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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russian forces have captured 270 square kilometers of territory and 15 settlements in Ukraine's Donetsk region, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to intensify drone strikes on Russian airspace and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged unwavering support for Kyiv in his first speech in parliament as premier.
Putin said Russian troops had seized 270 square kilometers of land and 15 settlements in Donetsk, one of the most fiercely contested regions since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Moscow has for years sought full control of Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions it illegally annexed in 2022 despite not fully controlling any of them, and the region has remained a central front in the war.
Speaking separately in a video address the same day, Zelenskyy said Ukraine intends to escalate drone strikes against Russia to the point that they cannot be ignored by airlines, insurers or countries still using Russian airports.
"Ukraine does not threaten civil aviation itself or any civilian aircraft, but drones will be so dense in Russian skies that this must be taken into account," he said.
Zelenskyy argued that Russian authorities have failed to adequately warn of the risks in their own airspace, adding that "Russia's airspace will effectively close. The war that Russia started is closing its own airspace."
He said "safe moments in Russia's airspace have ended" and called on ambassadors posted in Kyiv and Moscow to relay the warning to their governments.
He singled out airlines still flying into Moscow, St. Petersburg and other major Russian hubs, concluding that "there is no place for civil aviation in airspace where drones are present."
In London, Burnham told the House of Commons that former Prime Minister Keir Starmer's approach to Ukraine is "one which I will not change, whatever the threats we face."
He said Britain would not pursue escalation but would continue backing Kyiv's ability to defend itself, stating, "We do not seek escalation, but will instead stand firm in providing what help we can to enable Ukraine to defend itself."
The remarks came after Russia warned last week that British military facilities in Ukraine "and beyond" could become targets in retaliation for Kyiv's use of UK-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory.
Burnham also addressed a recent drone and missile strike Russia carried out on Leipzig Airport in Germany, calling it an "egregious and reckless attack" and expressing the UK's "full solidarity" with Berlin, describing the incident as "a very, a very serious development" requiring closer European cooperation.
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