Summary
Here’s a roundup of the key developments from the day:
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday suspended the Russian Olympic Committee for recognising regional organisations from four territories annexed from Ukraine. Russia’s National Olympic Committee denounced the decision, calling it counterproductive and politically motivated.
Ukraine claims it has thwarted an attempt overnight by a Russian saboteur group to cross its north-eastern border in the Sumy region, Serhiy Naev, commander of the joint forces of the armed forces of Ukraine, said on Thursday. “The saboteurs tried to cross the state border of Ukraine and intended to move further towards one of the civilian critical infrastructure facilities,” Reuters reports he wrote on Telegram. The eight-member group was repelled by Ukrainian fire, he said, adding that there were no losses among Ukrainian troops.
Russia expects its military and defence cooperation with Kyrgyzstan to expand, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin said during a visit to a Russian airbase near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek in his first trip outside Russia since the international criminal court issued a warrant for his arrest over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Ukraine claims to have downed 28 of 33 drones launched at its territory overnight by Russia. Port infrastructure was damaged and an elderly woman was injured in Odesa by one of the drones that got through. Some of the drones were aimed at ports on the Danube.
A handout photograph from the general prosecutor’s office of Ukraine claims to show damage to a grain warehouse as a result. “Unfortunately, there was a hit on port infrastructure. A grain storage facility was damaged, there is damage directly to the grain itself,” Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern military command, told an online briefing.
Romania’s defence ministry has reported the discovery of a drone crater near the Nato member’s border with Ukraine after the Russian attacks.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has posted on social media claiming Ukraine is holding ground in Avdiivka, which appears to have been the target of concerted Russian military efforts over the last few days. On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces had redirected large numbers of troops and equipment to Avdiivka in their largest attack on the town since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Belgorod governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported that three people, including a small child, had been killed by falling debris from a drone over Russia. Earlier he had claimed that air defence had downed several Ukrainian drones over the region.
Antti Pelttari, Finland’s security intelligence service director, has said his country cannot rule out the possibility that a “state actor” was involved in damaging the Balticconnector gas pipeline and a parallel telecoms cable. Speaking at Nato headquarters this morning, the Estonian defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, said the security of undersea infrastructure was “one of the most acute topics at the moment for Estonia and Finland”.
The Czech Republic’s foreign ministry will summon Russia’s ambassador over Russian attacks on the Ukrainian hamlet of Hroza earlier this month.
A Russian missile struck a school in the town of Nikopol in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk on Wednesday, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said.
Zelenskiy urged Ukraine’s allies on Wednesday to arm his country to survive the winter. He made a plea for air defence, long-range missiles and ammunition in the face of fears that the Hamas attack on Israel could distract key backer the United States from the conflict in his country. “How to survive during this next winter for us is big,” Ukraine’s president said as he addressed the media with Stoltenberg before meeting alliance defence ministers. The Nato meeting continues in Brussels on Thursday.
We’re closing this liveblog shortly. Thanks so much for joining us.
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Pressure mounts for Turkey and Hungary to ratify Swedish Nato bid
While fighting in Israel and Gaza has overshadowed discussions at Nato today, some longstanding policy priorities are still in the spotlight – especially the saga of Sweden’s Nato membership application.
Despite repeated promises, Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify Swedish membership. At the ministers’ meeting, some delegations reiterated the urgency of moving ahead.
Now 31, soon 32#WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/99RkQ7cysD
— UK Joint Delegation to NATO (@UKNATO) October 12, 2023
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The UN human rights council on Thursday extended the mandate of its rapporteur on rights violations in Russia by a year, in a second diplomatic defeat for Moscow in three days, AFP reports.
The UN’s top rights body adopted a resolution brought by several European countries to prolong Bulgarian human rights expert Mariana Katzarova for another year by 18 votes to seven.
On Tuesday, countries scotched Russia’s bid to rejoin the 47-member human rights council, having kicked Moscow out in April last year following its invasion of Ukraine.
However, 83 countries at the United Nations general assembly in New York did vote for Russia to rejoin the UN’s top rights body – more than Ukraine and its allies had hoped for.
In Geneva on Thursday, the rights council inflicted another diplomatic blow on Russia by passing the resolution.
Argentina, Britain, France, Germany, Ukraine and the United States were among the countries voting to extend the special rapporteur’s mandate.
China, Cuba, Eritrea, Kazakhstan and Vietnam voted against a prolongation.
India, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates were among the 22 countries abstaining.
In September 2022, the council decided a special rapporteur was needed for Russia, amid concerns over an intensifying domestic crackdown by Moscow during its war in Ukraine.
In April, the council agreed to appoint Katzarova.
She is the first UN-backed monitor of the rights situation in any of the five permanent member states on the UN security council.
The resolution passed Thursday calls on Moscow to establish “constructive communication and full cooperation” with Katzarova and allow her unhindered access, including to meet freely with civil society and individuals in detention.
Moscow has refused to let her in and not recognised her mandate.
Before Thursday’s vote, US ambassador Michele Taylor told the council:
No country is above scrutiny, no matter how upsetting or embarrassing they find it; no matter how strong their military is; on matter how wide the reach of their proxies; and no matter how aggressively they threaten or cajole other countries.
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My colleagues Luke Harding and Phil Caller in Hroza have this report from Hroza, a tiny community of 300 people, in the north-east of Ukraine:
The funeral procession began at midday. Four coffins were taken out of a cottage and loaded into the back of two white vans. The vehicles trundled along a dirt track. Mourners – 30 of them, a few clutching carnations – followed. They walked past a grassy football pitch and a pair of chained-up goats, before turning right along an avenue of poplars.
Their destination was the village cemetery in Hroza, a tiny community of 300 people, in the rustic north-east of Ukraine. Once the cemetery was small. Over the past few days it has grown, as gravediggers chopped down trees and dug fresh plots. They were still working as the cortege arrived, led by a priest, under a flawless blue sky.
The funerals were for four members of the same family: Anatoliy Kozyr, his daughter Olha, son Ihor, and grandson Ivan. Ivan was eight. They were killed last week when Russia hit the cafe where they were sitting with an Iskander missile. Fifty-nine people died. Six were wounded. It was one of the worst episodes in Moscow’s bloody war. According to Kyiv’s SBU intelligence agency, it was also a story of treason and betrayal.
For seven months last year Russian soldiers occupied Hroza. They moved into private houses, looted cars and demanded vodka. Most villagers resented their new foreign overlords. A few welcomed them. They included two brothers, Volodymyr and Dmytro Mamon, who grew up in the village and served as policemen. Both, it is alleged, defected to the Russian side.
Read the full story here:
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The US imposed sanctions on two owners of tankers that carried Russian oil above the G7 price cap of $60 (£49) a barrel, one based in Turkey and one based in the United Arab Emirates, the US Treasury Department said on Thursday, Reuters reports.
The US, other G7 countries and Australia imposed the cap last year, seeking to reduce Russia’s revenues from seaborne oil exports as part of sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.
The cap bans western companies from providing maritime services, including insurance, finance and shipping for Russian seaborne oil exports sold above $60 a barrel, while seeking to keep oil flowing to markets.
Caps also were imposed on two oil products.
Joe Biden’s administration placed sanctions on Turkey-based Ice Pearl Navigation SA, owner of the Yasa Golden Bosphorus, which the Treasury said carried Russian ESPO crude priced above $80 a barrel after the cap took effect in December last year.
The US also imposed sanctions on UAE-based Lumber Marine SA, owner of the SCF Primoyre, which the Treasury said was carrying Novy Port Russian crude above $75 per barrel.
Both tankers, which conducted port calls in Russia, used US-based service providers while transporting the Russian origin oil, the Treasury said.
A senior Treasury official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters in a call:
Because of the actions we’re announcing today, and the further actions we will take in the coming weeks and months, these costs will continue to rise and Russia’s ability to sustain its barbaric war will continue to weaken.
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Russian Olympic Committee criticises 'politically motivated' IOC decision
Russia’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) denounced a decision by the IOC to suspend it in response to its move to incorporate sports bodies from occupied Ukrainian regions.
The NOC said:
The IOC has taken yet another counterproductive, politically motivated decision ... Russian athletes, the majority of which are still groundlessly banned from international performances, are not affected in any way by this step.
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Here are some of the latest images sent to us from Ukraine over the news wires.
IOC suspends Russian Olympic Committee for including four annexed regions
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday suspended the Russian Olympic Committee for recognising regional organisations from four territories annexed from Ukraine.
The IOC said the ROC was banned with immediate effect, and would not be eligible for any funding after it recognised Olympic councils from the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
All four were unilaterally annexed late last year by the Russian Federation from Ukraine after referendums widely derided as a sham.
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Romania’s president’s office has issued a statement after a crater was discovered today near the border with Ukraine, thought to have been caused by a drone.
“The intensification of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine’s sea and river ports in the Black Sea area has brought the war even closer to Romania’s borders,” Reuters reports the president’s office said.
“Incidents with fragments of drones falling on the territory of our country and implicitly of Nato have increased the risk of escalation.”
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The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said on Thursday the US would support Finland and Estonia as they probe damage to a gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable under the Baltic Sea.
Nato defence ministers were discussing the incident in a meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Reuters reports.
Blinken said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter:
We stand with NATO Allies Finland and Estonia as they investigate damage to undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea and support their ongoing investigation to determine the cause.
Damage to the Balticconnector pipeline and a data cable was confirmed on Tuesday after one of the two pipeline operators, Finland’s Gasgrid, noted a drop in pressure and possible leak on Sunday night during a storm.
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Finland has said it cannot exclude the possibility that a “state actor” was behind damage to a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea, amid what its national security intelligence service called “significantly deteriorated” relations with Russia.
Nato defence ministers were due to be briefed at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday on the damage to the Balticconnector pipeline between Finland and Estonia as well as the parallel Estlink telecommunications cable, officials said.
Helsinki confirmed the damage, without specifying any details, on Tuesday after one of the pipeline’s two operators, Finland’s Gasgrid, said it had shut it down after registering a sudden drop in pressure shortly before 2am on Sunday.
The director of the security intelligence service (Supo), Antti Pelttari, said on Thursday:
Involvement of a state actor in this job cannot be ruled out.
Who is behind this is a matter for the preliminary investigation. We do not comment in more detail.
The incident, which came almost exactly a year after a series of explosions burst three of the four Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to western Europe, has sparked renewed concern over regional energy security and pushed gas prices higher.
Finnish investigators said on Wednesday that they had found marks on the seabed at the scene of the damage, which they had reason to suspect was caused by “an external force” that “appears to have been mechanical, not an explosion”.
They said the investigation was in its “very early technical stages” and would take several days to complete. Maritime traffic in the busy Gulf of Finland in the hours before the incident was being carefully reviewed, they said.
Read the full story here:
Russia’s aviation authority on Thursday denied media reports that five planes flying over central Russia had emitted distress signals, saying the false information looked like it had come from a glitch in a foreign flight tracking website, Reuters reports.
The Tass state news agency had reported on the incident earlier on Thursday.
Rosaviatsiya, Russia’s aviation authority, said in a statement that all five flights had taken place as planned and without any safety issues and that no distress signals had been detected.
It said media had originally cited information from the FlightRadar24 flight tracking website, which Rosaviatsiya said had probably been generated by a system glitch.
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Russia expects its military and defence cooperation with Kyrgyzstan to expand, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said during a visit to a Russian airbase near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
Putin is making a two-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, during which he is due to attend a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit on Friday.
It is Putin’s first international visit since the international criminal court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March.
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Speaking at Nato headquarters this morning, the Estonian defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, said the security of undersea infrastructure was “one of the most acute topics at the moment for Estonia and Finland”.
Referring to an incident where damage was detected a gas pipeline and a data connection cable, the minister said “there are two investigations ongoing”.
“We are not speculating at the moment about any cause,” he said, adding that the governments would do their best to get information out “as soon as possible” and that an overview would be shared with Nato allies today.
The situation in the Middle East was “very worrying,” the Estonian minister added.
“My message to everyone who is thinking that the west will be disunited,” Pevkur said, is that “we are united – and we will help Ukraine and also Israel”.
You can follow our Europe liveblog here:
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Vladimir Putin is in Kyrgyzstan on his first foreign visit since the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for him in March.
Putin is wanted by the court over the deportation of Ukrainian children. Its ruling requires members of the ICC, which does not include Kyrgyzstan, to make the arrest if he sets foot on their territory.
Televised footage showed Putin greeting Kyrgyz counterpart, Sadyr Japarov, in the capital Bishkek for a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, AFP reports.
Putin said in talks with Japarov:
I would like to thank the president for the invitation. We have good reasons (to be here), but even without reasons this visit is long overdue.
The long-time leader has rarely left Russia since launching the Ukraine offensive in February 2022.
This year, he has travelled only to Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, with his last foreign trips to Belarus and Kyrgyzstan last December – a far cry from the busy international schedule he had earlier in his rule.
He is expected to travel to China next week.
Moscow has likened the prospect of Putin being arrested abroad to an act of war, calling the warrant “illegal”. In practice, however, it has taken precautions: in August, Russia sent foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to a Brics summit in ICC member South Africa, instead of Putin.
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Summary of the day so far …
Ukraine claims it has thwarted an attempt overnight by a Russian saboteur group to cross its north-eastern border in the Sumy region, Serhiy Naev, commander of the joint forces of the armed forces of Ukraine, said on Thursday. “The saboteurs tried to cross the state border of Ukraine and intended to move further towards one of the civilian critical infrastructure facilities,” Reuters reports he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The eight-member group was repelled by Ukrainian fire, he said, adding that there were no losses among Ukrainian troops.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has arrived in Kyrgystan in what is believed to be his first trip outside Russia since the international criminal court issued a warrant for his arrest over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Ukraine claims to have downed 28 of 33 drones launched at its territory overnight by Russia. Port infrastructure was damaged and an elderly woman was injured in Odesa by one of the drones that got through. Some of the drones were aimed at ports on the Danube.
A handout photograph from the general prosecutor’s office of Ukraine claims to show damage to a grain warehouse as a result. “Unfortunately, there was a hit on port infrastructure. A grain storage facility was damaged, there is damage directly to the grain itself,” Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern military command, told an online briefing.
Romania’s defence ministry has reported the discovery of a drone crater near the Nato member’s border with Ukraine after the Russian attacks.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has posted on social media claiming Ukraine is holding ground in Avdviika, which appears to have been the target of concerted Russian military efforts over the last few days. On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces had redirected large numbers of troops and equipment to Avdiivka in their largest attack on the town since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Belgorod governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported that three people, including a small child, had been killed by falling debris from a drone over Russia. Earlier he had claimed that air defence had downed several Ukrainian drones over the region.
Antti Pelttari, Finland’s security intelligence service director, has said his country cannot rule out the possibility that a “state actor” was involved in damaging the Balticconnector gas pipeline and a parallel telecoms cable. He told the media: “We can say, like the national bureau of investigation, that it seems to be caused by an external actor. Involvement of a state actor in this job cannot be ruled out”. On Wednesday, Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said if the damage to the Balticconnector was “proven to be an attack on Nato critical infrastructure … it will be met by a united and determined response.”
The Czech Republic’s foreign ministry will summon Russia’s ambassador over Russian attacks on the Ukrainian hamlet of Hroza earlier this month.
A Russian missile struck a school in the town of Nikopol in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk on Wednesday, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said.
Zelenskiy urged Ukraine’s allies on Wednesday to arm his country to survive the winter. He made a plea for air defence, long-range missiles and ammunition in the face of fears that the Hamas attack on Israel could distract key backer the United States from the conflict in his country. “How to survive during this next winter for us is big,” Ukraine’s president said as he addressed the media with Stoltenberg before meeting alliance defence ministers. The Nato meeting continues in Brussels on Thursday.
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Tass reports that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is now in talks with his Kyrgystan counterpart, Sadyr Japarov. It reports the expected topics are “further development of bilateral relations in political, trade, economic, military-technical, cultural, humanitarian and other areas” and “an exchange of views on current international issues is also planned”.
Tass states that the pair are expected later to attend a document signing and jointly face the media.
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Ukraine’s military have confirmed that a Russian drone strike hit a grain storage facility in the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa overnight, and some grain was damaged.
“Unfortunately, there was a hit on port infrastructure. A grain storage facility was damaged, there is damage directly to the grain itself,” Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern military command, told an online briefing.
Reuters reports she did not say how much grain had been damaged.
Reuters reports the Czech Republic’s foreign ministry will summon Russia’s ambassador over Russian attacks on the Ukrainian hamlet of Hroza earlier this month.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians since it launched what it terms its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. The UN has recorded over 21,000 civilian casualties in that time period, including 7,481 people killed. Those deaths include 554 children.
In Hroza a missile hit a cafe during a wake service, killing more than 50 people.
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Finland intelligence director: cannot rule out 'state actor' in pipeline damage
Antti Pelttari, Finland’s security intelligence service director, has said his country cannot rule out the possibility that a “state actor” was involved in damaging the Balticconnector gas pipeline and a parallel telecoms cable.
Reuters reports he told the media “We can say, like the national bureau of investigation, that it seems to be caused by an external actor. Involvement of a state actor in this job cannot be ruled out.”
Romania reports it discovered drone crater near border with Ukraine
Romania’s defence ministry has reported the discovery of a drone crater near the country’s border with Ukraine after Russian attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure on Wednesday evening.
Reuters reports the ministry said there was a “possible explosion on impact”, and measures had been taken to secure the area and forces would continue to monitor Romania’s airspace.
“The ministry of national defence strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against some objectives and elements of civil infrastructure in the Ukrainian ports on the Danube,” it said.
“These attacks are unjustified and in serious contradiction with the rules of international humanitarian law.”
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Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has posted on social media claiming Ukraine is holding ground in Avdviika, which appears to have been the target of concerted Russian military efforts over the last few days. He posted:
Avdiivka. We are holding our ground. It is Ukrainian courage and unity that will determine how this war will end. We must all remember this.
Avdiivka. We are holding our ground. It is Ukrainian courage and unity that will determine how this war will end. We must all remember this.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 12, 2023
Photo: Oleg Palchyk pic.twitter.com/X1vV9CMUAW
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Three killed by falling drone debris in Russia's Belgorod region
Tass reports that the death toll from falling drone debris in Russia’s Belgorod region has risen to three, including the child who was reported killed earlier. [See 7.51 BST]
It cites the Telegram account of regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who wrote:
It is a difficult morning for all of us. At night, preliminary, as a result of the fall of an unmanned aerial vehicle on the outskirts of Belgorod, two residential buildings were actually destroyed and several residential buildings and cars were damaged as a result of the explosion, but most importantly, three people were killed, one of them was a small child.
The report states that two more victims are hospitalised. The claims have not been independently verified.
Odesa port area targeted again in overnight drone strikes by Russia
Ukraine earlier claimed to have shot down 28 drones launched overnight, but it appears five of the total launched by Russia got through. The Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne reports that “private houses and warehouses were damaged” and “there were fires” in the port area of Odesa. An elderly woman was reported injured.
A handout photograph from the general prosecutor’s office of Ukraine has been released this morning that claims to show damage to a grain warehouse as a result of the strike.
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Suspilne is reporting that explosions have been heard in Kherson for the second time this morning. Russian war bloggers appear to be claiming on Telegram that military targets in the city were hit. The claims have not been independently verified.
The first set of explosions were reported by Suspilne at around 7am local time, when there was not an air alert in place. Kherson is frequently targeted, as the city is in Ukrainian possession, but is directly opposite the Russian-occupied southern portion of Kherson region.
Russia’s RIA news service is reporting that a child has been killed by falling drone debris in Russia’s Belgorod region. Citing the regional governor it reported that two others were in intensive care in hospital after the debris fell on a residential house. Their condition was described as “extremely serious”.
Ukraine claims it thwarted Russian saboteur group crossing border into Sumy
Ukraine claims it has thwarted an attempt overnight by a Russian saboteur group to cross its north-eastern border in the Sumy region, Serhiy Naev, commander of the joint forces of the armed forces of Ukraine, said on Thursday.
“The saboteurs tried to cross the state border of Ukraine and intended to move further towards one of the civilian critical infrastructure facilities,” Reuters reports he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
The eight-member group was repelled by Ukrainian fire, he said, adding that there were no losses among Ukrainian troops.
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Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has arrived in Kyrgystan in what is believed to be his first trip outside Russia since the international criminal court issued a warrant for his arrest over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
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Citing the local authority, Suspilne reports that Sumy region was shelled five times overnight, with 21 explosions recorded. Four different communities were targeted. There was no word yet on casualties or damage.
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war.
Ukraine said it had destroyed 28 Russian drones overnight, while authorities in the south said strikes damaged Odesa port warehouses and private residences, wounding one person.
The air force said on the Telegram messaging app. “Enemy UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were flying in different directions, so air defence was working in at least six regions of Ukraine.
The defence forces of the south of Ukraine meanwhile said Russia had sent another volley of attack drones towards port infrastructure along the Danube river.
Nato defence ministers will continue to meet in Brussels today, after Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a surprise appearance at the summit yesterday, saying he fears that the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israel and US politics could threaten military support for his country.
In other developments:
A Russian missile struck a school in the town of Nikopol in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk on Wednesday, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said.
Debris from a drone downed by anti-aircraft units over southern Russia’s Belgorod region killed two people and injured at least two, the regional governor said on Thursday. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said a house had been destroyed and two bodies, of a man and a woman, had been recovered from under rubble.
Russian forces were pressing on with a major push on the key eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on Wednesday after many months of besieging it, Ukrainian military officials said. The Ukrainian officials said Russian forces had redirected large numbers of troops and equipment to Avdiivka in their largest attack on the town since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Major assaults have been under way since Tuesday.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Ukraine’s allies on Wednesday to arm his country to survive the winter. Zelenskiy made a plea for air defence, long-range missiles and ammunition in the face of fears that the Hamas attack on Israel could distract key backer the United States from the conflict in his country. “How to survive during this next winter for us is big,” Zelenskiy said as he addressed the media with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg before meeting alliance defence ministers.
Some US Republican lawmakers said they would resist any funding request from Democratic president Joe Biden that combined military aid for Israel and Ukraine, amid resistance from some Republicans to further assistance for Kyiv.
Nato has promised a “determined” response if damage to an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia proves deliberate.
An international team of prosecutors seeking to put Russia’s top officials on trial over the Ukraine invasion has already gathered “thousands” of pieces of evidence, the head of EU judicial agency, Eurojust, has told AFP.
In its latest intelligence update, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said the Russian military is facing a “mental health crisis”, with many personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Ukraine’s Security Service said it had identified two suspected informers who allegedly helped Russia strike at a wake last week.
A former prime minister of Slovakia who plans to end the country’s military support for Ukraine is poised to return to office after his political party signed a deal with two other parties to form a coalition government.
Belgium will send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from 2025, its defence minister, Ludivine Dedonder, said.
The North Korea leader, Kim Jong-un, exchanged letters with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, vowing to advance their ties and wishing him victory over what he called hegemony and pressure from imperialists, Pyongyang’s state media KCNA said. He pledged to further develop relations to a “new height” and wished Putin good luck in resisting western pressure over Ukraine.
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