Putin's right-hand man makes huge peace offer to Zelensky (2025)

8 hours ago20:03 Ciaran McGrath

Ukrainians mourning neighbours killed by brutal Russian attacks on Kyiv have told the Express they are suspicious of Vladimir Putin’s proposed ceasefire.

Yuliya Antonyuk wiped tears from her eyes as she laid a small bundle of roses at a memorial for the nine civilians who were killed in a ballistic missile strike on the residential district of Svyatoshno on Thursday. The site of the attack was just yards from her home and she feels vulnerable.

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9 hours ago19:08 Ciaran McGrath

France has formally accused Russia’s GRU, specifically the APT28 unit known as "Fancy Bear," of orchestrating a sustained campaign of cyberattacks against French government ministries, defence firms and think tanks since 2021.

The French National Cybersecurity Agency said 4,000 Russia-linked cyberattacks were recorded in 2024 alone — a 15% rise on the previous year — with a spike in incidents targeting critical sectors.

The French Foreign Ministry said: “These destabilising activities are unacceptable and unworthy of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.”

It added that France, alongside its allies, was “determined to use all means at its disposal” to counter Russia’s actions.

10 hours ago18:12 Ciaran McGrath

Vladimir Putin's mouthpiece has suggested that NATO's newer members are now potential targets for Moscow, adding that they are at risk of possible revenge strikes with nuclear weapons if a conflict between Russia and the West should occur. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev made the comments today, and was seemingly referring to Sweden and Finland, which were the last two states to join the treaty organisation, Reuters reports, citing the Russian news agency TASS.

But it has also been reported that Medvedev denounced statements that the Kremlin may allegedly attack Europe as "nothing but nonsense". "Talks that Russia can actually attack Europe are certainly nonsense… Vladimir Putin rightly called it a ‘scare for burghers,’ simply to maintain them feeling constantly tense," he said, speaking at the Knowledge First educational marathon. He added: "I hope that sooner or later more sensible forces will come to power there."

11 hours ago17:42 Ciaran McGrath

Russia has said it is willing to hold direct talks with Ukraine without any preconditions, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

However, Mr Lavrov criticised Kyiv’s call for a 30-day ceasefire, claiming it amounted to a condition in itself.

The remarks, reported on Telegram, come amid renewed diplomatic activity and pressure for a temporary halt to hostilities ahead of international summits.

Russia’s position appears aimed at shifting blame onto Ukraine for the lack of progress, despite its own continued aggression on the battlefield.

11 hours ago17:34 Ciaran McGrath

12 hours ago16:11 Ciaran McGrath

Two cybercriminal collectives, Dark Storm Team and NoName057, have claimed to be behind the blackout that plunged Spain and parts of Portugal and France into darkness on Monday. In messages shared on the social media platforms Telegram and X, the pro-Russian hacking groups posted links to supposedly compromised Portuguese government networks.

Posting on X the Darkstorm handle shared the message: "Isn't it funny to cut off electricity to countries from home?", and the messages have shared links which claim disruptions to major Portuguese ministries such as the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Environment and Climate Action and The Presidency of the Council of Ministers. It's reported the internet test, check-Host data, shows these services were either down or experiencing degraded performance at the time the hacker group was posting.

Major power cut reported across Spain and Portugal

13 hours ago15:47 Ciaran McGrath

Vladimir Putin’s most infamous television propagandist has launched a vicious tirade against Donald Trump as he openly vowed more slaughter in Ukraine. Kremlin mouthpiece Vladimir Solovyov also ridiculed the former US president, mocked France’s Emmanuel Macron as a “pathetic nobody,” and tore into Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky while rejecting any notion of a ceasefire.

Solovyov’s latest outburst, broadcast on Russian state TV, followed Mr Trump’s weekend comments accusing Mr Putin of stringing him along on peace talks. Mr Trump had called on the Russian leader to “sit down and make a deal” and commit to a full ceasefire. The Kremlin responded by proposing a temporary three-day truce to coincide with VE Day on May 7 – but Solovyov made it clear this was a tactical ploy, not a shift in strategy. Mocking Mr Trump’s authority, Solovyov said: “Whether Trump imposes sanctions on us or not — what difference does it make? Trump is not Putin. He does not have the full authority or capabilities.”

13 hours ago15:03 Ciaran McGrath

Russia is expanding its military infrastructure along its border with a key NATO country likely in preparation for future aggression against the west, it has been reported. As fears of WW3 soar, Putin is thought to be building up resources near Finland, which joined the treaty organisation in 2023, and stockpiling tanks. Western military and intelligence officials told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Putin is expanding military bases near Petrozavodsk in the Republic of Karelia, a Russian border region, and upgrading railway lines and other infrastructure along his country's western border with NATO.

The Kremlin is also planning to create a new army headquarters near Petrozavodsk in the next several years, it is believed, and officials are integrating roadways and railways in the Moscow Military District (MMD) with infrastructure in Belarus. The American publication also stated that the Kremlin intends to form new divisions on the basis of existing brigades in the Leningrad Military District (LMD), is overseeing the construction of new barracks and training grounds, and upgrading warehouses and railways near Petrozavodsk to accommodate the future influx of personnel.

14 hours ago14:03 Eleanor Burleigh

Russia has said it is "difficult to understand" whether Ukraine will join Moscow in observing a 72-hour ceasefire next week.

The Kremlin also alleged that Kyiv had not responded to offers from Putin to start direct peace negotiations.

"It was President Putin who repeatedly said that Russia is ready, without any preconditions, to start the negotiations process," spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, as reported by Reuters.

"We have not heard a response from the Kyiv regime so far."

President Voloydmyr Zelensky has previously said that Ukraine would be ready for peace talks with Moscow once a ceasefire was agreed.

Zelensky has said Kyiv would be ready for talks with Russia once a ceasefire was in place (Image: Getty)

15 hours ago13:01 Eleanor Burleigh

Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, has said Russian forces are trying to break through the conflict's 1,000 km frontline as well as launching long-range attacks on residential areas.

"Putin can give the oder for his forces to stop," Mr Yermak said. "But he does not do this in the hope of deceiving everyone."

"Russia has consistently rejected everything and continues to manipulate the world, trying to deceive the United States," he added.

16 hours ago12:46 Eleanor Burleigh

Ukraine's proposal of an immediate and full 30-day ceasefire is "impossible", a Kremlin spokesperson has said.

Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media that "without resolving all the nuances, [the 30-day ceasefire] is impossible".

It comes after Russia announced plans for a 72-day ceasefire from May 8 to May 10, spanning the anniversary of Moscow's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, the country's biggest secular holiday.

Ukraine dismissed the truce as window dressing, however, and called for a "lasting, reliable and complete ceasefire" lasting at least 30 days.

“If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately,” Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said. “Why wait for May 8? If we can cease fire now from any date and for 30 days – so that it is real, and not just for a parade."

Russia dismissed the proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire as "impossible" (Image: Getty)

17 hours ago11:43 Eleanor Burleigh

Ukrainian families are reportedly being evacuated from villages in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast as Russian troops advance towards the settlements on the region's border.

The evacuation will be carried out from the villages of Kolona Mezhova, Novopidhorodne, Raipole, and Sukhareva Balka in the Mezhova community, according to the Kyiv Independent.

18 hours ago10:28 Eleanor Burleigh

Ukraine's air force said Russia attacked Ukraine with 100 drones overnight, and air force units shot down 37 of them.

It comes after Moscow killed 13 people with missile and drone strikes in Kyiv last week, drawing criticism from US President Donald Trump, who said his administration was pressuring Russia to stop the attacks.

19 hours ago09:27 Eleanor Burleigh

A 12-year-old girl was killed in an overnight Russian drone attack on central Ukraine, authorities said.

The girl was pulled from the rubble of a residential building in the Samarivskyi district in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, and died on the way to the hospital, Ukraine's emergency service said.

Three others were wounded in the attack.

20 hours ago08:22 Eleanor Burleigh

US Vice President JD Vance said Kyiv "won't win the war" if military action continues, during what America has described as a "critical week" for peace talks.

He also said the US could still walk away from the negotiating table, telling the Charlie Kirk Show podcast: "I can't say with 100% certainty that we're going to be able to do it."

"If this doesn't stop, the Ukrainians aren't winning the war," the VP added. "It has to stop. It is the policy of this administration that it stops."

JD Vance said the US could still walk away from peace talks (Image: Getty)

20 hours ago08:03 Eleanor Burleigh

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war.

We'll be bringing you updates on the conflict in Eastern Europe as we get them throughout the day.