Ukraine

Ukrainian drone destroys Russian supersonic bomber

Images posted on social media and analysed by BBC Verify show a Tupolev Tu-22 on fire at Soltsy-2 airbase, south of St Petersburg.

Moscow said that a drone was hit by small-arms fire but managed to "damage" a plane. Ukraine has not commented.

The Tu-22 can travel at twice the speed of sound and has been used extensively by Russia to attack cities in Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement that an attack by a "copter-type UAV" took place at around 10:00 Moscow time (08:00 BST) on Saturday.

Ukraine evacuation boat attacked by Russia, killing three

Ukraine has been trying to rescue people trapped on the Russia-held eastern bank of the Dnipro River since the Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed.

Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian troops shelled the evacuation boat and shot a 74-year-old man dead.

The man was trying to rescue a woman from gunfire, Mr Produkin said.

Two police officers were also injured.

The Nova Kakhovka dam burst on Tuesday, releasing a huge torrent of water which quickly flooded vast areas of land on both sides of the Dnipro river.

China plan could end war, but Ukraine and West not ready for peace

But Mr Putin said the plan could be put forward only "when they are ready for it in the West and in Kyiv".

The Russian leader met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Moscow to discuss the conflict, and relations between the two countries.

China's plan, published last month, does not explicitly call for Russia to leave Ukraine.

Listing 12 points, it calls for peace talks and respect for national sovereignty, without specific proposals.

Australian PM issues warning after citizen dies fighting in Ukraine

The call comes after Victorian man, Sage O'Donnell, was killed fighting for Ukraine.

Albanese advised against taking up arms: "The way that Australians can give support is to give money, to give support to charities and others who are acting in Ukraine - not to go and participate in fighting there."

Albanese said his government could not confirm how many Australians had travelled to, or were fighting in, Ukraine, as families and authorities were not always notified.

     

Ukraine killed Putin ally's daughter, Russia says

Journalist Darya Dugina, aged 29, died on Saturday when a vehicle she was driving exploded near Russia's capital.

Her prominent ultra-nationalist father, Alexander Dugin, said to be close to Mr Putin, may have been the intended target of the attack.

Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement in the explosion.

But Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday it had solved the case and said that Ukraine was directly responsible.

McDonald's plans to reopen in Kyiv and western Ukraine

The fast food chain said it hoped the move would help restore a "small but important sense of normalcy".

There will be a phased reopening over the next several months in Kyiv and western Ukraine in areas deemed safe, the burger giant said.

McDonald's had more than 100 restaurants in Ukraine before the conflict started.

The company has continued to pay wages to more than 10,000 staff since then.

Ukraine grain tycoon killed in Russian shelling of Mykolaiv

Oleksiy Vadatursky, 74, and his wife Raisa died when a missile hit their home overnight, local officials said.

Mr Vadatursky owned Nibulon, a company involved in grain exports. He had also received the "Hero of Ukraine" award.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky described Mr Vadatursky's death as a great loss.

Mykolaiv mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said it was probably the heaviest Russian bombardment of the city so far.

There was damage to a hotel, a sports complex, two schools and a service station, as well as homes.

Ukraine condemns Russia's 'humiliating death' tweet after prison attack

The embassy tweet came after more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) held by Russia were killed - Azov soldiers reportedly among them.

They died in an attack on Olenivka prison in Russian-held eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine and Russia blame each other for Friday's attack in the Donetsk region.

Twitter acknowledged that the post from the Russian embassy violated the social media company's "rules about hateful conduct" - but added that it may be in the public interest to keep it accessible.

Hundreds of besieged Ukrainian soldiers evacuated

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said 53 badly wounded soldiers were taken to the town of Novoazovsk, held by Russian-backed rebels.

She said another 211 were evacuated using a humanitarian corridor to Olenivka - also a rebel-held town.

Russia earlier said a deal had been reached to evacuate the injured troops.

About a dozen buses carrying Ukrainian fighters who were holed up beneath the besieged plant were seen leaving the huge industrial site in the southern port city on Monday evening, Reuters news agency reported.

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra wins Eurovision

The band were a favourite with those following the competition as viewers became invested in their journey to the finals, held today, even as their country battled Russia's invasion.

The folk-rap group scored 631 points at the final in Turin, Italy, amid a set of 25 songs from bands representing countries around the world.

The UK's Sam Ryder won second place, with 466 points, in the highest position for a UK artist in 20 years. Third and fourth place went to Spain and Sweden respectively.