Ukraine-Russia war live: Kremlin missile strike kills 11, including 5 children, near Donetsk

A Russian missile strike killed 11 people on Saturday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, the governor of the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk region said.

“Eleven dead, including five children – these are the consequences for now of strikes on Pokrovsk district,” Vadym Filashkin wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Pokrovsk lies in Ukrainian-held territory, about 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Donetsk, the Russian held centre of the region.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said:

“We are preparing for new areas of cooperation with partners, such as those on drones, in order to increase our capabilities in using drones, countering Russian ones, and strengthening our electronic warfare.

“I also held a meeting on security guarantees, which is one of our key priorities.

“The related bilateral work with partners is ongoing. Today, we outlined the results we can attain in the near future.”

The UK has condemned reports that Russia used North Korean missiles in Ukraine, and urged Pyongyang to cease the supply.

The White House claimed Russian president Vladimir Putin’s forces are using ballistic weapons supplied by North Korea, citing newly declassified intelligence.

The UK Foreign Office condemned reports of the links between the Kremlin and Kim Jong Un’s regime, and describing it as a sign of Russia’s “desperation” and a violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.

Moscow has previously denied collaboration with North Korea when accused by the US of sourcing weapons from the east Asian nation.

But the US has now shared intelligence details of Russia’s procurement of the missiles, which it claims have been launched on two occasions in recent weeks.

Serhii Miroshnyk’s photograph of a green beetle resting on an acorn beat out 60,000 entries to win the Wiki Loves Earth prize this year.

Sophie Holloway has spoken to Miroshnyk about his fascination with tiny treasures, the war in Ukraine, and summers spent at ‘dachas’ in the forest.

“Regardless of whether you are a salesman or a photographer or a cook, if you are a patriot of your country, you will go to defend your homeland,” says Miroshnyk, who volunteered as a soldier in 2022. He was later wounded and suffered a concussion, which took him out of action entirely.

“I know many photographers who are on the frontlines now, defending their country,” Miroshnyk says.

A Russian missile strike killed 11 people on Saturday in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, the governor of the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk region said.

“Eleven dead, including five children – these are the consequences for now of strikes on Pokrovsk district,” Vadym Filashkin wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Pictures posted online by the governor showed rescue squads sifting through large piles of smouldering rubble in the dark as well as a burned-out vehicle.

Filashkin said S-300 missiles had been used in a series of Russian attacks, with the main strike hitting the town of Pokrovsk and nearby villages.

He said the attack showed Russian forces were “trying to inflict as much grief as possible on our land”. Pokrovsk had been subject to Russian shelling on Friday. The town lies in Ukrainian-held territory, about 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Donetsk, the Russian held centre of the region.

Polish farmers have decided to suspend a protest at the border crossing with Ukraine at Medyka after the government agreed to their demands.

Polish truck drivers have been blocking several crossings with Ukraine since 6 November, demanding that the European Union reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies obtain permits to operate in the bloc. They were later joined by farmers who demanded government subsidies for corn and no tax hikes, amid complaints about increased competition from Ukraine.

The farmers, who were blocking the crossing at Medyka, suspended their protest for Christmas and resumed the blockade on 4 January. On Saturday, they agreed to suspend it again.

The Minister of Agriculture agreed to implement all three of their demands regarding subsidies, increased loans for liquidity and maintaining the agricultural tax at the 2023 level, interia.pl said.

“Upon signing the agreement, the protest at the border crossing in Medyka is suspended for the period necessary to implement legal … changes and for the time necessary to implement additional changes,” the agreement quoted by the website reads.

However, truckers are continuing their protests at three other border crossings.

At least 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned to their homes and a total of 248 Russian servicemen were released from Ukrainian territory on Wednesday after the United Arab Emirates brokered a swap deal between the two nations.

Russia has claimed that Ukraine fired six missiles this afternoon at a position in the northwest of the Black Sea.

The announcement was made on Telegram by the Russian Ministry of Defence.

In recent months, dozens of Russian warships have relocated to the port of Novorossiysk, located on the northwestern coast of the Black Sea, to escape long range attacks on Crimea.

You can read about Ukraine’s latest strikes on Russian warships in Crimea below.

Below are some of the latest pictures coming from Pokrovksy district in eastern Ukraine, where a Russian missile strike has allegedly killed at least 11 people, inlcuding five children.

A Russian rapper who attended an “Almost Naked” party in Moscow wearing just a sock has been detained for an additional 10 days as the Kremlin appears to be doubling down on punishment for those that attended the scandalous party.

Nikolai Vasilyev, a rapper known as Vacio, was originally jailed for 15 days and fined 200,000 roubles (£1,716) for promoting “non-traditional sexual relations” for attending a party at the Mutabor club in Moscow wearing nothing but a sock.

The party on 20 December, organised by TV presenter Anastasia Ivleeva, also known as Nastya Ivleeva, went viral after pictures of the event were put online.

Mr Vasilyev has since been sentenced to 10 further days of administrative arrest, Russian state media outlet Tass has reported, after a hearing at the Lefortovo Court in Moscow.

You can read more about the party below.