Iran”.

On Friday, Russia backed a resolution at the UN security council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The United States vetoed it.

Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones for use in its war against Ukraine.

01:09 PM GMT

Polish truckers lift blockade at largest cargo crossing, says Ukraine

Polish truckers have lifted their blockade of the largest cargo border crossing with Ukraine, Ukrainian infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.

“The blockade of the Yahodyn-Dorogusk checkpoint is over, he said. “15 vehicles have crossed into Ukraine and are now at the crossing.

“In addition, 25 trucks are being cleared to head towards Poland.”

But union leader Tomasz Borkowski told Reuters that no deal had been reached on permanently ending the blockade.

Polish hauliers have been blocking lorries from crossing the Ukrainian border since November in protest against what they see as unfair competition.

12:49 PM GMT

Putin unveils nuclear submarine named after reactionary tsar

Vladimir Putin has unveiled two new nuclear submarines, one of which is named after a reactionary Russian tsar.

The Russian president attended a televised flag-raising ceremony in the northern city of Severodvinsk for the submarines, named Krasnoyarsk and Alexander III.

Alexander III was tsar from 1881 to 1894 and ruled autocratically, reversing liberal reforms passed by his father Alexander II and instituting Russification programmes.

“Soon the Alexander III and Krasnoyarsk will start keeping watch in the Pacific Ocean,” Mr Putin said.

12:31 PM GMT

Ukraine only a quarter of way to eradicating corruption

Ukraine is yet to tackle as much as three-quarters of corruption in the country, a European Union diplomat has said.

Asier Santillan Luzuriaga, head of rule of law in the EU’s delegation to Ukraine, said the country’s efforts to cleanse itself of graft would be “akin to a marathon”.

“It’s 42 kilometres, and you need to think for the future,” he said at an anti-corruption conference.

“In the marathon, we are now somewhere in the first 10 kilometres.”

The EU will only allow Ukraine to join the bloc if Ukraine makes significant progress in tackling corruption.

“We can help with advice, but the real work is for Ukraine to do,” added Wolfgang Nozar, another EU official.

12:13 PM GMT

West must send Putin a message and give Ukraine more aid, says Scholz

Olaf Scholz has called on the West to send a message to Vladimir Putin and send Ukraine more aid.

The German chancellor said the war would “drag on for a long time” and that the Russian president was counting on the West’s support for Ukraine diminishing.

“It would be a very important message if we told him: don’t count on it,” he told a press conference ahead of a meeting of European Union member states on Monday.

11:57 AM GMT

Russian shelling kills man in Kherson kitchen

A Ukrainian man has been killed in a kitchen after it was struck by Russian artillery shelling.

The room collapsed after the strike on Monday, killing the civilian and wounding another who was pulled out from the rubble alive.

Two other civilians were injured by Russian shelling in Kherson, officials said.

The Kherson prosecutor’s office said it had started a war crimes investigation after the attack.

11:37 AM GMT

Britain creates new unit to tackle sanctions evasion

Britain has created a new unit to tackle sanctions evasion.

The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) will oversee the enforcement of all sanctions, not just those against Russia.

“We are leaving no stone unturned in our commitment to stopping Putin’s war machine,” said industry and economic security minister Nusrat Ghani.

“That means clamping down on sanctions evaders and starving Russia of the technologies and revenues it needs to continue its illegal invasion.”

It is expected to start work at the beginning of 2024.

11:16 AM GMT

Russia will hold presidential elections in occupied Ukraine

Russia will hold next year’s presidential elections in the four occupied Ukrainian regions it annexed last year.

The country’s electoral commission said votes would be held in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as well as its internationally recognised territory.

Russia does not control the entirety of the four regions and martial law is in place in the areas it does hold.

11:00 AM GMT

Ukraine and Hungary foreign ministers to meet for first time since war began

Ukraine and Hungary’s foreign ministers will meet on Monday for the first time since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022.

Dmytro Kuleba and Peter Szijjarto will hold talks ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.

It comes ahead of a crunch EU summit later this week where member states will vote on whether to start accession talks with Kyiv.

10:46 AM GMT

Russian plane breakdowns 'trebled because of sanctions'

The number of Russian aircraft breaking down has trebled since the introduction of sanctions on spare parts and technical support.

More than 180 breakdowns have occurred since the start of the year compared to a pre-war average of 55, the Moscow Times reported.

Sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prohibited the supply of spare parts and technical support.

10:29 AM GMT

We killed 1,030 Russians and destroyed 19 tanks in 24 hours, says Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers killed 1,030 Russians and destroyed 19 tanks in the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian army’s general staff has said.

It also claimed to have destroyed 31 armoured vehicles and six artillery pieces in the same period.

09:54 AM GMT

Only one in 10 Americans support more aid for Ukraine

Only one in 10 Americans think the United States needs to send more aid to Ukraine, a poll has revealed.

A Financial Times-Michigan Ross poll found that just 11 per cent of voters believe the US is not spending enough on Ukraine, compared to 27 per cent who back current aid levels and 48 per cent who say too much is being spent.

The poll of 1,004 Americans comes amid the continuing deadlock in Congress over a proposed £48bn ($60bn) in new funding for Ukraine.

09:39 AM GMT

Hungary should not break European unity, says EU grandee

Hungary should not break “European unity” by vetoing Ukraine’s accession talks, the EU’s foreign policy chief has said.

“I hope that European unity will not be broken because this isn’t the moment to weaken our support to Ukraine,” said Josep Borrell ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister, said Hungary’s opposition to Ukrainian membership was “very, very deplorable”.

“It is crucial that we keep on aiding Ukraine for as long as it’s needed, and it’s not only for the cause of Ukraine, but also for our own cause,” she added.

Every EU member state needs to approve talks with a prospective new member before they can begin.

09:11 AM GMT

Nearly half of combat is near Avdiivka, says MoD

The eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka is seeing the “most intense” fighting anywhere in Ukraine with as much as 40 per cent of all combat taking place there, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

“As reflected in official Ukrainian public release data, on some days approaching 40 per cent of all combat engagements have likely taken place in this small sector,” it said.

“The Russian offensives have continued to be characterised by largely dismounted infantry assaults, often by Storm-Z penal units.”

The MoD added that Ukrainian forces have “likely conducted” successful counter-attacks.

09:00 AM GMT

Ukraine moves blocked lorries to Poland by rail

Ukraine has moved lorries to Poland by rail after roads were blocked by protesting truckers.

State railways company Ukrzaliznytsia said the trucks would “continue to their destination by road”.

Ukraine says 3,500 lorries are blocked on the Polish side of the border because of the disruption by disgruntled hauliers protesting against what they say is unfair competition.

Border blockades are also ongoing in Hungary and Slovakia.

08:44 AM GMT

EU failure to start Ukraine accession talks would be 'devastating'

It would be “devastating” if the European Union did not vote to start accession talks with Ukraine, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

“I cannot imagine, I don’t even want to talk about the devastating consequences that will occur shall the (European) Council fail to make this decision,” Kuleba told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The EU is meeting on Thursday and Friday to discuss commencing membership talks with Ukraine.

08:29 AM GMT

Britain donates £3.7m to Ukraine for war crimes investigations

Britain will donate £3.7million ($4.6million) to Ukraine to support war crimes investigations.

Ukrainian prosecutors have recorded more than 110,000 war crimes by Russian forces since the invasion in February 2022.

The funding will be used to train prosecutors in open-source intelligence techniques and preparing well-evidenced cases.

Tariq Ahmad, a foreign minister of state, said the package would help Ukraine “hold perpetrators to account and ensure that survivor-centered justice is served”.

The funding is in addition to a previous pledge of £2.5million ($3.1million).

08:07 AM GMT

Russia advances across entire front, says ISW

Russia made confirmed advances at multiple points along the frontline over the weekend, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank has said.

The ISW said Russian forces advanced to the north, west and south-west of Bakhmut, to the west of Donetsk city and also near Avdiivka.

The Ukrainian army’s general staff said on Sunday that 60 contacts took place over the course of the day.

“The enemy continues to conduct offensive actions along the entire frontline,” said Colonel General Alexander Syrsky, head of the Ukrainian army’s ground forces.

07:47 AM GMT

MoD: Russian winter energy grid bombings have begun

Russia’s long-awaited winter bombing campaign against Ukraine’s power grid has begun, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

In a defence intelligence briefing on Sunday, the MoD said Russian missile strikes on Kyiv on Thursday were likely “the start of a more concerted campaign”.

Russia has long been expected to repeat the artillery, drone and missile campaign that it conducted on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in 2022.

“Russia has almost certainly been stockpiling these missiles for use in the winter campaign,” the MoD added.

“Despite at least one civilian reported killed, the damage currently appears to have been minimal.”

07:38 AM GMT

In pictures: When Zelensky met Milei

07:31 AM GMT

Slovak truckers resume border blockade

Slovakian truckers have resumed their blockade of the Ukrainian border.

The UNAS hauliers union is protesting against what it says is unfair competition from rival Ukrainian firms.

The union had “paused” its blockade of the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke crossing on 4 December but has now restarted it.

Boss Stanislav Skala said it would continue “until further notice”.

Truckers in Hungary and Poland have also blocked border crossings in protest against Ukrainian competition.

07:25 AM GMT

Watch: Zelensky confronts Orban

Volodymyr Zelensky confronted Viktor Orban for a “frank” conversation at the inauguration of new Argentina president Javier Milei on Sunday.

The confrontation came just days before a European Union summit on Thursday and Friday where the bloc will decide whether to start membership talks with Ukraine and provide Kyiv with additional aid.

Video footage showed the Ukrainian and Hungarian leaders in animated conversation on the sidelines of the event in Buenos Aires.

“It was as frank as possible and obviously it was about our European affairs,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

Every EU member state has to agree in order for accession talks to begin and Mr Orban has repeatedly said he opposes Ukraine joining the bloc.

He has also threatened to block moves to provide Kyiv with an additional £42billion ($53.8bn) in financial aid between now and 2027.

07:24 AM GMT

Missile strikes on Kyiv injure four

Russian missile strikes on Kyiv injured four people in the early hours on Monday.

Serhii Popko, the city’s military chief, said that Russian missiles struck the Darnytskyi and Holosiivskyi districts at 4am.

One man, 31, suffered a shrapnel injury and three women – 31, 33 and 60 – were treated for acute reactions to stress.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down eight missiles and 18 drones overnight.

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