Russia

Ciaran Martin says Reform UK leader’s allegation over Guardian report on £5m gift ‘entirely unsubstantiated’ Nigel Farage’s claim that a Russian hack was behind a Guardian report on the £5m gift he received from a crypto billionaire has been described as “without any merit” by a former head of the National Cyber Security Centre. Ciaran Martin, founding chief executive of the agency, which is part of GCHQ, said Farage’s allegation, if true, would have major implications for UK policy towards Russia but that the Reform UK leader had yet to provide “a shred of evidence”. Continue reading...

"We are warning foreign citizens, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organisations, to leave the city as soon as possible," said Russia's foreign ministry.

Rescue teams are still working to stabilise buildings in Kyiv after massive Russian strikes over the weekend. Residents described it as the worst night of the year so far, with a high number of casualties. According to our correspondent Gulliver Cragg, the attacks appeared to target the city centre but were largely repelled thanks to air defence systems.

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, 25 May 2026: First, papers discuss whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost support from his backers. Next, a police raid of opposition party headquarters in Turkey is getting considerable coverage. Also, the Enhanced Games do not lead to the many breakthroughs that were expected, with only one new world "record". Meanwhile, a 99-year-old breaks records in the sky. Finally, actors called Chris and talking animals are more likely to make it in Hollywood than women over the age of 60.

Reform UK leader claims ‘counter-espionage experts’ suggest state-sponsored hackers are behind the disclosure of £5m gift Nigel Farage is under mounting pressure to provide evidence for his claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack was behind the disclosure of the £5m gift he received from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Reform UK claimed over the weekend that analysis of Farage’s phone by “counter-espionage experts” suggested that “Farage’s phone, email and bank accounts were compromised by hostile actors, almost certainly linked to Moscow, using spear phishing tactics”, before the Guardian revealed details of his undeclared gift last month. Continue reading...

Assault hits water facility, market, residential buildings and schools, killing at least four and injuring dozens Russia used its powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile for a third time in Ukraine as part of a massive attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region that killed at least four people and injured dozens. Russia hit the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region with the missile, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said. He described a Russian assault that hit a water supply facility, burned down a market, damaged dozens of residential buildings and several schools, as well as the Oreshnik missile strike. Continue reading...

Russia’s use of the “Oreshnik” missile has drawn international attention. According to Moscow, the intermediate-range missile is capable of striking targets across large parts of Europe.

The Oreshnik missile, which reportedly travels over 10 times the speed of sound, was used, Russia has confirmed.

Russia’s Oreshnik missile is a nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile that Moscow says can evade air defences and strike targets across Europe at hypersonic speeds.

Macron, EU’s Kallas condemn Russian attack on Ukraine with Oreshnik ballistic missile.