Ukraine-Russia war latest: Nato foils Moscow plot to unleash secret weapon to destroy undersea cables in Arctic

Two Azerbaijani tugboat crew members ⁠were killed and two others ⁠injured ​as ⁠a result ⁠of Russian attack ​on ⁠civilian shipping ‌in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, ‌Ukraine’s infrastructure ‌ministry said on ⁠Thursday.

The tug TEDY came under a strike, it added ‌on X. ​

Six ‌other crew ⁠members received ⁠medical assistance ‌on ​the ‌spot.

Two Azerbaijani tugboat crew members ⁠were killed and two others ⁠injured ​as ⁠a result ⁠of Russian attack ​on ⁠civilian shipping ‌in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, ‌Ukraine’s infrastructure ‌ministry said on ⁠Thursday.

The tug TEDY came under a strike, it added ‌on X. ​Six ‌other crew ⁠members received ⁠medical assistance ‌on ​the ‌spot.

Defence secretary Wes Streeting said Moscow must understand that the UK “won’t flinch” in its support to Ukraine, as he co-chaired his first meeting of a group of allies providing military kit to Kyiv.

The virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group of some 50 nations comes after the UK committed £100 million to boost Ukraine’s air defences over winter.

Mr Streeting said he had seen the consequences of Russian aggression and the Ukrainian people’s “resilience and strength” firsthand during a visit to Ukraine.

“In that spirit, I think we owe it to them to make sure we are giving them every bit of support we can to see through what is inevitably a challenging winter.

“And at the same time to demonstrate to the aggressors in Moscow that our collective commitment to Ukraine remains, that it is strong, that it is unwavering, and I think that’s really important for demonstrating that alongside the diplomatic track that’s under way.

“We know that this war will only end through a negotiated peace.

“It’s really important that Russia understands that we won’t flinch in terms of our support for Ukraine as they continue to fight for their freedom and, for that matter, for ours.”

The Kremlin, asked about a potential moratorium ⁠on attacks on ships in the Black Sea, ⁠said on ​Thursday ⁠that its armed forces ⁠would continue to ​destroy vessels ⁠carrying ammunition ‌for the Ukrainian army.

Both Ukraine ‌and Russia ‌have stepped up attacks in ⁠recent weeks against commercial ships, sending world grain prices higher. Russia has previously rejected the ‌idea of ​a ceasefire in ‌the Black ⁠Sea as ⁠a “half-measure”.