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The UK has sent a stark warning to Vladimir Putin after Russia tore up a chance of peace to continue deadly bombing in Ukraine – killing 24 in an apartment block strike. Moscow has come under mounting pressure to call a ceasefire in the four-year conflict after wreaking untold damage since its so-called “special military operation” began in 2022.

Armed with Western support, Kyiv has bravely held Kremlin soldiers at bay despite a vicious onslaught of drones, bombs and soldiers pumped out on the front line. Putin agreed to a brief ceasefire to enable Russia’s famed Victory Day parade to go ahead without fear of Ukrainian drone attacks. But James Kariuki, UK chargé d’affaires to the United Nations, told Tuesday’s Security Council meeting: “The moment the parade ended, the killing resumed,” with 24 people dead in an apartment block strike.

Accusing the Russian president of “accepting a ceasefire only when it suited him”, Mr Kariuki added: “Russia is lashing out in desperation. A state that needs a spectacle to mask its insecurity, and missiles to silence diplomacy, is not acting from confidence. It is acting from fear.

“President Putin continues to choose deadly violence because he is desperate.

“Russia has killed over 140 civilians this month alone. His objectives remain unmet after over four years, and conditions at home continue to deteriorate.

“Russia’s economy is increasingly subsumed by defence spending. Yet he continues, despite clear evidence that Ukraine is resisting effectively and imposing significant costs.

“This war could end the moment Russia stops its invasion.

“President Putin cannot achieve his goals by military means. Russia is losing more soldiers than it is recruiting. And at the rate it is seizing territory, it would take decades to achieve its war aims.”

After highlighting that Putin is “desperate to convince us all that Russia’s victory is inevitable”, Mr Kariuki said in a blunt six-word warning: “No one is falling for it,” adding: “Europe’s support is here to stay.”

Russia has repeatedly blamed the West for escalating and exaggerating tensions over the war, lashing out with its own terrifying warnings about getting more deeply involved in the conflict.

On Monday, Russian state television revealed that Putin had threatened atomic Armageddon unless European countries, including Britain, immediately cease backing Ukraine.

A Kremlin mouthpiece described it as a “nuclear ultimatum”.

Yet Russia’s army is increasingly struggling on the Ukrainian front lines, with 35,000 reportedly eliminated and survivors getting physically exhausted.

Western officials have said that Russian casualty rates stand at around 30,000 to 35,000 a month.