Is the war entering a new phase? They release them by cutting off their fins and dropping them in the sea. Their bodies, with net marks on their skin, are often washed ashore. It failed - but the ongoing hostilities have been killing "hundreds times more" bottlenose and short-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises, according to Ivan Rusev, head researcher at the Tuzly Lagoons national park in southern Ukraine. In 2022 alone, some 50,000 dolphins died this way, and by 2026, the number exceeded 120,000, or one in four cetaceans in the Black Sea, Rusev told Al Jazeera.

Is the war entering a new phase? Defence ministers of key European countries are meeting in the French capital to discuss military support for Ukraine amid continuing Russia-Ukraine attacks. A Russian strike on Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia injured four people on Monday morning, according to regional Governor Mykhailo Semikin, while a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Voronezh killed two people and wounded 17, regional Governor Alexander Gusev said. The Russian Ministry of Defence also claimed its forces hit a power station in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, as well as a nearby warehouse, and a power station in the Khmelnytskyi region. The ministry said Russian forces also targeted port infrastructure in Chornomorsk in southwestern Ukraine, and a cargo vessel en route to Odesa, which it claimed was being used for military purposes. Meanwhile, officials say that many of those wounded in the Ukrainian drone attack on Voronezh were passengers on a commuter train hit by falling debris.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to hold talks with United States special envoy Steve Witkoff and European leaders in Norway, aimed at ending the war with Russia. The prime ministers of Norway and Finland will attend the talks in Oslo on Tuesday, while President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is expected to attend remotely because of illness. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Zelenskyy requested that Witkoff and Kushner participate in Tuesday's discussions. In a post on X before the talks, Zelenskyy said he had engaged in a "substantive conversation" with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about missile interceptors, intelligence sharing and Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

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? Syria has called for an "independent and transparent" investigation into the sinking of a cargo ship in the Black Sea, demanding answers over the fate of the ship's 10 crew members, including nine Syrians and an Egyptian, who remain unaccounted for. The Togolese-flagged Alfa Watan, went down in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone early on Tuesday, amid a rising number of drone strikes hitting Black Sea shipping during the Russia-Ukraine war. Mazen Aloush, from the Syria's port authority asked the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Bulgarian authorities to find out why a search and rescue mission was called off, before the missing sailors were found. "Their fate is still unknown" said Aloush, adding that "the reasons that led to the suspension of search and rescue operations" had to be established.

Is the war entering a new phase? More killed in Kramatorsk as Russia targets Ukraine's transportation system Share'New tactic': Russia expands deadly attacks on Ukraine's transport system on social media Russian glide bomb hits buses in Ukraine's Kramatorsk, killing at least 30 A Russian glide bomb struck two passenger buses in the eastern Ukrainian town of Kramatorsk on Thursday morning, killing at least 30 people and wounding 18, regional authorities said. Ukrainian officials said the attack was deliberate. When dropped from planes on the Russian side of the front line, such bombs can glide to fixed coordinates on the ground, in this case, a street in the town that lies about 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) from the front line. "For them, a bus full of passengers is an attractive target precisely because a single strike can kill the maximum number of people."

Is the war entering a new phase? Bulgarian authorities have ended search operations after confirming no survivors were found following a drone strike that sank a ship off the country's coast. Drones hit two commercial vessels early on Tuesday as attacks on Black Sea shipping increase amid an intensifying Russia-Ukraine war . One caught fire, and the other sank. The search stopped late on Tuesday and would not continue, he added.

Is the war entering a new phase? Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev says drones have hit two commercial vessels, sinking one ship and wounding several people, in what he denounced as an "absolutely unacceptable" attack. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Radev said the ships were attacked by sea drones and aerial drones at about 3am (00:00 GMT), about 70 nautical miles (130km) off Bulgaria's coast, amid a rise in attacks on Black Sea shipping due to expanding drone attacks related to the Russia-Ukraine war. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law," Radev said. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank at the scene.

Is the war entering a new phase? On the day of her 41st wedding anniversary, Vera Gulyaeva recalled her husband's life and death. In March, a Russian drone plunged into a bread line in the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky, killing several people and wounding Serhiy Gulyaev, a retired 63-year-old driver. The Gulyaevs, who had met at a friends' wedding in 1985, lived in a small house they had built. They were reluctant to leave even after their children fled to Kyiv-controlled areas.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukrainian officials say at least 19 people have been injured in Russian missile and drone strikes targeting Kyiv and surrounding areas. Ukraine's Air Force said on Thursday that it destroyed or suppressed 131 Russian aerial targets during the overnight attacks, adding that the main areas targeted were the Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa regions. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces hit metallurgical and electronics plants, factories of the military-industrial complex, energy and transport facilities in the three regions. Three bulk carriers and a ferry used to carry supplies for the Ukrainian military were hit in the port of Chornomorsk, added the ministry.