Russia’s defence ministry says its forces have captured a village in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Russian troops “as a result of successful combat actions liberated the settlement of Berestove in the Kharkiv region,” the ministry said. The battlefield reports have yet to be verified.
Berestove is located on the eastern front line close to the Lugansk region, which is almost entirely under Russian control.
Russia this month launched an offensive in the north of the Kharkiv region close to the Russian border, making its largest territorial advances for 18 months.
The push has marked an inflection point in the conflict, with analysts saying Moscow has gained more territory in 2024 than it lost control of during Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.
Ukraine said Friday that it had managed to stop Russia from advancing further and was counter-attacking, but that Moscow was now intensifying its assault at other parts of the front.
Follow the latest updates below
05:34 PM BST
That’s all for today
Thank you for following our live coverage.
On Sunday, Russia claimed to have taken another village in Kharkiv as Volodymyr Zelensky warned a fresh offensive is looming.
Kyiv is struggling to hold the eastern front and the push has marked an inflection point in the conflict, with analysts saying Moscow has gained more territory in 2024 than it lost control of during Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive in the summer of 2023. The key developments from the day were:
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The death toll from Russian strikes on a hardware store in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv rose to 14, the regional governor said, as rescuers searched the charred debris for bodies.
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Russian troops are gathering troops 90 kilometres from Kharkiv for another push into Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky warned.
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The United States will participate in a peace summit being organised by Ukraine in Switzerland next month, a US official said, but declined to say who or at what level.
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Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated her opposition to the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine on Russia soil, after the Nato chief reportedly suggested letting Kyiv strike targets beyond its border.
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Argentina is expected to join the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported from Russia.
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Ukrainian forces destroyed 12 missiles and all 31 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight air strike, Ukraine’s air force said.
05:12 PM BST
Italy opposes use of weapons supplied to Ukraine in Russia
Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni has reiterated her opposition to the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine on Russia soil, after the Nato chief reportedly suggested letting Kyiv strike targets beyond its border.
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg reportedly said that Ukraine’s allies should consider letting it use Nato-supplied weapons to hit targets in Russia, rather than restricting use to Ukrainian territory.
“I don’t know why Stoltenberg said such a thing, I think we have to be very careful,” Ms Meloni told Italian television, adding that “I agree that Nato must remain firm, not give the signal that it is giving in.”
Ukraine regularly launches strikes across the border into Russia, particularly into the Belgorod region, a tactic it views as fair retaliation in the fighting since Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022.
04:19 PM BST
US will participate in Ukraine-led peace summit, official says
The United States will participate in a peace summit being organised by Ukraine in Switzerland next month, a US official said on Sunday, but declined to say who or at what level.
The official was responding to a question about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s appeal to US president Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sunday to attend the conference.
03:35 PM BST
Ukraine peace conference could be hit by Russian hackers
There is an “increased risk” of cyberattacks from Russian hackers at the Ukraine peace meeting to be held in Switzerland in June, Switzerland’s top newspaper has reported.
Russia, which has not been invited to the June 15-16 event in Burgenstock, is likely to seek ways to disrupt the gathering, NZZ am Sonntag reported, citing IT experts and people within the Swiss Federal Office of Cybersecurity.
About one-third of Russia’s diplomatic contingent in Switzerland is believed to work in parallel with its military, foreign or domestic intelligence units, a Swiss intelligence official told the newspaper.
02:58 PM BST
Sudan’s army deepens ties with Russia
Sudan’s army said it is poised to get weapons from Russia in return for letting Moscow establish a military fueling station on the Red Sea coast, Bloomberg has reported.
A military delegation will travel to Russia this week to conclude the deal, assistant commander-in-chief Yasser Al-Atta told the Gulf-based Al-Hadath TV channel on Saturday. Authorities will get “vital weapons and munitions,” he said, describing the planned Russian outpost as “not exactly a military base.”
02:21 PM BST
Statement from Ministry of Defence
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has said Russia’s labour shortage is a growing problem.
“As Putin’s three-day war enters its third year, Russia’s cost of war exceeds $211 billion,” it said in a statement. “The militarisation of the economy continues to build problems for the future of the Russian people.”
Russia’s labour shortage is a growing problem.
As Putin’s three-day war enters its third year, Russia’s cost of war exceeds $211 billion.
The militarisation of the economy continues to build problems for the future of the Russian people.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/ArYcbzbjgC
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 26, 2024
01:30 PM BST
Putin to pay state visit to Uzbekistan
Vladimir Putin is expected visit Uzbekistan today where he will hold talks with the country’s leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Russian news agency Tass has reported.
Mr Putin and Mr Mirziyoyev will discuss their bilateral relations, the strategic partnership and allies’ relations, and will exchange opinions on current regional problems, the Kremlin’s press service said.
12:52 PM BST
Toll from Russian strike on Kharkiv hardware store rises to 14
The death toll from Russian strikes on a hardware store in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv rose to 14 Sunday, the regional governor said as rescuers searched the charred debris for bodies.
“The number of dead has grown to 14,” Oleg Synegubov, Kharkiv regional governor, said on Telegram, as nearly 200 rescuers worked at the scene.
Interior minister Igor Klymenko said earlier that 43 were injured and “16 people are considered missing”, after Russian strikes hit the Epitsentr superstore on Saturday, sparking a massive fire.
12:33 PM BST
Russia troops preparing another attack near Kharkiv, says Zelensky
Russian troops are gathering troops 90 kilometres from Kharkiv for another push into Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sunday.
In a video address to world leaders, Mr Zelensky said: “Russia is preparing for offensive actions also 90 kilometres north-west from here – they gather another group of troops near our border.”
Addressing suggestions this week that Russian president Vladimir Putin could be open to peace talks, Mr Zelensky added: “The one who does all this doesn’t want peace.”
Kyiv is struggling to hold the eastern front as the Kremlin’s forces advance. Russia has gained more territory in 2024 than it lost control of during Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive in the summer of 2023, according to analysts.
12:11 PM BST
Pictures from Kharkiv
11:46 AM BST
Russia says its forces take over village in Kharkiv
Russian forces have taken over the village of Berestove in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday.
Russian troops “as a result of successful combat actions liberated the settlement of Berestove in the Kharkiv region,” the ministry said. The battlefield reports have yet to be verified.
It comes as the Kremlin’s forces have advanced on the battlefield and stepped up air strikes on cities in recent weeks.
The push has marked an inflection point in the conflict, with analysts saying Moscow has gained more territory in 2024 than it lost control of during Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.
11:40 AM BST
Argentina to join coalition for the return of kidnapped Ukrainian children
Argentina is expected to join the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported from Russia.
At least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and less than 400 have been returned home, according to the Ukrainian government.
Argentina said it hopes to join the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children in the near future, and that legislators have already submitted a draft declaration to parliament regarding membership in the coalition.
In March, local media reported that Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, may visit Kyiv in June. It would be the first visit by a South American leader to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war.
11:22 AM BST
Russia is producing artillery shells around three times faster than Ukraine’s Western allies
Russia is producing artillery shells around three times faster than Ukraine’s Western allies and for around a quarter of the cost, according to an analysis shared with Sky News.
The figures underline a major challenge for Ukraine, which relies on supplies of ammunition from the United States and Europe.
The research by Bain & Company found that Russian factories were forecast to manufacture or refurbish about 4.5 million artillery shells this year compared with a combined production of about 1.3 million rounds across European nations and the US.
On cost, it said the average production cost per 155 mm shell – produced by Nato countries – was about £3,160 per unit, compared with a reported Russian production cost of around £790 per 152 mm shell that the Russian armed forces use.
11:10 AM BST
South Korea and China agree to launch diplomatic and security dialogue
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese premier Li Qiang agreed on Sunday to launch a diplomatic and security dialogue and resume talks on a free trade agreement, Yoon’s office said.
Yoon and Li held talks a day ahead of a summit with their Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, their first three-way talks in more than four years.
Yoon told Li the two countries should work together not only to promote shared interests based on mutual respect, but also on regional and global issues to tackle common challenges, citing the Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict and global economic uncertainties.
“Just as Korea and China have overcome various difficulties together over the past 30 years and contributed to each other’s development and growth, I hope to continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation even in the face of today’s global complex crises,” Yoon said, according to his office.
10:55 AM BST
Watch: Russian strike hits busy shopping centre in Kharkiv
10:34 AM BST
Sixteen still missing from hardware store attack
Igor Klymenko, the Ukrainian interior minister, has said that the fire in the Epitsentr superstore had spread over 13,000 square metres and injured 43 people. Another 16 are still missing, he said Sunday.
“It took more than 16 hours to extinguish a fire in a Kharkiv construction hypermarket caused by targeted Russian strikes,” he said on Telegram. “Russian shelling killed 12 people and injured 43 others”.
Forensics experts and investigators were still working to identify bodies in the ruins of the Epitsentr DIY store in the northeastern outskirts of the city, Mr Klymenko said.
Still wearing her uniform, Lyubov, a cleaner at the store, told AFP how she escaped the building.
“It happened all of a sudden. We didn’t understand at first, everything went dark and everything started falling on our heads,” she said.
“It was good that my phone lit up, thanks to the flashlight I found where to go, but in front of us everything was burning already.”
10:17 AM BST
Russian forces continue offensive into northern Kharkiv, says MoD
In its latest update, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said that Moscow’s forces are continuing to attack the town of Vovchansk as part of its offensive into northern Kharkiv, which began on 10 May 2024.
It said the town remains contested with defending Ukrainian forces repelling the “majority of Russian assaults”, but that the village of Buhruvatka is “likely under their control”.
“Russian forces are attempting to achieve physical control of the nearby crossing over the Siverskiy Donets river, thereby threatening the flank and rear of defending Ukrainian forces in Vovchansk itself,” it added.
The MoD also said that the northern Kharkiv front has “likely stabilised” with Russian territorial control fragmented. “Russia’s gains in this axis will be limited in the coming week, as Russia’s initial momentum has been contained by Ukrainian resistance,” the MoD said.
09:54 AM BST
At least 12 killed in Russian strike on hardware store in Kharkiv
A Russian strike on a crowded DIY hardware store in Kharkiv killed 12 people and wounded dozens more, Ukrainian prosecutors said on Sunday morning, the death toll rising as the country’s second-largest city reeled from two attacks a day earlier.
The strikes caused a massive fire which sent a column of thick, black smoke billowing hundreds of metres into the air.
Forty-three people were injured, the local prosecutors’ office said, adding that ten of the twelve dead had still not been identified.
09:50 AM BST
Zelensky invites Biden and Xi to attend Ukraine peace summit
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged US president Joe Biden and China’s president Xi Jinping to attend a peace summit in Switzerland next month.
“I am appealing to the leaders of the world who are still aside from the global efforts of the global peace summit: to president Biden, the leader of the United States, and to president Xi, the leader of China,” Mr Zelensky said in a video message.
“Please support the peace summit with your personal leadership and participation,” Mr Zelensky asked, saying that “the efforts of the global majority are the best guarantee that all commitments will be fulfilled”.
The conference on the Ukraine war is to be held in Lucerne June 15-16.
The Swiss government has said it has invited 160 delegations but Russia will not attend.
Mr Zelensky said “more than 80 countries confirmed they will come”.
09:36 AM BST
Ukraine destroys 12 missiles and 31 drones during Russian air strike, military says
Ukrainian forces destroyed 12 missiles and all 31 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight air strike, Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday.
Two hypersonic Kinzhal missiles remained unaccounted for, but authorities did not immediately provide details of where they had struck.
The air force said the missiles and drones had been shot down over parts of southern, central, western and northern Ukraine.
