Russia Government
Ukraine says missiles hit military plant deep inside Russia
Ukrainian forces have carried out a missile attack deep inside Russia, hitting a major military plant overnight, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. He said FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles struck the drone and missile plant in the city of Cheboksary, in the Chuvash Republic, more than 900km (560 miles) from the front line. Local officials said three people were injured in a missile attack on the city. Ukraine also said it had hit the Moscow-occupied port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, a Russian oil refinery in Samara and a shadow fleet oil tanker in the Black Sea. In recent months, Ukraine's military has intensified its drone strikes on key facilities across Russia.
Baltic states fear Russia-Ukraine war spillover after drone incursions
Recent incidents heighten anxieties that hybrid warfare tactics could trigger military confrontation with Russia. Lithuanian armed special forces and members of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union take part in a military exercise in central Lithuania [File: Nils Adler/Al Jazeera] A member of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union joins in military exercises in central Lithuania [File: Nils Adler/Al Jazeera] Along the forests and marshlands that separate the Baltic states from Russia and Belarus, workers are digging anti-tank ditches, pouring concrete bunkers and erecting rows of dragon's teeth - jagged concrete obstacles designed to slow and channel advancing armour - to buy precious time in the event of an attack. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 reignited old fears in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where memories of Soviet rule remain close to the surface. In the years since, those fears have been channelled into preparation. Defence budgets have surged, military exercises have intensified, and new fortifications have emerged even as daily life largely continues as normal.
Ukrainian drones strike Sevastopol museum and key Russian oil refineries
Ukrainian drones have struck a historic museum in Russia-annexed Sevastopol in Crimea, igniting a roof fire, as Russian authorities slashed nighttime train schedules amid intensifying air attacks across the peninsula and deep into Russia. Sevastopol's Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, announced the damage on Telegram early on Wednesday. "This building is not just a museum, it is a symbol of resilience, which has repeatedly taken the blows of the enemy." Razvozhayev said that during World War II's Siege of Sevastopol, "the Panorama building was subjected to massed bombing by German aviation". He declared: "The enemy will pay for this sacrilege!"
Russian attacks kill 5 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy hails talks with US envoys
A pregnant woman and two others were killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, while two people were killed in Donetsk, Ukrainian officials have said. The overnight missile attacks on the town of Chuhuiv also injured six people and caused damage to residential buildings and shops, the regional prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. Photos shared online by officials show a burning building and burnt-out cars. Two people were killed in Bilozerske and Druzhkivka on Monday, Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk state administration, said on Facebook, with 11 others injured in Sloviansk and Shabelkivka. The strikes come after Ukraine intensified its long-range drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, prompting fuel shortages, while Russia conducted large air attacks on the country.
Ukrainian drone attacks hit multiple Russian targets, including refinery
Ukrainian drones have struck energy and industrial targets across several Russian regions, Russian authorities say, in an escalating campaign of strikes against infrastructure. In Saratov, a region on the Volga River with several oil refineries that has come under regular Ukrainian attack in recent years, Governor Roman Busargin said on Sunday on Telegram that "civil infrastructure" had been damaged in the overnight strikes. In the Kirov region, northeast of Moscow and about 1,300km (800 miles) from Ukraine, Governor Alexander Sokolov said drones had hit a facility in the Urzhumsky district. The Ukrainian army confirmed the attack, saying it had also hit the Lazarevo oil-pumping station in the region. Governors in the Rostov, Voronezh and Belgorod regions, all of which border Ukraine, also reported strikes, and three civilians were injured in Belgorod.
How Putin became master of the image
Throughout his time as Russian President, Vladimir Putin has been alert to the power of visual imagery. The first time I interviewed him in 2001, an aide swooped in just before the cameras went live and snatched away the small water glasses on the table in front of us. Why did you do that? We wouldn't want anyone to think they were for vodka, came the reply. And anyway, we can't risk a glass spilling live on TV.
Is the war in Ukraine entering a new phase?
Inside Story Is the war in Ukraine entering a new phase? NATO says it is ready to defend allied territory against Russian attacks. The war in Ukraine has received less media attention in recent months. That changed this week when a drone hit a building in the Romanian city of Galati, a major port city on the Danube River near the Ukrainian border. Romanian President Nicusor Dan blamed Russia for the incident.
'No-one feels safe now': Residents of Romanian city hit by drone share fears
'No-one feels safe now': Residents of Romanian city hit by drone share fears In some parts of Europe, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine can feel like a distant threat. But in Romania, that war is right next door and increasingly dangerous. In Galati, there is an apartment block with a hole in the roof that proves it. Residents have just begun returning to check on their homes, after an attack drone slammed into the building early on Friday as dozens of people slept. It sparked a fire and panic.
Russian drone crashes into apartment building in Romania
A Russian drone hit an apartment building in Romania, the country's defence ministry said early on Friday, causing a fire and injuring two people. The drone crashed in the eastern city of Galati as Russia carried out attacks in Ukraine near the border, the ministry said in a statement. The Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations said the drone's entire explosive payload detonated, causing a fire on the 10th floor of the residential building. Russian drones have strayed across the border of the Nato member country a number of times during the four-year war with Ukraine, but this was the first time citizens from Romania had been hurt. Russia has yet to comment on the incident. This incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation on the part of the Russian Federation, Romania's foreign ministry said, adding Bucharest had informed the Nato secretary general and requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania.