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8 Reasons to Book a Virgin Voyages Cruise

With so many different cruise lines available, how do you know which is the right one for you? Well, if you’re looking for a cruise that puts unforgettable experiences, dazzling entertainment and incredible eateries first, then Virgin Voyages might just be the one for you.

Aboard a Virgin Voyages cruise, the good stuff just keeps coming. So, to learn more about why you should consider Virgin for your next cruise, we’ve got 8 great reasons to get started.

Virgin Voyages are adult only

Virgin Voyages have an ‘exclusively adult’ policy aboard their ships, which means you have to be 18 to sail with them. While the cruise line does appreciate the joy of …

Do Brits Like to Make Friends on Holiday?

Do you tend to avoid making new friends on holiday? Are you eager to experience your trip alongside new acquaintances? Or are you indifferent to holiday friendships and everything they involve? Find out how Brits feel about their holiday friendships here.

Why Choose MSC for Your Family Cruise

Family holidays are an incredibly special opportunity to spend quality time together, which means that getting it right is so important. Whether your children are still little or a bit more grown up, being able to travel together means you can make some great memories while discovering a new part of the world.

When it comes to family cruises, there are certainly some cruise lines that are more suitable than others. So, with that in mind, here we take a look at why MSC Cruises should be high on your list of options, and help you learn a little more about what to expect and which ships you should consider.

Choosing …

Green Cruising: How to Make Cruising More Sustainable

Here, we’ll take a look at what the cruise lines are doing to clean up their acts and which are the most sustainable cruise lines you can travel with.

Flowers from Around the World

To celebrate these wild and wonderful plants and flowers, let us whisk you away on a tour of the world’s continents and the flowers found in or native to the different areas.

How do Cruise Ships Float? The Science Behind Cruising

Whether you’re curious about how these massive ships stay afloat or any other aspect of their operations, our guide is here to explain the science and design genius behind how cruise ships float.

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Cruise Nation   Reviews

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Reviews 4.7.

1,009 total

Most relevant

Queries answered

Jemma was very helpful and pleasant and answered all my queries

Date of experience : June 24, 2024

Reply from Cruise Nation

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to the team

Very helpful and patient staff.

Very helpful and patient staff. Listened to my queries and helped me in a very clear way. Really pleased with my booking experience so far. Thankyou. Thankyou to Ms. Jemma Dolan who was brilliant today! Really appreciated her support.

Date of experience : May 31, 2024

Good service

Kimberley was very helpful friendly. She resolved a few mistakes I had on my booking and help me link my booking to friends I I’m travelling with. Definitely and assist to you business.

Date of experience : June 06, 2024

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Kimberley

I usually book through another cruise…

I usually book through another cruise company but decided to go with cruise nation as the deal was good. Okay for booking but since then when I’ve wanted to make changes, they are not helpful at all. Don’t return calls when promised and just not interested at helping existing customers at all. Never again!

Date of experience : January 19, 2024

Thank you for your review ! I can see that since your review you have since made changes to your booking and your query has been resolved. We thank you again for your feedback and will certainly take your comments on board and implement any training where necessary

Every interaction I have had with…

Every interaction I have had with Cruise Nation has been extraordinarily brilliant! They have gone out of their way to be helpful.

Date of experience : June 07, 2024

I rang and spoke to Sharice Brooks for clarification regarding cost of gratuities, she was very helpful and although we were disconnected she took the trouble to find the answer and e mailed me straight away and offered any further help. Each time I have rang every agent has been most helpful, professional and friendly. This being my first cruise, I had many questions and found everybody very reassuring and happy to help Many thanks to all.

Date of experience : May 14, 2024

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Sherice & the team

SHAME I CANT GET A QUOTE

I have phoned 4 times now and each time waited 40 mins for a reply. First girl was really nice spent 40 mins telling her exactly what i wanted and i have been quoted elsewhere and wanted to compare their price, she said as it was complex she hadn't long started so she will pass it onto colleague. i have been chasing the quote speaking to different people since and they all said yes i can see all your details but our colleague has started it we will ask him to call you - still no quote I called back today and they guy was so unhelpful advising how short staffed they are then asked me for all the details - i said everyone i have spoken to can see my details - he said well its up to you if you want to give me them or not! So if this is they way they treat potential customers i would rather go elsewhere!

Date of experience : March 17, 2024

Thank you for your review, I have taken a look into this for you, and can see that since this you have been contacted by the Sales agent who is working on your quotation. We will certainly take your comments on board so we can learn from your feedback.

On finding problems with the MSC…

On finding problems with the MSC website I phoned Cruise Nation with whom I’d booked my 17th cruise . I had the pleasure of speaking to a lady by the name of Jemma Dolan. Jemma was professional,knowledgeable efficient at the same time as being friendly she solved my problem in no time at all. I hope Jemma is recognised as a valued member of Cruise Nation as she certainly deserves to be.

Date of experience : May 11, 2024

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Jemma

Gemma was very helpful,gave me all the…

Gemma was very helpful,gave me all the information I needed.

Date of experience : June 21, 2024

Scott Martin is excellent service with…

Scott Martin is excellent service with our booking ! Within 48 hours he completed all we need for Aslaka cruise, thank you Scott 😊

Date of experience : June 02, 2024

Brilliant Help!

Was travelling around Spain with intermittent access to WiFi and panicking about providing information for an upcoming cruise. Called Cruise Nation and the help they gave me was brilliant. Took away all my worries, thank you Rachel S!

Date of experience : May 07, 2024

No response to telephonecall

Tried to contact Cruise nation and waited for ages with no response. It does not appear that they are interested in answering phone call. We wanted to book a cruise and wanted to ask questions but lost interest. I don’t understand why Cruise Nation charge £72 per person for baggage fee when the airline is a national airline ( Qatar Airline) and never had to pay for luggage before when we travel with them. Disappointing!

Date of experience : October 26, 2023

Thank you for the feedback we continue to work to ensure that we are as transparent as possible. We are working to ensure that we display prices which include the full package currently due to different airlines having different luggage fees this has had to be added on separately in our booking systems however our development and product team are hoping to rectify this soon. should there be anything we can do to assist please feel free to contact our customer service team and we will surely look into the matter.

Just booked a holiday with Scott

Just booked a holiday with Scott. Amazing experience very helpful nothing too much trouble. Went the extra mile. We have a great deal and an amazing holiday. Well done Cruisenaton.

Date of experience : May 24, 2024

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Scott

Amazing Support

In January we had to disembark from an MSC cruise due to my son being taken into hospital as an emergency. With the help of Cruise Nation, MSC allowed a cruise credit for half the cost. A cruise was subsequently booked in March commencing on the 3rd June. However, there was a problem applying the credit in accordance with the MSC terms. This caused a huge problem. Cruise Nation resolved the issue so that the cruise could go ahead. They went above and beyond. Special thanks to Natasha Crossley, Alan Hill and Katie King.

Date of experience : May 09, 2024

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass your feedback on to the team

Stunning customer service

I hadn't booked a cruise before but on lots of recommendations I booked online with Cruise Nation and I'm so pleased I did! I've had a couple of queries re changing cabins and booking some extras and these were dealt with amazingly and speedily by Kimberley and Rachel. I definitely feel in safe hands and the customer service has been perfect. Can't wait to go now!

Date of experience : April 25, 2024

Experience with two Cruise Nation bookings

Have sailed twice with Cruise Nation. As the first booking was for 2020 you can guess what happened! CN did sort out the new booking, which was cancelled again by the cruise company. Finally made it onboard on fourth re-booking. Positives - they provide a competitive quote and state clearly what is included and what is not. I found it was easier to contact them by phone and once through the service was efficient. Negatives - they do not tailor the offers to include all the small options, but they can arrange flights changes but with a price premium. You do need to arrange your own visa, but then again most travel agents are like that now. Overall they would be one of the first I would contact to book a new cruise

Date of experience : March 25, 2024

Thank you for the lovely review ! We will certainly pass your feedback onto the team & take your feedback on board

Jemma Dolan from cruise nation

Jemma Dolan was extremely helpful, very patient dealt with all my queries and amended everything that needed addressing. Very highly recommended and also had a great sense of humour. Would definitely recommend her to everyone. Well done Jemma 😉

Date of experience : May 04, 2024

Contacted customer service by email to…

Contacted customer service by email to help with a query over our booking, Kimberley could not have been more helpful, he phoned me within minutes and was able to sort out issue.

Date of experience : June 01, 2024

Failure to process refund for cruise…

Failure to process refund for cruise disruption in a timely fashion. We were unfortunate enough to be booked on an NCL cruise that was curtailed by 2 days and so were advised by the cruise company we would be issued a refund of £421 and this payment was made on 21st March to the travel agent that we booked through ( which was cruise nation). It is now April 8th and we still have not received these funds in our account and cruise nation continue to benefit by illegally holding onto money which they do not rightfully own. Either their finance department is incredibly inefficient /inept or this is a deliberate ploy to make some interest on money to which they are not entitled. To have a holiday that was totally different to the journey we were sold is one thing but then to fail to return monies owed is downright dishonest. Steer well clear of this company as once they have your money they don’t care how poor the final holiday you experience is and if any refunds are due ,you will have to fight tooth and nail ,and wait many weeks, before you get it back!

Date of experience : April 08, 2024

Thank you for your review, we have taken a look into this for you and can see that since this you have been contacted by our customer relations department and a refund has been processed. We will certainly take your feedback on board & are sorry that your sailing was changed we will certainly pass your feedback over to the cruise line

Help with booking and payment.

Rachel Sullivan answered all of my questions, including the tricky ones and handled the whole situation professionally, she is a credit to the company.

Date of experience : June 11, 2024

Jun 26, 2024

Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion

Jun 28, 2024

Jun 29, 2024

USANA Amphitheatre

Salt Lake City, UT

Jul 1, 2024

Yaamava Casino

Highland, CA

Jul 2, 2024

Toyota Amphitheatre

Wheatland, CA

Jul 3, 2024

Shoreline Amphitheatre

Mountain View, CA

Jul 5, 2024

Los Angeles, CA

Jul 6, 2024

Acrisure Arena

Palm Desert, CA

Jul 7, 2024

North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

Chula Vista, CA

Jul 9, 2024

Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre

Phoenix, AZ

Jul 10, 2024

Isleta Amphitheater

Albuquerque, NM

Jul 12, 2024

Germania Insurance Amphitheater

Jul 13, 2024

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

The Woodlands, TX

Jul 14, 2024

Dos Equis Pavilion

Jul 16, 2024

FirstBank Amphitheater

Franklin, TN

Jul 17, 2024

Jul 19, 2024

MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

Jul 20, 2024

iThink Financial Amphitheatre

West Palm Beach, FL

Jul 21, 2024

Dailys Place

Jacksonville, FL

Jul 25, 2024

Credit One Stadium

Charleston, SC

Jul 26, 2024

Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Alpharetta, GA

Jul 27, 2024

PNC Music Pavilion

Charlotte, NC

Jul 28, 2024

Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

Raleigh, NC

Aug 1, 2024

Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater

Virginia Beach, VA

Aug 2, 2024

XFINITY Theatre

Hartford, CT

Aug 3, 2024

Hersheypark Stadium

Hershey, PA

Aug 4, 2024

Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater

Wantagh, NY

Aug 8, 2024

PNC Bank Arts Center

Holmdel, NJ

Aug 9, 2024

Bank of NH Pavilion

Gilford, NH

Aug 10, 2024

Xfinity Center

Mansfield, MA

Aug 11, 2024

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Saratoga Springs, NY

Aug 15, 2024

The Mann Center

Philadelphia, PA

Aug 16, 2024

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Columbia, MD

Aug 17, 2024

Budweiser Stage

Toronto, ON

Aug 18, 2024

Aug 22, 2024

Darien Lake Amphitheater

Darien Center, NY

Aug 23, 2024

Nationwide Arena

Columbus, OH

Aug 24, 2024

American Family Insurance Amphitheater

Milwaukee, WI

Aug 25, 2024

Ruoff Music Center

Noblesville, IN

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Cruise Nation   Reviews

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Reviews 4.7.

1,009 total

Most relevant

Superb Service

Just booked a cruise once again with Cruise Nation. The Smart deal prices are very competitive but what makes this company stand out is the staff. We dealt with Scott Martin (Cruise Specialist) who was outstanding. His speed of reply, on-point information, and overall professionalism was faultless. He even communicated with us whilst on a break and not at work. Will always use Cruise Nation in the future wherever possible. Keep up the great work and thanks.

Date of experience : 29 June 2024

Friendly, efficient, prompt service :)

I contacted Cruise Nation today to make an addition to my holiday. I spoke with Rachel who was extremely friendly and helpful in assisting me with this in a very prompt manner. Thank you Rachel :)

Date of experience : 27 June 2024

Reply from Cruise Nation

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Rachel

Rachel gave us excellent customer service.

We had a quite complicated back to back cruises with flights and hotel. Rachel gave us excellent customer service sorting out several problems we had in a very shirt time.

Date of experience : 25 June 2024

Jemma Dolan provided excellent customer…

Jemma Dolan provided excellent customer service on two occasions. I called last week & explained my mothers passport has expired, so we needed to get this renewed and Jemma put my mind at rest completely as on the emails I received it stated we needed to do this 21 days before travel & we was due to go on our cruise on the 6th of July. Jemma explained that we just needed to input all our details into the MSC app & to call them and she would notify the relevant department to issue our tickets. Jemma stuck to her word & did just that! Received the tickets a few minutes after the phone call. Jemma is a credit to Cruise Nation and should be recognised for their hard work. Thank you so much. Every interaction I have had with customer service team everyone has been brilliant

Date of experience : 24 June 2024

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to the team

Bad turned good - great service

What I initially thought was going to be a nightmare as our flights were cancelled ended up all getting sorted out by Sharice. She was patient, helpful and sorted everything out at my request. Was done very fast and put my mind at ease. Confirmation emailed across super fast and log in details to access new flight details. Looking forward to this cruise holiday. Thank you Cruise Nation 🤩

Date of experience : 20 June 2024

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback Sherice

Jemma Dolan was extremely helpful and…

Jemma Dolan was extremely helpful and kind sorting out our flight tickes etc very willing an assett to your company thanks

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Jemma

Very easy to book a cruise on MSC. Call answered quickly on initial enquiry and when I rang again to confirm booking with Cara she was on another call but she called back within 5 minutes.

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Cara

Helpful and friendly

Sherice was most helpful and followed my phone call by sending me an email with a link I needed. Excellent friendly service.

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Sherice

Excellent customer service from Cruise Nation staff

I have used Cruise Nation for several bookings over the past 3 years. They are very competitively priced and are happy to do bespoke packages to meet the needs of me and my group of friends, I don't think we have ever booked exactly what is on their website and we have always been very happy with service and our holidays! I have spoken to many staff during this time, who are professional and always give excellent customer service. I was helped today by Jemma Dolan, having made a spelling error on one of my party's middle names that was not spotted until a few days before travel, and she managed to get that changed for me without fuss. Thank you Jemma, you are a star.

Date of experience : 18 June 2024

I rang to enquire about my luggage…

I rang to enquire about my luggage labels and anything else required for my upcoming cruise and spoke with Jemma.. she was very helpful and reassuring that the documents are due to be emailed over.

Date of experience : 21 June 2024

Excellent customer service

Excellent customer service. Kimberley responded incredibly promptly and efficiently to our request to forward on our e/tickets. Would highly recommend this company.

Jemma was very helpful

Jemma was very helpful, had a lovely disposition and was a pleasure to talk to

Rachel was very prompt and answered all…

Rachel was very prompt and answered all my questions with great expertise Cruise nation are very good

Date of experience : 26 June 2024

Jemma!!! What a wonderful lady! She is the most kind, understanding, patient, helpful person I’ve come across. Jemma really listened to me and fully understood how I felt. I explained about my high levels of anxiety especially regarding technology/online requirements etc and she was immediately ready to help me in every way she could. Jemma supported me 100%!! she reduced my anxiety and talked me through every stage of online and app ‘stuff’. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she put me at ease throughout several phone calls with her. Jemma is BRILLIANT and it was wonderful dealing with such a kind human being. A DEFINITE ASSET to the company!!!

Date of experience : 07 June 2024

Kimberley customer service

Kimberley has been the most helpful person I’ve ever dealt with. Nothing is to much trouble and and always reply’s to my emails query’s instantly often followed up by a phone call. The customer service I’ve received is 100%, and I wouldn’t use any other crusie company.

Date of experience : 06 June 2024

Thank you for the lovely 5* review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to Kimberley

Cruise Nation: Kimberley is very impressive …

My mind was put to rest very quickly with a concise answer within minutes of my query. Cruise Nation are very fortunate to have Kimberley.

Date of experience : 15 June 2024

A big thank you to Jemma…

A big thank you to Jemma who was very professional and helpful, patient and polite in filling in the forms for me in the length of time it took, with my anxiety level. Thanks again Jemma. Mrs Cle Barrett. To Jemma, myself and my husband is really looking forward to the cruise, as it's the first time cruising.

Date of experience : 10 June 2024

Great Customer Service as usual

Sherice was extremely helpful and charming. She listened to our query about our tickets and immediately took the necessary action to get them sent to us ASAP. Cruise Nation have been very efficient throughout the whole process and have sent reminders at each stage about Advanced Passenger Information. We cannot recommend them highly enough and we particularly commend Sherice on her great customer service.

Date of experience : 31 May 2024

The lady who finally helped me would…

The lady who finally helped me would have got 5 stars - Sherice Brooks and I thank her for her help. However I have had a very difficult time trying to get the free at sea package added and in the end NCL had to liaise with Cruise Nation as they kept saying I couldnt have it. I made multiple phone calls to sort this out as I had made the booking online and thought it was included.

Date of experience : 02 April 2024

Thank you for the review ! We will certainly pass on your feedback to the team & take on board your comments and pass to NCL

cruise nation support.

I contacted cruise nation support to make a change to my upcoming trip. Rachel Sullivan was really helpful and sorted my problem very quickly. I have used cruise nation before but never the support. I was really pleased and would recommend them for price and efficiency.

Date of experience : 03 June 2024

The Nation's 2024 ~ 7-Day Caribbean Cruise

Dear Friend of The Nation ,

Join The Nation on our 7-day Western Caribbean Cruise — December 8 to 15, 2024 — to come together with friends and family in these tumultuous times.

We're sailing to the Caribbean aboard Holland America Line's ms Nieuw Amsterdam to visit four extraordinary islands over a week. Embark on a convenient roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale adventure. Meet stingrays in Half Moon Cay, see how jerk chicken is made in Jamaica, taste rum cake in the Cayman Islands, and explore Cozumel beaches.

In our exclusive panel discussions at sea, we'll talk about Election 2024, the future of progressive politics and the fragile state of democracy, war and peace, hopeful signs of a resurgent labor movement, the fight to save reproductive rights in the US, the on-going fight for racial justice, a rapidly escalating climate crisis, what COVID-19 has shown us about averting the next pandemic, and much more.

I hope you will join The Nation on board in December — this is a crucial moment in our national politics, and the cruise provides essential funds to support the magazine as we continue to instigate progress in these trying times.

With appreciation,

Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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Ukraine war latest: Belarus deploys extra air defence forces to border; 10 Ukrainian prisoners freed with Vatican's help

Ten Ukrainian civilians who had been imprisoned in Russia for years have been released after mediation from the Vatican. Overnight, five people were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian village. Listen to a Sky News podcast on Putin and North Korea while you scroll.

Saturday 29 June 2024 18:05, UK

• Five killed, including two children, in Ukrainian strike on Russian village
• Ten Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia freed after Vatican mediation
• Belarus deploys additional air defence forces to Ukraine border
• Your questions answered : Has the West been honest about Ukraine's failures?
• Listen to the Daily above and tap here to follow wherever you get your podcasts

Ask a question or make a comment

We're pausing our live coverage for now. 

You can scroll below to catch up on the latest developments, and we'll be back with our regular coverage tomorrow. 

Six people have been killed in a Russian attack on a small town in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a Ukrainian official has said. 

A further eight people have been injured, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said. 

Infrastructure, a shop and residential buildings in Vilniansk have also been damaged, he added. 

The strike comes after five people were killed in the Kursk region of Russian due to a Ukrainian drone attack. 

Two young children were also injured in the strike on the village of Gorodishche, around 73 miles (118km) from the Ukrainian border, Kursk governor Alexey Smirnov said. 

Two other people were injured and were in a "serious condition" in hospital, he added. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met one of the men released from Russian captivity earlier today. 

The Ukrainian president met Nariman Dzhelyal who was successfully returned home after three years in captivity. 

"We will bring security to all our people and peace to Ukraine. I thank everyone who is helping. I thank Nariman for this meeting and for his strength," Mr Zelenskyy said. 

Mr Dzhelyal was detained in Crimea in 2021 while serving as the first deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People. 

During his imprisonment, he sent several letters, Mr Zelenskyy said. 

He added that in one of them he wrote: "We are fighting not only for the integrity of our territories but also for the unity of our society, our beautiful, strong nation." 

US officials told Reuters news agency late last night that the Biden administration would provide Ukraine with $150m (£118.6m) worth of weapons and ammunition, including HAWK air defence interceptors and 155 millimetre artillery munitions.

The weapons aid package is expected be unveiled on Monday, the officials said.

Ukraine has urgently requested air defence support as Russia has pounded its energy facilities in recent weeks via aerial attacks. 

The US began shipping HAWK interceptor missiles to Ukraine in 2022 as an upgrade to the shoulder-launched Stinger air defence missile systems - a smaller, shorter-range system. 

The support package will include other munitions and equipment to support Ukraine's defence needs, the officials added. 

The US has provided Ukraine with more than $50bn (£39.5bn) in military aid since 2022. 

We reported earlier on the 10 Ukrainian civilians who were released from Russian captivity earlier today after years of imprisonment (see 8.49am post). 

Watch them reunite with their loved ones in Kyiv's international airport in newly released footage.

A report by the Ukrainian military's centre for strategic communications has found that the country's forces have damaged or destroyed more than 30 Russian military aircraft in the first six months of 2024. 

Most of the strikes against the aircraft have taken place in occupied Ukraine except for a handful of strikes over the Sea of Azov and within Russia, the centre said, as reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). 

The centre did not specify what portion of these Ukrainian strikes were air defence interceptions of Russian aircraft in flight and what percentage were strikes against Russian aircraft at airfields. 

The ISW said they were unable to verify the report.

But it said the downing of Russian aircraft, especially critical aircraft like the A-50 and Il-22, has temporarily constrained Russian aviation activities over occupied Ukraine, but added Ukrainian forces "have yet to be able to significantly attempt to contest the air domain".

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that Russian strikes have resulted in Ukraine losing around 80% of its thermal power and one third of its hydroelectric power.

Discussing the attack in Dnipro, Mr Zelenskyy said it was a reminder to Ukraine's allies that the country needed more air defence systems. 

He said: "This is why we constantly remind all of our partners: only a sufficient amount of high quality of air defence systems, only a sufficient amount of determination from the world at large can stop Russian terror."

Kyiv has also struck back at Russia with its own attacks, which also often target energy infrastructure.

Belarus has deployed additional air defence forces to its border with Ukraine to protect "critical infrastructure facilities" due to increased Ukrainian drone activity, a Belarusian military commander has said.

Belarus, an ally of Russia, said earlier this week it had shot down a quadcopter that had illegally crossed the border from Ukraine "to collect information about the Belarusian border infrastructure". 

The situation in the airspace over the border remains tense, Andrei Severinchik, commander of the Belarusian Air Defence Forces, said. 

"We are ready to decisively use all available forces and means to protect our territory and the population of the Republic of Belarus from possible provocations in the airspace," he said. 

Belarus' defence ministry said earlier today it had information showing Ukraine had been moving more troops, weapons and military equipment to the northern Zhytomyr region, which borders Belarus. 

There was no immediate response from Ukraine. 

Russian elites and oligarchs have reportedly moved from criticising the country's war effort in Ukraine to supporting it, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has reported.

Mikhail Zygar, the founder of the Russian opposition television channel TV Rain, reported that many elites who were opposed to the war in 2022 started to support the war in 2023 because they "believe Russia is prevailing".

Mr Zygar said these people made this assessment due to Russia's slow but steady battlefield gains, a persisting Ukrainian munitions disadvantage, and perceived "waning" Western security assistance to Ukraine.

One anonymous Russian oligarch who previously criticised the war reportedly told Mr Zygar that Russia must win the war otherwise "they won't allow us to live... and Russia would collapse".

The ISW said it cannot independently verify Mr Zygar's reporting but it is consistent with the institute's assessment that this section of Russian society came to heel behind Vladimir Putin in support of the war after his government intensified crackdowns against elites in the wake of the 2022 invasion. 

As Russia announces it has captured a second village in 24 hours (see 12.26pm post), let's take a look at where Russia has advanced along the frontline with Ukraine. 

As well as pockets of advances on the border north of Kharkiv, Russia appears to have captured areas along the length of the front, from the Donetsk region right up to the western edge of Luhansk.

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