Defence Secretary John Healey has said “Britain is united for Ukraine” to mark Ukrainian Independence Day.

“On their Independence Day, we salute the fearless resolve of the Ukrainian people. They fight for freedoms that we must never take for granted”, he said in a statement on X.

“Ukraine has no firmer friend than the UK and we will stand with them for as long as it takes. Britain is united for Ukraine.”

Russia has lost 606,490 troops since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

This number includes 1,160 casualties Russian forces suffered in the past 24 hours.

The General Staff also reported Russia has also lost 8,542 tanks and 16,620 armored fighting vehicles sine the beginning of the invasion.

Sir Keir Starmer has issued a statement of support as Ukraine marks 33 years since it declared independence from the Soviet Union.

The prime minister told Ukrainians the UK will back them “today and always”, offering a “crystal clear” message of solidarity to the war-torn nation.

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

CNN has defended its journalist Nick Paton Walsh after Russia filed criminal charges against him for allegedly crossing the border illegally to report in the Kursk region.

The network said that Walsh’s reporting was legitimate and in line with international law, despite Russia’s accusations.

“CNN’s team has consistently provided factual, impartial coverage of the war, reflecting both Ukrainian and Russian perspectives,” the network said in a statement.

The network added that its team, along with other international journalists, was invited by the Ukrainian government and escorted by the Ukrainian military to view territory recently reclaimed by Ukraine.

“This is protected activity in accordance with the rights afforded to journalists under the Geneva Convention and international law,” CNN stated.

During the broadcast, CNN journalists accompanied a Ukrainian military convoy to the town of Sudzha, where they found a nearly deserted settlement with only a few elderly residents remaining.

Russia’s FSB security service has opened a criminal case against a CNN journalist, accusing him of illegally crossing the country’s border to film a report in the Kursk region following a Ukrainian incursion.

Nick Paton Walsh, a British citizen who is CNN’s chief international security correspondent, was banned from entering Russia due to ongoing tensions between Moscow and the West. Despite this, the FSB alleged, he entered the country illegally.

In addition to Walsh, the FSB said it had initiated similar criminal cases against Ukrainian journalists Diana Butsko and Olesya Borovik.

The FSB said that international arrest warrants for all three journalists would be issued soon. If found guilty of illegally crossing the Russian border, they could face up to five years in prison, according to the FSB.

Russia had summoned a senior US diplomat earlier this week in Moscow to protest the “provocative actions” of American journalists reporting from Kursk.

The US has been in discussions with Ukrainian leaders to better understand their long-term goals for the Kursk operation, particularly as Russia advances near Pokrovsk, according to Pentagon officials.

If Pokrovsk falls, it could weaken Ukraine’s defences and bring Russia closer to capturing the Donetsk region, with Russian troops now just 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Thursday that the US is still working with Ukraine to see how the Kursk operation aligns with their overall battlefield strategy. While the US recognises Ukraine’s aim to create a buffer zone along the border, there are still questions about how this fits into Ukraine’s broader war efforts.

On Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the border area where his forces launched the offensive on 6 August. He said that Ukraine’s military had taken control of another Russian village and captured more prisoners of war.

The latest US aid package brings the total security assistance to Ukraine to over $55.7 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.