Andrei Kelin, Russia's ambassador to the UK, accused the United Kingdom of waging a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, predicting the eventual collapse of Ukraine as Russian forces gain ground.

The ambassador, in an interview with the BBC, claimed that Russia is gaining more territory each day and described the conflict as led by the UK, which he says is responsible for the deaths of Russian soldiers and civilians.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to appeal to the West for air-defense systems following missile strikes on the city of Kryvyi Rih, injuring 17 people.

Despite sustained attacks, Ukraine struggles to secure long-range missiles to counter Russian advances in its eastern Donbas region.

During a recent French diplomatic visit to Kyiv, France's foreign minister pledged to support Ukraine's plan for peace, although western nations remain cautious.

Concurrently, following the opening of a public inquiry into the 2018 death of Dawn Sturgess from novichok poisoning in the UK, the British government implicated Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Salisbury attack, a claim Moscow denies.