Ukraine-Russia latest: Four dead in Kyiv as Putin’s forces launch barrage of drones and missiles

North Korean troops have suffered an estimated 92 casualties every day since significant fighting in Russia’s border Kursk region began in early December, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in early January that 3,800 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded in Kursk, where Russia is trying to reclaim territory following Kyiv’s lightning offensive last August and a second push late last year.

“The entire North Korean contingent of roughly 12,000 personnel currently in Kursk Oblast may be killed or wounded in action by mid-April 2025 should North Korean forces continue to suffer from their current high loss rate in the future,” the ISW said.

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital with a barrage of drones and missiles in the early morning on Saturday, leaving at least four people dead.

Russia launched 39 Shahed drones, other simulator drones and four ballistic missiles according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Ukrainian air defense forces shot down two missiles and 24 drones. A further 14 drone simulators were lost in location, the statement said.

The three were killed after a shot-down missile fell over the Shevchenkivskyi district, said Kyiv City Military Administration head Timur Tkachenko. There was also falling debris in the Desnyansky district, he said.

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said that in the Shevchenkivskyi district, windows were broken and there was smoke at the entrance of a residential building, adding that a water supply pipeline was also damaged.

AP journalists at the scene saw a man lying dead amid the debris in a pool of blood. Water flooded the streets as firefighters put out the blaze from the attack.

Today, we stand with the Ukrainian people in their brave resistance against Vladimir Putin’s aggression, and we welcome Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Kyiv to express that solidarity in person. But there are limits to that support: we are not prepared to commit British troops to the defence of Ukraine and, while we believe that the Ukrainians should be supplied with long-range missiles, we are wary of anything that looks as if Nato members are being drawn into direct conflict with Russian forces.

The Independent has, since its founding, been resolute in its support of human rights, self-determination and national security. It has always argued that democracies must be prepared to take military action as a last resort in defence of those principles. We supported – with reservations – the aerial campaign against Slobodan Milosevic’s forces to protect the people of Kosovo from “ethnic cleansing”. And we opposed the US-British invasion of Iraq because we thought the cost would be too high for any good that removing Saddam Hussein would do.

Read The Independent’s editorial:

Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Britain has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, with prime minister Keir Starmer’s predecessors visiting Kyiv in the early days of their tenure.

As the war against Russia approaches its three-year mark, Ukraine is on the backfoot on the frontlines. Ukrainian forces are suffering from manpower shortages and losing ground in the eastern Donetsk region as Russia’s troops continue their advance.

It took a little longer for Sir Keir to make the trip, but he comes armed with a 100-year partnership with Kyiv to deepen security and cultural ties.

The treaty and political declaration aims to boost military cooperation to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov and deter Russian aggression.

The treaty will also cover areas such as energy, critical minerals and green steel production, the prime minister’s office said.

“Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure,” Sir Keir said in a statement. “Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level.”

Britain has provided £12.8bn in support to Ukraine since in 2022, a sum dwarfed by Washington’s $63.5bn in security assistance, underscoring the importance of Donald Trump’s actions over Ukraine.

The partnership announced on Thursday, which provides £40m for Ukraine’s economic recovery, includes additional support around grain verification and trade with Ukraine’s thriving technology sector that has produced battle-ready equipment.

In an interview with the Associated Press, outgoing secretary of state Antony Blinken said that he hopes the incoming Trump administration will press forward with key points in president Joe Biden’s foreign policy, including on the Middle East and Ukraine.

He expressed concern that the Trump team might abandon all or some of those policies on his last working as secretary of state on Friday.

“When we came in, we inherited partnerships and alliances that were seriously frayed,” he said. “So if past is prologue, yes, it would be a concern.” “I don’t know — can’t know — how they approach things,” Blinken added. “I do think that there is, there could and I believe should be, some real continuity in a couple of places.”

Russia said that any placement of British military assets in Ukraine under a new 100-year partnership agreement between Kyiv and London would be of concern to Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the possibility of Britain setting up military bases in Ukraine under the agreement announced on Thursday by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British prime minister Keir Starmer.

“Given that Britain is a NATO country, the advancement of its military infrastructure towards our borders is certainly a rather worrying element. In any case, it will be necessary to further analyse what will happen,” Mr Peskov said.

At Thursday’s talks in Kyiv, Mr Zelensky said he had spoken to Mr Starmer about Kyiv’s desire for Western peacekeeping troops to be deployed in Ukraine if the war with Russia ended.

Asked if Britain would contribute troops, Mr Starmer said in an interview with Sky News that he had discussed this with Mr Zelensky and other allies and Britain would “play our full part”.

Mr Peskov said Moscow also took a “negative” view of the prospect of British cooperation with Ukraine in the Sea of Azov, which he described as Russia’s “internal sea”.

The Azov Sea is bordered by southwest Russia, parts of southern Ukraine that Russia has seized in the war, and the Crimean peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Trump and Xi discuss Ukraine war in phone call

Chinese president Xi Jinping spoke with US president-elect Donald Trump over the phone on Friday, according to Chinese state media.

The pair discussed international issues of common interest, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and war in Ukraine.

At least four people have been confirmed dead in the centre of Kyiv following deadly nighttime Russian attacks, said Timur Tkachenko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration.

Mr Tkachenko posted on the Telegram messaging app that the deaths had occurred in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district.

He said falling debris had also hit the Holosiivskyi district on the west bank of the Dnipro River that runs through the capital and in the Desnyanskyi district on the opposite bank.

Public broadcaster Suspilne posted on Telegram pictures of emergency crews working amid piles of shattered glass.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defences were in operation around the city.

Mr Klitschko said windows had been shattered in Shevchenkivskyi district, including at a metro station which had been closed. He said smoke was coming out of an apartment building and repair crews had been dispatched to repair a damaged water main.

Authorities had warned of the danger of attack drones and missiles in the run-up to the attack. The air raid alert on the capital was lifted after it had been effect for a little more than an hour.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation pact Friday as their countries deepened their partnership in the face of stinging Western sanctions.

Russian and Iranian officials say the “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” covers all areas – from trade and military cooperation to science, education and culture. The 20-year treaty could be extended further.

Mr Putin praised the deal as a “real breakthrough, creating conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia, Iran and the entire region.”

He said the amount of trade and economic cooperation was still insufficient, voicing hope the new treaty will help clear bureaucratic hurdles and expand ties.

Mr Pezeshkian said the projects are feasible, adding that experts were working to resolve remaining obstacles.

“We witness a new chapter of strategic relations,” the Iranian president said, adding that the countries were set to expand trade ties and also boost the “level of security cooperation.”