Vladimir Putin continued his massive bombardment of Ukraine as King Charles warned about ‘tyranny’ in Europe with Donald Trump sat beside him at last night’s state banquet.
Waves of Russian Shahed and other types of drones resulted in six people being injured in an attack on a gas station in the Poltava region, where railway infrastructure was also hit.
In Kyiv, a massive fire raged at a warehouse close to the city’s Boryspil airport after another drone strike.
Explosions were heard in Bucha, an area where earlier in the war hundreds were tortured, raped and executed by Putin’s forces.
Homes and key energy facilities were hit in the Dnipropetrovsk region, with disruption to long-distance trains.
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The Kremlin’s forces began the attack at 9pm Kyiv time, launching 75 drones at the country — 48 of which were ‘neutralised’ by the defenders, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Anti-aircraft missile forces, aviation, electronic warfare, drone units and mobile fire groups were involved in repelling the attack, which was underway as the banquet took place at Windsor Castle.
The terror attacks came amid pressure from Kyiv for a redoubling of sanctions against the Putin regime.
At the banquet held during Trump’s three-day state visit to Britain, the king warned how ‘tyranny once again threatens Europe’ and stressed that ‘we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine to deter aggression and secure peace’.
Responding on X, Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his ‘deepest thanks’ and said: ‘When tyranny threatens Europe once again, we must all hold firm, and Britain continues to lead in defending freedom on many fronts.
‘Together, we have achieved a lot, and with the support of freedom-loving nations—the UK, our European partners, and the US — we continue to defend values and protect lives.’
Footage showed Ukraine’s Black Forest Brigade striking a £20 million Russian Buk-M2 surface-to-air missile launcher on the eastern front.
The defenders’ drones took out the antenna of a Russian Sopka-2 radar system near Harmashevka in the Voronezh region.
A Lukoil facility in the Volgograd region was also hit after an attack by 11 drones, according to reports.
In the Belgorod border region, a civilian was reportedly killed after a drone hit a car in Shebekino.
The king also used his speech to emphasise the alliance between the US and UK, and its importance in supporting Ukraine.
He said: ‘Our countries have the closest defence, security and intelligence relationship ever known. In two world wars, we fought together to defeat the forces of tyranny.
‘Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.
‘And our Aukus submarine partnership, with Australia, sets the benchmark for innovative and vital collaboration.’
The monarch also celebrated the economic ties between the two countries, appearing to reference the tech deal agreed before the visit.
He said: ‘Today, our alliance spans every field of endeavour and shows vast potential for growth.
‘The United Kingdom was your partner in the first trade deal of your administration, Mr President, bringing jobs and growth to both our countries. And no doubt we can go even further as we build this new era of our partnership.’
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