Kyiv's forces capture Chinese men fighting in Donetsk - as Zelenskyy demands reaction from US

Russia close to regaining Kursk from Ukraine, says governor

More than eight months on from Ukraine's stunning incursion into the Russian region of Kursk, Moscow may be on the verge of reclaiming their territory.

The regional governor and state media claim forces have seized the settlement of Guyevo, releasing a video showing smoke rising from various buildings.

Reuters news agency said it has verified the location of the footage from file and satellite imagery of the area, but not the date.

Ukraine has not yet commented.

Explained: China's 'enabler' role in the war

Beijing has claimed neutrality since the start of the war, but as our military analyst Michael Clarke points out - we know they have been a key supplier for Russia.

They buy oil, Clarke says, in greater volumes than they actually need to help Russia's balance of payments.

And they've been a source of key technologies after the West's sweeping sanctions on Moscow.

It's all led to the US and NATO describing China as an enabler of Russia in the war.

Despite that, China has offered to help with peace talks and even put together a plan to end the war - though this remained vague and was dismissed by most observers.

Foreign minister Wang Yi went to Moscow little more than a week ago for talks with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss Donald Trump's proposal to end the war.

The leaders of both nations - Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin - have a close relationship, which is reflected in the countries' diplomatic ties.

However, China has not knowingly provided Russia with weapons or any military expertise.

That's why today's development is significant - even if it isn't clear if they were operating on the orders of the Chinese leadership.

Ukraine summons Chinese diplomat for explanation

Ukraine's foreign minister says he has summoned China's charge d'affaires to the ministry to demand an explanation for Chinese men fighting in the country.

Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X that the presence of Chinese citizens "fighting as part of Russia's invasion army" puts into question China's declared stance for peace.

He said it also "undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council".

Analysis: Putin and Xi are very close - their nations' relationship is back under microscope

We still don't know for certain if the Chinese men captured in Ukraine have any affiliation to the Chinese state, or if they were operating under orders from Beijing.

Nevertheless, this incident brings the relationship between Russia and China into sharp focus, says our international correspondent John Sparks.

He says the use of North Korean troops shows Moscow has "serious manpower problems" and that there are likely arguments in Russia to use "any personnel they can possibly get, even if they're from China".

"I think that throws the relationship between Russia and China into real concentration here. What is the nature of their relationship when it comes to the war in Ukraine? 

"Officially at least, the Chinese have said that they respect Ukrainian sovereignty and in the past they have made efforts, they say to, encourage mediation between the two sides.

"A couple of months ago, though, Putin and Xi Jinping had a very warm phone call. Xi Jinping said that their partnership was a 'no-limits' partnership. They are very close. And this could be indicative of that."

Map shows frontline in Donetsk - where Chinese were captured

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the two Chinese men were captured in Donetsk in the east of Ukraine, though gave no further details.

This is the current territorial situation in the region, which Russia occupies and illegally annexed along with Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia in September 2022, seven months after the full-scale invasion. 

And here's the latest territory maps covering the rest of Ukraine, including the Russian regions of Kursk and Belgorod, which have seen increased fighting.

Starting with a wider map of Ukraine, scroll to see each region of the frontline in focus, moving anti-clockwise from Zaporizhzhia region all the way round to northeastern Ukraine.

Video shows 'Chinese prisoner' in custody

Along with a post shared on X in the past few minutes, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also uploaded a video appearing to show a Chinese prisoner in Ukrainian custody.

We're not sharing that video here to protect his identity, but we have blurred grabs from it and can describe what the 23-second video shows.

Wearing military overalls, the man can be seen making explosion sounds and pointing in the air as if shooting.

It's not clear what exactly he is describing, but he appears to say "boom" at least a couple of times and can be heard saying "commander".

He has his hands tied and seems to be surrounded by soldiers somewhere indoors.

'This could be very, very embarrassing for China'

We've just been getting reaction to this breaking story from military analyst Michael Clarke.

He says there will be different consequences for the war in Ukraine depending on the identity and allegiances of the Chinese soldiers captured.

"If they are just Chinese individuals who are fighting effectively as mercenaries, then that's obviously embarrassing to China. But in a way, it goes no further than that," he says.

"But if it's the case that they are there in some informal but Chinese capacity as advisers, or they've got some sort of function as special forces, that would be very serious indeed because China has always said that it doesn't help Russia in this war."

Clarke says if the soldiers are operating on Chinese state orders, it would cross "quite a big legal line" and be "very, very embarrassing" for Beijing.

"That would mean that the Chinese are sending individuals to fight in a contested area to join an invasion of a foreign country," he says.

"The Chinese would pretend that that isn't the truth, that isn't the truth. And the Russians would say that Donetsk is Russian territory, but legally, of course, it isn't. 

"It's Ukrainian territory, and it has been since 1991."

'Many more Chinese citizens' fighting for Russia - Zelenskyy's statement in full

In a post on messaging app Telegram, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has information there are "many more" Chinese citizens among Russia's forces.

Here's his translated statement in full:

Our military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army. This happened on the territory of Ukraine - in the Donetsk region. We have the documents of these prisoners, bank cards and personal data.

We have information that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier's units than just two. We are now finding out all the facts. Intelligence, the Security Service, and the relevant units of the Armed Forces are working.

I have instructed the Ukrainian foreign affairs minister to immediately contact Beijing and find out how China is going to respond to this.

Russia's involvement of China in this war in Europe, directly or indirectly, is a clear signal that Putin is going to do anything but end the war. He is looking for ways to continue the war. This definitely requires a reaction. A reaction from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who wants peace.

The captured Chinese citizens are in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Relevant investigative and operational actions are under way.

Chinese men captured while fighting in Ukraine, says Zelenskyy

Two Chinese citizens have been captured while fighting in eastern Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just said.

Ukraine's forces fought six Chinese soldiers, with two of them taken prisoner, he added.

He has ordered officials to get an explanation from Beijing.

We're now resuming our live coverage of the war in Ukraine - and we'll soon have more on this new development.

Three days of mourning start in Kryvyi Rih - as UN condemns 'reckless disregard for civilians'

Vigils are being held in Kryvyi Rih today as the city starts three days of mourning after one of the deadliest attacks on Ukrainian civilians in months.

A Russian missile that hit the hometown of Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday killed 11 adults and nine children, according to local authorities.

Ukraine's military said it was a cluster munitions attack, with the strike spraying shrapnel across a dense residential area.

The ages of the victims ranged from three to 79, Kryvyi Rih's mayor said, adding that 33 people, including four children, were still being treated in hospital.

Local clergymen held a memorial service at a playground near the strike site, and separately residents bid farewell to a nine-year-old boy said to have been killed while playing on a swing. 

'A reckless disregard for civilian life' 

Russia said, without evidence, that its "high-precision strike" targeted a military gathering of "unit commanders and Western instructors", killing up to 85 of them, a claim rejected by Kyiv as disinformation. 

UN human rights chief Volker Turk has called for a "prompt, thorough and independent" investigation into the attack. 

"The use of an explosive weapon with wide area effects by the Russian Federation in a densely populated area - and without any apparent military presence - demonstrates a reckless disregard for civilian life," he said.

"Even if the Russian authorities had had information that military personnel could be present, the mode and circumstances of attack may constitute an indiscriminate attack," the UN rights office added. 

What are the 'unanswered' questions Putin says are stopping a ceasefire in Ukraine?

We heard in the Kremlin's daily news briefing earlier that Vladimir Putin supposedly still supports a ceasefire in Ukraine, but only after Russia has been given the answers to some key questions (see 11am post).

Here's what the Russian president's spokesperson said about it in full:

President Putin does support the idea of the need for a ceasefire, but before that a number of questions must be answered. These questions are still hanging in the air; so far no one has given an answer to them.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman

Putin said last month that Russia supported a US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine in principle, but that fighting couldn't be paused until a number of crucial conditions were worked out or clarified. 

So what are Putin's questions?

Putin has said any peace agreement must address what Moscow sees as the "root cause" of the conflict, that being the tug of war between Russia and the West over Ukraine's future and the enlargement of NATO towards Russia's borders.

He's also said any ceasefire agreement would have to ensure Ukraine could not use it to regroup, and that questions about the verification of a truce would need tom be clarified.

The Kremlin has laid the blame for the lack of answers on Ukraine, which it said was unable to control a number of its "extremist and nationalist units". 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Putin's conditions for a ceasefire are unrealistic and has accused the Russian leader of wanting to continue the war. 

Ukraine's army must be strong enough

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has paid tribute to Ukraine's armed forces, hailing them as the "first and most effective guarantee" for the country's security.

"The Ukrainian army must be strong enough, and on this foundation [is built] the entire other security architecture," he said, referring to the rest of Ukraine's military and intelligence. 

"We must always remember how much depends on our army - on all Ukrainians who defend the life of Ukraine with their lives."

Zeleskyy also repeated calls for Ukraine to be sufficiently armed in its war with Russia, calling on Kyiv's allies to help contribute supplies "and all necessary defence capabilities"

Russian forces 'take control of eastern Ukraine settlement'

Russian troops have taken control of the settlement of Katerynivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Moscow's defence ministry has said in comments reported by the RIA state news agency.

Katerynivka is near the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces have focused their advance for months.

Ukraine's military has had reported success in recent weeks in holding back Russian forces near the road and rail hub.

Sky News could not independently confirm the battlefield report.

UK defence secretary to convene next 'coalition of willing' meeting

The UK defence secretary is set to convene the next meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing on Thursday.

With 30 countries expected to contribute to the coalition, John Healey will host defence ministers in Brussels alongside his French counterpart.

He will then chair the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a gathering of more than 50 countries supporting Ukraine militarily, with his opposite number from Germany on Friday.

"Our coalition of nations, working at pace and willing to stand with Ukraine for the long-term, is a stark contrast to Russia who stand alone with only North Korea for a friend," Healey said.

"As Putin prevaricates over a ceasefire, we will continue to ramp up our military planning, exploring the air, sea and land forces that could support a lasting peace in Ukraine."

The UK and France are leading efforts by the coalition of the willing to guarantee security in Ukraine after a peace deal, with a plan for armed forces from a number of European and NATO countries to be deployed in Ukraine acting as peacekeepers.

Downing Street says it is still in the "planning phase" of how the coalition would work in practice - and has been so far unable to answer questions on operational details.

The idea has been dismissed by the Trump administration, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff describing it as "simplistic" and "posture and pose".

Vladimir Putin has said he will not accept NATO troops in Ukraine.

Putin still has questions over ceasefire, Kremlin says

Vladimir Putin supports a ceasefire in Ukraine but still has a "number of questions" that need to be answered, the Kremlin has said.

The Russian leader has agreed to a limited, 30-day ceasefire covering strikes on energy infrastructure, but is yet to greenlight a broader cessation of hostilities already agreed to by Ukraine.

Giving his regular morning update, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had not been given answers to its questions about a possible ceasefire - but he gave his wider backing to the continuation of peace talks between Russia and the US.

Kharkiv hit by repeated Russian attacks this morning

The governor of Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region has reported several Russian attacks this morning, causing one death, injuries and damage to power lines.

Oleh Syniehubov posted on Telegram at 5.30am UK time that a KAB precision-guided Russian bomb hit the village of Tokarivka, killing a 48-year-old man.

"Russia does not stop terrorising the civilian population of the Kharkiv region," he said.

A later update this morning reports six further attacks causing two injuries, fires and damage to a high-rise building, housing and power transmission lines.

Zelenskyy condemns 'weak' US reaction to Russian attacks

As we've mentioned, Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised the US embassy in Ukraine over the weekend for its reaction to deadly Russian strikes.

After the missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy's hometown, which is now thought to have killed 20 people, America's ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink posted on X: "Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih.

"More than 50 people injured and 16 killed, including 6 children. This is why the war must end."

-SKY NEWS