Russian airstrike on military base close to Polish border kills 35

Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base in western Ukraine on Sunday, killing 35 people in an attack on a facility that served as a crucial hub for co-operation between Ukraine and the Nato countries supporting it in its defence against Moscow’s grinding assault.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility, which lies not far from the border with Nato member Poland and that has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the US and other countries in the western alliance.

Poland is also a transit route for western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscow’s threats to target these shipments.

Since Russia’s invasion more than two weeks ago, at least 596 civilians have been killed, according to the UN, although it believes the true toll is much higher. Millions more have fled their homes amid the largest land conflict in Europe since the Second World War.

Despite its superior firepower, Russia has struggled in its advance across Ukraine, in the face of stiffer-than-expected resistance, bolstered by western weapons support.

Instead, Russian forces have besieged several cities and pummelled them with strikes, hitting two dozen medical facilities and leading to a series of humanitarian crises.