Russia captures two Ukrainian villages in march towards key city

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Kremlin forces claimed on Thursday to have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine, where it has been pursuing a relentless assault.
Russia’s defence ministry said its troops had seized control of Mykolaivka, around 15 kilometres from the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, and Stelmakhivka in Lugansk.
Russian forces have been attempting to seize the eastern city of Pokrovsk for several months, but their advances have accelerated in recent weeks, with troops now stationed around 7 km from the city.
Around 38,000 Ukrainian residents remain in the city, which had a pre-war population of 80,000, despite warnings from local authorities to evacuate.
Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Aug 26 that the situation in the eastern city was “difficult” but predicted that Russia would have to sacrifice tens of thousands of troops to achieve its aim.
Taking control of the city would allow Moscow to disrupt key Ukrainian supply lines and make it easier to incorporate the entire eastern Donetsk region, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, into Russia. 
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We’ll be back soon with more updates and analysis from the conflict.
Sir Keir Starmer’s efforts to provide effective global leadership on the vital issue of support for Ukraine are being somewhat undermined by Downing Street’s inability to provide Kyiv with the game-changing ability to launch attacks deep within Russian territory, writes Con Coughlin.
Since taking office, the Starmer Government has gone out of its way to give the impression that it will be business as usual so far as the UK’s backing of Ukraine’s war effort is concerned.
Having declared his “unwavering support” for Ukraine when he visited Kyiv prior to the general election, Starmer sought to burnish his pro-Ukraine credentials by inviting President Volodymyr Zelensky to give a personal address to the Cabinet – the first world leader to do so since Bill Clinton in 1997.
Starmer was at it again earlier this week, when, to mark the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, he issued a statement declaring the UK will back their cause “today and always”.
Judging by Zelensky’s more nuanced response, though, it appears the Ukrainian leader has still to be convinced about just how genuine Starmer is when it comes to providing Ukraine with the weaponry it desperately needs to prevail on the battlefield.
Read the full story here.
Fighting in the eastern city of Pokrovsk is “exceptionally tough”, Kyiv’s top commander said on Thursday. 
Oleksandr Syrskyi revealed he had spent several days in the city on the eastern front, which has been relentlessly attacked by Russian forces.
Mr Syrskyi said that Ukrainian troops had been forced into using “unorthodox” methods to keep Moscow’s men out of the city.
Ukraine has urged Britain not to squander the momentum created by its invasion of Kursk and to grant permission for Storm Shadow strikes inside Russia.
“What really matters is the timing, and this is the issue today,” said Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, as he arrived at a meeting in Brussels. “This is why we have a very open conversation with the United Kingdom, with the United States, asking them not to waste the momentum of our soldiers.”
Ukrainian forces have seized more than 500 square miles of Russian territory since crossing into the border region of Kursk three weeks ago. The daring raid has been seen as the first offensive success by Ukraine in almost two years.
Mr Kuleba said Western missiles could be used to strike Russian airfields used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. Two other senior Ukrainian officials are travelling to Washington this week to present a list of potential targets.
The Telegraph recently reported that the UK supports Storm Shadow strikes on Russian soil but has remained quiet because of US resistance.
France’s Emmanuel Macron has also voiced support for such strikes using the Storm Shadow’s French sister missile, Scalp-EG.
But the use of the weapons, which can avoid enemy radar and hit precise targets up to 190 miles away, requires permission from Washington given their reliance on classified US systems.
Ukraine’s foreign minister revealed on Thursday that he had urged his EU counterparts to speed up the delivery of promised air defence systems. 
“I conveyed a sense of urgency regarding the delivery of already pledged military aid, including air defence systems,” Dmytro Kuleba wrote on X after a meeting in Brussels.
Russian drone and missile attacks have forced Ukraine to disconnect several nuclear power units, putting the sector at risk, Kyiv claimed on Thursday.
Moscow’s forces used more than 200 missiles and drones in Monday’s attack on energy facilities across the country, including Kyiv.
“The Russian Federation continues to deliberately target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, intending to disrupt the operation of the country’s nuclear power plants, which provide most of Ukraine’s electricity,” the Ukrainian mission to the UN nuclear watchdog said.
“Russian attacks pose a significant risk to the stable operation of nuclear facilities in Ukraine and the safety of millions of people.”
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukraine will not forgive Russia “for a single destroyed Ukrainian life” as his country marked its Day of Remembrance of Defenders of Ukraine.
The event commemorates the 10th anniversary of the battle of Ilovaisk, in which hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers were killed by Russian forces as they withdrew from the town. 
“This was a planned, cynical Russian crime that Ukraine will never forget and will not leave unpunished,” Mr Zelensky said.
“Today, Ukraine honours the memory of all its defenders. All those who fought for our state, for Ukrainian independence and sacrificed the most precious thing – their lives.
“And we will not forgive Russia for a single destroyed Ukrainian life.”
Video footage has emerged showing a Russian oil refinery burning more than a day after it was struck by Ukrainian forces. 
Kyiv’s military has stepped up its attacks on Russian soil in recent weeks, targeting what it says are locations used by the Kremlin’s troops to strike Ukraine. 
Kremlin forces claimed on Thursday to have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s defence ministry said its troops had seized control of Mykolaivka, around 15 kilometres from the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, as well as Stelmakhivka in Lugansk.
Washington’s national security adviser met with Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday, the White House said.
Jake Sullivan and president Xi discussed cross-Strait issues, Russia’s war against Ukraine and the South China Sea, a statement revealed.
The Belarusian air force shot down a Russian drone which entered its airspace during Moscow’s overnight attacks against Ukraine, military analysts have claimed.
A Russian ‘Shahed’ kamikaze drone reportedly flew into Yelsk in Belarus and was chased by Belarusian air force pilots for 20 minutes before being destroyed.
Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military project, reported on Telegram that two explosions were heard at 3.55am on Thursday.
The Telegraph could not independently verify the claims. 
Ukraine’s foreign minister has once again urged Britain and the United States to drop bans on using long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia. 
Speaking from Brussels, Dmytro Kuleba insisted the weapons would only be used to strike “legitimate” targets. 
“Since the very beginning of the invasion the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries act as a coalition,” he told reporters.
The Atlas oil depot in Rostov, southern Russia, has continued to burn more than 24 hours after being attacked by Ukrainian forces. 
A war crimes prosecutor has visited the town of Kupyansk in eastern Ukraine after it was hit by a Russian air strike on Wednesday.
Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian glide bomb hit the town, which is near the city of Kharkiv, resulting in several deaths. 
“There was a strike – right in the city centre, people were under the rubble. Unfortunately, there are fatalities,” the Ukrainian president said. 
Ukrainian shelling in Russia’s Belgorod region killed one person and injured several more, authorities said on Thursday. 
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor, said the town of Shebekino came under attack by Ukrainian forces. 
Two buildings were reportedly damaged by the shelling.
Belgorod borders Ukraine and Russia’s Kursk region, which Ukraine invaded on Aug 6.
Russia’s large-scale air attacks across Ukraine this week cost Moscow nearly $1.3 billion (£1 billion), the UK’s representative to the UN has said. 
James Kariuki made the claim at a UN Security Council meeting and said the attacks represented “continued evidence” that Moscow was intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure.
Seven people were killed on Monday when Russia launched one of its largest air attacks of the war so far. This was followed up by further strikes across Ukraine on Tuesday, which killed five people. 
“The consequence of Putin’s miscalculation for the Russian people is increasingly evident,” Mr Kariuki said. 
The $1.3 billion figure comes from a report by Forbes Ukraine and Ekonmichna Pravda.
Ukrainian forces destroyed 60 out of 74 Russian attack drones and two out of three missiles launched overnight, Ukraine’s air force said on Thursday.
“Aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Air Force and Defence Forces were involved in repelling the air attack,” the air force said. 
Kyiv confirmed on Thursday that its forces successfully attacked two oil storage facilities in Russia, causing a large blaze at the Atlas oil depot in the southern Rostov region. 
The military said it successfully attacked the Zenit oil facility in Russia’s Kirov region, which is located around 1,500km northeast of the border with Ukraine. 
A field artillery depot in the Russian region of Voronezh was also attacked. 
Russia launched a series of missile and drone strikes against Kyiv overnight, the third such attack within a week.
Several explosions could be heard in Kyiv with air alerts active in most of central and northern Ukraine overnight. 
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage. 
We’re bringing you the latest updates from the Ukraine war.