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A fire raged near the Kremlin yesterday as Vladimir Putin carried out secret talks with Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko. As the two leaders met, emergency services swarmed to the blaze at a defence ministry building at 19 Znamenka Street, Moscow. Dramatic footage shows smoke gushing from windows and rising into the sky. Around 50 people were evacuated, with the cause of the fire currently unconfirmed. Some reports said the section of the building on fire was a department of military property dealing with facilities across the country. No injuries were reported. As firefighters battle to extinguish the flames, Putin was...

VLADIMIR Putin was spotted visibly shaking as he stood next to one of the recipients of the State Prize of the Russian Federation he awarded at the Kremlin on Sunday. Speculation about Vladimir Putin's health has been rife since before he was catapulted into the daily news bulletins because of his invasion of Ukraine in February. The Russian leader has sparked questions about his status as reports began to emerge about him suffering from cancer. Putin appeared quite shaky on his legs as he listened to Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov accept a prize rewarding his work in the arts. Footage...

as bitter fighting for Severodonetsk rages on in battle that will decide fate of Donbas Lt-Col Vadim Gerasimov, 36, was posthumously awarded a Hero of Russia It was unclear when he was killed, but his funeral was set to take place Thursday Death of a second high-ranked office, Colonel Ruslan Shirin, was also reported The pair become the 51st and 52nd Russian Colonels to be killed in Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched his brutal invasion on February 24 Meanwhile, footage emerged of Ukrainian forces launching strikes on Russia's One video showed an airstrike land feet away from a Russian personnel...

Vladimir Putin has lost two more colonels in Ukraine - including one of Russia's youngest to reach such a high rank - as a video showed a Russian battalion being hit with artillery fire while attempting to rescue a casualty. Elsewhere, in another blow to the Kremlin's war efforts, a separate video released this week showed Ukrainian bombs destroying a Russian ammo depo in a huge ball of flames. Images released by Kyiv also appeared to show a destroyed Russian unit. These are the latest examples of Ukraine's forces putting up a fierce resistance against Putin's invading forces. Moscow expected...

Russia has stolen around 600,000 tonnes of grain from occupied Ukrainian territory and exported some of it, the deputy head of Ukraine’s agricultural producers’ union said on Wednesday. Ukraine will demand Russia provide compensation for both the theft of the grain and the destruction of the property of farmers, Denys Marchuk, the head of the UAC. "To date, about 600,000 tonnes have been stolen from agricultural companies and taken to the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimean Peninsula and from there it moves to ports, in particular to Sevastopol, and from there, ships go to the Middle East," Marchuk said....

Russian President Vladimir Putin lost two of his most senior commanders in a single day in a devastating bridge ambush in eastern Ukraine, a group of independent journalists working on both sides of the war have claimed. Russia confirmed the death of Major-General Roman Kutuzov on Sunday, but new reports on Monday said Lieutenant-General Roman Berdnikov was killed on the same day in an attack carried out by Kyiv's forces. It has been suggested that the unusual speed with which Kutuzov's death was confirmed by Moscow was an attempt to cover up the loss of Berdnikov, 47. Less than a...

Russian troops were battling into a major Donbas city today as a confidential UK report revealed the Kremlin’s army could collapse amid massive losses. A secretive analysis of the invasion says Russian President Vladimir Putin believes losses of 30,350 troops so far are a “price worth paying” for a small victory in Ukraine. But the new report - seen by senior UK government officials and written by a top UK analyst on Russia warns Putin’s blood sacrifice may be a step too far for his troops. Today Moscow’s troops entered the city of Sievierodonetsk sparking fierce fighting in the ruins...

Russia's army could collapse amid huge losses of more than 30,000 troops in Ukraine, according to a confidential UK report that emerged on Monday. While Moscow's latest estimated troop losses make grim reading for President Vladimir Putin, the report claims he sees them as a 'price worth paying' for victory. However, the new report - a secretive analysis of Putin's brutal invasion seen by The Mirror - claims that the losses could be too great for his soldiers, amid other reports that Russian morale is low. Latest estimates from the Ukraine's Armed Forces suggest as many as 30,350 Russian soldiers...

Day 92. Today, we discuss the latest updates from the war as The Telegraph's Roland Oliphant calls in, live, from the Donbas. Plus, a look at the ongoing economic impact of the conflict with Louis Ashworth.

Two more Russian colonels have been killed in Russia’s war in Ukraine - including the country’s 'best paratroop commander'. Lieutenant colonel Alexander Dosyagayev, 34, was a commander of an airborne assault battalion of the 104th paratrooper regiment. Troops from his 104th air assault regiment were reportedly in Bucha, the scene of alleged rape and torture atrocities committed by Vladimir Putin’s forces earlier in the war. His battalion based in Pskov had been recognised as the best in Russia in its extensive combat training and military discipline.

Still getting used to the feel of his gun and military fatigues, Anton suddenly found himself surrounded by Ukrainian forces as bullets flew by, with one striking his arm. “It was our first confrontation with the enemy; we hadn’t even fired a shot. They ambushed us, and we couldn’t fight back. We had to surrender,” said Anton, a 21-year-old Russian serviceman, in an interview with the Guardian. Anton was taken captive by Ukrainian forces near Mykolaiv on 2 March with five other soldiers from his unit, as Russian forces were staging an offensive on the strategically important shipbuilding city near...

The head of Russian state-backed TV network RT said 'things will end badly for all of humanity' if Russia doesn't win a military victory against Ukraine, hinting at a nuclear strike should the country lose the war. Russia's state-backed media has become infamous for its anti-Ukrainian rants since the war broke out in February 24. But the latest outburst was from RT's Margarita Simonyan, who studied in the US and told Russian viewers they should rejoice the fact that their children will never receive a western education. 'They all believe that we will lose and the west will win. They...

Russian losses in Ukraine over the first three months are likely to have already surpassed those of the Soviet-Afghan war which lasted nine years, the UK Ministry of Defence has said. The Soviet Union's losses are estimated to be around 15,000 killed in the Afghan war, with an additional 35,478 wounded and 311 missing. 'The Russian public has, in the past, proven sensitive to casualties suffered during wars of choice,' said the UK government ministry, which did not name the exact figure. 'As casualties suffered in Ukraine continue to rise they will become more apparent, and public dissatisfaction with the...

Vladimir Putin underwent 'successful' cancer surgery last week and is recovering, it has been claimed in just the latest rumour about the Russian leader's health. The 69-year-old underwent an unknown procedure late last Monday following advice from medics that treatment was 'essential', according to Telegram channel General SVR which claims to be getting information from inside the Kremlin. Putin's condition was said to have worsened briefly on Friday night before improving, the social media account said, while adding that doctors have advised he avoid taking part in meetings for several more days while he recovers. General SVR said last week...

Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, issued fresh nuclear threat to the West Russia will soon have 50 brand new nuclear missiles capable of reducing all enemies to a nuclear crater, the head of the country's space agency has warned. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos and a staunch Putin ally, said dozens of new Sarmat-2 missiles - measuring 14 storeys tall and weighing 208 tons - will be deployed by autumn to menace Russia's enemies. 'It remains only to advise the aggressors to talk more politely with Russia,' he said. As a demonstration of Sarmat's power, he showed off footage...

While a hardline ally 'holds the Kremlin reins', opposition source claims Public appearances by Vladimir Putin were reportedly staged to mask absence Old footage was used in video appearances for several meetings, it was alleged Nikolai Patrushev - a former FSB chief - is now in virtual control of the Kremlin Public appearances by Vladimir Putin were 'staged' last week to mask an absence from duties, raising new speculation about his health, an opposition source claimed. Old footage was used in video appearances for several meetings, it was alleged. Trusted aide Nikolai Patrushev - a former FSB chief - is...

VLADIMIR PUTIN faced further humiliation after Russian missile strikes on Odesa succeeded in only destroying a public toilet. The Black Sea port plays a vital role in Ukraine's overall economy and is currently under a Russian naval blockade. The city is a key strategic target for the Russians and has been subjected to heavy bombardment. However, Russian commanders appeared to get their targets confused, after wiping out a beach toilet in the city instead. The destruction of the public bathroom was confirmed in a statement issued by Ukraine's southern operational command. They said: "Another missile strike with the use of...

Russia's announcement of a new laser weapon system is like the Nazi's search for a "Wunderwaffe" - wonder weapon - and shows the invasion is failing ... “In the propaganda of Nazi Germany there was such a term ‘wunderwaffe’,” he said. “The clearer it became they had no chance in the war, the more propaganda there was about the wonder weapon, which would be so powerful that it would provide a turning point in the war.” “And here we see that in the third month of a full-scale war, Russia is trying to find its ‘wunderwaffe’. Allegedly a laser. All...

New footage of Vladimir Putin bizarrely twisting his foot and seemingly struggling with jerky leg movements has further stoked rumours the Russian President may be experiencing a sharp decline in health. The clip, taken yesterday as Putin met with his counterpart from Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, showed the Russian leader's left foot repeatedly raising and lowering as his knee collapsed inward. Putin later adjusted his position in the chair and settled his foot firmly on the ground as he spoke with Rahmon about the development of relations between Russia and Tajikistan, but his leg appeared to go on twitching. The strange...

Russian state television has said Moscow may deploy tactical nuclear weapons to its European borders if Finland and Sweden allow military bases on their territory after joining NATO. Sweden's Social Democrats yesterday said they had dropped their opposition to NATO membership only hours after Finland confirmed its intention to join the alliance. Pundits on Russian state TV responded: 'Their official reason is fear. But they'll have more fear in Nato. When Nato bases appear in Sweden & Finland, Russia will have no choice but to neutralise the imbalance & new threat by deploying tactical nuclear weapons.' Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman...