Union boss ‘held up communist flag alongside people singing pro-Russia chants in occupied Ukraine’

While he characterised the trip as a “humanitarian convoy”, footage from his visit – obtained by The Telegraph – showed him holding the red Communist Party flag while those around him chanted slogans in Russian, such as “United, we will never be defeated” and “The Donbas, the tomb of fascism”.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain18 January 2026 19:30

Russia says Greenland belongs to Denmark – after four years of trying to take Ukrainian territory

“On the other hand, given that President Trump is in Washington … he himself has said that international law is not a priority for him,” Peskov added.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain18 January 2026 18:30

Zelensky says Ukraine ‘doing everything they can’ to restore energy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post that repairing the country’s energy system remains challenging, “but we are doing everything we can to restore everything as quickly as possible”.

He said two people were killed in overnight attacks across the country that struck Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa.

More than 1,300 attack drones, 1,050 guided aerial bombs and 29 missiles of various types were used by Russia to strike Ukraine this week, he added.

“If Russia deliberately delays the diplomatic process, the world’s response should be decisive: more help for Ukraine and more pressure on the aggressor,” Mr Zelensky said.

He spoke the day after a Ukrainian delegation arrived in the US for talks on a US-led diplomatic push to end the war.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Maryam Zakir-Hussain18 January 2026 17:30

Former Archbishop of Canterbury: Putin is a heretic – he has no holy mission in Ukraine

For years, the Russian Orthodox Church has given its blessing to Moscow’s brutal invasion and attempted to frame it in religious terms.

The former Archbishop tells The Independent’s Maira Butt that Putin’s violence directly contradicts the message preached by Christ.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain18 January 2026 17:00

Drone strikes leave over 200,000 homes without power- part two

In a Telegram post, Yevgeny Balitsky said nearly 400 settlements have had their supply cut, because of damage to power networks from Ukrainian drone strikes.

Russia has hammered Ukraine’s power grid, especially in winter, throughout the almost four-year war. It aims to weaken Ukrainians’ will to resist in a strategy that Kyiv officials call “weaponising winter”.

Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Odesa region overnight on Sunday, according to Ukraine’s emergency services. A fire broke out and was promptly extinguished.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain18 January 2026 16:32

Drone strikes leave over 200,000 homes without power

Hundreds of thousands of people in Russian-occupied parts of southern Ukraine were left without power on Sunday, according to Kremlin-installed authorities there.

Meanwhile, Moscow has kept up its hammering of Ukraine’s energy grid in overnight attacks that killed at least two people, according to Ukrainian officials.

More than 200,000 households in the Russian-held part of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region had no electricity on Sunday, according to the Kremlin-installed local governor.

(AP)

Maryam Zakir-Hussain18 January 2026 15:27

Talks continue between Ukrainian and US delegation

A Ukrainian delegation is continuing talks with US officials on a diplomatic push to end the nearly 4-year-old war n Ukraine.

On Friday, Zelensky said that the delegation would try to finalize with U.S. officials documents for a proposed peace settlement that relate to postwar security guarantees and economic recovery.

If American officials approve the proposals, the U.S. and Ukraine could sign the documents next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelensky said at a Kyiv news conference with Czech President Petr Pavel.

Trump plans to be in Davos, according to organisers.

Russia would still need to be consulted on the proposals.

Daniel Keane18 January 2026 14:23

Sam Kiley: Trump’s tariff threat on Greenland is a golden opportunity for Starmer – it is time to rejoin the EU

Daniel Keane18 January 2026 13:23

More than 200,000 in occupied Zaporizhzhia left without electricity after attacks

More than 200,000 consumers in the Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region were left without electricity on Sunday, the Moscow-installed regional governor said, after a Ukrainian drone strike on Saturday.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Yevgeny Balitsky said that work was ongoing to restore the power supply, but that almost 400 settlements remain without electricity.

Temperatures are well below freezing throughout the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, around 75% of which is controlled by Russia.

Russia has frequently bombarded Ukraine’s power infrastructure throughout its nearly four-year war, causing rolling daily blackouts, and has also targeted heating systems this winter.

Separately, the governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod, which has come under regular Ukrainian attack since 2022, said that one person had been killed and another wounded by a drone strike on the border village of Nechaevka.

Maroosha Muzaffar18 January 2026 12:23

Watch: Russian attack on residential Kharkiv kills woman, Ukraine saysRussian attack on residential Kharkiv kills woman, Ukraine says

Daniel Keane18 January 2026 11:33