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".

A Ukrainian flying ace is leveraging his aerobatics skills to protect his countrymen from nightly attacks. The most challenging part of an international aerobatics contest is the Free Unknown. Pilots arrive at a competition after having polished sequences of loops, stall turns, and barrel rolls. But for the Free Unknown section they learn which assortment of tricks they must perform only a day in advance. Contestants plan out how they will string together the stipulated moves in the most pleasing fashion, but they cannot rehearse the routine, except in their minds. It's a test of imagination and airmanship that often decides the competition. In 2019, the World Intermediate Aerobatics Championship, which was held on an airfield in the Czech town of Břeclav, contained three Free Unknowns. The winner of the first was a twenty-five-year-old Ukrainian pilot named Timur Fatkullin. At the controls of his red-and-silver Extra 330LX--a nimble German sports plane--he made the unusual move of starting his sequence upside down. He then executed a complicated routine as if he'd practiced it for months. The Ukrainian team, boosted by Fatkullin's performance, won gold. Trevor Dugan, who served as a navigator with the R.A.F. in Afghanistan and Iraq, was on the British team, which took bronze. Fatkullin, he said, was "absolutely phenomenal." Not long after that championship, Fatkullin stopped entering aerobatics competitions: first came the pandemic, then the war with Russia. He moves through life impatiently. Now thirty-two, he has five children. He is tall, with a tight beard, pale-green eyes, and a square jaw. Even in casual situations, he stands ramrod straight, as though about to give or receive an order. He often wears a shirt with three buttons undone, a beige leather flying jacket with the collar turned up, combat pants, and Nike high-tops. He plays the guitar, a little piano. He often carries a thick fold of high-value bills. He speaks several languages, including English (almost perfectly) and Spanish (conversationally). He once spent thirty days in jail after breaking the ribs of a man who'd threatened his wife. He can dance the tango. When Fatkullin was in his mid-twenties, he started doing stunts with a group of other extreme athletes: parachutists, motorcyclists, a free diver.

Drone games put Ukraine's best military pilots to the test TRUSKAVETS, Ukraine - In the sky over western Ukraine, a bullet-shaped P1-SUN interceptor drone dived toward its target as dozens of soldiers looked on. A cheer went up as it cut through a tow line from another drone to a balloon, which drifted away. Ukraine's most skilled military drone pilots squared off this week not against Russia, but against each other in a competition to win bragging rights and state-of-the-art hardware for their units. Drone technology has transformed the war in Ukraine. Young men using video game consoles to operate strike drones packed with explosives -- sometimes from command centers far behind the front line -- are deeply feared by enemy soldiers.

Ukraine's drone industry is rapidly expanding, with hidden factories near Lviv producing kamikaze drones and interceptor systems to counter Iranian-designed Shahed drones.

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.

A Philippine Navy band plays music to welcome the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha upon arrival at the South Harbor, for a four-day goodwill visit in metro Manila in April 2017. New Zealand intends to spend about 1.6 billion New Zealand dollars ($936 million) on drones, ship maintenance and naval upgrades to bolster the island nation's maritime security at a time of increasing concern about supply routes. Defense Minister Chris Penk said Saturday that the government will invest in two types of drones: one for the southwest Pacific to provide long-duration intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the other is a polar-capable vehicle that can operate from naval vessels in the Southern Ocean. "New Zealand's prosperity and security depend on the sea," Penk said in a statement. "Recent events have served as a reminder of how quickly disruptions to international shipping routes can affect economies and supply chains across the globe. The oceans are not a barrier to danger, but a vital national interest that must be actively secured."

Russia's Putin vows retaliation after accusing Ukraine of hitting student dormitory Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised retaliation after accusing Ukraine of carrying out a deadly attack on a student dormitory in an occupied part of eastern Ukraine. Six people were killed and 39 injured in the overnight strike in the town of Starobilsk, Luhansk region, Putin said. Another 15 people were missing. Ukraine's military said it hit the headquarters of Russia's elite Rubicon drone military unit in Starobilsk. It did not say whether it was the same building as the one identified by Russia.

'Hear them before I see them': How drones strike fear in Colombia Increasingly, armed groups in Colombia are turning to cheap, widely available drones to fight from a distance. What is the toll on civilians? Military surveillance drones fly in formation past an air traffic control tower in Colombia [Courtesy of Colombia's Batallon de Aeronaves No Tripuladas] Military surveillance drones fly in formation past an air traffic control tower in Colombia [Courtesy of Colombia's Batallon de Aeronaves No Tripuladas] She instinctively reaches for her young son. The noise always emerges from a small mountain behind her home, part of a tree-quilted landscape stitched with winding rivers along Colombia's border with Venezuela. I always hear them before I see them, if I see them at all, she says.

This week, with air raid warnings wailing in the distance, Kyiv held a funeral for two sisters. They had already lost their father who had been fighting on the front line. Their grieving mother is now the family's sole survivor. This is the human cost of the largest sustained Russian aerial assault so far - with 1,500 drones and 56 missiles fired at Ukraine within 48 hours. But the loss of life could have been even higher.

Ukrainian mid-range strikes deal double blow to Russia's war effort KYIV/LONDON - From burning oil refineries to a stalling ground offensive, Russia is suffering problems in its war against Ukraine that partly stem from a growing Ukrainian military strength: the use of medium-range drone attacks. By targeting Russian air defenses and logistics dozens of kilometers behind front lines, Ukraine is disrupting Russia's battlefield advances and opening the way for long-range strikes on Russian oil and military facilities, said two Ukrainian commanders, two drone specialists and three military analysts. Ukrainian officials say more resources have in recent months been poured into "middle strikes," typically ranging between 30 kilometers and 180 km behind front lines. 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.