London, Europe Brief News – UK PM Boris Johnson has suggested there “is a realistic possibility” the war in Ukraine could continue to the end of next year.
Speaking in India, Johnson also said Britain would reopen its embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv next week.
Boris Johnson said he is “all in favour” of staff returning to the British embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv next month.
Russia will use artillery over the coming months to try and grind the Ukrainians down, he added.
Physical damage to Ukraine’s buildings and infrastructure from Russia’s invasion has reached roughly $60bn (£46bn), according to the World Bank.
The UN says the Ukraine war is a “horror story of violations against civilians”. It further said it investigates more than 300 alleged unlawful killings in the country.
The UN has earlier documented the deaths of 50 civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha – including summary executions.
Satellite images produced by a private US company appear to show mass graves outside the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
President Vladimir Putin said the city is now controlled by Russian forces, but Ukraine says its fighters continue to hold on in the vast Azovstal steel plant. The mayor there has appealed on Friday for a “full evacuation”.
Elsewhere, the mayor of the north-eastern city of Kharkiv said there are a million civilians facing an intensified Russian bombardment.
