My Sunday essay on #Ukraine's long-range drone strikes against Russia. “We are making history here. This is where democracy beats totalitarianism," Lt Col Ray said, as a drone vanished over the horizon, engine thrumming. It left black smoke & a whiff of gunpowder www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

‘This is where democracy beats totalitarianism’: Ukraine’s drone strike force takes the fight to Russia

Exclusive: at a launch site in the Ukrainian countryside, members of the elite ‘Magyar’s Birds’ brigade are turning Russia’s vast size into a weakness

theguardian.com

I can’t believe that Reform UK turned out to be financed by a bunch of money laundering fronts for Russia. It’s just so unexpected.

I got back from Ukraine to find copies of my new book, "Betrayal: Trump, Putin and the New Age of Conquest" waiting for me! It's my tenth non-fiction work, published by @faberbooks.bsky.social on August 27th, with international editions to follow

My piece on #Ukraine's plans to replace Vladimir Lenin with a statute of the Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa. The plinth where Lenin stood has been empty since crowds toppled the sculpture in 2013 during the Maidan. “Why not Mazepa?" historian Nataliia Kryvda told me www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

‘Lenin was an enemy of humanity’: Why Kyiv wants to put Cossack chief statue in place of Soviet leader

Removal of Soviet-era statues sped up when Russia seized Crimea in 2014, and since Putin’s 2022 invasion has moved at pace as Ukrainians question their identity

theguardian.com

Me for @theguardian.com from Kyiv. The war is now a contest of drones in which #Ukraine has the upper hand. Russian troops are advancing slowly in the east. But Zelenskyy has found a theory of victory: to flatten Russia's economy via unmanned long-range strikes www.theguardian.com/world/video/...

Who has the momentum in the Russia-Ukraine war? – video explainer

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the war in Ukraine has changed dramatically. The Guardian's Luke Harding looks at who has the advantage and how Volodymyr Zelenskyy's strategy has ...

theguardian.com

My latest from Ukraine on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to fire the country's commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi following nationwide protests. These are set to continue, with organisers calling on the president to reinstate ex-defence minister Mykhailo Federov www.theguardian.com/news/video/2...

Zelenskyy ousts Ukraine army chief after protests – The Latest

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired his commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, in Ukraine’s biggest military shake-up in two years. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s senior international correspondent Luk...

theguardian.com

A rough night in Kyiv. My report www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Dozens of Russian missiles pound Kyiv in major attack

At least one death with authorities reporting fires and damage to offices and homes, while Ukraine’s forces earlier hit logistics warehouses in Russia

theguardian.com

Here's my video explaining why Ukrainians are outraged at the sacking this week of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. There are protests outside Volodymyr Zelenskyy's presidential office in Kyiv, led by young people, with the country engulfed in political crisis www.theguardian.com/world/video/...

Why Ukrainians are protesting against Zelenskyy's dismissal of defence minister – video

The Guardian's Luke Harding reports on the dilemma facing the president after he removed the popular Mykhailo Fedorov from his post because of his clashes with Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr ...

theguardian.com

Busy day yesterday. Zelenskyy held talks with Keir Starmer, who leaves office soon. In downtown Kyiv there were protests over the sacking of #Ukraine's defence minister Mykhailo Federov. A big political crisis. Civil society is fuming; foreign partners dismayed www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Political crisis and protests in Ukraine as Zelenskyy defends sacking defence minister

President says he had to choose ‘one side or the other’ after breakdown of relations between ministry and military leaders

theguardian.com

My piece on a very murky story. The suspect who blew up a Ukrainian oligarch in Monaco was herself executed three days later in a forest outside Kyiv. One of her alleged killers works for military intelligence. The other is a former policeman. The motive behind the original hit is unclear

Eliot Higgins@eliothiggins.bsky.social · 4w ago

Monaco bomb mystery deepens as Ukraine’s security services are linked to murder of prime suspect www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

My profile of the Ukrainian oligarch blown up on Monday in Monaco. One source told me Vadym Iermolaiev is not a "political person", adding: "He’s a businessman." The trail appears to lead to murky Chechen hitmen and a call centre scam based in the city of Dnipro www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

‘He isn’t political’: the Ukrainian-born oligarch targeted by a Monaco bomber

Questions remain as to why somebody would want to kill Vadym Iermolaiev, who has a personal fortune of $225m

theguardian.com

My long write-up of our meeting yesterday in London with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He describes Russia as "isolated and alone", says Putin "lies" and is upbeat about Ukraine's situation on the battlefield - the best for 2 and a half yrs. With @pippacrerar.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

‘They are isolated … they are alone’: Zelenskyy on Russia, Putin’s lies – and fighting back

In a wide-ranging interview, an upbeat Ukrainian president also discusses Donald Trump, King Charles, and how Kyiv is prepared to share its experience of drone warfare with the west

theguardian.com

Our exclusive interview today in London with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He told me & @pippacrerar.bsky.social that Ukraine's position on the battlefield is the strongest for two-and-a half years and he hoped Reform-run councils would "put up" Ukrainian flags again (1/2) www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Zelenskyy hopes Reform UK councils will allow Ukraine flags to be flown again

Exclusive: Ukrainian president says ‘small mistake can break a big friendship’ in wide-ranging interview with Guardian

theguardian.com

I gave an interview to @zeit.de on the biggest mystery in international politics: why Donald Trump is in thrall to Vladimir Putin? Among the explanations: conservative ideology, strongman envy and the contested claim that Trump is a long-time Russian asset. [German] www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyi7...

USA & Russland – Warum Trump Putin immer wieder entgegenkommt

YouTube video by DIE ZEIT

youtube.com

Congratulations to Jamison Firestone, whose Moscow memoir, Rule of Lies, is published today. It's a terrific book: the true story of how a young American lawyer stood up to Vladimir Putin's mafia state.

Russian drone crashes into Romanian apartments, wounding two people and starting fire www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Russian drone crashes into Romanian apartments, wounding two people and starting fire

Romanian authorities say a Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania

theguardian.com

Russia’s war has had a devastating impact on Ukraine’s wildlife, including its birds. In Dnipro I met a volunteer, Veronica, who takes care of wounded birds. One of them is Sunny, a long-eared owl, who lost an eye and a wing in a drone attack in February www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Blinded and broken, Sunny the owl becomes another casualty of Russia’s war

Ukrainians lament appalling toll of fighting on their country’s bird population

theguardian.com

A brilliant piece by Аndriy Zagorodnyuk on how cheap and innovative drones are revolutionising the battlefield: "The war in #Ukraine is an early and highly accelerated case of a broader global shift in which drones are becoming a standard instrument of warfare." carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

The New Revolution in Military Affairs

How Ukraine is driving doctrinal change in modern warfare.

carnegieendowment.org

New episode of The Ukraine Shelf is out now! A great discussion with @lukeharding1968.bsky.social and Myroslav Laiuk on what it means to report on war. Don't miss it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3eT...

My interview with Robert "#Madyar" Brovdi, the man who may - or may not - attack Moscow tomorrow and Vladimir Putin's Red Square victory parade with long-range Ukrainian drones. We met in Madyar's underground operations centre. Photos by @alessiomamo.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Meeting ‘Madyar’: the Ukrainian drones boss raining on Putin’s parade

After Zelenskyy, Robert Brovdi is Moscow’s top assassination target owing to his long-range attacks deep within Russia

theguardian.com

Exciting moment! Proofs arrived this morning of my new book 'Betrayal', which will be published in August by @faberbooks.bsky.social in London. Subtitle: 'Trump, Putin and the New Age of Conquest'. There will be a Ukrainian edition from Vivat in Kharkiv and Danish, Finnish and other translations xx

I've written many Ukraine articles. This is one of the most extraordinary: the story of Vadym Lietunov, who spent two weeks in a dugout with a Russian soldier. Vadym fled after his own shelter was bombed and saw a fortified position. From inside came a rustling... www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

‘You’re not one of us, are you?’: How a Ukrainian soldier survived two weeks in a Russian dugout

When Vadym Lietunov spotted a fortified position after his own had been blown up, he didn’t realise it belonged to the enemy

theguardian.com

I've written many Ukraine articles. This is one of the most extraordinary: the story of Vadym Lietunov, who spent two weeks in a dugout with a Russian soldier. Vadym fled after his own shelter was bombed and saw a fortified position. From inside came a rustling... www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

‘You’re not one of us, are you?’: How a Ukrainian soldier survived two weeks in a Russian dugout

When Vadym Lietunov spotted a fortified position after his own had been blown up, he didn’t realise it belonged to the enemy

theguardian.com

My piece on the Ukrainian action movie Killhouse, described as Saving Private Ryan for the age of drones. It’s a wartime blockbuster featuring the latest in battlefield tech and with cameos from well-known figures such as Budanov, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Ukrainian action thriller billed as Saving Private Ryan for the drone age

Killhouse is based on real-life story of civilian couple saved from battlefield by Ukrainian drone operators

theguardian.com

A grim story. My report from Kyiv www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Ukrainian soldiers left emaciated on frontline from lack of food and water

Top commander fired after wife of one malnourished soldier posted shocking images on social media

theguardian.com

I spoke to @theguardian.com's Today in Focus podcast about why #Ukraine thinks it has the upper hand in the war with Russia. The Kremlin is failing to make significant battlefield progress & Ukrainian long-range drones have been destroying Russia's oil facilities www.theguardian.com/news/video/2...

Is the tide turning for Ukraine in war with Russia? - The Latest

With the EU approving a €90bn loan for Ukraine, a surprise visit from Prince Harry, and data suggesting Russian troops made almost no territorial gains in March - are there reasons for optimism in Kyi...

theguardian.com

Ukrainians celebrated Viktor Orbán's defeat in last week's Hungarian election with jokes and memes. A new reformist government in Budapest, led by Peter Magyar, is good news for #Kyiv. But politicians here do not expect a quick thaw in relations. My Guardian piece www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

‘A defeat for Putin’: Ukrainians hope Magyar’s victory will mark new era with Hungary

As Orbán is rejected, there is cautious optimism new leader can restore ties – but issues such as EU accession loom large

theguardian.com

I arrived in Kyiv last night, a couple of hours before Russia's latest massive drone and missile attack. Seventeen people were killed. I'm proud of the fact my newspaper, the Guardian, continues to cover Russia's bloody war against Ukraine. We are still here www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

At least 17 people killed in Russia’s deadliest attack on Ukraine this year

More than 100 injured across country after Russia launches nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles

theguardian.com

Don't miss this chance to hear 3 brilliant writers discuss how they write about Ukraine in wartime! Join Yuliya Musakovska, Myroslav Laiuk & Luke Harding next Tuesday at UCL, details: www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit.... @uclssees.bsky.social @ukrinstitute.bsky.social @lukeharding1968.bsky.social

My piece on land robots, which have become a vital part of #Ukraine's fight against Russia. They can evacuate wounded soldiers, deliver food and ammo, and lay and remove mines. "It's like gazing at alien technology," one soldier said. Pix: @alessiomamo.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

‘The frontline is like Terminator’: fighting robots give Ukraine hope in war with Russia

Use of unmanned ground vehicles has grown exponentially since 2024 turning the war into a technological contest

theguardian.com