Nato jets were summoned to Latvia after two drones entered from Russian territory and crashed into an oil storage facility, the country’s army said on Thursday morning.
The drones were probably launched by Ukraine against targets in Russia, Latvia's defence minister Andris Spruds told national broadcaster LSM.
Four empty oil tanks were damaged at a storage facility in Rezekne, about 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border, and possible debris of a crashed drone was found at the site, police and firefighters said.
Military jets of the multinational Nato Baltic air police mission have been summoned to the site, he added.
It comes after Russia threatened to strike foreign embassies in Kyiv if Ukrainian forces try to disrupt Moscow’s Victory Day commemorations in the coming days.
The Russian military had earlier vowed to carry out mass attacks on Kyiv if it did not adhere to Russia's unilateral ceasefire covering 8 and 9 May, when Moscow is planning to stage a military parade through Red Square.
Zelensky said Russia's continued attacks were an "obvious spurning" of a chance at peace offered by Kyiv.
Hungary returns a seized cash and gold shipment worth $82 million to Ukraine
Poland warns Russia is moving from low-cost recruits to professional sabotage cells
Russia disrupts mobile internet as Kremlin scales back Victory Day parade
Pussy Riot stage protest blocking access to Russian pavilion at Venice Biennale
Key Points
- Zelensky accuses Russia of spurning ceasefire proposed by Kyiv
- Russia warns embassies to evacuate staff from Kyiv
- Russia answered ceasefire offer with ‘new strikes and attacks’, says Zelensky
- Russia drones crash in Latvia as schools ordered shut
- Angry Ukrainians call for country to respond to Russia: 'We have no choice'
- Ukrainian officials set to meet Trump’s peace envoys – report
Russia says Ukraine launched a major drone attack after Moscow shunned ceasefire offer
14:32 , Alex CroftRussian air defenses shot down 347 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday, in what appeared to be a major attack after Moscow spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire earlier in the week and tension mounted over Russia's upcoming Victory Day celebrations.
Incoming drones were destroyed over 20 Russian regions, including Moscow, according to the Defense Ministry, in Ukraine’s second-biggest aerial attack since Russia’s all-out invasion more than four years ago. The largest was last March when it launched 389 drones.
Read the full report:
Russia says Ukraine launched a major drone attack after Moscow shunned ceasefire offer
Drone enters Romanian airspace during Russian attack on Ukraine - defence ministry
14:01 , Alex CroftA drone briefly breached Romanian airspace during a Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine earlier on Thursday, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The defence ministry added that Romania scrambled two f-16 fighter jets to monitor the situation.
The drone was seen by radars near the village of Chilia in the border county of Tulcea across the Danube from Ukraine, the statement said.
It follows reports that an oil storage facility was hit in Latvia - but the government said these were probably Ukrainian drones that crashed accidentally.
Watch: Russia answered ceasefire offer with ‘new strikes and attacks’, says Zelensky
13:30 , Alex CroftUkraine attacks industrial facility in Russia, governor says
12:56 , Alex CroftAn industrial facility in Russia’s Perm region has been attacked by a Ukrainian drone, the regional governor, Dmitry Makhonin, said on Thursday.
The governor did not specify the name of the facility.
There were no injuries or fatalities as a result of the attack, Makhonin said.
Perm is in the Urals region, about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Russia warns embassies to evacuate staff from Kyiv
12:25 , Arpan RaiRussia is warning diplomatic missions to evacuate staff promptly from Kyiv, saying Moscow will carry out a mass strike on the Ukrainian capital if Ukraine tries to disrupt its Victory Day commemorations.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a video posted on Telegram that her ministry "strongly urges the authorities of your country... to treat this statement with the utmost responsibility".
On Monday, Russia's defence ministry had warned that it would respond to Ukrainian attacks during the Victory Day celebrations with a "massive missile attack" on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Ukrainian officials set to meet Trump’s peace envoys – report
11:53 , Arpan RaiUkraine is likely sending its national security and defence council secretary Rustem Umerov to Miami this week for a meeting with US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, reported Bloomberg.
The meeting between the two sides is a new development in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
While the US has sent its diplomats Mr Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow multiple times to meet the Russian side, it is yet to send them to Kyiv to hold peace talks.
Russia and Ukraine are yet to reach any conclusion in talks as they debate several key points, including control over part of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Angry Ukrainians call for country to respond to Russia: 'We have no choice'
11:21 , Arpan RaiThere are growing calls for Ukraine to disregard Russia's unilateral Victory Day ceasefire, after Moscow ignored Kyiv's own ceasefire this week and continued to carry out deadly strikes.
At least four people were killed yesterday in the northeastern region of Sumy, including two female workers at a kindergarten hit by a Russian drone, though children were not present, officials said.
Another person was killed when a house was struck by a drone and a man was killed by a mine thought to have been dropped by Russian forces.
In major cities such as Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia – where an attack on Tuesday killed 12 people – private buildings, infrastructure and industrial sites were damaged in air attacks after midnight, officials said.
"Maybe we should act the same way Russia does. That is, not to stay silent, not to observe the truce," said 52-year-old Nataliia Fomenko in Kyiv. "We have no other choice,” she told Reuters.
Oil storage facility in Latvia hit in drone attack
10:52 , Arpan RaiAn oil storage facility has been hit in Latvia after two drones entered the Nato nation from Russian territory and crashed, the Latvian army said this morning.
Four empty oil tanks were damaged at a storage facility in Rezekne, about 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border, and possible debris of a crashed drone was found at the site, police and firefighters said.
The firefighters extinguished a smouldering area of around 30 square metres in one of the tanks.
The drones were probably launched by Ukraine against targets in Russia, Latvia's defence minister Andris Spruds told national broadcaster LSM.
Military jets of the multinational Nato Baltic air police mission have been summoned to the site, he added.
Russian military logistics facility struck by drones
10:21 , Arpan RaiSuspected Ukrainian drones have hit a military logistics facility in Moscow’s Naro-Fominsk, according to early reports from Telegram channels and social media this morning.
The Moscow facility is a large-scale logistics building for the Russian army and was attacked by Ukrainian drones overnight, independent Telegram outlet Exilenova Plus reported.
Local residents took to social media to say they spotted drone flyovers and activity from air defence systems near the facility.
Naro-Fominsk is located about 70km (45 miles) southwest of Moscow and approximately 390km (240 miles) from Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia
The Independent has not verified the authenticity of the reports.
‘Rockets flew over our heads’: Ukrainian sailor who fled war trapped on ship in Strait of Hormuz
09:51 , Arpan RaiA Ukrainian sailor stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for more than two months has described the terror of Iranian rockets flying overhead as his crew found themselves caught in the crossfire of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
The senior assistant captain was on his debut voyage as first mate when hostilities erupted at the end of February, casting the region into a bitter conflict interrupted only in part by a fragile ceasefire agreement in April.
The sailor told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne on condition of anonymity how they could only watch on as three missiles “literally flew over our heads” as Iran opened fire on its neighbours on the afternoon of 28 February.
“We saw two downings and one ‘arrival’ near the airport in Dubai,” the captain said, adding that he was unmoved by the shelling after three years living through the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian sailor who fled war trapped on ship in Strait of Hormuz
Pussy Riot stage protest blocking access to Russian pavilion at Venice Biennale
09:21 , Arpan RaiRussian punk group Pussy Riot joined members of Ukrainian feminist organization FEMEN on Wednesday in a protest at the Venice Biennale against the opening of the Russian pavilion.
Yelling “Russia’s art is blood” and “Disobey” under a cloud of pink, blue and yellow smoke, the anti-Putin feminist groups covered their faces with pink balaclavas before rushing the venue in the Giardini exhibition area.
Italian police blocked the entrance to the site as the protest effectively blockaded Russia’s return for about 30 minutes.
Russia drones crash in Latvia as schools ordered shut
09:21 , Arpan RaiAt least two drones entered Nato member Latvia from Russia and crashed, the Latvian army said this morning.
One of the drones crashed into an oil storage facility in Rezekne, about 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border, said national broadcaster LSM, quoting the police.
A fire at the site was no longer burning by the time firefighters arrived, it said.
The Latvian authorities have issued drone alerts to residents along the Russian border at 4.09am local time (0109 GMT) today, asking them to stay indoors.
All schools will be closed in Rezekne on Thursday, the municipality said.
The incident comes months after several stray Ukrainian drones hit Latvia and its Nato neighbours Estonia and Lithuania in late March, one of which slammed into a chimney at a local power station while another crash-landed in a frozen lake and exploded.
The Ukrainian drones were believed to have been launched to strike military targets in Russia. The three Baltic countries have never allowed their territories and airspace to be used for drone attacks against targets in Russia, their foreign ministers said in April.
Russia warns embassies to evacuate staff from Kyiv
08:51 , Arpan RaiRussia is warning diplomatic missions to evacuate staff promptly from Kyiv, saying Moscow will carry out a mass strike on the Ukrainian capital if Ukraine tries to disrupt its Victory Day commemorations.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a video posted on Telegram that her ministry "strongly urges the authorities of your country... to treat this statement with the utmost responsibility".
On Monday, Russia's defence ministry had warned that it would respond to Ukrainian attacks during the Victory Day celebrations with a "massive missile attack" on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Zelensky accuses Russia of spurning ceasefire proposed by Kyiv
08:21 , Arpan RaiUkraine accused Russia of flouting a Kyiv-proposed ceasefire on Wednesday by carrying out dozens of battlefield assaults, air strikes and drone attacks.
Zelensky had floated the cessation, starting on 6 May, in response to Russian leader Vladimir Putin's own proposed ceasefire from 8 to 9 May to coincide with its Second World War victory commemorations.
In a statement, Zelensky said Russia – which did not confirm its adherence to Ukraine's proposal – had committed 1,820 violations by late morning on Wednesday.
“Russia's choice is an obvious spurning of a ceasefire and of saving lives," he said. Speaking later in his nightly video address, Zelensky said Russia "has responded to the proposal only with new strikes and new attacks" and Ukraine would determine "our entirely justified responses".
He said Ukraine was ready to work for peace but that "if the one person in Moscow who cannot live without war is interested only in a parade and nothing else, that is another matter".
“Russia has fought to the point where even their main parade now depends on us," he said.
Where have Ukraine peace talks been left?
07:51 , Arpan RaiPeace talks between Russia and Ukraine have been on hold since February, when the United States shifted focus to its new war in the Middle East.
Moscow and Kyiv walked away from talks in Geneva no closer to a deal, as Ukraine suggested the US was unfairly demanding Kyiv alone make concessions to end the war.
Volodymyr Zelensky said the last round of direct talks had been “difficult” and accused Russia of deliberately stalling, with the issue of territory still in dispute.
What does either side want?
Russia insists on its demands for Ukrainian territory and the withdrawal of forces from its borders.
Ukraine insists it needs clear security guarantees from allies to stop Russia reopening the conflict and says it cannot and will not give up territory sought by Russia.
The lands in the east include industry heavy regions and Ukraine’s belt of ‘fortress cities’ to protect against invasion.
Will talks start again?
Volodymyr Zelensky said late in April that he was keen to meet with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, in an effort to restart negotiations.
While Ukraine claimed a string of wins on the ground, Zelensky warned that US attention on the war with Iran was soaking up resources and leaving Ukraine with critical shortages of air defences.
But the Kremlin said Putin would only meet Zelensky in Moscow for the purpose of finalising agreements on the conflict.
Turkey said it was making efforts to restart talks and bring together the leaders, after hosting delegations in July 2025.
Norway pledges $302m to Ukraine via PURL
07:39 , Arpan RaiNorway will provide 2.8bn krone ($301.96m) to Ukraine through Nato's Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, the Norwegian government said yesterday.
With the new pledge, the country's support to Ukraine through the mechanism totals 12.5bn krone.
"Together with European partners, Norway is financing military support packages from the United States for Ukraine's defence," prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement.
"I hope that more European countries will contribute further to ensuring that Ukraine quickly receives important military equipment."
Oil storage facility in Latvia hit in drone attack
07:23 , Arpan RaiAn oil storage facility has been hit in Latvia after two drones entered the Nato nation from Russian territory and crashed, the Latvian army said this morning.
Four empty oil tanks were damaged at a storage facility in Rezekne, about 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border, and possible debris of a crashed drone was found at the site, police and firefighters said.
The firefighters extinguished a smouldering area of around 30 square metres in one of the tanks.
The drones were probably launched by Ukraine against targets in Russia, Latvia's defence minister Andris Spruds told national broadcaster LSM.
Military jets of the multinational Nato Baltic air police mission have been summoned to the site, he added.
Russian military logistics facility struck by drones
06:57 , Arpan RaiSuspected Ukrainian drones have hit a military logistics facility in Moscow’s Naro-Fominsk, according to early reports from Telegram channels and social media this morning.
The Moscow facility is a large-scale logistics building for the Russian army and was attacked by Ukrainian drones overnight, independent Telegram outlet Exilenova Plus reported.
Local residents took to social media to say they spotted drone flyovers and activity from air defence systems near the facility.
Naro-Fominsk is located about 70km (45 miles) southwest of Moscow and approximately 390km (240 miles) from Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia
The Independent has not verified the authenticity of the reports.
Angry Ukrainians call for country to respond to Russia: 'We have no choice'
06:45 , Arpan RaiThere are growing calls for Ukraine to disregard Russia's unilateral Victory Day ceasefire, after Moscow ignored Kyiv's own ceasefire this week and continued to carry out deadly strikes.
At least four people were killed yesterday in the northeastern region of Sumy, including two female workers at a kindergarten hit by a Russian drone, though children were not present, officials said.
Another person was killed when a house was struck by a drone and a man was killed by a mine thought to have been dropped by Russian forces.
In major cities such as Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia – where an attack on Tuesday killed 12 people – private buildings, infrastructure and industrial sites were damaged in air attacks after midnight, officials said.
"Maybe we should act the same way Russia does. That is, not to stay silent, not to observe the truce," said 52-year-old Nataliia Fomenko in Kyiv. "We have no other choice,” she told Reuters.
Sweden detains sanctioned oil tanker believed to be linked to Russia's shadow fleet
06:29 , Arpan RaiSweden is investigating a sanctioned tanker that is suspected of being part of the Russian “shadow fleet,” according to the Scandinavian country's civil defence minister.
The Swedish Coast Guard said it boarded and detained the Jin Hui on Sunday on suspicion of flying a false flag while transiting Swedish waters.
The vessel was sailing through the Baltic Sea under a Syrian flag, the coast guard said in a statement. There are also concerns about the vessel’s seaworthiness.
The Jin Hui – which remained anchored off Trelleborg on Monday – is currently on European Union, UK and Ukraine sanctions lists, Sweden's civil defence minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said.
The ship’s captain, a Chinese citizen, was arrested on suspicion of using a false document and other offences, Swedish prosecutors said Monday.
It is the fifth vessel seizure by Sweden's coast guard in recent weeks.
Ukrainian officials set to meet Trump’s peace envoys – report
06:03 , Arpan RaiUkraine is likely sending its national security and defence council secretary Rustem Umerov to Miami this week for a meeting with US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, reported Bloomberg.
The meeting between the two sides is a new development in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
While the US has sent its diplomats Mr Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow multiple times to meet the Russian side, it is yet to send them to Kyiv to hold peace talks.
Russia and Ukraine are yet to reach any conclusion in talks as they debate several key points, including control over part of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Russia drones crash in Latvia as schools ordered shut
05:52 , Arpan RaiAt least two drones entered Nato member Latvia from Russia and crashed, the Latvian army said this morning.
One of the drones crashed into an oil storage facility in Rezekne, about 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border, said national broadcaster LSM, quoting the police.
A fire at the site was `no longer burning by the time firefighters arrived, it said.
The Latvian authorities have issued drone alerts to residents along the Russian border at 4.09am local time (0109 GMT) today, asking them to stay indoors.
All schools will be closed in Rezekne on Thursday, the municipality said.
The incident comes months after several stray Ukrainian drones hit Latvia and its Nato neighbours Estonia and Lithuania in late March, one of which slammed into a chimney at a local power station while another crash-landed in a frozen lake and exploded.
The Ukrainian drones were believed to have been launched to strike military targets in Russia. The three Baltic countries have never allowed their territories and airspace to be used for drone attacks against targets in Russia, their foreign ministers said in April.
‘Rockets flew over our heads’: Ukrainian sailor who fled war trapped on ship in Strait of Hormuz
05:34 , Arpan RaiA Ukrainian sailor stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for more than two months has described the terror of Iranian rockets flying overhead as his crew found themselves caught in the crossfire of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
The senior assistant captain was on his debut voyage as first mate when hostilities erupted at the end of February, casting the region into a bitter conflict interrupted only in part by a fragile ceasefire agreement in April.
The sailor told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne on condition of anonymity how they could only watch on as three missiles “literally flew over our heads” as Iran opened fire on its neighbours on the afternoon of 28 February.
“We saw two downings and one ‘arrival’ near the airport in Dubai,” the captain said, adding that he was unmoved by the shelling after three years living through the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian sailor who fled war trapped on ship in Strait of Hormuz
Pussy Riot stage protest blocking access to Russian pavilion at Venice Biennale
05:09 , Arpan RaiRussian punk group Pussy Riot joined members of Ukrainian feminist organization FEMEN on Wednesday in a protest at the Venice Biennale against the opening of the Russian pavilion.
Yelling “Russia’s art is blood” and “Disobey” under a cloud of pink, blue and yellow smoke, the anti-Putin feminist groups covered their faces with pink balaclavas before rushing the venue in the Giardini exhibition area.
Italian police blocked the entrance to the site as the protest effectively blockaded Russia’s return for about 30 minutes.
Pussy Riot stages protest at the Venice Biennale, blocking access to Russian pavilion
Russia warns embassies to evacuate staff from Kyiv
04:59 , Arpan RaiRussia is warning diplomatic missions to evacuate staff promptly from Kyiv, saying Moscow will carry out a mass strike on the Ukrainian capital if Ukraine tries to disrupt its Victory Day commemorations.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a video posted on Telegram that her ministry "strongly urges the authorities of your country... to treat this statement with the utmost responsibility".
On Monday, Russia's defence ministry had warned that it would respond to Ukrainian attacks during the Victory Day celebrations with a "massive missile attack" on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Watch: Russia answered ceasefire offer with ‘new strikes and attacks’, says Zelensky
04:46 , Arpan RaiZelensky accuses Russia of spurning ceasefire proposed by Kyiv
04:37 , Arpan RaiUkraine accused Russia of flouting a Kyiv-proposed ceasefire on Wednesday by carrying out dozens of battlefield assaults, air strikes and drone attacks.
Zelensky had floated the cessation, starting on 6 May, in response to Russian leader Vladimir Putin's own proposed ceasefire from 8 to 9 May to coincide with its Second World War victory commemorations.
In a statement, Zelensky said Russia – which did not confirm its adherence to Ukraine's proposal – had committed 1,820 violations by late morning on Wednesday.
“Russia's choice is an obvious spurning of a ceasefire and of saving lives," he said. Speaking later in his nightly video address, Zelensky said Russia "has responded to the proposal only with new strikes and new attacks" and Ukraine would determine "our entirely justified responses".
He said Ukraine was ready to work for peace but that "if the one person in Moscow who cannot live without war is interested only in a parade and nothing else, that is another matter".
“Russia has fought to the point where even their main parade now depends on us," he said.
Briefing: What we know on the 1,533rd day of Ukraine war
04:33 , Arpan Rai- Ukraine accused Russia of flouting a Kyiv-proposed ceasefire on Wednesday by carrying out dozens of battlefield assaults, air strikes and drone attacks.
- Russia has said it faces an increased threat of Ukrainian attacks and will hold a slimmed-down version of its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow this week without military hardware on display.
- Russia is warning diplomatic missions to evacuate staff promptly from Kyiv in the event of a mass strike by Moscow in response to any attempt by Ukraine to disrupt Victory Day commemorations.
