Is the war entering a new phase? NATO is deploying additional patrol aircraft and intelligence personnel to the Black Sea, a spokesman for the alliance said, after a series of deadly drone attacks in the region widely blamed on Russia but denied by the Kremlin. "Allies have or will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, explosive exploitation teams, intelligence personnel, drones and more to the Black Sea," said Colonel Martin O'Donnell on Tuesday. NATO, along with Bulgaria and Romania, has not directly attributed the recent spate of attacks to any country. Military analysts have said Russia almost certainly carried out the attacks but Moscow has not acknowledged any responsibility.

Image caption, Romania's Maritime Coordination Centre has launched a search and rescue operation off the coast (file pic) Eight of 12 crew members are missing after a tanker caught fire off Romania's coast, naval authorities say, and there are reports of explosions on board. The San Marino-flagged Wine Trader was about 13 nautical miles (24km) east of the mouth of the River Danube at Sulina, when it reported explosions and a fire on Thursday morning. The west coast of the Black Sea has seen a spate of drone attacks in the past two weeks and there are unconfirmed reports from nearby ships that the tanker was hit by two drones. Swarms of Russian drones were detected overnight not far from the scene of Thursday's fire, near Ukraine's Snake Island. On Tuesday, two merchant ships were struck by drones further south along the coast of Bulgaria, Romania's neighbour, and one of the vessels sank.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ship catches fire in Romania's waters amid rising attacks in the Black Sea Share Ship catches fire in Romania's waters amid rising attacks in the Black Sea on social media A ship anchored in Romania's territorial waters has caught fire and the crew has been evacuated, Romanian authorities said. The incident comes amid growing concerns over hybrid attacks in the Black Sea involving Russia. Multiple drones breached Romanian airspace on Wednesday near its border with Ukraine. On Tuesday, two ships were hit in drone attacks off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, with one of them sinking, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blamed a Russian drone attack for the sinking of a ship in Romania's section of the Black Sea. Romania reported that two people were killed and 11 rescued when a grain ship caught fire and sank in its waters on Monday. The Ukrainian president's claim suggests the incident is the latest in a series of suspected incursions along NATO's eastern flank, and will fuel concerns that Moscow's war in Ukraine could spill over. According to the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the coastguard was alerted at about 11am local time (08:00 GMT) that a fire had broken out on the ship, adding that it was in the country's "exclusive economic zone".

Is the war entering a new phase? Russian strikes on Ukraine have killed at least one person and wounded seven more while a Spanish jet has shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace. A woman was killed and six others wounded in a missile and drone attack on Kryvyi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the region's governor said early on Sunday. Separately, Romania's Defence Ministry reported on Sunday that a Spanish F-18 fighter jet pilot on a NATO air policing mission to Romania had shot down a drone illegally breaching its national airspace. It is the fourth drone shot down in Romania this year .

Is the war entering a new phase? Romania has summoned Russia's ambassador as it has reported that it shot down three drones in as many days. A Romanian plane shot down a drone after an incursion into the country's airspace on Sunday morning, the Ministry of Defence reported. The incident followed similar interceptions on Friday and Saturday. Romania is one of several alliance members to confront repeated stray drones recently, as Russia and Ukraine launch hundreds of the unmanned aircraft daily.

Is the war entering a new phase? At least 11 people have been killed in Russian and Ukrainian drone strikes on Ukraine, including children at a holiday camp in a Russian-held area in the east. Overnight on Friday, at least eight people, including two children, were killed in a suspected Ukrainian attack on holiday camps in a Russian-held part of Zaporizhia, according to regional governor Yevgeny Balitsky. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the attack. Balitsky accused Ukraine of "deliberately" targeting civilians and said that 14 other people, including three children, were wounded in the strike.

Is the war entering a new phase? A Romanian fighter jet has shot down a drone, suspected to be Russian, that breached the country's airspace. The incident on Friday marked the first time the Eastern European country has intercepted an intruding aircraft since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, President Nicusor Dan noted. Romania is one of several alliance members to confront repeated stray drones recently, as Russia and Ukraine launch hundreds of drones daily. Dan reported that a Romanian F-16 jet shot down the drone after it entered the country's airspace, adding that the fighter had shot over an uninhabited area.

A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered the country's airspace without authorization, marking the first such interception by the NATO member on its eastern flank.

Is the war entering a new phase? At least five people have been killed in a Ukrainian attack on Russia and the Crimean peninsula as Kyiv steps up strikes, according to the Russian-appointed governor in the annexed region. Crimea Governor Sergey Aksyonov said two people, including a child, were killed and two others wounded following "overnight enemy attacks" into Thursday. Russia's defence ministry said 269 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russia and Crimea overnight. The head of the Krasnoarmeysk district in Krasnodar Krai said debris from a drone strike triggered an oil depot fire.