Ukraine has launched coordinated drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure across multiple regions overnight. The most significant strike hit Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, where a major port fire broke out after drones hit a tanker, fuel tank and administrative building, Russia's RIA Novosti state media agency reported. "A tanker, a fuel tank, and an administrative building caught fire at the port of Taganrog as a result of a drone attack," Slyusar wrote. "According to preliminary information, there are no casualties. The information is being clarified."

Russian lawmakers have passed a bill to allow trained bank employees to shoot down Ukrainian drones amid an increase in the number of attacks. The draft legislation, which would see banks across Russia install electronic jamming systems while selected employees would shoot down incoming unmanned aircraft, passed in its third and final reading in the lower house Duma on Tuesday, according to the state-run TASS news agency. The bill says the legislation is needed to protect Bank of Russia facilities, including those located in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation - referring to the four eastern Ukrainian regions that Moscow has announced it has annexed despite not controlling them fully - amid the increasing number of sabotage and terrorist attacks. Under the plan, banks would finance the installation of the equipment on their premises. With banks in almost every town, their incorporation into Russia's air defences could help expand its cover.

Belgium and France have summoned Russia's ambassadors to express anger after Moscow urged foreigners to leave Kyiv in advance of planned "systematic strikes". Brussels and Paris said on Wednesday that Russia's announcement earlier in the week was "unacceptable" and a violation of international law. The spat is unlikely to help smooth the way for the EU to mediate talks to bring the conflict to an end, an arrangement that Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he is ready to accept. Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the European Union summoned Russian envoys on Tuesday following Moscow's warning that foreigners and diplomats should leave the Ukrainian capital before the onset of renewed air strikes . "Threatening embassies is not diplomacy, it is intimidation. And it is a flagrant violation of international law and the Vienna Convention," Belgium Foreign Minister Maxim Prevot said on Wednesday.

VILNIUS/STOCKHOLM/LONDON - Ukrainian drones have strayed into Baltic countries' airspace in recent weeks, sowing confusion and raising tensions with Russia at a time when U.S. commitment to NATO's collective security is in question. The airspace incursions have occurred as Ukraine, seeking to land heavier blows on Russia four years after Moscow's full-scale invasion, uses exploding drones to hit Russian Baltic ports that handle nearly 40% of national oil and gas exports. In most cases, Kyiv and the Baltic states have confirmed the stray drones are Ukrainian but have blamed Russia for causing them to deviate from their flight path with the use of electronic defenses that jam or spoof signals. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

'Leave Kyiv': Why Russia's latest Ukraine threat is a major escalation Russia has urged foreigners to leave in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, and warned of more strikes on the city, suggesting a major escalation in its more-than-four-year-long war on Ukraine. In a statement issued on Monday, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it planned to target "decision-making centres and command posts" and drone manufacturing facilities in the Ukrainian city in a series of strikes. The ministry's statement also urged Kyiv residents to avoid all military and administrative infrastructure facilities in the capital, which could be potential targets. A later statement said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had advised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of the plan and urged him to evacuate his embassy staff from Kyiv. Moscow said these planned strikes were in response to a drone strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk, in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine, which killed at least 18 people. The threats come just days after Russian drone and rocket strikes on Kyiv on Saturday night killed at least four people and injured about 100 others.

Russia has threatened to launch a fresh wave of systematic strikes against Kyiv, days after carrying out one of its largest attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war. The new strikes will target decision-making centres and command posts, alongside drone manufacturing facilities in the city, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. Moscow has called for foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv as soon as possible and warned citizens to stay away from administrative and military buildings. Large-scale Russian strikes on Saturday night killed four and injured about 100 people in Kyiv and other areas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Moscow said that barrage and threatened further strikes were in response to what it claims was a deliberate Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in the town of Starobilsk on Friday, in which Russian officials said 21 people were killed.

Russia warns foreigners to leave Kyiv as it prepares'systematic strikes' Russia has warned it plans to launch a "series of systematic strikes" on defence industrial facilities in Kyiv, and urged foreign citizens to leave the Ukrainian capital. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the strikes are in response to a Ukrainian drone attack last week that struck a student dorm in Starobilsk in the occupied Luhansk region, killing at least 18 people. Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour four years ago and claims four of Ukraine's eastern regions as its own, has branded those attacks as "terrorism" and responded with large missile and drone launches. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in Monday's statement that the strike on Starobilsk signalled "the last straw" and that Russia will launch a systematic series of strikes in response, which will target "specific sites where UAVs are designed, manufactured, programmed, and prepared for use". Noting that such facilities "are scattered throughout Kyiv," the statement said it was warning "foreign citizens, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organisations, to leave the city as soon as possible".

On Russian state TV a news bulletin shows images of a five-storey building reduced to rubble. Teams of rescuers are sifting through debris. On a severely damaged façade there's a sign: What happened here early on Friday has sparked Russian accusations, Ukrainian denials, an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council and vows of retribution by the Kremlin. The town of Starobilsk is in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine: in the Luhansk region which Moscow claims to have annexed. Russian officials accuse Ukraine of a carrying out a drone attack on the college dormitory.

Zelenskyy says'time is right' for Ukraine to start process of joining EU Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told European Union leaders that now is the time to begin the process of Ukraine's accession to the bloc, describing a proposal for associate membership as "unfair". Zelenskyy said in a letter to EU leaders on Friday that associate membership would leave Ukraine "voiceless" because it would not have voting rights, which would prevent Kyiv from advancing its interests, the Reuters news agency reported. Under Orban, who maintained close ties with Russia, Budapest repeatedly used its veto power to block Ukraine's accession bid and stalled approval of aid for Kyiv. Zelenskyy's push for EU membership comes as both Kyiv and Moscow seek to advance their interests on the battlefield. The head of the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine said on Saturday the death toll from a drone attack a day earlier had risen to 10. Vladimir Putin has ordered his forces to respond to the attack, which allegedly hit a student dormitory in the town of Starobilsk.

U.S. seeking transfer of intellectual property rights in drone deal, Kyiv says Through a combination of new technology and tactics, Kyiv's forces have been able to strike deep into Russian territory, to slow and in some cases even reverse battlefield gains by Moscow's bigger army and inflict significant damage on oil facilities that help finance the Kremlin's war machine. Kyiv has said that the U.S. is seeking the transfer of technology and access to intellectual property rights from Ukraine as part of a drone deal that is awaiting approval at the highest political level, a person familiar with the matter has said. The U.S. Department of Defense has asked to test a range of Ukrainian defense products, including drones and electronic warfare systems, as Washington is considering their potential purchase for military use, the official said. The agreement has not been finalized, the person added, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. Growing interest from the U.S. shows how the world's largest military is looking to tap into the drone expertise Ukraine has acquired over four years fighting against the Russian invasion.