Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin fighter jet downed by sea drone, Kyiv claims

The Kremlin has called reports Ukrainian soldiers are to take part in World War Two commemorations in Britain “sacrilege”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on media reports in a special conference called today.

Ukraine destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet using a missile fired from a seaborne drone, Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency said on Saturday, in what it said was the world’s first downing of a combat plane by a maritime drone.

Its statement on social media said the fighter had been shot down by a military intelligence unit called Group 13 on Friday over waters near Novorossiysk, a major Russian port city on the Black Sea.

Outmanned and outgunned by its larger, wealthier Russian adversary, Ukraine has turned to drone warfare in the air and at sea as a way to fight back throughout the three years of full-scale war.

Ukraine’s seaborne drones, which are much cheaper and smaller than conventional ships, have wrought havoc on Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

Ukraine has previously said it shot down a Russian military helicopter in December 2024 using a missile fired from the same type of seaborne drone.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he refuses to take part in Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “games”.

The Ukrainian leader accused the Russian leader of “playing games” over his three-day ceasefire proposal for Moscow’s Victory Day commemorations.

Al Jazeera reported Mr Zelensky said: “This is more of a theatrical performance on his part. Because in two or three days, it is impossible to develop a plan for the next steps to end the war.”

The UK has introduced a new uncrewed aircraft that will support RAF pilots by blinding enemy radars, which has been developed using lessons from the war in Ukraine.

In a statement, the RAF said StormShroud is the first of a new family of Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP), which will “revolutionise the RAF’s advantage in the most contested battlespaces”, supporting RAF F-35B Lightning and Typhoon pilots by blinding enemy radars.

It said: “StormShroud has been developed using lessons from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as well as other operational theatres around the world. “

The Kremlin has said it wants a definitive response from Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer of a three-day ceasefire next week, claiming the reaction so far has been ambiguous and historically wrong.

Mr Putin on Monday declared a three-day ceasefire from to mark the 80th anniversary of the WW2 victory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to rule out such a brief ceasefire earlier on Saturday, saying he was only ready to sign up to a ceasefire that would last at least 30 days, an idea Putin has said needs a lot of work before it could become a reality.

Mr Zelensky also said that Ukraine, given the continued war with Russia, could not guarantee the safety of any foreign dignitaries who came to Moscow for the 9 May parade.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Mr Putin’s three-day offer had been a test to assess Kyiv’s readiness to search for a peaceful settlement to end the war.

“The reaction of the Ukrainian authorities to Russia’s initiative to introduce a ceasefire is a test of Ukraine’s readiness for peace. And we will, of course, await not ambiguous but definitive statements and, most importantly, actions aimed at de-escalating the conflict over the public holidays,” Mr Peskov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed air defence systems and sanctions on Russia with Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican.

He also said the critical minerals deal signed by the two countries on Wednesday was mutually beneficial, and that it would allow Ukraine to defend future US investments, as well as its own territory and people.

Russia has accused Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky of having “unequivocally threatened” world leaders who are planning to arrive in Moscow for its Victory Day celebrations.

Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine cannot provide security assurances to foreign officials planning to visit Russia around 9 May for its World War II commemorations, warning that Moscow could stage provocations and later attempt to blame Ukraine.

In response to Mr Zelensky’s comments, which were made public on Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that he had “unequivocally threatened the world leaders who are planning to arrive in Moscow on 9 May.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Russia expects Kyiv to take steps to de-escalate before Victory Day.

“We will, of course, expect (from) Kyiv not ambiguous, but final statements, and most importantly, actions aimed at de-escalating the conflict during the holidays,” Mr Peskov told journalists.

It was now “between the two parties” to present concrete ideas on how the conflict would end, she insisted, although the US remained committed to helping.

My colleague Jane Dalton has the full story:

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that its air defences shot down 170 Ukrainian drones overnight.

The ministry said eight cruise missiles and three guided missiles were also intercepted.