Claims that Russia would replicate what it had done in Chechnya have been confounded, writes Kim Sengupta:

President Joe Biden said the sanctions come in response to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “brutal war of conquest” and to Alexei Navalny’s death, adding that “we in the United States are going to continue to ensure that Putin pays a price for his aggression abroad and repression at home.”

But while previous sanctions have increased costs for Russia’s ability to fight in Ukraine, they appear to have done little so far to deter Putin and it was unclear that the latest big round would significantly alter that.

In specific response to Navalny’s death, the State Department targeted three Russian officials the US says are connected to his death, including the deputy director of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, who was promoted by Putin to the rank of colonel general on Monday, three days after Navalny died.

The sanctions bar the officials from traveling to the US and block access to US-owned property. But they appear largely symbolic given that the officials are unlikely to travel to or have assets or family in the West.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said to “expect more” action later related to Navalny’s death, adding that “today this just a start.”The Biden administration is levying additional sanctions as House Republicans are blocking billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine. The war is becoming entangled in US election-year politics, with former president Donald Trump voicing scepticism about the benefits of the Nato alliance and saying that he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to countries that, in his view, are not pulling their weight in the alliance.

Mr Biden yesterday called on Congress to pass Ukraine aid, which has stalled since House Speaker Mike Johnson blocked votes on aid passed by the Senate for Ukraine and other countries.

“Russia is taking Ukraine territory for the first time in many months,” Biden said. “But here in America, the speaker gave the house a two week vacation. They have to come back and get this done, because failure to support Ukraine in this critical moment will never be forgotten in history.”

Mr Biden spoke later with French president Emmanuel Macron about Russia’s recent actions and the need to support Ukraine. A White House readout said they also discussed developments in the Middle East.

Ukrainian forces have downed a Russian early-warning-and-control aircraft, the air force chief said, in a major win for the country as its army fights to repel persistent Russian attacks along the front line.

General Mykola Oleshchuk thanked Ukraine’s military intelligence for helping down the Russian A-50 aircraft on Russia’s military holiday on Friday.

“Congratulations to the occupiers on the Defender of the Fatherland day,” Gen Oleshchuk said on a sardonic note.

Ukrainian media carried footage purportedly showing a massive fire that erupted when the big warplane crashed in the Krasnodar region on the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov.

The Russian military did not comment on the Ukrainian claim, but emergency officials in the Krasnodar region reported that a plane crashed in the area without identifying it.

If confirmed, the plane’s downing would mark the loss of the second such aircraft in just over a month.

The United States and European Union on Friday heaped hundreds of new sanctions on Russia in connection with the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine and in retaliation for the death of noted Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny last week in an Arctic penal colony.

The US government imposed roughly 600 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine in the largest single round of penalties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

The EU, for its part, added sanctions on several foreign companies over allegations that they have exported dual-use goods to Russia that could be used in its war against Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc also targeted scores of Russian officials, including members of the judiciary, local politicians and people it said were “responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children.”

Ukraine’s will to fight remains strong, although reports of morale on the ground are more mixed, writes Mary Dejevsky:

Education investment for children in conflict zones must increase, Sarah Brown has said, as her charity launches a new development project for young people in Ukraine.

The wife of UK former prime minister Gordon Brown is chairwoman of Theirworld, which announced the programme on Friday.

The project includes a Museum of Mathematics and an early years development programme, after the Ukrainian government said that education must be “the cornerstone of the country’s reconstruction”.

Mrs Brown told PA: “I would argue that we need to be doing more for humanitarian support across the board and that the education piece is absolutely critical.”

The £5million Museum of Mathematics will open in Kyiv later this year, and will house more than 120 exhibits as well as an “innovation lab” to enhance the skills of maths teachers across the country.

The museum will also embark on a nationwide tour to ensure children in remote areas benefit from the investment.

The early years development programme, a collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, will focus on supporting children in the first eight years of their life.

Lord David Cameron warned the UN against fatigue and compromise over Russia’s war, as he urged allies to keep up support for Kyiv.

The UK Foreign Secretary said the world must “recognise the cost of giving up” in a speech in New York.

European countries are struggling to find enough stock to send to Kyiv, and US help worth £47billon is stalled over political differences in Washington.

Lord Cameron told the UN general assembly: “Two years on, I recognise some want a rethink. There is a sense of fatigue. There are other problems.

“A compromise might seem attractive. But this is wrong. We must recognise the cost of giving up.

“Putin has said there will be no peace until Russia’s goals have been achieved. And in his latest interview, he studiously avoided confirming he was satisfied with the land seized from Ukraine at present.”

The Foreign Secretary added: “This is not a man seeking compromise. Rather, this is a neo-imperialist bully who believes that might is right.

“And an unjust peace now merely invites a turn to fighting in Ukraine when it suits him.”

Lord Cameron, who was prime minister during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, started his speech by saying “the lesson of this history is clear: if we do not stand up to Putin, he will be back for more.”

UK political leaders have marked the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine by vowing to stand with Kyiv “until they prevail”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “tyranny will never triumph” as President Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops defend the country against an emboldened Russia.

Mr Sunak said the UK was “going further in our support”, and Britain was prepared to do “whatever it takes, for as long as it takes”.

Saturday marks two years since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine, starting the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War.

Mr Sunak, who visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding for the country, said on Friday: “When (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response.

“We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination.

“I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraine‘s courage in the face of terrible suffering.

“It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law on which we all depend.”

“We are ready to carry on fighting and spill our blood whatever happens,” says Ivan, from the front line not far from Avdiivka. “But we know victory probably won’t be possible without the help of our allies.”