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A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia's southern Volgograd region, regional authorities said on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of casualties, the regional governor was quoted as saying in a Telegram post published on the channel of the local administration. The post did not specify the damage, but said that people living near the depot may have to be evacuated. Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Russian energy sites aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to weaponise winter. Saturday's attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, according to Ukrainian officials, killing at least four people in the capital. For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old wa
A court in Russia on Thursday convicted a pro-war activist and critic of President Vladimir Putin of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison. Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front movement that opposes Putin and is affiliated with the Communist Party, was arrested last year. According to Russian independent news site Mediazona, the charges against him stem from an article Udaltsov posted online in support of another group of Russian activists accused of forming a terrorist organisation. Those activists were convicted earlier this month and handed sentences ranging from 16 to 22 years in prison. Udaltsov has rejected the charges against him as fabricated. On Thursday, he denounced the verdict as shameful and said he was going on a hunger strike, Mediazona reported. According to the court ruling, the activist will be serving his sentence in a maximum security penal colony. Udaltsov was a prominent opposition figure during the 2011-12 mass protests in ..
At least two people were killed in a drone attack in Russia's southwestern Saratov region and parts of Ukraine were without power, local authorities said Saturday, as US-led peace talks on ending the war press on. The drone attack damaged a residential building, and several windows were also blown out at a kindergarten and clinic, Saratov regional Gov. Roman Busargin said. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight. In Ukraine, parts of the Kherson region, including the regional capital, also called Kherson, were without power Saturday following Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin said. Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call weaponising the cold. The latest round of attacks came after Kremlin adviser Yuri
US special envoy Steve Witkoff was due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, taking to the Kremlin an embryonic peace plan that Washington hopes can bring about an end to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. Coinciding with Witkoff's trip, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to Ireland, continuing his visits to European countries that have helped sustain his country's fight against Russia's invasion. After months of frustration in his efforts to stop the fighting, US President Donald Trump is deploying officials to get traction for his peace proposals. So far, the talks have followed parallel lines, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sitting down with Ukrainian officials, and now Witkoff heading to Moscow. Though this week's consultations could move the process forward, few details have become public. It remains unclear how envoys are going to bridge the gap between the two sides on such basic differences as who keeps what territory. Europe
At least one person was killed on Sunday in an explosion at a prominent retail building in central Moscow, emergency services said. The blast happened on the third floor of the Central Children's Store shopping mall, on Lubyanka Square. Emergency services said the blast was caused by a gas cylinder, according to the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency. Two of the injured were hospitalised, Moscow's Department of Health said. City mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the incident was likely caused by a technical malfunction of equipment. The building was evacuated following the explosion. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened an investigation into the incident.
NSA Ajit Doval has said during his meetings in Moscow that dates for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India are being worked out, according to sources. No specific date or time has been indicated by the NSA in his engagements, they said on Thursday. "NSA Doval, during his visit to Moscow, has said that the dates for President Putin's visit to India are being worked out," said a source. The time of end-August being reported in some media is incorrect, the sources said. Doval held talks with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu and other senior officials that focused on bilateral energy and defence cooperation as well as Putin's visit to India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had travelled to Russia twice last year for an annual summit with Putin and to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan. The Russian president is visiting India for the annual summit this year. Doval's visit to Russia comes amid some strain in ties between India and the US over New Delhi's continu
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow, reported state-owned Russian media on Wednesday, days before the White House's deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukriane or potentially face severe economic penalties. Witkoff was seen taking an early morning stroll through Zaryadye Park, a stone's throw from the Kremlin, with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's envoy for investment and economic cooperation, footage aired by TASS showed. Dmitriev had played a key role in direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as discussions between Russian and US officials. Moscow is yet to confirm whether Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his stay. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed on Monday Witkoff's visit. We consider (talks with Witkoff) important, substantive and very useful," he said. Trump's deadline for Putin ends on Friday. Washington has threatened severe tariffs and
Russia on Sunday opened a regular air link between Moscow and Pyogyang, a move reflecting increasingly close ties between the two countries. The first flight operated by Russian carrier Nordwind took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport carrying over 400 passengers. Russia's Transport Ministry said there will be one flight a month to meet demand. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who visited North Korea's new Wonsan-Kalma beach resort earlier this month to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, promised to encourage Russian tourists to visit the complex. The resort, which can accommodate nearly 20,000 people, is at the center of Kim's push to boost tourism to improve his country's troubled economy. North Korea has been slowly easing the curbs imposed during the pandemic and reopening its borders in phases. But the country hasn't said if it would fully resume international tourism. Regular flights between Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok and Pyongyang reopened
A top Russian security official travelled to Pyongyang for the second time this month for another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian state media reported Tuesday, the latest display of the countries' deepening ties amid President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. Russia's Tass news agency said Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu arrived in the North Korean capital on an unspecified special mission from Putin and was expected to meet with Kim. North Korean state media didn't immediately confirm the visit. Kim has supplied Russia with thousands of troops and large shipments of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to support its military operation in Ukraine. Washington and Seoul have expressed concern that, in return, Kim may seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear-armed military. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow officially confirmed North Korean troops' deployment to Russia for t
Russia will respond to Sunday's Ukrainian drone attacks on its airfields when and how the military deems appropriate, the Kremlin said on Thursday. On June 1, Ukraine used drones to carry out attacks against airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions, home to Moscow's nuclear triad. Replying to a media query on when Russia could retaliate and how, the Kremlin spokesman said, In such a way and at such a time as our military deems appropriate. On Wednesday night, in an unscheduled phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would have to respond to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's nuclear-capable bomber fleet. Agreeing with his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's view voiced at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Putin also described peace talks with Ukraine as "useful." Russian planes that were damaged after Ukraine's attack on Jun 1 will be repaired, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on ...
India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is expected here early next week to attend a major security meeting organised by Russia's Security Council. Doval is invited for the 13th international meeting of high representatives for security issues on May 27-29 under the chairmanship of the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu. Invitations to participate in the forum have been sent to more than 150 countries of the Global South and East, the CIS, Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries, as well as to the leadership of more than 20 international organisations, the Russian Security Council said in a release. Like India, Pakistan is also a member of the SCO, and its NSA Lt Gen Asim Malik is also expected to be in Moscow for the meeting. There are speculations that in the wake of Operation Sindoor, the two key Indian and Pakistani NSAs will be in Moscow
Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds more prisoners on Saturday, the Russian defence ministry said, as part of a major swap that was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire. The ministry said each side brought home 307 more soldiers, a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. The announcement was made hours after Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured, according to local officials. There was no immediate confirmation from the Ukrainian side.