Ukraine war live: Terror threat emerges in Moscow as Putin warns of full-scale war in Europe

Ukraine‘s former military chief has been appointed the country’s new ambassador to the United Kingdom, a month after he was sacked as head of the armed forces by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy announced that he has approved the appointment of Valerii Zaluzhnyi to one of Ukraine’s most important diplomatic positions.

Britain is a key supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia.

A woman died as a result of Ukraine‘s shelling of the village of Kulbaki in Kursk and her husband was seriously injured, the governor of the Russian region bordering Ukraine said on Sunday.

“A residential building caught fire and a local female resident died,” Governor Roman Starovoit said on the Telegram messaging app. “Her husband suffered extensive burns.”

Another home was damaged in the village, parts of which were left without supply of electricity.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Blasts and attacks on Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been frequent during the two years since Russia launched war on Ukraine. Russian officials have blamed either Ukrainian forces or pro-Ukrainian saboteurs for the attacks.

Uk and US residents have been told not to travel to Russia amid a warning that a terror attack was planned for the country’s capital.

The US embassy in Russia warned that “extremists” had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow, hours after Russian security services said they had foiled a planned shooting at a synagogue by a cell from the Afghan arm of Islamic State.

The embassy, which has repeatedly urged all US citizens to leave Russia immediately, gave no further details about the nature of the threat, but said people should avoid concerts and crowds and be aware of their surroundings.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a ceremony in which Sweden’s “instrument of accession” to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department.

Ukraine‘s air defence systems destroyed 35 of 39 attack drones Russia launched overnight, Ukraine‘s air force said on Sunday.

Most of the drones were destroyed over Ukraine‘s eastern and southern regions, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app. It did not say whether there was any damage.

Russia launched four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles, the air force said. It did not say what happened to the missiles or whether they reached their targets.

A drone launched by Ukraine fell and caught fire at an oil depot in Russia‘s Kursk region bordering Ukraine, the regional governor said on Sunday.

“Fire brigades and emergency services are working at the scene,” the governor, Roman Starovoit, said on the Telegram messaging app, without giving further details.

Pope Francis said in an interview that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out peace talks.

The pope made his appeal during an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, which was partially released on Saturday.

“I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,” Francis said, adding that talks should take place with the help of international powers.

Ukrainian authorities said two people including a teenage boy were killed Saturday in Russian artillery attacks and Russia reported it had shot down a Ukrainian fighter jet and destroyed a wave of drones over several regions.

The attacks came as Russia is gaining momentum on battlefield and Ukraine is running low on ammunition.

For Margarita, a 33-year-old event planner in St. Petersburg, the prison death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny was devastating news that left her dispirited and longing to take some sort of action.

But she said she had “no courage or strength” to stage a protest in Russia‘s increasingly repressive climate, where even the most innocuous expression of dissent can land people in jail.