This week’s volatile weather has brought devastation across the globe, with severe heatwaves gripping Europe and North America while deadly flash floods hit parts of Africa.

Ukrainian soldiers battling Russian forces in sweltering temperatures, Spanish authorities fighting wildfires and French officials assessing the toll of heat-related deaths among older people.

Meanwhile, Canada has issued heat warnings and urged residents to check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours, ​while soccer fans attending World Cup matches in Toronto have been advised to limit alcohol consumption and stay hydrated.

In Africa, meanwhile, deadly floods in Ghana and Ivory Coast have highlighted ‌concerns over increasingly extreme weather.

Holding the line in harsh conditions

In a leafy, secluded area of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Sympatiaha's fellow servicemen sat atop their tank, splashing water from a bottle onto their faces in an effort to cool down.

Temperatures in the region hovered around 36 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. Despite the punishing heat, the crew said they remained committed to preventing Russian troops from advancing.

"Despite the harsh weather conditions — scorching heat now, freezing temperatures and mud in winter — we're still holding ​the line," chief sergeant of the tank battalion of the 65th Separate Mechanised Brigade, using call sign "Sympatiaha", told Reuters.

Elsewhere, Ukrainians were bracing for the return of hourly power cuts as rising temperatures drove ​up electricity consumption, largely due to higher demand for air conditioning.

-Reuters