Russia

Russia fires 800 drones at Ukraine despite recent talk of possible peace

Russia fired at least 800 drones in a massive daytime barrage on about 20 regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, including children, in one of the longest attacks by Moscow in the 4-year-old war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The attack began in midmorning and lasted for hours in the capital of Kyiv, the western city of Lviv near Poland, and the port of Odesa on the Black Sea, among other population centers, Zelanskyy said on the Telegram messaging app. "Our soldiers are defending Ukraine, but Russia's obvious goal is to overload air defences," Zelenskyy said, as the bombardment stretched into the late afternoon. He cautioned that a cruise and ballistic missile attack could follow the drone barrage. It was "one of the longest, massive Russian attacks against Ukraine," he said on social media. It also rattled neighbours. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said his new government has summoned the Russian ambassador over a drone atta

Jaishankar holds talks with Russia's Lavrov; trade, geopolitics top agenda

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held "productive" talks on Wednesday to advance bilateral cooperation in energy and trade amid shifting geopolitical tensions. Jaishankar met Lavrov, shortly after the Russian foreign minister landed in New Delhi to attend a two-day conclave of the BRICS member states beginning Thursday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and South Africa's Minister for International Relations Ozzy Lamola are among those who already arrived in the national capital for the BRICS foreign ministerial meeting. Jaishankar and Lavrov are learnt to have deliberated on the West Asia crisis as well as the Ukraine conflict. In a social media post, the external affairs minister described his talks with his Russian counterpart as "productive exchange of views". "Our conversation touched upon several aspects of the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, including tr

'Going to do whatever is necessary': Trump on Russian oil waiver amid war

The United States had eased sanctions on Russian oil in mid-March to counteract global oil shortages resulting from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz

Putin says Ukraine war nearing end, cites Nato expansion as root cause

He blamed "globalist" Western leaders, saying they promised Nato would not expand eastward after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, but then tried to draw Ukraine into the European Union's orbit

What Russia's Victory Day celebrations reveal about Putin, war in Ukraine

Tensions are high as Russia prepares to celebrate its most important secular holiday Saturday. Fears in Moscow about security during the war with Ukraine have forced officials to scale back the annual celebrations, and signs of domestic discontent are casting a shadow over President Vladimir Putin's Red Square events. A unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine that Russia announced for Friday and Saturday quickly unravelled. Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the continued fighting, just as they did when Ukraine's own unilateral ceasefire swiftly collapsed earlier in the week. The accusations reflect the deep-seated lack of trust between the two sides more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour. That has thwarted US-led diplomatic efforts to find a peace settlement. Ukraine's new drone and missile technology has helped it hit deep inside Russia frequently and accurately in recent months, especially major oil facilities. Meanwhile, rumblings of unhappiness w

Russia, Ukraine agree to 3-day ceasefire and prisoner swap, says Trump

President Donald Trump has said that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners, adding that such a halt to hostilities could be the "beginning of the end" of the long war between them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser, both confirmed the agreement. "I asked and, President Putin agreed. President Zelenskyy agreed -- both readily," Trump said on Friday as he departed the White House to attend a dinner at his Virginia golf club. " And we have a little period of time where they're not going to be killing people. That's very good " Trump earlier Friday had announced on social media that the ceasefire would run Saturday through Monday. Saturday is Victory Day in Russia, a holiday that commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. "I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11t

Russia snubs Ukraine's unilateral ceasefire, fires dozens of drones

Russia fired dozens of drones at Ukraine in nighttime attacks, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, disregarding a unilateral ceasefire announced by Kyiv that began at midnight. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine hadn't abided by its own ceasefire, saying that air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea between Tuesday evening and dawn Wednesday. There had been no official sign from Moscow that it would heed Kyiv's ceasefire, and there was little hope for a pause in hostilities as the war stretches into its fifth year following Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbor. US-led diplomatic efforts to stop the war over the past year have come to nothing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced the move after Russia said it would hold its own unilateral ceasefire over two days later this week while it marks the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The ...

Russia declares Victory Day truce; Ukraine to cease fire two days earlier

Russia's Defence Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, but it threatened to strike back at Kyiv if it tries to disrupt the Victory Day festivities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in response said his country would observe a truce beginning at 12 am on Wednesday and respond in kind to Russia's actions from that moment on. He did not put an end date on the truce. The announcements on Monday come as Russia prepares to celebrate its most important secular holiday with a traditional military parade on Moscow's Red Square pared down due to what officials say are concerns over possible Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine has been launching drone attacks deep inside Russia to counter its more than 4-year-old invasion. They also follow a familiar pattern of previous attempts to secure ceasefires - most recently around Orthodox Easter - that had little to no impact. The Defence .

The Successor: Boris Nemtsov, a Russian road not taken and its legacy

For Fishman, Nemtsov embodies the promise of the free, democratic Russia. Had he fulfilled his destiny, there might not be fighting in Ukraine, with the spectre of World War III

Best of BS Opinion: FinMin offers sobering view of macroeconomic risks

From rising oil-linked risks and services data gaps to gold loan expansion and global capital flows, here are the key insights from Business Standard's Opinion page

Rasputin: Beevor's nuanced account of the Romanovs debunks mystic's myth

Antony Beevor's book casts a cool academic eye on this controversial faith healer, arguing that despite the mystique, Rasputin's influence on the fall of the Romanovs has been exaggerated

Russian FM Lavrov to visit India next week for BRICS meet, hold talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to India next month to attend the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, the Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday. During his visit on May 14-15, Lavrov will also hold a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing. "On May 14-15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend a full-format meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi," Zakharova said. The meeting, chaired by India, will provide a valuable platform for substantive discussions on current international issues and prospects for strengthening global governance, particularly regarding countries representing the global majority, she was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency. "Special attention will be given to enhancing strategic partnerships in preparation for the 18th BRICS summit, which is also scheduled to take place in New Delhi this September

Russia trip opportunity to coordinate after war: Iranian foreign minister

Prior to his arrival in Russia, the top Iranian diplomat held pivotal meetings in Islamabad to further this regional agenda

Russian oil import data 'confidential', exempt under RTI, says CIC

Data on oil imports from Russia to India cannot be provided as it is exempted under the RTI Act due to its "commercial and confidential" nature, according to the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Oil Ministry, with the Central Information Commission too backing it, citing strategic and economic interests of the country. The case relates to an RTI plea seeking details of crude oil imported from Russia to India between June 2022 and June 2025, including a company-wise breakup for firms such as IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, ONGC Videsh, Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy. The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) had denied the information, stating: "The information pertaining to country-wise and company-wise details of crude oil import is of commercial and confidential nature and is exempted from disclosure under section 8(1) (d&e) of the RTI Act 2005. However, the total quantity and value of crude oil import (both current and historical) can be downloaded from the ..

US interventions in Iran, Venezuela driven by oil: Russian foreign minister

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused US of oil-driven interventions, slammed 'dominance' doctrine

Oil flows via Druzhba pipeline resumes; EU to adopt new Russian sanctions

Hungarian oil group MOL said on Wednesday that Ukraine had informed it that deliveries of Russian crude had resumed through the pipeline

Kremlin-friendly ex-President wins Bulgaria elections in landslide

Two other parties also appear to have gained seats in the 240-seat chamber, according to the latest results. Borissov conceded defeat and congratulated the election winner.

Ukraine hits Russia's Tuapse oil refinery again with drone strike

Russian officials said that a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Black Sea port of Tuapse sparked a fire and killed at least one person

At least 16 killed, over 80 injured in Russian drone attack on Ukraine

Russia hammered civilian areas of Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 80 others in its biggest aerial barrage in almost two weeks, officials said Thursday. Russia launched nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, primarily targeting civilians, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Thursday on X. At least four people were killed in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old, with more than 50 others injured, Sybiha said. Nine people were killed and 23 injured in the southern port city of Odesa, three were killed and around three dozen injured in the central Dnipro region, and one person was killed in Zaporizhzhia in the south. "Such attacks cannot be normalized. These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held to account," Sybiha said on X. Ukraine's air force said air defenses shot down or disabled 667 out of 703 incoming targets, including 636 Shahed-type drones a