Russia-Ukraine war LIVE- Fearless Zelenskyy survives THREE assassination attempts this week as Putin’s killers stalk him

Both groups have seen their attempts to kill Zelenskyy thwarted by anti-war elements within Russia’s FSB security services who tipped of the President’s security team, Manveen Rana reported in The Times.

The newspaper said the Wagner Group were shocked at how well the well-briefed Ukrainians had been able to anticipate their moves.

On Saturday a band of Chechen assassins were “eliminated” on the outskirts of Kyiv before the attack took place.

Terrifying scenes as choppers sweep over Kyiv

More chilling footage shows Russian helicopter gunships sweep over Ukraine to attack an airport just miles from Kyiv.

Russian choppers could be seen hurtling over the landscape as they attacked the military base at Gostomel Airport.

Ukrainian officials said they managed to down at least three of the aircraft – but the Russians had managed to seize control of the area.

The clips were shot after Vladimir Putin declared WAR on Ukraine with a barrage of artillery, airstrikes and missiles last week.

Russian helicopter shot down

FOOTAGE shows the moment a suspected Russian helicopter was blasted out of the sky over a Kyiv reservoir as Ukrainian forces battled for control of the skies.

The clip shows sparks flying from the chopper as it plunges into the water in the first few days of the Russian invasion.

Filmed on February 24, the same day as a swarm of Russian helicopters headed towards the Ukrainian capital, the Mi-24 helicopter appears to come under fire from what were reportedly Ukrainian stingers and anti-air missiles.

BBC journalist leaves Moscow

This morning BBC Monitoring journalist Francis Scarr revealed he’d left Moscow at “very short notice” and would have to continue his work from London.

While he didn’t state a reason, it comes as the Kremlin appeared to have ordered limits on who can access BBC content inside Russia.

Although there is not yet any confirmation of the BBC being blocked, BBC Russia said people were having difficulty accessing its website.

The move follows Kremlin criticism of the BBC which it claimed “plays a determined role in undermining the Russian stability and security”.

The BBC plays a vital role for many Russians looking for free and independent reporting rather than state-controlled propaganda networks posing as independent media.

Top Putin general shot dead by Ukrainian sniper

ONE of Vladimir Putin’s top generals was shot dead by a sniper in a major blow to the Kremlin’s war plan to annihilate Ukraine.

Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky was reportedly killed at the battle for Hostomel Airfield about 30 miles outside the capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian soldiers fought off a Spetsnaz special forces air assault there — and his loss could explain why Russian forces failed to secure the airfield as well as why the assault on Kyiv had stalled.

The elite para commander is the most senior officer known to have died since Putin unleashed his bloodbath on February 24.

How did the nuclear plant attack develop?

Russian armoured vehicles first appeared in the CCTV footage around 2am local time.

They lined up on a road running through the plant and unleashed salvoes at buildings to their left, which exploded as they were hit.

Shortly after local Mayor Dmytro Orlov confirmed the plant was ablaze.

“As a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on fire,” he said. 

He added there has been fierce fighting between local forces and Russian troops and there have been casualties.

In the aftermath of the Russian assault there were conflicting reports about the radiation levels.

A Ukrainian government official said elevated levels of radiation had already been detected at the plant – but later the plant’s authorities said its safety had been secured.

Sigh of relief as no damage found at nuclear site

No damage has been done to the reactors at Ukraine’s Zaporozhzhia nuclear power plant after a projectile hit a nearby building on the site overnight, U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi said today.

He added that he believed the projectile that hit the plant was Russian.

Boris blasts ‘reckless’ Putin

Boris Johnson spoke to Zelenskyy about the “gravely concerning situation” at the power plant which was the result of Vladimir Putin’s “reckless actions”,

“Both leaders agreed that Russia must immediately cease its attack on the power station and allow unfettered access for emergency services to the plant,” said a Downing Street spokesman,

“The Prime Minister said the reckless actions of President Putin could now directly threaten the safety of all of Europe.

“He said the UK would do everything it could to ensure the situation did not deteriorate further.

‘Putin wants another Chernobyl’ – Zelenskyy

UKRAINE has accused Vladimir Putin of wanting “another Chernobyl” after Russian forces attacked the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe.

The country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia was guilty of “nuclear terror” after the plant was set alight, as Boris Johnson announced he would be seeking an emergency U.N meeting.

Dramatic live stream video from the site in Enerhodar showed Russian troops blasting away at one of the buildings.

Speaking after the attack President Zelenskyy condemned the Russians.

“No country other than Russia has ever fired on nuclear power units,” he said in a video message to his embattled nation.

“This is the first time in our history. In the history of mankind. The terrorist state now resorted to nuclear terror.”

Britain ready to throw Putin in jail for war crimes

Dominic Raab said the UK stands ready to throw Putin into a British jail if he is found guilty of war crimes.

The Deputy PM warned the Russian despot and his generals face “the dock of a court in The Hague and prison” for their slaughter of innocents.

Mr Raab added: “However long it takes, if you commit a war crime on Ukrainian soil expect to be held to account.”

The International Criminal Court is investigating Russia for war crimes.

Oligarchs slapped with sanctions (3 of 3)

Igor Shuvalov’s assets in the UK include two luxury apartments in central London worth an estimated £11million.

The Foreign Office said he was a “core part of Putin’s inner circle, and headed up Russia’s bid for the 2018 Football World Cup.” No British citizen or business can deal with them.

Boris Johnson said: “For as long as Putin continues his barbaric attack on innocent Ukrainians, we will continue to exert every power we have to inflict maximum economic pain on Putin and his war machine.”

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will also establish an Oligarch Taskforce of Ministers to clamp down on the rogue agents.

She said: “Our message to Putin and his allies has been clear from day one — invading Ukraine would have serious and crippling economic consequences.

“Sanctioning Usmanov and Shuvalov sends a clear message that we will hit oligarchs and individuals closely associated with the Putin regime and his barbarous war. We won’t stop here. Our aim is to cripple the Russian economy and starve Putin’s war machine.”

Oligarchs slapped with sanctions (2 of 3)

The luxury multi-million pound vessels were in hiding last night in the territorial waters around the Indian Ocean paradise.

There, they are free from US extradition treaties as the West turns on the pressure over Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Five luxury boats, worth £605million and owned by some of Russia’s richest and most powerful men, were yesterday sailing safely around the islands.

And more are expected to join them in the coming days.

But before Britain yesterday added Usmanov to the sanctions list, Germany impounded his £437million, 512ft Dilbar yacht at a yard in Hamburg.

His firm has sponsored Everton’s training ground and he had exclusive naming rights on the club’s new stadium. Usmanov, 68, also owns Beechwood House mansion in Highgate, North London, worth an estimated £48million, and the 16th century Sutton Place country estate in Surrey.

But he can no longer visit either of them or sell up.

Oligarchs slapped with sanctions (1 of 3)

RUSSIAN billionaire Alisher Usmanov was slapped on Britain’s sanctions list last night as Vladimir Putin’s cronies had their beloved superyachts seized.

Usmanov, who has been bankrolling Everton FC, had a travel ban imposed and his assets frozen.

Igor Shuvalov, 55, the chairman of Vnesheconombank and former Russian deputy PM, was also hit with sanctions.

The move against the pair, worth a combined £14billion, came as other oligarchs fled in their luxury boats to the safe haven of the Maldives.

How can YOU help?

MORE than one million refugees have fled Ukraine in the past week according to United Nations figures.

Officials fear as many as four million will be forced out by July in the biggest single movement of people since World War Two.

Many Brits are looking for ways they can help those in Ukraine and the British Red Cross has set up a donation fund.

The Ukraine Crisis Appeal will support people in areas currently affected and those potentially affected in the future by the crisis.

In the unlikely event that the British Red Cross raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help them prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters anywhere in the world.

For more information visit https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/disaster-fund

How is Putin trying to spin the conflict in Russia?

Russia’s president said the Ukrainians have been “brainwashed” and insisted his soldiers are the “real heroes”.

Denying Ukrainian claims Russian forces are deliberately targeting civilians, Putin instead blamed the 2,000 civilian casualties so far on “neo-Nazis” holding the people of Ukraine hostage.

In his first address since the start of the conflict eight days ago, Putin admitted his forces had lost “some small towns”, and acknowledged that some Russian forces, including a senior commander, had died in the fight.

But he claimed the officer had blown himself up in a heroic act of sacrifice, taking out several Ukrainian troops.

He gave no indication of when the war might end.

No end in sight

Russia launched a large scale invasion of Ukraine one week ago today and the bloodshed has not ceased since.

More than 2,000 civilians are believed to have been killed in the attack which has seen cities become warzones.

And the conflict shows no signs of stopping, despite ongoing peace talks.

Putin himself issued a ferocious defence of his invasion of Ukraine, bizarrely claiming the war has been a “success”, despite the Russian army suffering heavy losses.

Russia also admitted had suffered casualties during its invasion for the first time it earlier this week – saying 500 soldiers have been killed and around 1,600 have been wounded.

Hopes of a quick victory have evaporated as harrowing images have emerged of burnt out Russian vehicles and sobbing soldiers after they surrendered.

‘Putin will pay the price’

Towns and villages in the wider Kyiv region also bore the brunt of the attacks – with pictures showing an apartment block totally destroyed in nearby Borodyanka.

Zelenskyy – a former comedian turned politician, who has been hailed as a hero for his leadership during the crisis – pledged to strike back against Russia.

“We will rebuild every single house, every single street, every single city,” he said.

“And we are telling Russia – learn the words ‘reparations’ and ‘contributions’.

“You will pay back fully to us for what you’ve done against our state, against our every single Ukrainian.”

What’s the latest on Russia’s invasion?

Russian forces are getting even closer to the city of Kyiv in the north of Ukraine.

As this map shows, they’ve also been able to link the Donbas pro-Russian breakaway areas in the east of the country with the annexed region of Crimea in the south.

Death from above

Terrifying dashcam footage has caught the moment Russian bombs flew overhead and slammed into a block of flats.

The horror unfolded in the city of Chernihiv, where 33 civilians have pulled from the rubble of apartment blocks destroyed by Russian air strikes.

The car with the dashcam turns a corner and began driving along a road before around a dozen bombs rained down from the sky about 100 yards ahead.

The sound of the bombs falling at speed can be heard – followed by a loud boom and flames as they slam into the flats.

Terrified civilians can be seen fleeing from the inferno as smoke rises and the wailing of a car alarm pierces the air.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine explained

Here are a list of essential explainers to help you get a better grasp of the ongoing situation in Ukraine

Plots foiled

Ukraine’s national security secretary has already revealed that the country recently foiled a plot by the FSB to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Vladimir Putin is a former chief of the FSB, the main successor of the Societ Union’s feared KGB.