Ukraine war latest: Russia claims it has seized more villages - as Ukraine faces 'extremely dangerous' moment (2024)

We're pausing our coverage of the Ukraine war for now.

A lot's happened today on the northeastern border between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia's fierce offensive has continued in the Kharkiv region, with thousands of civilians continuing to flee.

Ukraine's military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi insisted his forces were doing all they could to contain the Russian threat, but admitted it was proving a challenge, while Russia's defence ministry claimed Putin's troops had taken another four villages near the border.

Meanwhile Russian media said at least seven people had been killed and 17 injured after a 10-storey apartment block collapsed in the Russian city of Belgorod.

Russian officials made unverified claims the missile was part of an aerial attack by Ukraine.

We'll be back with any major updates later, and we'll resume our regular live updates tomorrow morning.

Thanks for following along.

The Ukrainian air force has warned a rocket flew through Ukraine's Sumy region this afternoon - not far from Kharkiv.

It didn't give any more information about the rocket, other than saying it was part of "significant activity of enemy aviation".

A Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground in Kharkiv reported hearing explosions later this afternoon, the publication said.

They said they heard them at around 4.15pm local time (2.15pm GMT) - about an hour after the air force's update.

This report hasn't been backed up by Ukrainian officials.

We've got an update completely out of left field now...

The Ukrainian president's top aide has just tweeted saying he's held a meeting with none other than rock legend Bono.

Andriy Yermak said they discussed how Ukraine continues to "resist Russian aggression".

The Irishman has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since its war with Russia began.

In 2022, he put on a surprise gig in Kyiv and told Sky News the conflict was "one man's war really" - referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

More recently the 64-year-old singer, who's never been one to shy away from politics, started paying tribute to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny during a live performance days after he died in prison.

We've now got footage showing the moment a 10-storey apartment block collapsed in Belgorod.

At least seven people have been killed and 17 more injured after the building was struck by a shot-down missile, Russian media says.

Russian officials say the missile was part of an aerial attack by Ukraine. The claims have not been verified.

Footage also shows emergency services continuing to search the rubble for survivors.

We're seeing photos for the first time of Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline against Russia's offensive in Kharkiv.

Their military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi earlier insisted Ukrainian forces were doing all they could to contain the Russian threat, but admitted it was proving a challenge.

You can see the impact of that challenge in the images below, two of which show Ukrainian military paramedics treating a wounded service member.

They're near the town of Vovchansk, which has seen some of the most brutal fighting since the Russian attack began on Friday.

Some more details now from the ongoing search of a collapsed apartment block in the Russian city of Belgorod.

At least seven are dead and 17 injured after the 10-storey block fell, according to Russian media.

Russian officials say the building was struck by a Soviet-era missile launched by Ukraine that was shot down by Russia.

Specifically, they claimed it was a "massive mile attack" with Tochka ballistic missiles and Adler and RM-70 Vampire (MLRS) multiple launch rocket systems.

They said the attack, which involved at least 12 missiles, took place at 8.40am GMT.

Later, as emergency services scoured the rubble for survivors, the roof of the block collapsed and people ran for their lives, Reuters reported, with dust and rubble falling behind them.

Russian claims of a Ukrainian attack have not been verified and Kyiv officials have not commented.

Ukrainian officials never acknowledge responsibility for attacks on Russian territory or the Crimean Peninsula.

You may have noticed the bulk of our reporting over the past two days has covered two regions: Kharkiv in Ukraine and Belgorod in Russia.

A lot has happened in both, but here's a summary of events:

In Kharkiv:Russian forces have launched a brutal offensive, leading to fighting in various villages along the northeastern border separating Ukraine and Russia.

Russia's defence ministry claims its troops have seized nine villages. Ukrainian officials, who have not commented on these claims, say thousands of civilians have been evacuated from the region.

In Belgorod: Russian media has reported at least seven people have died and 15 more are injured after a whole section of the 10-storey building fell.

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said the incident is a consequence of continuous attacks by Ukraine over the weekend - though Ukraine has not commented on the unverified claims.

Cities on opposite sides of the border

On the surface, these are separate incidents happening right next to each other.

And while Ukraine hasn't commented on whether it's responsible for the latest incident in Belgorod, it's no secret the city has regularly been targeted by Ukrainian artillery, drones and proxies over the past year.

Belgorod is a logistics hub for Russian military activity and Kyiv has always denied targeting civilians.

Military analysts have speculated these attacks in Belgorod could have led Russia to carry out its brutal offensive in Kharkiv.

President Putin has long promised to create a buffer zone to push Ukrainian forces out of artillery range, which would limit the attacks on this frontier town.

It's a likely motive, our military analystSean Bellhas said, as is stretching Ukraine's military and potentially looking to seize the whole of Kharkiv.

We're seeing images from the Russian city of Belgorod, where part of a multi-storey apartment building has collapsed.

Russian media has reported at least seven people have died and 15 more are injured after a whole section of the 10-storey building fell.

Local officials have blamed the incident on "massive shelling by the armed forces of Ukraine" - but these claims have not been verified and Ukrainian officials have not commented.

Just before Russia claimed its troops had seized another four villages in Kharkiv, Ukraine's military chief had given an update on Telegram.

Oleksandr Syrskyi insisted his forces were doing all they could to contain the Russian threat, but admitted it was proving a challenge.

"Units of the Defence Forces are fighting fierce defensive battles, the attempts of the Russian invaders to break through our defences have been stopped," he said.

"The situation is difficult, but the Defence Forces of Ukraine are doing everything to hold defensive lines and positions, inflict damage on the enemy."

Ukrainian officials have not commented on reports from Russia claiming it has captured the villages of Hatyshche, Krasne, Morokhovets and Oliinykove.

The Russian defence ministry claims troops have seized four more villages in the Kharkiv region - which would bring the total to nine.

The ministry yesterday declared they had taken the Ukrainian villages of Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Strilecha, all of which are directly on the border with Russia's Belgorod region.

Russian officials said they had also captured another village, Pletenivka.

Now they've claimed four more: Hatyshche, Krasne, Morokhovets and Oliinykove.

Kyiv has not commented on the latest claims, but Ukrainian officials have remained adamant up until now that the country's troops are continuing to fight and prevent Russians from claiming more ground.