Brave Ukrainian soldiers fighting Putin will march with Brit troops in VE Day celebrations
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
BRAVE Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the biggest conflict since World War Two will march in Britain's VE Day celebrations.
Ten officers in Volodymyr Zelensky's forces battling Putin's invasion will be in London to mark 80 years since the end of Hitler's war in Europe.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
Ten officers of Zelensky's troops will be in London to mark 80 years since the end of Hitler's war in Europe
Credit: UK MOD Crown Copyright
The Ukrainian Army fighters are currently in Britain to train comrades.
They will join 1,300 UK forces in a procession from Westminster to Buckingham Palace on Bank Holiday Monday.
Government officials invited the Ukrainian Army to join the VE Day march in front of King Charles and WWII veterans.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'In the midst of the first full-scale war in Europe since the Second World War, it is fitting that the Ukrainian Armed Forces currently fighting on the front line of freedom are represented.'
One Ukrainian officer said: 'It is a recognition that Ukraine and its heroes stand at the forefront of the fight for freedom and peace in the world.'
The UK and allies have trained 54,000 Ukrainians in combat skills since 2022.
The operation has been extended to at least the end of this year.
MORE than 1,000 pigeons will
race 183 miles from
France back to the UK today to remember the vital role of homing
birds delivering messages in World War Two.
3
Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the biggest conflict since World War Two will be honoured at the Bank Holiday Monday parade
Credit: Getty
3
The route of the parade on Bank Holiday Monday
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Free school meals for half a million for kids confirmed in spending review by Chancellor Rachel Reeves
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HALF a million more kids will be eligible for free school meals, it's been confirmed by the Chancellor. As part of her spending review today, Rachel Reeves announced that every child in a Universal Credit household will now be eligible for state-sponsored lunches. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Free school meal has been confirmed for half a million kids Credit: Reuters Addressing the House of Commons she said: "Last week, this government announced that Free School Meals will be extended to over half a million more children. "That policy alone will lift 100,000 children out of poverty from Tower Hamlets to Sunderland to Swansea." Currently, Universal Credit households must earn under £7,400 per year to qualify. The move is expected to save parents on benefits £500 a year, according to the Department for Education. Kids in UC households currently not eligible will be able to start claiming lunches from the start of the 2026 school year. The entitlement will apply in all settings where free school meals are available, including school-based nurseries and further-education settings. Most parents will be able to apply before the start of the new school year by providing a national insurance number. Education Secretary Bridget Philipson previously told The Sun the move was a "game changer". 'This will make a big difference to children's attendance and behaviour at school because we know that if kids are hungry, they don't concentrate well." The expansion of the scheme comes ahead of ahead of the government's Child Poverty Taskforce publishing a ten-year strategy to drive down poverty. Disability benefit explained - what you can claim Last week the government rolled out 750 breakfast clubs across the UK. The move offers half an hour of free childcare and a healthy meal before the school day begins. Labour are also facing mounting pressure to scrap the two child benefit cap, Elsewhere, Rachel Reeves also vowed to pump £39billion into building more social and affordable housing across the UK. This came alongside a new rent policy for social housing starting in 2026. Reeves told MPs: "I am proud to announce the biggest cash injection into social and affordable housing in 50 years. "A new Affordable Homes Programme – in which I am investing £39bn over the next decade. What age do kids get free school meals in the UK? In England, all eligible children from reception to year two qualify for free school meals - so kids aged roughly between four and seven. In Scotland, all children between four and nine will qualify, while in Wales, pupils aged around four get free school meals. But, of course, all primary school-aged children should be eligible for the scheme by the end of 2024. That means children between four and 11. In any part of the UK, from year three onwards, your children could qualify for free school meals. But this is when the eligibility criteria kicks in, meaning you'll need to be receiving certain benefits and your income may be taken into consideration. Currently, your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following: Income Support income-based Jobseeker's Allowance income-related Employment and Support Allowance support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 the guaranteed element of Pension Credit Child Tax Credit (provided you're not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get) WHAT OTHER HELP IS AVAILABLE? You get child benefit if you're responsible for bringing up a child who is under 16 or under 20 if they are in approved education or training The payment is used to help parents cover the costs of childcare. It is paid at two weekly rates - £26.05 for your eldest or only child and £17.25 for any additional children. Payments are usually made every four weeks, on a Monday or Tuesday, but sometimes are made weekly. If you are claiming child benefit for a child under 12, you also receive National Insurance (NI) credits. NICs count towards your State Pension so claiming the benefit can be useful if you are missing any. Parents can also get help with free food vouchers through the government's Household Support Fund.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Chancellor Rachel Reeves reveals £39bn plan to build affordable homes across the UK in spending review
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE boost for building more home was announced in today's spending review by Rachel Reeves. The Chancellor today unveiled a £39billion 10-year plan to build more social and affordable housing across the UK, alongside a new rent policy for social housing starting in 2026. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Rachel Reeves has announced £39billion in funding Credit: Alamy The multi-billion pound investment will be distributed among local authorities, private developers, and housing associations to help deliver 1.5million new homes and address the housing crisis. This funding is a major increase compared to the previous affordable housing programme, which allocated £11.5billion over five years (2021–2026), or £2.3billion annually. By the end of this Parliament, the government plans to almost double yearly spending on affordable housing to £4 billion by 2029/30. The £113billion increase in capital spending announced today will be funded through extra borrowing, made possible by changes to fiscal rules earlier this year. Read more on Money OUT OF CREDIT We sat wrapped in blankets and drained our savings after winter fuel axe Reeves told MPs: "I am proud to announce the biggest cash injection into social and affordable housing in 50 years. "A new Affordable Homes Programme – in which I am investing £39bn over the next decade. "Direct government funding that will support housebuilding… …especially for social rent." A government source added: "We're turning the tide against the unacceptable housing crisis in this country with the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment in a generation, delivering on our commitment to get Britain building." What's happening to social rents? The government is also introducing a ten-year plan for social housing rents starting in 2026. This policy will allow housing providers to raise rents by inflation plus 1% (CPI+1%) each year, helping them secure funding to invest in building new homes and maintaining existing ones. At the same time, a consultation will soon be launched to explore how to make rent levels fairer across social housing. This plan aims to balance investment in housing with protecting social housing tenants from excessive rent increases. The previous Conservative governments made similar promises of long-term rent hike formulas in the early 2010s but often failed to follow through. For example, David Cameron's coalition set a 10-year rent settlement in 2012 based on the retail price index plus 0.5%. However, then-Chancellor George Osborne later imposed four years of below-inflation increases to reduce housing benefit costs. More recently, Johnson's government announced a five-year settlement of CPI plus 1% in 2020 but had to cap rent increases at 7% due to a surge in inflation. Most social housing tenants receive full housing benefits from the government, meaning taxpayers often fund any social rent increases. However, around 30% of social tenants pay full rent and will be hit by future increases in full because they're not eligible for support. There are around four million households currently living in rented social housing. That means 1.2million households will face future bill hikes with the new 10-year formula. However, the exact amount your rent will increase will depend on where you live and how big your property is. Help available for social renters IF you rent from the council or a housing association, you can get help if you're having problems affording your rent. If you miss a rent payment, you'll fall into 'arrears' and owe your council or housing associations. Fail to pay back what you owe and you could be evicted. If you can't afford your next rent payment, you should talk to your landlord as soon as possible. Call them and explain why you're struggling. Your landlord may be able to grant a temporary payment holiday or signpost you to other forms of help. It's worth asking if you can get a discretionary housing payment. This provides extra money from your local council to help pay your rent - you don't need to pay it back. It's always worth checking if you're getting any benefit payments you're entitled to. You can use several free calculators, such as Citizen's Advice, MoneySavingExpert, StepChange, and Turn2Us, to help you get an estimate. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Russian troop losses set to top a MILLION within days in grim milestone as Putin's meat grinder frontline tactics continue
Russia is set to pass a grim milestone in its illegal war in Ukraine this week, with the millionth casualty expected in days, according to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin 's forces have lost 999,000 soldiers from their ranks since the full-scale invasion began on February 24 2022, Ukraine's general staff claimed today. Kyiv said its army had neutralised 1,120 Russian soldiers in the past 24 hours. If the same number of dead and injured are reported tomorrow then the one million mark could be reached within hours. The figure provided by Ukraine is not far removed from estimates of Russian losses made by Western intelligence agencies. Last month, the UK's Ministry of Defence said that Russia has likely incurred around 950,000 casualties since the war began, with the average daily losses in April just over 1,200. Despite the heavy losses, Moscow has been relentless in its continued recruitment drive, with under trained conscripts being sent to the frontline to fuel its meat grinder attacks. Sir Lawrence Freedman, a leading battlefield strategist, described such human-wave attacks as 'largely useless, grinding stuff,' but added that 'there are no signs of exhaustion, they are just carrying on.' June has been a dismal month for Putin, with Ukraine's humiliating Operation Spiderweb drone attack said to have wiped out a third of his strategic bomber fleet on the first day of the month. The audacious raid saw more than 100 first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones smuggled into Russia and unleashed on four airbases. The drones filmed the moment they flew at planes and detonated, with Kyiv declaring afterwards that they had decimated 41 of Putin's prized aircraft - worth some £1.5billion - in a matter of minutes. The attack left the Kremlin seething and bent on retaliation, and there have been a record number of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks. The air raids on cities including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa have escalated three years of daily bombardments, with Ukrainian civilians reported killed and injured every night. They have also come at the same time as Moscow outlined hardline demands - rejected by Kyiv as 'ultimatums' - to halt its invasion. US President Donald Trump has been urging the two sides to strike a peace deal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has in turn called on the West to up the pressure on Russia with hard-hitting economic sanctions that he says would limit its capacity to wage war. He is expected to press that message with Trump and European leaders at a G7 summit in Canada, which kicks off on Sunday. Two rounds of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have failed to yield a breakthrough in ending the war. Russia has rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire and demanded that Ukraine give up its territory and bid to join NATO. But the two sides agreed to swap more than 1,000 prisoners of war and hand over the bodies of dead soldiers, swapping groups of captured soldiers on Monday and Tuesday. Russian independent media outlet Mediazona along with BBC journalists identified some 106,000 Russian soldiers who had been killed in combat during the war. Experts have said the true figure is likely to be much higher - with the number believed to only cover between 45 per cent and 65 per cent of deaths, meaning as many as 230,000 Russian soldiers could actually have been killed. While Ukraine shares data on Russian casualties daily, it does not publish detailed figures on its own combat losses. In February, President Volodymyr Zelensky made a rare admission by saying that more than 46,000 had been killed and 380,000 wounded since the outbreak of the war. These figures were widely seen as an underestimate, particularly as a leaked Ukrainian intelligence report stated last September that some 70,000-80,000 soldiers had been killed in action. But Moscow is also continuing to make incremental gains, despite the huge losses, Russian mechanised infantry units earlier reported that they have reached the western border of Ukraine's Donetsk region and along with a tank division are continuing their offensive against the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. The Kremlin has said that Russia wants to carve out a buffer zone in Dnipropetrovsk, which is not one of the five Ukrainian regions that Moscow has claimed as its own territory.
