What are Russia's gains from the Iran war? 'We are not losers; we are winners' Who is Gerhard Schroeder, Putin's pick for Ukraine peace talks mediation? Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder could coordinate talks with the European Union to secure a peace deal in Ukraine - a proposal met with scepticism by EU officials. European Council President Antonio Costa said recently he believed there was "potential" for the EU to negotiate with Russia and to discuss the future of Europe's security architecture. A day later, the Russian leader said the four-year-old war may be "coming to an end", adding that he was ready to hold direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Moscow or a neutral country. Speaking after Saturday's celebrations for Victory Day, which marks Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 at the end of World War II, Putin added he would be willing to meet Zelenskyy only once the terms of a peace agreement had already been settled.

What are Russia's gains from the Iran war? 'We are not losers; we are winners' At least three people have been killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine in the past 24 hours despite a three-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump that came into effect on May 9. Regional authorities on Sunday reported one death each in Ukraine's Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson regions. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin confirmed the death on Telegram, saying the woman had been struck while walking down the street. Seven people, including a child, have also been injured across the region in drone or artillery attacks since early Saturday, he added. Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the southeastern Zaporizhia region, said one person had been killed and three others injured by artillery and drone attacks in the past 24 hours. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said eight people, including two children, were injured in drone attacks on the city of Kharkiv and nearby settlements.

Plus: Meta officially kills encrypted Instagram DMs, the Trump administration targets "violent left wing extremists," leaked documents reveal Russia's school for elite hackers, and more. Cramming for finals is bad enough without the platform you use to do your schoolwork suddenly shutting down. Unfortunately for countless students across the US, that's exactly what they faced on Thursday after Canvas went into "maintenance mode" following a ransomware attack on education tech firm Instructure. Hackers using the name ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, and experts say the chaos they caused shows how far these actors will go to extort their victims. Did you know that Google Chrome includes an automatic download of the Gemini Nano AI model?

What are Russia's gains from the Iran war? 'We are not losers; we are winners' Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has warned diplomatic missions to promptly evacuate their staff from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in case Moscow launches a mass strike on the city in response to potential Ukrainian attempts to disrupt Russia's May 9 Victory Day commemorations. In a video posted on Telegram on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged diplomats to heed the Defence Ministry's warning of a strike, issued on Monday, in the event of a Ukrainian attack during the commemorations of the Soviet Union's victory against Nazi Germany in World War II and a military parade in Red Square. Zakharova said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had made "aggressive and threatening statements" about disrupting the commemorations at a meeting of the European Political Community in Armenia on Monday. "Several EU countries were present," she said. In his remarks in Armenia, Zelenskyy noted a Russian announcement that the commemorations were being scaled down and taking place without military hardware for security reasons.

What are Russia's gains from the Iran war? 'We are not losers; we are winners' Russia has begun rolling mobile internet shutdowns in Moscow and other cities, which authorities say is to counter drone threats. As Dmitry Medvedenko reports, the measures come ahead of the May 9 Victory Day parade, which has been scaled down this year due to security concerns. Why are Pentagon officials talking about Iran's'deadly dolphins'? Iran'has attained an elevated international standing' says FM Ben-Gvir'dreams' of nooses in video posted to TikTok

Russia ignores Ukraine's unilateral ceasefire and attacks kindergarten Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of breaching a unilateral ceasefire announced by Ukraine by launching a wave of drone attacks on several cities. The Ukrainian president said Russia had carried out active hostilities and terrorist shelling, targeting the front line as well as firing dozens of drones and missiles at civilian areas. In the Sumy border region, one woman was killed when a kindergarten was hit on Wednesday morning, local authorities said. No children were present at the time. Earlier this week the two warring sides had announced rival unilateral ceasefires - with no agreement on their terms, length or monitoring.

What are Russia's gains from the Iran war? 'We are not losers; we are winners' Russian air attacks kill five at Ukraine's Naftogaz gas facilities At least five people have been killed in Russian air strikes on Ukrainian state-run gas facilities in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions, officials said, a day after Kyiv and Moscow announced unilateral ceasefires to take effect later this week. Three employees and two rescue workers were killed and 37 people were wounded in the overnight missile and drone barrage, Serhiy Koretskyi, the CEO of Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz said on Tuesday. This was a combined strike involving UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and ballistic missiles," said Koretskyi. He added that the attack cut gas supply to nearly 3,500 customers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian authorities had shown "utter cynicism" by announcing a ceasefire and then launching missile and drone attacks on his country. "Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our responses.

What are Russia's gains from the Iran war? 'We are not losers; we are winners' Russian missile attacks have killed at least eight people in Ukraine following a rare overnight drone strike on Moscow. A Russian strike midmorning on Monday on the town of Merefa in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region killed six people and wounded more than 30 others officials said. "Today during the day, the occupiers attacked civilian infrastructure of a town quite far from the front with a missile," he said on Telegram, adding that it will take another day or two to clear the debris. Officials said Russian forces appeared to have used an Iskander-type ballistic missile. To the south, two men were killed during various attacks on the Kherson region, according to the regional prosecutor's office.

A Ukrainian drone hit an upmarket residential high-rise in Moscow in the early hours of Monday, resulting in no casualties but causing visible damage to the façade of the building. It was the third night in a row that the Russian capital came under attack from drones, days before Russia holds a scaled-back 9 May parade to mark the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. An unverified video circulating on social media showed firemen entering a heavily damaged flat covered in dust and rubble and with blown-out windows, while another showed drone debris strewn across the street below. Two other drones were intercepted, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports suspended operations overnight.

The Iran war has strengthened Ukraine in surprising ways. Could a ceasefire with Russia be closer? When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, serious-faced and clad in black, strolled down a lilac carpet in Saudi Arabia in March, it marked a moment in the US-Israeli war in Iran. In a post on X, he said his visit was to strengthen the protection of lives. Zelensky, who carries the weight of Ukraine's own war with Russia on his shoulders, has been seizing the moment, flying to the Gulf to publicly showcase the international value and marketability of Kyiv's learned-on-the-battlefield military nous in drone warfare. Ukraine says it has now signed deals with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar - all hit by Iranian missiles and drones in recent weeks - to share drone expertise and technology, tightening alliances and benefitting from business - and it hopes defence deals - with wealthy US-allied countries.