Moscow has said that if the US resume nuclear weapons testing it will do so too, sparking fears of a renewed arms race.
The remarks by a Kremlin official on Thursday came after Donald Trump said he had ordered the US military to resume testing “immediately”.
Trump made the announcement after Vladimir Putin announced a successful test of a Poseidon nuclear-powered submarine torpedo which experts have warned is capable of causing a “radioactive tsunami”. The Russian president said the test of the weapon had been a “great success”, in a move that came days after Trump described Moscow’s test of a nuclear missile as a mistake.
There are few confirmed details about the Poseidon in the public domain but experts say it is capable of triggering radioactive ocean swells to render coastal cities uninhabitable, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
Putin last week held a nuclear launch drill and on Sunday announced that Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a nuclear-capable weapon Moscow says can pierce any defence shield.
British military instructor accused of spying for Russia arrested in Ukraine
Everything we know about Putin’s new nuclear-armed underwater drone Poseidon after ‘successful’ test
How Russia is risking nuclear catastrophe with attempts to syphon power from Ukraine’s biggest plant
Russian musicians who sang anti-Kremlin songs on street given extra jail time
Key Points
- Pictured: Russia's Poseidon nuclear torpedo system
- Everything we know about Putin’s new nuclear-armed underwater drone Poseidon
- British military instructor arrested for 'spying' for Russia in Ukraine
- Sam Kiley: Why Russians are fighting against Russia
- Ukraine's military dismisses Putin's claim about encriclement of Kupiansk
Trump given stark warnings over his nuclear testing plan
02:00 , Harriette BoucherTrump’s decision to resume nuclear weapons tests in the US is facing domestic criticism - and a stark warning it could lead to escalation.
Representative Dina Titus, a Democratic member of the U.S. Congress from Nevada, condemned the move, saying on X: “I'll be introducing legislation to put a stop to this.”
Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association think tank, said it would take the US at least 36 months to resume contained nuclear tests underground at the former test site in Nevada.
“Trump is misinformed and out of touch. The US has no technical, military or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing for the first time since 1992," he said on X.
Trump's announcement, he added, could “trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by US adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Everything we know about Putin’s new nuclear-armed underwater drone Poseidon
01:00 , Harriette BoucherPresident Vladimir Putin says Russia has conducted a successful test of a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone, declaring that the new weapon can't be intercepted.
Speaking at a meeting with soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said the Poseidon drone was tested while running on nuclear power for the first time Tuesday, describing it as a “huge success.”
He said Poseidon is unmatched in speed and depth and “there is no way to intercept it.”
He said the nuclear reactor that powers Poseidon is “100 times smaller” than those on submarines, and the power of its nuclear warhead is “significantly higher than that of our prospective Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile”.
Read more here:
Putin says Russia's nuclear-armed underwater drone was tested successfully
Trump could 'trigger a chain reaction', says arms control director
00:00 , Harriette BoucherDaryl Kimball, the executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, called Trump “misinformed and out of touch” after he announced that the US would be testing nuclear weapons.
“By foolishly announcing his intention to resume nuclear testing, Trump will trigger strong public opposition in Nevada, from all U.S. allies, and it could trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by U.S. adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
UN secretary-general says 'nuclear testing can never be permitted'
23:00 , Harriette BoucherThe United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attacked Trump's order to the US military to test nuclear weapons, saying the “current nuclear risks are already alarmingly high."
"We must never forget the disastrous legacy of over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests carried out over the last 80 years.
"Nuclear testing can never be permitted under any circumstances."
Russian attack on energy system kills six people, including seven-year-old girl
22:38 , Harriette BoucherRussia has killed six people, including a seven-year-old girl, in its latest round of attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.
Regional officials said two men were killed in the southeastern industrial city of Zaporizhzhia, and a seven-year-old girl from the central Vinnytsia region died in hospital from injuries sustained in the attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that a bomb attack on a thermal power plant in Slovyansk killed two people and injured several others.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has accused Moscow of targeting Ukrainian people and power supplies as the cold winter months approach.
Svyrydenko said: "Its goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness. Ours is to preserve the light.
"To stop the terror, we need more air defence systems, tougher sanctions, and maximum pressure on the aggressor."
How many nuclear weapons are there in the world and who has the most?
22:00 , Harriette BoucherThe United States is to resume nuclear weapons testing “immediately”, Donald Trump has announced, raising fears of renewed proliferation between the world’s two biggest stockpiles of atomic weaponry.
James C Reynolds and Maryam Zakir-Hussain look at what countries are armed with nuclear weapons:
The 9 countries with nuclear weapons as US set to resume testing after 30 years
Watch: Vance brags about his Oval Office ambush on Zelensky
20:50 , Harriette BoucherUS nuclear weapons test a 'reckless decision', says US senator
19:45 , Harriette BoucherMassachusetts Senator Ed Markey has condemned Trump’s decision to test nuclear weapons, calling it a “reckless decision”.
“Donald Trump just directed the Pentagon to test nuclear weapons before meeting with China,” he said in a post on X.
“The US has not conducted a nuclear test since 1992 and we must not resume. This is a reckless decision that will only make us less safe and lead to a new nuclear arms race.”
When was the last time the US tested nuclear weapons?
18:45 , Harriette BoucherDonald Trump ordered the US military on Thursday to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years.
Although the US military regularly tests its missiles, it has not detonated the weapons since 1992.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which the US signed but did not ratify, has been observed since its adoption by all countries with nuclear weapons, other than North Korea.
Trump said the changes are necessary as other countries were testing weapons.
Ukrainian PM accuses Moscow of 'systematic energy terror'
17:45 , Sam RkainaThe latest in a sustained Russian campaign of massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure brought power outages and restrictions in all the country's regions Thursday, officials said.
The Ukrainian prime minister describing Moscow's tactic as “systematic energy terror.”
Ukrainian cities use centralised public infrastructure to run water, sewage and heating systems, and blackouts stop them from working.
Months of attacks have aimed to erode Ukrainian morale as well as disrupt weapons manufacturing and other war-related activity almost four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
“Russia continues its systematic energy terror — striking at the lives, dignity, and warmth of Ukrainians on the eve of winter.
“Its goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness; ours is to keep the light on,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
Moscow will only hold peace talks with Japan if it 'ends anti-Russian stance'
17:05 , Sam RkainaRussia has said any dialogue with Japan regarding a peace treaty to formally end World War 2 can only begin once Tokyo abandoned what Moscow described as a damaging "anti-Russian" stance.
Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, scolded Russia for its “aggression against Ukraine” in a speech last week but also said that Japan maintains “its policy of resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty.”
Soviet troops took control of four islands off Japan's Hokkaido at the end of the war and they have remained in Moscow's hands ever since.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday she had not seen anything new in the remarks by Takaichi, and that for any progress Tokyo would have to change its tone.
“We have repeatedly stated before that the path to resuming dialogue with Japan will open only after Tokyo actively abandons its anti-Russian course aimed at harming our country and its citizens,” Zakharova said.
Trump given stark warnings over his nuclear testing plan
16:34 , Sam RkainaTrump’s decision to resume nuclear weapons tests in the US is facing domestic criticism - and a stark warning it could lead to escalation.
Representative Dina Titus, a Democratic member of the U.S. Congress from Nevada, condemned the move, saying on X: “I'll be introducing legislation to put a stop to this.”
Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association think tank, said it would take the US at least 36 months to resume contained nuclear tests underground at the former test site in Nevada.
“Trump is misinformed and out of touch. The US has no technical, military or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing for the first time since 1992," he said on X.
Trump's announcement, he added, could “trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by US adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
How Putin is provoking Ukraine’s European allies over land, air and sea
15:59 , Sam RkainaEurope’s NATO allies have been shaken by Russian provocations on the bloc’s eastern frontier in recent months, reporting a string of drone incursions and scrambling jets to shadow aircraft flying over the Baltic.
Concern has mounted since September, when nearly two dozen drones crossed over into Poland amid a large-scale Russian drone attack on Ukraine.
Days later, three Russian military jets violated Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes.
Subsequent activity near the border has forced European countries to close airports and borders, and to reconsider how equipped they are to deal with foreign intrusions.
Click here for more on how Putin has been provoking Ukraine’s allies over land, air and sea.
Russian plane had its transponder turned off
15:25 , Sam RkainaThe Polish Army Operational Command later described the incident on social media platform X.
“On October 30, 2025, before 9.00 a.m., the on-duty pair of MiG-29 fighters of the (Polish) Air Force carried out another interception this week of a Russian Federation reconnaissance aircraft Il-20 conducting a flight over the Baltic Sea,” it said.
“The aircraft, flying in international airspace without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off, was intercepted, identified, and escorted out of the area of responsibility. There was no violation of Polish airspace.”
Countries on NATO's eastern flank have been on high alert for potential airspace incursions since September when three Russian military jets violated Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes, days after more than 20 Russian drones had entered Polish airspace.
More on the Polish aircraft incident
14:55 , Sam RkainaPolish MiG-29 fighter aircraft intercepted a Russian reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea on Thursday in the second such incident this week, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Poland's army said on Wednesday that Polish jets had intercepted a Russian aircraft flying a reconnaissance mission in international airspace over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday.
“Today MiG-29s intercepted a Russian reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said, describing it as just like the incident on Tuesday.
Russia's year long crawl towards Pokrovsk
14:25 , Sam RkainaRussia has been inching towards Pokrovsk in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region for more than a year, slowly but steadily taking control of the small villages to its south.
On Sunday, Ukraine's general staff said that at least 200 Russian military personnel entered the city in separate groups as small-arms firefights raged in the former logistics hub.
Ukraine was taking steps to “strengthen the stability of defences” in the city and aimed at bolstering its logistics by improving defence of supply and evacuation routes, Syrskyi said.
“The main priority is to save the lives of our soldiers,” he said. Logistics for the city were complicated due to Russia's FPV drones “but possible”, Ukraine's 7th Rapid Response Corps operating in the area said in a statement on Facebook.
The brigade added that Russia mostly used infantry to attack Pokrovsk, but also deployed armed vehicles to advance on Myrnohrad, around 4 miles to the northeast.
Ukraine bolsters Pokrovsk defences as Russia escalates assaults
13:59 , Sam RkainaUkraine is intensifying its efforts to defend the strategic hub of Pokrovsk, aiming to secure key supply and evacuation routes and root out Russian infantry infiltrating the city, the top army commander said on Thursday.
Oleksandr Syrskyi said he visited the area to meet his troops as Russia - almost four years into its invasion of Ukraine - continued to increase its assaults.
He dismissed Moscow's assertion that its forces had trapped the Ukrainian troops inside the eastern stronghold.
“The enemy infantry, avoiding combat, is gathering in urban areas and changing locations, so the primary task is to locate and destroy them,” Syrskyi said on the Telegram app.
Which country has the most nuclear weapons?
13:30 , Sam RkainaWith nuclear sabre-rattling from both Trump and Putin, there is renewed focus on number of such weapons around the world.
There are nine countries that possess nuclear weapons, and although they don’t generally give confirmed figures on how many there are widely reported estimates.
Despite Trump’s claims that the US has the largest number, it is believed Russia has the highest number of nuclear weapons though Moscow’s lack of transparency makes this difficult to confirm.
For more on the so-called ‘Nuclear Club’, click here.
Ukraine gives more details on casualties from latest Russian attack
12:59 , Sam RkainaSix children were among the 17 people wounded in strikes on Zaporizhzhia, its governor said.
Four people were injured in the Vinnystia region, officials said. Air alerts lasted for nearly the entire night in Kyiv, where residents took shelter in deep underground metro stations.
“There's nothing good in it. We are doing our best to hide,” Viktoria, 39, mother of a six-year-old boy, told Reuters at a metro station.
“There's a lot of stress involved. When you wake your child in the middle of the night, he cries because he doesn't understand why he has to do it.”
Trump downplays the threat of nuclear escalation
12:28 , Sam RkainaPresident Donald Trump downplayed the resumption of U.S. nuclear testing for the first time in more than three decades by pointing to other countries who are doing the same.
In a Truth Social post Thursday, the president said he directed the Pentagon to “immediately” testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with other countries with nuclear powers.
Trump wrote the post just before his meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping.
After the meeting, on his way back to Washington, DC on Air Force One, reporters asked him what prompted the decision.
"With others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also," the U.S. president told reporters. “We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don’t do testing—halted it many years ago. With others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do testing also.”
When pressed as to when the nuclear testing would begin, Trump said the timing would “be announced.”
Kremlin says it will test nuclear weapons too if US resumes programme
12:02 , Sam RkainaThe Kremlin has reacted cautiously to Donald Trump's remarks about the resumption of nuclear weapons testing by the United States, saying that Russia had not tested but that Moscow would follow suit if Washington did.
Trump ordered the U.S. military on Thursday to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“President Trump mentioned in his statement that other countries are engaged in testing nuclear weapons. Until now, we didn't know that anyone was testing,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russia, he said, had received no prior notification from the United States about a change to Washington's position on nuclear testing.
Asked if the Kremlin felt that a new nuclear arms race had been triggered by Trump's remarks, Peskov said: “Not really.”
Putin, who commands the world's biggest nuclear arsenal, has repeatedly said that if any country tests a nuclear weapon then Russia will do so too.
“I want to recall President Putin's statement, which has been repeated many times: if someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly,” Peskov added.
Russia launched nearly 600 drones in latest attack
11:50 , Sam RkainaUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched more than 650 drones and 50 missiles overnight.
“Many were shot down, but unfortunately, there have been hits,” he wrote on X.
Air defence units shot down 592 drones and 31 missiles, the air force added. The attacks hit energy facilities in central, western, and southeastern regions, Ukrainian officials said.
Seven year old girl among three killed in overnight Russian drone strike
11:22 , Sam RkainaRussia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight, forcing nationwide power restrictions and killing three people, including a seven-year-old girl, officials said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko accused Moscow of targeting Ukrainian people and power supplies as the cold winter months approached.
“Its goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness. Ours is to preserve the light,” Svyrydenko said on the Telegram app.
“To stop the terror, we need more air defence systems, tougher sanctions, and maximum pressure on the aggressor.”
British military instructor accused of spying for Russia arrested in Ukraine
10:15 , Arpan RaiA British national accused of spying for Russia in Ukraine and preparing to carry out terrorist attacks has been arrested, Ukrainian prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian officials alleged that the man, who they did not name, collaborated with Russia’s special services and agreed to sell military information in exchange for money.
The Briton, who has been detained in Kyiv at his “temporary residence”, was accused of “unauthorised dissemination of information about the defence forces in conditions of martial law”.
British military instructor accused of spying for Russia arrested in Ukraine
Ukraine rejects Russia's claims to have surrounded two key cities
10:00 , Arpan RaiUkraine has denied Vladimir Putin’s assertions that Russian forces have surrounded Ukrainian forces in two key eastern cities.
Putin has claimed Ukrainian troops are encircled in Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Donetsk region, and in Kupiansk, an important rail junction in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
The Russian president has also offered to negotiate a deal for the surrender of the Ukrainian cities.
Speaking at a meeting with wounded soldiers at a Moscow military hospital, Putin said the Russian military was ready to open safe corridors for Ukrainian and Western journalists to “let them see with their own eyes what’s going on”.
Ukrainian military officials have categorically rejected claims of Kupiansk being surrounded as “fabrications and fantasies”.
The situation in Pokrovsk is “hard but under control”, said Hryhorii Shapoval, spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern forces.
The Ukrainian Army's 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, which is defending Pokrovsk, said Russia had deployed some 11,000 troops in a bid to encircle the city.
Some Russian units had managed to infiltrate Pokrovsk, it acknowledged in a social media post.
Russian officials have in the past made claims about capturing Ukrainian strongholds that have turned out not to be true.
Zelensky says frontline situation most difficult in Pokrovsk
09:45 , Arpan RaiPresident Volodymyr Zelensky said the most difficult situation on Ukraine's frontline remained the eastern city of Pokrovsk.
Kyiv's forces were having more success defending their positions around the northeastern city of Kupiansk, Zelensky said.
“The most difficult area now is the Pokrovsk direction. As in previous weeks, this is the area with the most intensive combat activity," Zelensky said in his nightly video address after a discussion with Ukraine's top commander.
He said the situation in Kupiansk "remains complicated, but out forces have more control in recent days. We are continuing to defend our positions”.
Kremlin says it will 'destroy' foreigners fighting for Kyiv
09:30 , Arpan RaiThe Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russian troops were constantly hearing foreign languages spoken by those fighting for Ukraine on the front line, and promised that such fighters would be "destroyed".
Russia has long claimed that Nato military personnel have been present in Ukraine and that its eavesdropping services have picked up English and French being spoken repeatedly at the front lines.
"Our military hears foreign speech, they constantly hear foreign languages at the front," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about claims that France was preparing to deploy some soldiers to Ukraine.
"So, these foreigners are there, we are destroying them. Our military will continue to do their job."
Everything we know about Putin’s new nuclear-armed underwater drone Poseidon
09:10 , Arpan RaiPresident Vladimir Putin says Russia has conducted a successful test of a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone, declaring that the new weapon can't be intercepted.
Speaking at a meeting with soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said the Poseidon drone was tested while running on nuclear power for the first time Tuesday, describing it as a “huge success.”
He said Poseidon is unmatched in speed and depth and “there is no way to intercept it.”
He said the nuclear reactor that powers Poseidon is “100 times smaller” than those on submarines, and the power of its nuclear warhead is “significantly higher than that of our prospective Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile”.
Read more here:
Putin says Russia's nuclear-armed underwater drone was tested successfully
Will Ukraine be able to defend Pokrovsk? Military analysts confirm 'difficult situation'
08:50 , Arpan RaiUkrainian forces are struggling to fend off intensifying Russian advances around the eastern city of Pokrovsk, the military and open-source analysts have said.
In a statement, Ukraine's 7th Corps said Russian forces had deployed some 11,000 troops in an attempt to encircle the greater Pokrovsk area.
Enemy groups that had already infiltrated the city were attempting to push further north and northwest, it said.
Ukrainian open-source group DeepState said Russia has been able to break a military logistics route to the neighbouring city of Myrnohrad through infantry ambushes and drone attacks.
It warned that Ukraine would need to deploy a brigade-level force, rather than smaller units, to block further Russian infiltration of Pokrovsk.
"The situation in Pokrovsk is on the verge of critical and continues to deteriorate to the point that fixing everything may be too late," the group said.
It also posted what it said was footage of Ukrainian forces destroying a Russian flag that had been briefly hoisted over the city gates.
Russia attacked thermal power plants in various Ukrainian regions
08:11 , Arpan RaiRussia has attacked thermal power plants in various Ukrainian regions, private energy company DTEK said this morning.
“Thermal power plant equipment was seriously damaged. We are working to mitigate the consequences," DTEK said in a statement on Telegram channel.
“This is the third massive attack on the company's thermal power plants in October,” the company said.
Watch: Putin claims successful test of nuclear-capable Poseidon torpedo
07:51 , Arpan RaiHungary PM Orban to meet Trump on 7 November in Washington
07:41 , Arpan RaiHungarian prime minister Viktor Orban is poised to meet US president Donald Trump on 7 November in Washington, the prime minister's chief of staff told a briefing this morning.
Gergely Gulyas said the meeting would allow the two leaders to discuss a schedule that could lead to peace deal in Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Trump announced he would meet with Putin in Hungary to discuss bringing an end to the war in Ukraine. In a post on Truth Social, he suggested that his success in bringing about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could be the catalyst to end the war in Europe.
Orban, a key ally of Moscow in the EU, insisted that preparations for a meeting in Budapest were still ongoing.
The venue was also potentially problematic because Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, though the Hungarian government was unlikely to cooperate with the warrant as it is in the process of leaving the court.
Any trip to Budapest would require Putin to fly through the airspace of other EU countries.
Poland said it could force Putin's plane down and arrest him on an international warrant if he flies over its territory, but Bulgaria said Putin could use its airspace to reach the meeting.
Orban said earlier that he would discuss US sanctions on Russian oil companies with Trump at their planned meeting.
Poland shuts airports amid military operations
07:24 , Arpan RaiPolish airports in Radom and Lublin have been closed due to military aviation operations, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) reported.
Polish military commanders said that Polish and allied air forces have started operations due to the Russian Federation's attack on facilities located in Ukraine.
Ukraine restricts power supply across regions after attack on energy
07:14 , Arpan RaiUkraine restricted power supply across all regions after Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on energy infrastructure, its energy minister said this morning.
"During the night, Ukraine's energy system suffered another massive combined attack with missiles and drones. The strike caused new damage to the energy infrastructure," energy minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said on her Telegram channel.
The scale of Russian attack is not immediately clear.
A look at US and Russia's nuclear arsenals as Trump resumes testing
06:49 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump has ordered the US military to resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in 33 years.
Trump painted the decision as a logical response to other countries' own testing, without referring to any other nation by name.
It comes after Vladimir Putin announced what he called a successful test of a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile as well as a nuclear-powered torpedo.
It also follows a rapid expansion by China of its nuclear stockpile in recent years.
The Arms Control Association says the United States has a stockpile of 5,225 nuclear warheads and Russia has 5,580.
Putin yesterday said Russia had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo that military analysts say is capable of devastating coastal regions by triggering vast radioactive ocean swells.
As Trump has toughened both his rhetoric and his stance on Russia, Putin has publicly flexed his nuclear muscles with the test of a new Burevestnik cruise missile on 21 October and nuclear launch drills on 22 October.
A US nuclear weapons test would be seen in Russia and China as a deliberate assertion of US strategic power. Putin has repeatedly said that Russia will begin its own testing if the United States does so.
British military instructor accused of spying for Russia arrested in Ukraine
06:29 , Arpan RaiA British national accused of spying for Russia in Ukraine and preparing to carry out terrorist attacks has been arrested, Ukrainian prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian officials alleged that the man, who they did not name, collaborated with Russia’s special services and agreed to sell military information in exchange for money.
The Briton, who has been detained in Kyiv at his “temporary residence”, was accused of “unauthorised dissemination of information about the defence forces in conditions of martial law”.
The UK Foreign Office has confirmed that it was aware of the reports and is “in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities”. Ukraine’s security service said the man was also “preparing to carry out terrorist attacks”.
British military instructor accused of spying for Russia arrested in Ukraine
Everything we know about Putin’s new nuclear-armed underwater drone Poseidon
06:16 , Arpan RaiPresident Vladimir Putin says Russia has conducted a successful test of a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone, declaring that the new weapon can't be intercepted.
Speaking at a meeting with soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said the Poseidon drone was tested while running on nuclear power for the first time Tuesday, describing it as a “huge success.”
He said Poseidon is unmatched in speed and depth and “there is no way to intercept it.”
He said the nuclear reactor that powers Poseidon is “100 times smaller” than those on submarines, and the power of its nuclear warhead is “significantly higher than that of our prospective Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile”.
Read more here:
Putin says Russia's nuclear-armed underwater drone was tested successfully
US army defends Romania troop withdrawal
05:56 , Arpan RaiThe United States military said a decision not to replace departing American troops in Romania does not mean the US is pulling out of defending Europe.
“The 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division will re-deploy as scheduled to their Kentucky-based home unit without replacement,” US Army Europe said in a statement.
“This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to Nato and Article 5," it said, adding that "this force posture adjustment will not change the security environment in Europe”.
Republican lawmakers criticise US troop reduction in Romania
05:36 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump’s decision to reduce the number of troops in Romania has been slammed by the top two Republican lawmakers who lead the Pentagon's oversight committees in the US Congress.
The US plans to cut the number of troops on Europe's eastern flank, including soldiers who were to be stationed at Romania's Mihail Kogalniceanu air base, Romania's defence ministry said yesterday. The US military said the move was not "an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to Nato."
But Senator Roger Wicker, who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, and representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the decision was "uncoordinated and directly at odds with the President’s strategy."
"We strongly oppose the decision not to maintain the rotational US brigade in Romania," the statement said.
The lawmakers added that the move sent the wrong signal to Russia and they were concerned it was done without consulting Congress.
Washington's European allies have been told previously by the Trump administration that they will need to take more responsibility for their own security as the United States focuses more on its own borders and on the Indo-Pacific region.
Despite worries on Nato's eastern flank about the potential scaling back of the US presence in the region, at a time when Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine, Trump said in September that Washington could increase its troop presence in Poland.
US to withdraw some troops from Nato's eastern flank, Romania says
05:20 , Arpan RaiThe United States plans to cut the number of troops present on Europe's eastern flank, including soldiers who were to be stationed at Romania's Mihail Kogalniceanu air base, Romania's defence ministry said.
The ministry said the decision was expected given changes in Washington's priorities, and that roughly 1,000 US troops would continue to be stationed in Romania. Between 1,000 and 1,200 US troops rotated out a month ago and will not be replaced, it said in a statement.
Washington's European allies have been told previously by the administration of president Donald Trump that they will need to take more responsibility for their own security as the United States focuses more on its own borders and on the Indo-Pacific region.
"The American decision is to stop the rotation in Europe of a brigade that had elements in several Nato countries," the defence ministry said.
Will Ukraine be able to defend Pokrovsk? Military analysts confirm 'difficult situation'
05:10 , Arpan RaiUkrainian forces are struggling to fend off intensifying Russian advances around the eastern city of Pokrovsk, the military and open-source analysts have said.
In a statement, Ukraine's 7th Corps said Russian forces had deployed some 11,000 troops in an attempt to encircle the greater Pokrovsk area.
Enemy groups that had already infiltrated the city were attempting to push further north and northwest, it said.
Ukrainian open-source group DeepState said Russia has been able to break a military logistics route to the neighbouring city of Myrnohrad through infantry ambushes and drone attacks.
It warned that Ukraine would need to deploy a brigade-level force, rather than smaller units, to block further Russian infiltration of Pokrovsk.
"The situation in Pokrovsk is on the verge of critical and continues to deteriorate to the point that fixing everything may be too late," the group said.
It also posted what it said was footage of Ukrainian forces destroying a Russian flag that had been briefly hoisted over the city gates.
Watch: Zelensky says frontline situation most difficult in Pokrovsk
04:46 , Arpan RaiHow Russia is risking nuclear catastrophe with attempts to syphon power from Ukraine’s biggest plant
04:33 , Arpan RaiEurope’s biggest nuclear reactor has become a battlefield in Ukraine’s defence against Russian invaders as they risk a catastrophic meltdown in its efforts to connect it to Moscow’s national grid.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), which has six reactors, was captured by Russian troops early in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has remained a dangerous potential flashpoint for a nuclear disaster ever since.
Fighting and bombardments by both sides of the complex and the power station itself, which has been entirely occupied by Russian forces who base troops in its buildings, have forced the “cold shutdown” of the reactors.
The exiled mayor of the now-occupied Enerhodar, the town next to Zaporizhzhia, told The Independent he fears nuclear fallout could melt into the groundwater around the plant, contaminate the Dnipro River and eventually the Black Sea.
Sam Kiley reports from Ukraine:
How Russia risks nuclear catastrophe with attempts to syphon Zaporizhzhia power
Ukraine rejects Russia's claims to have surrounded two key cities
04:17 , Arpan RaiUkraine has denied Vladimir Putin’s assertions that Russian forces have surrounded Ukrainian forces in two key eastern cities.
Putin has claimed Ukrainian troops are encircled in Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Donetsk region, and in Kupiansk, an important rail junction in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
The Russian president has also offered to negotiate a deal for the surrender of the Ukrainian cities.
Speaking at a meeting with wounded soldiers at a Moscow military hospital, Putin said the Russian military was ready to open safe corridors for Ukrainian and Western journalists to “let them see with their own eyes what’s going on”.
Ukrainian military officials have categorically rejected claims of Kupiansk being surrounded as “fabrications and fantasies”.
The situation in Pokrovsk is “hard but under control”, said Hryhorii Shapoval, spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern forces.
The Ukrainian Army's 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, which is defending Pokrovsk, said Russia had deployed some 11,000 troops in a bid to encircle the city.
Some Russian units had managed to infiltrate Pokrovsk, it acknowledged in a social media post.
Russian officials have in the past made claims about capturing Ukrainian strongholds that have turned out not to be true.
Everything we know about Putin’s new nuclear-armed underwater drone Poseidon
03:33 , Arpan RaiPresident Vladimir Putin says Russia has conducted a successful test of a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone, declaring that the new weapon can't be intercepted.
Speaking at a meeting with soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said the Poseidon drone was tested while running on nuclear power for the first time Tuesday, describing it as a “huge success.”
He said Poseidon is unmatched in speed and depth and “there is no way to intercept it.”
He said the nuclear reactor that powers Poseidon is “100 times smaller” than those on submarines, and the power of its nuclear warhead is “significantly higher than that of our prospective Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile”.
Read more here:
Putin says Russia's nuclear-armed underwater drone was tested successfully
Watch: Vance brags about his Oval Office ambush on Zelensky
03:21 , Arpan RaiZelensky says frontline situation most difficult in Pokrovsk
03:11 , Arpan RaiPresident Volodymyr Zelensky said the most difficult situation on Ukraine's frontline remained the eastern city of Pokrovsk.
Kyiv's forces were having more success defending their positions around the northeastern city of Kupiansk, Zelensky said.
“The most difficult area now is the Pokrovsk direction. As in previous weeks, this is the area with the most intensive combat activity," Zelensky said in his nightly video address after a discussion with Ukraine's top commander.
He said the situation in Kupiansk "remains complicated, but out forces have more control in recent days. We are continuing to defend our positions”.
British military instructor arrested for 'spying' for Russia in Ukraine
03:05 , Arpan RaiA British national has been detained for spying for Russia in Ukraine, prosecutors in Kyiv said.
The Ukrainian officials said an unnamed man “collaborated” with Russia’s special services and agreed to sell military information in exchange for money.
The British national has been accused of “unauthorised dissemination of information about the defence forces in conditions of martial law”.
He has been detained in Kyiv at a “temporary residence”, officials said.
The Security Service of Ukraine said the man was also “preparing to carry out terrorist attacks”.
It said he initially travelled to Ukraine in 2024 to work as a military instructor, but then posted on pro-Russia forums online saying he was willing to sell information. He was then allegedly contacted by Russia’s secret police, the FSB.
"The occupiers provided him with instructions for making an improvised explosive device. They also sent him the coordinates of a weapons cache, from which he retrieved a pistol with two loaded magazines," the SSU said in a statement.
Kremlin says it will 'destroy' foreigners fighting for Kyiv
03:00 , Harriette BoucherThe Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russian troops were constantly hearing foreign languages spoken by those fighting for Ukraine on the front line, and promised that such fighters would be "destroyed".
Russia has long claimed that Nato military personnel have been present in Ukraine and that its eavesdropping services have picked up English and French being spoken repeatedly at the front lines.
"Our military hears foreign speech, they constantly hear foreign languages at the front," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about claims that France was preparing to deploy some soldiers to Ukraine.
"So, these foreigners are there, we are destroying them. Our military will continue to do their job."
Russian musicians who sang anti-Kremlin songs on street given extra jail time
02:00 , Harriette Boucher
Russian musicians who sang anti-Kremlin songs on street given extra jail time
Sam Kiley: Why Russians are fighting against Russia
01:00 , Harriette BoucherUkraine has funds for 70% of gas imports needed this winter, Zelensky says
00:00 , Harriette BoucherPresident Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday Ukraine had secured the funds to buy 70 per cent of the natural gas it needs to import this winter and that the Ukrainian government would make up the rest of the funding.
His comments appeared intended to reassure Ukrainians that their energy needs will be met this winter after Russia stepped up attacks on energy facilities in its war in Ukraine.
Russian drone and missile strikes have deprived Ukraine of 55% of domestic gas production, according to the head of the country's central bank, forcing the government to import an additional 4 billion cubic meters of natural gas to prevent cities from freezing.
Putin widens military conscription to all year
Wednesday 29 October 2025 23:00 , Harriette BoucherPermanent year-round military conscription is set to be introduced in Russia after politicians endorsed a bill mandating it as authorities seek to fill the ranks.
At the moment conscription is done in spring and autumn.
The bill will allow conscription offices to summon draftees for medical exams and other procedures at any time of the year but it still stipulates that conscripts will enter military service only during spring and summer months as before.
All Russian men aged 18-30 are obliged to serve in the military for one year, although many avoid the draft by using deferments granted to students, declaring chronic illnesses and other reasons.
Russian authorities say the military does not use draftees in Ukraine, relying on volunteers and reservists mobilised for action. But human-rights activists and media reports have said the military has encouraged or coerced many draftees into signing contracts as volunteers.
Last year, Mr Putin ordered the number of active troops to be increased by 180,000, to 1.5 million. He said last month that over 700,000 troops were fighting in Ukraine.
Ukrainian military denies claims that Russian troops have encircled forces
Wednesday 29 October 2025 22:00 , Harriette BoucherVladimir Putin suggested he was ready to open safe corridors for journalists after Ukraine vigorously denied claims he made earlier.
Ukraine’s military officials have disputed Putin’s claims that Russian troops have encircled Ukrainian forces in two key eastern cities of Ukraine and offered to negotiate a deal for their surrender.
Putin has suggested he is ready to open safe corridors for Ukrainian and Western journalists.
"Let them see with their own eyes what's going on".
He earlier alleged that Ukrainian troops were surrounded in Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian stronghold, and in Kupiansk, an important rail junction.
Ukrainian armed forces said the claims of Kupiansk being surrounded were "fabrications and fantasies".
Pictured: Russia's Poseidon nuclear torpedo system
Wednesday 29 October 2025 21:00 , Daniel KeaneRussia's Poseidon nuclear-capable system is seen in this still image taken from an animated video released in 2018 by the Russian Defence Ministry.
Vladimir Putin said a test of the weapon had been a “great success”, in a move that came days after Donald Trump described Moscow’s test of a nuclear missile as a mistake.
Russia’s population is shrinking rapidly. Putin is trying to put a stop to that
Wednesday 29 October 2025 20:00 , Harriette BoucherFor a quarter of a century, Russian president Vladimir Putin has grappled with his country’s declining and ageing population. The demographic crisis pre-dates his ascent to power, with the nation recording its lowest birth rate in 1999, the year before he officially became president.
In 2005, Putin acknowledged the issue, stating that it was necessary to maintain “social and economic stability” in order to address the challenge of a falling population. He reiterated his concerns in 2019, admitting that Russia was still “haunted” by the problem.
Most recently, on Thursday (23 October), he addressed a demographic conference at the Kremlin, where he emphasised that increasing the birth rate was “crucial” for Russia’s future.
To combat this trend, Putin has introduced various initiatives, ranging from providing free school meals for large families to reinstating Soviet-era “hero mother” medals for women who bear 10 or more children.
Russia’s population is shrinking rapidly. Putin is trying to put a stop to that
Kherson children's hospital hit by Russian strike, Zelensky says
Wednesday 29 October 2025 19:00 , Harriette BoucherVolodymyr Zelensky has condemned Russia for striking a children’s hospital in Southern Ukraine, which left children and staff injured.
Zelensky said: “They could not have been unaware of where they were striking.
“This was a deliberate Russian attack specifically against children, against medical personnel, against basic guarantees of life in the community.
