Burnham says UK ‘100% behind Kyiv’ after Russia’s threat over drone production
Burnham has said he backs Ukraine ‘100 per cent’ after Moscow’s threat over use of Ukraine’s use of UK drones.
When asked on Tuesday what his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin was, Burnham responded: “This is the UK doing what it has long said it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100% against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin.
The PM has assured Ukraine it has British support (AFP/Getty)
“We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers. It remains the case with me.
“We are not fair-weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need, and that won’t change.”
Ukraine has used drones made by two UK companies as part of what has been termed a ‘deep strike’ campaign on Tuesday, the Sunday Times reported.
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 14:45
FPV drones are ‘devastating’ Russia, says Kyiv
FPV drones are turning Russian military hardware into targets with “devastating precision,” Ukraine’s ministry of defence has said.
FPV (first-person view) drones are modified commercial quadcopters equipped with explosives and flown directly into targets by operators wearing video goggles, and can achieve speeds up to 93 miles per hour.
The ministry has shared video footage captured by a Ukrainian FPV drone on X.
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 14:15
EU invites member countries to place restrictions on Belarus
The European Union’s foreign policy chief has “welcomed” other countries aligning themselves with restrictions on Belarus.
The statement follows the EU council’s decision to impose further restrictions on Belarus in view of the state’s involvement in Russian aggression against Ukraine.
These restrictions include expanding the list of items which might contribute to Belarus’s military and technological enhancement or to the development of its defence and security sector.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway and Ukraine have publicly aligned themselves with the new measures.
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 13:45
Ukraine’s decision on defence minister looms ahead
The Ukrainian parliament has returned from its summer break, as the country awaits Zelensky’s decision on the future leadership of two crucial ministries.
The parliament went into recess in mid-July shortly after the president announced an unexpected government reshuffle, with the ousting of popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov triggering mass protests across the country.
Protests against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to replace Mykhailo Fedorov have reignited in Kyiv (Reuters)
The decision on the new defence minister is being closely watched as protesters have gathered outside Ukraine’s parliament once again, calling for the reinstatement of Fedorov.
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 13:15
Ukraine’s Wildberries attacks, mapped
As of Tuesday, Ukraine has attacked seven of Wildberries’ 10 biggest warehouses in Russia.
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 12:45
Zelensky attends reburial ceremony for a leader of Ukrainian nationalists organisation
Ukraine’s president Zelensky has made an attendance at a reburial ceremony for Yevhen Konovalets, one of founders and leaders of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), at the National Military Memorial Cemetery outside of Kyiv.
The Ukrainian leader at the National Military Memorial Cemetery outside of Kyiv (Reuters)
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 12:15
Russia says it has captured two more settlements in Ukraine
The Russian defence ministry has claimed that its forces have captured two settlements in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Roughly 80 per cent of the eastern territory, including the major cities and the port of Mariupol, is currently occupied or controlled by Russia.
Donetsk, part of Russian-controlled Ukraine after an overnight drone attack on Sunday (AFP/Getty)
On Monday, Russian troops killed one resident of the Donetsk region and wounded five others, according to the head of Donetsk’s regional state administration.
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 11:45
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 11:15
Moscow says it has protested against Japanese PM’s ‘anti-Russian’ remarks
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said it ”strongly protested” to the state’s Japanese ambassador over what it called “anti-Russian” remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding a group of Russian-controlled islands off Japan’s coast.
The disputed territory consists of the four islands closest to Japan which were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of the second world war.
Japan’s ambassador to Russia was summoned to Moscow’s foreign ministry after Japanese officials criticised the country’s claim to the disputed Kuril Islands (Reuters)
Known in Japanese as Hopporyodo, or the Northern Territories, in Russia they are simply referred to as part of the Kurils.
In recent years, Russia has bolstered its military presence on the isles, which sit between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean.
Control of the islands gives Russia a military edge, providing Moscow with year-round access to the Pacific for its fleet based in Vladivostok, because the strait between the southern islands does not freeze in winter.
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 10:45
Kyiv ‘will definitely respond’ to Russian strike on Kharkiv, says president
President Zelensky has said that Ukraine “will definitely respond to this Russian strike,” referring to a an attack which killed 10 people in Kharkiv on Tuesday morning.
In a post on X, the leader added that the “brutal” strike was in a residential area, sharing photos of the damage.
Suha Kidwai18 August 2026 10:15