Ukraine Latest: Russia’s Roskino Banned From Series Mania & Millennium Media Exec Yariv Lerner Reaches Out To Ukrainian Film Professionals

Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev has broken his silence over Russia's invasion in Ukraine, which has saddened the world. The Russian-born dancer - who is married to Rachel Riley - confessed the heartbreaking conflict was "too close to home" in an emotional post.MORE: Motsi Mabuse issues heartbreaking plea over 'racism' experienced amid Ukraine crisisIn an announcement, posted on Instagram on Wednesday, he wrote: "The current situation in Ukraine hits too close to home for the both of us as Russian nationals.WATCH: Rachel Riley melts hearts with adorable video of Pasha with their daughters"Our passport may say one thing but our hearts are with our family, friends and everyone still in Ukraine that are fighting for freedom and lives."MORE: Dan Walker forced to apologise after 'difficult' BBC Breakfast coverageDONATE NOW: What can you do to help Ukraine?Pasha, who has co-created Rise Up With the Arts with Anya Garni, explained how the proceeds from their performances will go to Save The Children charity."It only feels right that our show - Rise Up With the Arts, along with 3 charities that we are already supporting, will now focus on donating funds raised to the Save The Children charity that helps children and young people affected by this terrible conflict," the message continued."They say it takes a village to rise a child but this time it will take the whole world to make the change happen and end this madness.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Nikita Kuzmin has shared his 'heartbreak' at the horrific videos and pictures emerging from war torn Ukraine, where he grew up. The dancer, 24, appeared on Lorraine Kelly's show via videolink on Thursday morning and explained to the host that he has seen tghe very streets he walked as a child being bombed by Russian forces.

Patti Smith will headline a new one-day festival in London.Higher Ground Festival will take place on the slopes of Alexandra Palace on July 24. It will be headlined by Smith, with Nadine Shah, Connie Constance, Spelling, Nabihah Iqbal and Joviale also confirmed to be performing.Higher Ground Festival will also host DJ sets, workshops, talks and readings.

Russian tycoon has been found dead in his garage in his UK mansion just days after Russia's invasion of the Ukraine. Mikhail Watford's body was found by a gardener on the exclusive Wentworth Estate in Surrey on Monday (February 28).The 66-year-old father-of-three made his millions from oil refineries in Ukraine and then from a successful property firm after he had moved to Britain.

Denis Ivanov, the Ukrainian producer whose credits include films with Oleg Sentsov and Sergei Loznitsa, has penned an open letter while fighting on the front line of the war backing the proposed boycott of Russian cinema. Read it in full below.

Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin has opened up on the agony of being separated from his grandma who lives in Ukraine. During an appearance on ITV’s morning show Lorraine, Nikita described watching the conflict unfold as “absolutely heartbreaking”, as he went on to share how he is in contact with his grandma “all the time.” The 23 year old, who moved from Ukraine to Italy with his family when he was nine years old, explained: “Luckily, we still have a connection to her so we are video calling her all the time.” Nikita, who made his debut on Strictly Come Dancing last year, went on to share how terrifying it is to hear gunshots and explosions in the background as he fears for her safety.

Vladimir Putin to assassinate Ukraine’s charismatic president Volodymyr Zelensky was “destroyed” by Ukrainian forces following a tip-off from Russia’s own security services. Speaking on Ukraine’s rolling news TV channel "Ukraine 24,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, claimed that officials had been informed by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) that a kill team from the feared Chechen Kadyrovtsy group had been sent to Kyiv.He repeated the claim in a Telegram post on Tuesday, saying: “We are well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president".“And," he added, "I can say that we have received information from the FSB, who today do not want to take part in this bloody war."And thanks to this,” he added, “I can say that Kadyrov’s elite group was destroyed directly, which came here to eliminate our president”.The Kadyrovtsy, or Kadyrovites, are a ruthless armed militia that originally came to prominence fighting for Chechnya against Russia in the early 1990s.When their leader, Chechen warlord Akhmad Kadyrov, defected to Russia most of his followers went with him.An exact figure for the size of Kadyrov’s is hard to come by, with estimates ranging from 10,000 to 80,000.By 2006 the group had become a semi-formal unit of the Russian army, undertaking deadly missions in Syria as well as their native Chechnya.While operating under Russian orders they are also seen as the “private army” of Ramzan Kadyrov, who took over as leader following his father’s death in the 2004 Grozny stadium bombing.

military presence.About £3.7 trillion ($5 trillion) of international trade is passed through the South China Sea yearly and includes the oil that fuels the economies of Japan, China and South Korea.There are also territorial reef claims in the area, with The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei claiming some small islands and reef locations.Since 2014, Beijing has strengthened its hold on the entire area by concreting over reefs to build military airports equipped with radar, missiles and aircraft.China had announced new "research stations" during the pandemic that would be placed on Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef.The two geographical features were changed into stationary aircraft carriers with satellite photographs showing that the People's Liberation Army had built runways and radar.The Times reported that the two new carriers were also capable of deploying offensive weapons such as combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.Other claimant countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia have, in the past, drilled for oil and natural gas in areas of the South China Sea.China responded to these survey operations with competing operations of their own, hurrying to those areas to carry out their own vessel operations.There are fears China is watching Russia's invasion of Ukraine with a view to performing a similar move on Taiwan.

Premier League is readying itself to carry out tests on Chelsea's next owners such is the advanced stage of the club’s sale.Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss are thought to be collaborating on a deal, according to The Telegraph, with the former even making a £2.2billion bid for the club in 2019 that was turned down.The Premier League is now understood to be braced for carrying out its owners’ and directors’ test should a deal be struck with Wyss and Boehly or any other consortium or buyer. The pair are also talking to other American investors about purchasing the club from Roman Abramovich, who confirmed on Wednesday he would be selling Chelsea and giving all profits to victims of the war in Ukraine.

body positive star has done it again with her latest Instagram post.Georgie, who boasts 698,000 followers on Instagram herself, decided to share the secret hack models use to get 'flattering' sitting down pictures this week.The stunner also shared two side-by-side photos of herself to illustrate her point as she posed in a white bikini.The left-hand shot saw her rocking the 'influencer pose' which gave her a toned stomach and stunning curves. While in the right-hand 'normal sitting' shot, she just rocked her natural body as she relaxed.Captioning the post, Georgie wrote: "Ever wonder how these influencers always get the perfect sitting photos in restaurants?"Well...

Russian forces have seized Kherson in southern Ukraine, the city's mayor has said, as he issued a desperate appeal for food and medicine to be allowed in.

A woman set a fire in her own flat whilst on FaceTime to her family in a cry for help.

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kumzin has spoken out about his fears for his grandmother who is currently in Ukraine.

Chelsea up for sale. Interested parties have until March 15 to submit their offers, according to The Telegraph, as the Russian billionaire looks to sell the club quickly.It's believed that Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and American businessman Todd Boehly have teamed up to make an offer, while British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is also considering a bid.Abramovich sent shockwaves around the world of football on Wednesday after announcing his intention to step away from the club he's owned since 2003.The 55-year-old confirmed that he would waive the £1.5billion worth of debt the club owes to him and also pledged to donate the proceeds of the sale to victims of the war in Ukraine.Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last month, and with a heavy heart, Abramovich decided to relinquish control of Chelsea as he felt it was "in the best interest of the club"."I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid.

Great British Menu fans all had the same complaint about the guest judge as they demand she's BANNED from show. Wednesday's instalment of the BBC Two programme saw the three remaining chefs from the Scottish heats battle it out for a place in the regional finals. Adam Handling, Calum Montgomery and Stuart Ralston had to impress veteran Richard Corrigan with their mains.

Banijay has paused all activity in Russia until further notice.

ITV Studios has ordered Russian networks TNT and Channel One to take I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and The Voice Kids off air.

Logan Paul once knocked out a 350lb man with a devastating slap to the face.The YouTuber recently teamed up with Arnold Schwarzenegger to forge the Slap Fighting Championships, an event that will be held in Ohio next week. The tournament will be streamed on Paul's YouTube channel and has its root back to Russia, where Paul got a taste of the sport first-hand.

Ukraine to call for an end to the war in eastern Europe and a return to peace. The model has appeared in Playboy magazine in the past and is best known for stripping off to raise money for her local football team back in 2015.Having left Ukraine last year, she has now been forced to see the country of her birth at war with Russia for the past week.Petrova posted a selfie for her 88,700 Instagram followers last Thursday following the Russian invasion, in which she called for peace.She captioned the post: “Almost a year since I do not live in Ukraine, but I love my Motherland with all my heart.“My Homeland is no war, only peace.”According to her Instagram biography, Petrova currently lives in Germany but is also planning a trip to the Belgian capital Brussels.Who is your clubs most glamorous fan? Let us know in the comments section below.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.And that's it, job done.

Good Morning Britain fans have begged for Rob Rinder to take over from Piers Morgan permanently. The TV judge, 43, appeared on the morning programme alongside his Gogglebox friend Susanna Reid on Wednesday (March 2).He certainly impressed viewers with his "compassionate" and "fantastic" delivery over the harrowing situation in Ukraine as Russia continue their bloody invasion.

BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty has infuriated fans after asking "stupid" questions to Sergiy Stakhovsky, a man who decided to go back to Kyiv to fight. Sergiy, who lives in Hungary with his family, made the decision to go back to Ukraine to fight after Russia invaded the country.