Ukrainian forces have pulled back from several positions in the southern Zaporizhzhia region amid heavy fighting and adverse weather.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces, told public broadcaster Suspilne that troops had “completely withdrawn” from the villages of Uspenivka and Novomykolaivka.
“Very fierce fighting continues for Yablukove and several other locations,” he said. “The defensive operation is ongoing, and the contact line remains dynamic.”
Russia is taking advantage of the weather to advance in small groups, moving on foot or motorcycles, with the adverse weather preventing Ukrainian forces from deploying drones against them.
It comes as Ukraine’s government suspended its justice minister on Wednesday, amid an investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Prime minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said the decision to suspend German Galushchenko was taken after an “extraordinary session of the government”.
Galushchenko, who previously served as energy minister, was the subject of investigative actions, his ministry said on Tuesday, without specifying whether this was in relation to the energy corruption case.
Key Points
- Ukraine suspends justice minister amid corruption probe
- Moscow ready to resume talks with Kyiv in Istanbul - Russian official
- Russian forces arrive into battered Pokrovsk city
- Ukrainian drone shot down heading towards Moscow
- Ukraine's top commander warns situation has worsened in Zaporizhzhia
Russia and Kazakhstan agree to strengthen ties in oil
18:00 , Tom AmbroseRussia and Kazakhstan have agreed to boost their partnership in the oil sector following talks between their respective presidents in the Kremlin on Wednesday.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev concluded a two-day meeting in Moscow, where they were expected to discuss gas projects and the fallout from US sanctions on Russian oil companies.
"We agreed to strengthen our partnership in the areas of oil, oil products, coal, and electricity production, transportation, and supply. We discussed in detail the prospects for gas cooperation, in particular gas supply to Kazakhstan’s regions bordering Russia, as well as transit to third countries," Tokayev said in televised remarks following the talks with Putin.
Ukraine's foreign minister presses G7 allies for support as Russia targets energy grid before winter
17:30 , Tom AmbroseTop diplomats from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised democracies met with Ukraine's foreign minister Wednesday as Kyiv tries to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country ahead of winter, AP reports.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said at the start of a meeting on Ukraine and defence cooperation, which US secretary of state Marco Rubio and his counterparts attended, that Kyiv needs to overcome what will be a "very difficult, very tough winter."
"We need the support of our partners," Sybiha said. "We have to move forward to pressure Russia, to raise the price for the aggression, for Russia, for Putin, to end this war."
SBU uncovers alleged FSB agent from Crimea plotting terrorist attacks in Kyiv
17:00 , Tom AmbroseUkraine’s Security Service (SBU) has uncovered an alleged Russian FSB agent from Crimea who was reportedly planning a series of terrorist attacks in Kyiv, the agency announced.
Investigators said the plot targeted major shopping and entertainment centres, as well as one of the capital’s metro stations.
The suspect, a Crimean resident, allegedly began working with the FSB after Russia’s 2014 occupation of the peninsula and sought to recruit “like-minded” individuals, including Ukrainian citizens from occupied territories exempt from mobilisation due to age.
Russian strikes intensify as Ukraine’s civilian deaths and energy losses surge - report
16:30 , Tom AmbroseUkraine is facing intensified Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure, while civilian casualties remain high, according to a UN report released today.
Three major attacks on 10, 22 and 30 October targeted energy facilities, causing widespread emergency power outages across the country.
In October, Russian assaults killed at least 148 civilians and injured 929, with about 65% of casualties occurring in frontline regions such as Kherson, Kharkiv, and Donetsk.
From January to October 2025, civilian casualties rose 27% compared to the same period last year, and total deaths and injuries have already surpassed those recorded in all of 2024.
Ukraine's PM asks parliament to dismiss two ministers amid corruption probe
16:00 , Tom AmbroseUkraine's prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko has said that she has submitted a request to parliament to dismiss the justice and energy ministers, following an investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
The move follows president Volodymyr Zelensky’s request earlier today.
Zelensky: 'Breaking the law means you will be held accountable'
15:38 , Tom AmbroseEnergy minister Svitlana Hrynchuk’s resignation was announced shortly after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said “breaking the law means you will be held accountable”.
In another X post today, he said: “There must be maximum integrity in the energy sector, in absolutely all processes. I support – and the Prime Minister supports – every investigation carried out by law enforcement and anti-corruption officials.
“This is an absolutely clear and consistent position for everyone. Right now it is extremely difficult for everyone in Ukraine – enduring power outages, Russian strikes, and losses. It is absolutely unacceptable that, amid all this, there are also some schemes in the energy sector.”
He added: “Right now we all must protect Ukraine. Undermining the state means you will be held accountable. Breaking the law means you will be held accountable.”
Ukraine's energy minister resigns following corruption probe
15:12 , Tom AmbroseUkraine's energy minister Svitlana Hrynchuk says she has submitted her resignation following a major anti-corruption investigation in the energy sector.
She denied any wrongdoing “in her professional activities” in a handwritten statement on Facebook.
Hrynchuk added that she was thankful to Zelensky and the Ukrainian government.
Zelensky meets with Ukraine's head of foreign intel
14:45 , Tom AmbroseUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he met with the head of the foreign intelligence service, Oleh Ivashchenko, earlier today.
In a post on X, he said:
“There are important results from our joint efforts with partners to put pressure on Russia.
“For the first time since the beginning of the war, a noticeable decline has been recorded this year in Russia’s oil production and refining. The oil and gas revenues of the Russian budget are decreasing, and by the end of this year, Russia will have lost at least 37 billion dollars in budget oil and gas income.
“In addition, Russian oil companies and the entire energy sector are losing tens of billions more. All this curbs Russia’s war machine.
“Both conventional sanctions against Russia and Ukraine’s long-range sanctions are working effectively. Further directions for our sanctions pressure have also been identified. I thank all our partners who are also delivering entirely justified legal blows against the vessels of Russia’s oil fleet – the Russians are now using fewer tankers.”
Zelensky added that the pair discussed “bringing home Ukrainian children abducted by Russians, as well as other operations abroad.”
A report was delivered by the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleh Ivashchenko. There are important results from our joint efforts with partners to put pressure on Russia. For the first time since the beginning of the war, a noticeable decline has been recorded this year… pic.twitter.com/BIOF4Z54Io
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 12, 2025
Ukraine's Zelensky calls for dismissal of ministers amid corruption probe
14:07 , Tom AmbroseUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for the dismissal of Ukraine's justice and energy ministers, saying that he supported anti-graft agencies in their investigation into energy sector corruption.
“First of all, there should be maximum transparency in the energy sector, in all processes absolutely," Zelensky said in a video address.
“It is very difficult for everyone in Ukraine now. It is absolutely abnormal that there are still some schemes in the energy sector."
Justice minister German Galushchenko earlier said on Facebook he supported his suspension as "a civilised and appropriate scenario" and vowed to defend himself, without sharing more details of the probe.
Russian FSB agent caught 'planning terror attacks in Kyiv', Ukrainian intelligence claims
13:49 , James ReynoldsUkrainian intelligence claims to have exposed an alleged FSB agent from Crimea planning terror attacks in Kyiv.
The suspect was planning explosions in Kyiv’s large shopping and entertainment centres, and in a metro station, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Wednesday.
“Each explosive device was to be equipped with a mobile phone for remote detonation during rush hour, when people would be most concentrated at the locations,” the SBU said in a statement.
They had sought to recruit co-conspirators in Crimea, having allegedly started working for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) after the 2014 occupation, it added.
The suspect was charged in absentia, the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office said.
Inside Ukraine’s start-up weapons industry rising from the ashes
13:30 , James ReynoldsAfter nearly four years of bitter war, Ukraine’s defence industry has more understanding than most of the demands of the modern battlefield.
The latest innovation is a cruise missile with a range of 3,000km and a payload of over a tonne, used in strikes deep into Russian territory.
Where weapons from allies come with conditions, Kyiv can fire the FP-5 Flamingo missile at any target it wants.
With arms supplies from the West so uncertain, Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine now makes about 60 per cent of its own weapons.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Kyiv:
Inside Ukraine’s start-up weapons industry rising from the ashes
Kremlin says Putin will inform Kazakhstan's Tokayev about missile tests
12:56 , Tom AmbroseRussian president Vladimir Putin will inform president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev about tests of Russia's Burevestnik and Poseidon missiles, should the Kazakh leader be interested, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
The comment was reported by state news agency RIA.
Peskov refuses to be drawn on talks with UK - report
12:47 , Tom AmbroseKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not say when the conversation between Russia and the UK took place.
"During this contact there was an acute desire of the interlocutor to talk about the position of the Europeans and there was a lack of any intention or desire to listen to our position," Peskov said.
"Given the impossibility of exchanging views, the mutual dialogue has not developed."
Kremlin says contacts with Britain failed to develop
12:35 , Tom AmbroseThe Kremlin said earlier today that there had been contact between Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, and Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, but the talks failed to develop into a sustained dialogue.
The Financial Times reported that Powell had sought to establish a back channel to Moscow amid concerns in Britain and Europe that the administration of US president Donald Trump might sideline their interests on Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Britain had shown little interest in engaging with Russia’s perspective on the conflict.
“There were indeed contacts,” Peskov said. “A dialogue took place, but it did not continue.”
Three Russian drones hit central Kharkiv yesterday, injuring five
12:18 , Tom AmbroseThree Russian Geran-2 drones struck the Holodnohirskyi district in central Kharkiv on Tuesday, injuring five people, governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Four of the injured were hospitalised, he added.
The attack also caused damage to a civilian enterprise and nearby buildings, Syniehubov said.
Ukraine says it pulled back troops from south-eastern village
11:45 , Tom AmbroseUkraine's military said today that it had withdrawn troops from near a settlement on the south-eastern Zaporizhzhia frontline, but that it has stopped Russian advances in the area.
“On November 11, 2025, late in the evening, as a result of combined fire damage to our positions in the Rivnopillya area, Ukrainian units moved to more advantageous lines in order to save the lives of personnel,” it said in a statement.
The cities of Kupiansk and Lyman in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region have also recently witnessed an uptick in combat, according to reports.
Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces spokesperson says situation 'quite difficult'
11:23 , Tom AmbroseFighting has intensified in the Orikhiv and Huliaipole sectors of the frontline, with up to 50 clashes reported daily.
Russian units continue to launch assaults and infiltration attempts as they try to press their advantage before winter.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces, said Russian troops are carrying out heavy bombardments.
“They have destroyed all existing fortifications and shelters, forcing us to withdraw from several positions,” he said.
Ukrainian forces have moved to secondary lines to stabilise the front.
Voloshyn described the situation as “quite difficult,” with Russian troops pushing to advance deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Russia captures three settlements amid fierce fighting
11:05 , Tom AmbroseUkraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russian forces have captured three settlements amid fierce fighting in southern Ukraine.
In a Telegram post, he said Russian troops had stepped up activity in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, using dense fog to infiltrate Ukrainian positions.
The situation has worsened around Oleksandrivka and Huliaipole, where Russian forces are exploiting their numerical advantage, he added.
Ukrainian troops withdraw from several villages in Zaporizhzhia amid heavy fighting
10:45 , Tom AmbroseUkrainian forces have pulled back from several positions in the southern Zaporizhzhia region amid heavy fighting, a military spokesperson said.
The retreat marks another shift in the front line as Russian troops push forward in south-eastern Ukraine.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces, told public broadcaster Suspilne that troops had “completely withdrawn” from the villages of Uspenivka and Novomykolaivka.
“Very fierce fighting continues for Yablukove and several other locations,” he said.
“The defensive operation is ongoing, and the contact line remains dynamic.”
Russia says its forces have pushed Ukrainian troops from a settlement south of Pokrovsk - report
10:25 , Tom AmbroseRussia's defence ministry has said that its forces had pushed Ukrainian troops out of Sukhyi Yar, a small settlement south of the embattled cities of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
Reuters reported the development but could not independently verify the battlefield report.
Russia destroys 22 Ukrainian drones overnight - RIA
10:00 , James ReynoldsRussian air defences destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones overnight, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday.
Ukraine suspends justice minister amid corruption probe
09:48 , James ReynoldsUkraine's government has suspended Justice Minister German Galushchenko amid an investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Galushchenko, who had previously served as energy minister, was the subject of investigative actions, his ministry said on Tuesday.
It did not specify whether this was in relation to the energy corruption case investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
Moscow ready to resume talks with Kyiv in Istanbul - Russian official
09:29 , James ReynoldsMoscow is ready to resume negotiations with Kyiv in Istanbul, a Russian foreign ministry official said.
"The Russian team is ready for this; the ball is in Ukraine's court,” Alexei Polishchuk told the TASS news agency on Wednesday, accusing Kyiv of stalling.
No face-to-face talks have taken place between the two sides since they met in the Turkish city on July 23.
Romania pushes for taking control over Russia's Lukoil local company
09:00 , Arpan RaiRomania must take control over the Romanian local company of Russia's Lukoil to ensure the national energy system is stable, international sanctions are enforced and jobs are protected, energy minister Bogdan Ivan said.
Lukoil has 320 petrol stations in Romania, operates the country's third largest refinery and holds offshore exploration rights in a section of the Black Sea. Ivan did not elaborate which assets the state must take control over or how.
Lukoil, along with Rosneft, was targeted by US sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine. Those sanctions are to take effect on 21 November and Ivan said Romania would not seek an extension.
"I will say it clearly: I will not request an extension of the 21 November deadline given by US authorities," Ivan said in a Facebook post late last night. "Moreover, I will support fully applying sanctions initiated by the United States at the level of the entire European Union."
Lukoil's Petrotel refinery accounts for about a quarter of the Romanian fuels market. Former energy ministers have said the country's national fuel stocks could make up for any missing supplies until new sources were found.
UK to ban maritime services for Russian LNG exports
08:30 , Arpan RaiBritain plans to ban companies from providing services such as shipping and insurance for Russian liquefied natural gas exports, in its latest attempt to help Ukraine in its war against Russia by trying to choke off Kremlin revenue.
In October, the European Union approved new sanctions against Russia that ban Russian LNG imports from 1 January 2027, and Britain and the US targeted Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft.
The UK government said yesterday it wanted to go further, by cutting off Russian access to companies that provide services for LNG exports.
"The ban will be phased in over 2026 in lockstep with our European partners," Britain's foreign office said in a statement ahead of a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Canada.
Britain also announced £13m ($17.5m) of funding to help repair Ukraine's energy sector and deliver support to Ukrainians worst-hit by the loss of heating and power.
Australia upholds ban on new Russian embassy over security risk
08:11 , James ReynoldsAustralia’s highest court blocked Russia from building a new embassy in its capital on Wednesday, upholding a law that cancelled its lease on national security grounds.
Russia intended to build a new embassy building some 300 metres from Parliament House in Canberra, replacing an older building elsewhere in the capital.
Moscow had challenged a 2023 law that cancelled the lease following “very clear security advice as to the risk presented by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament House”. Russia argued that parliament was not constitutionally authorised to pass such a law.
But on Wednesday, the court ruled unanimously that the Home Affairs Act 2023 validly invoked parliament’s constitutional power to seize land on “just terms”, though said Moscow could be compensated.
Russia says it foiled Ukrainian-British plot to steal a MiG-31 jet
08:05 , Arpan RaiRussia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had foiled a plot by Ukrainian and British spies to tempt Russian pilots to steal a MiG-31 jet armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile for $3m , state media reported.
The RIA news agency cited the FSB as saying that the hijacked jet was to be flown toward a Nato air base in the Romanian city of Constanta, where it could have been shot down by air defences, the agency reported.
The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said Ukraine and Britain had planned a large-scale "provocation" using the hijacked aircraft, and that Ukrainian military intelligence had sought to recruit Russian pilots for $3m to steal the fighter.
"The measures taken have thwarted the Ukrainian and British intelligence services plans for a large-scale provocation," RIA cited the FSB as saying.
State TV showed pictures of messages and recordings of a man who they said was working for Ukrainian and British intelligence and had offered $3m to a Russian pilot to fly a MiG to Europe and that the pilot had also been offered citizenship.
Russia’s Kinzhal is an air-launched ballistic missile that Moscow calls hypersonic, capable of very high speeds and manoeuvring flight paths intended to make it difficult for air defences to track and intercept.
Russia bars 30 Japanese individuals in response to Ukraine sanctions
07:45 , Arpan RaiRussia imposed entry bans on 30 Japanese individuals, including a foreign ministry official, in response to sanctions introduced by Tokyo as part of moves to denounce Moscow's actions in its more than three-year-old war in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a list of affected Japanese nationals, which included several journalists and academics. It described the prohibition as "indefinite."
Included among those barred was Japanese foreign ministry press official Toshihiro Kitamura.
The Japanese government in September placed sanctions on Russian companies, individuals and several other entities.
Japan also lowered its cap on Russian seaborne crude, following similar moves from Western countries.
Russia claims full control over eastern part of Kupiansk city in Kharkiv region
07:25 , Arpan RaiRussian forces have taken full control of the eastern part of the city of Kupiansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv region and are actively advancing inside the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry also reported that its troops had taken control of the settlement of Novouspenivske in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.
The Independent could not independently confirm the battlefield reports.
Watch: Zelensky says corruption must be punished as $100 million energy scandal hits Ukraine
07:10 , Arpan RaiRussia's defence units destroy Ukrainian drone heading towards Moscow
06:45 , Arpan RaiRussia’s air defence units destroyed a Ukrainian drone that was heading towards Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital, said this morning.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has previously said that its attacks are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to conducting Russia's war in Ukraine.
Russian forces roll 'Mad Max'-style into battered Pokrovsk city
06:20 , Arpan RaiRussia said its forces had pushed deeper into the eastern Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk yesterday, with one video showing Russian soldiers rolling into Pokrovsk on motorbikes and even on the roofs of battered cars and vans.
Russian military bloggers published a video showing what they said were Russian forces entering Pokrovsk along a road enveloped in fog, in what some Telegram users said looked like scenes from the 1979 action film "Mad Max", which unfolds in a post-apocalyptic landscape.
The video showed Russian forces on motorcycles and in an odd assortment of cars and other vehicles. Many vehicles, missing doors and windows, were shown driving along a road strewn with debris as soldiers looked on.
Some Russian soldiers sat on the roof of a battered vehicle. A drone was seen beside the road.
The location of the video was not immediately clear as Pokrovsk from the road layout, signs, utility tower, and trees seen in the video, which matched file and satellite imagery of the area.
Moscow says taking Pokrovsk, dubbed "the gateway to Donetsk" by Russian media, would give it a platform to drive north towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in the Donetsk region - Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
This isn’t a scene from Mad Max: Furiosa - it’s more like Mad Maxim: Alcohosa, featuring Russian assault troops in Pokrovsk rolling in on hacked-up motorcycles and jery-rigged civilian trucks pic.twitter.com/vjeJfVW5Bz
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) November 11, 2025
Russia stands to gain very little from the bloody battle for Pokrovsk
06:00 , Arpan RaiNot a word of what the Russian defence ministry says is credible. Its claims that Russian troops have surrounded Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka and Kupiansk, in eastern Ukraine, are agitprop.
But Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement from the front line that his country’s fighters are “under pressure” is something of an understatement.
Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, told the New York Post that Russia was concentrating some 150,000 troops on a drive to capture the town, which is much prized by Russia.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Russian troops may have already successfully infiltrated the three tactically important towns.
Kupiansk is on Russia’s route towards Kharkiv. The other two control the eastern and southern routes to the last remaining Ukrainian redoubts in Donetsk – Kramatorsk and Slaviansk.
Vladimir Putin has thrown a massive effort into the fight for Donetsk, which Moscow has already illegally “annexed”.
Russia stands to gain very little from the bloody battle for Pokrovsk
Russia says it foiled Ukrainian-British plot to steal a MiG-31 jet
05:45 , Arpan RaiRussia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had foiled a plot by Ukrainian and British spies to tempt Russian pilots to steal a MiG-31 jet armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile for $3m , state media reported.
The RIA news agency cited the FSB as saying that the hijacked jet was to be flown toward a Nato air base in the Romanian city of Constanta, where it could have been shot down by air defences, the agency reported.
The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said Ukraine and Britain had planned a large-scale "provocation" using the hijacked aircraft, and that Ukrainian military intelligence had sought to recruit Russian pilots for $3m to steal the fighter.
"The measures taken have thwarted the Ukrainian and British intelligence services plans for a large-scale provocation," RIA cited the FSB as saying.
Tokyo protests Russia's wider entry ban over Ukraine sanctions
05:30 , Arpan RaiJapan decried as "absolutely unacceptable" Russia's extension of an entry ban to 30 more citizens, among them a foreign ministry spokesperson, after Tokyo's sanctions over Moscow's nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine.
Following similar moves by Western nations, Japan had placed additional sanctions on Russian companies, individuals and other entities in September, while lowering its cap on Russian seaborne crude.
Russia's foreign ministry issued yesterday a list of Japanese added to those facing "indefinite" prohibition. The new names included the spokesperson, Toshihiro Kitamura, as well as journalists and academics.
Japan has protested against the "regrettable" move, chief cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara told a briefing today, adding that people-to-people exchanges between the two countries remain important.
He accused Moscow of shifting the blame for its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin briefed on Moscow's economic issues by Sberbank chief
05:12 , Arpan RaiThe head of Russia’s Sberbank German Gref spoke to Russia’s economic problems in a meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Institute for the Study of War said.
His bank was experiencing only “very modest” growth due to “challenging macroeconomic conditions” including a shrinkage of its consumer loan portfolio, while 2025 growth was worse than the bank expected, the US-based think tank said.
“Gref’s statements are notable,” the ISW assessed, “as Russian officials have largely refrained from admitting to any weakness in Russia’s economy and as the Kremlin has undertaken an information campaign to portray the Russian economy as stable and strong”.
Watch: Huge explosion erupts at Russia's major oil port after Ukraine strikes with new Flamingo missile
04:44 , Arpan RaiUkrainian drone attack sparks industrial fire in Russia's Stavropol
04:12 , Arpan RaiA Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire in an industrial zone in the Stavropol region, Vladimir Vladimirov, regional governor of the area in southern Russia, said this morning.
There were no casualties, Vladimirov said on the Telegram messaging app, without revealing further detail on what industrial facility was on fire.
Ukraine charges seven in $100m energy graft scandal
04:00 , Arpan RaiUkrainian authorities charged seven individuals yesterday in relation to an alleged $100m kickback scheme involving senior energy officials that has caused public angernd focused attention on Kyiv's battle against corruption.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said in a statement that it had detained five suspects and identified two others in a plot to control procurement at state enterprises, particularly nuclear agency Energoatom. None were named.
A source familiar with the matter said the suspect described by NABU as the chief organiser is Timur Mindich, a former business associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Mindich did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to Kvartal 95, a production studio he co-owns where Zelenskiy built his comedy career before his election in 2019.
Others charged in the probe include a former adviser to the energy minister, Energoatom's head of security and four so-called back office workers. NABU later identified an ex-deputy prime minister as another suspect.
Ukraine is under pressure to crack down on graft as it seeks European Union membership and courts critical financial support from Western partners while fending off massive Russian attacks on its energy system.
Accusations of kickbacks in the energy sector are particularly sensitive with the broader public, which is facing lengthy daily blackouts across much of the country even before cold winter temperatures set in.
Russia says it foiled Ukrainian-British plot to steal a MiG-31 jet
03:46 , Arpan RaiRussia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had foiled a plot by Ukrainian and British spies to tempt Russian pilots to steal a MiG-31 jet armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile for $3m , state media reported.
The RIA news agency cited the FSB as saying that the hijacked jet was to be flown toward a Nato air base in the Romanian city of Constanta, where it could have been shot down by air defences, the agency reported.
The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said Ukraine and Britain had planned a large-scale "provocation" using the hijacked aircraft, and that Ukrainian military intelligence had sought to recruit Russian pilots for $3m to steal the fighter.
"The measures taken have thwarted the Ukrainian and British intelligence services plans for a large-scale provocation," RIA cited the FSB as saying.
State TV showed pictures of messages and recordings of a man who they said was working for Ukrainian and British intelligence and had offered $3m to a Russian pilot to fly a MiG to Europe and that the pilot had also been offered citizenship.
Russia’s Kinzhal is an air-launched ballistic missile that Moscow calls hypersonic, capable of very high speeds and manoeuvring flight paths intended to make it difficult for air defences to track and intercept.
Russia bars 30 Japanese individuals in response to Ukraine sanctions
03:31 , Arpan RaiRussia imposed entry bans on 30 Japanese individuals, including a foreign ministry official, in response to sanctions introduced by Tokyo as part of moves to denounce Moscow's actions in its more than three-year-old war in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a list of affected Japanese nationals, which included several journalists and academics. It described the prohibition as "indefinite."
Included among those barred was Japanese foreign ministry press official Toshihiro Kitamura.
The Japanese government in September placed sanctions on Russian companies, individuals and several other entities.
Japan also lowered its cap on Russian seaborne crude, following similar moves from Western countries.
Ukraine's top commander warns situation has worsened in Zaporizhzhia region
03:25 , Arpan RaiUkraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the army's situation has "significantly worsened" in parts of southeastern Zaporizhzhia region amid fierce fighting with Russian forces.
“The situation has significantly worsened in the Oleksandrivka and Huliapole directions, where, using its numerical superiority in personnel and materiel, the enemy advanced in fierce fighting and captured three settlements,” Syrskyi wrote on Telegram.
Russian forces roll 'Mad Max'-style into battered Pokrovsk city
03:15 , Arpan RaiRussia said its forces had pushed deeper into the eastern Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk yesterday, with one video showing Russian soldiers rolling into Pokrovsk on motorbikes and even on the roofs of battered cars and vans.
Russian military bloggers published a video showing what they said were Russian forces entering Pokrovsk along a road enveloped in fog, in what some Telegram users said looked like scenes from the 1979 action film "Mad Max", which unfolds in a post-apocalyptic landscape.
The video showed Russian forces on motorcycles and in an odd assortment of cars and other vehicles. Many vehicles, missing doors and windows, were shown driving along a road strewn with debris as soldiers looked on.
Some Russian soldiers sat on the roof of a battered vehicle. A drone was seen beside the road.
The location of the video was not immediately clear as Pokrovsk from the road layout, signs, utility tower, and trees seen in the video, which matched file and satellite imagery of the area.
Moscow says taking Pokrovsk, dubbed "the gateway to Donetsk" by Russian media, would give it a platform to drive north towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in the Donetsk region - Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
This isn’t a scene from Mad Max: Furiosa - it’s more like Mad Maxim: Alcohosa, featuring Russian assault troops in Pokrovsk rolling in on hacked-up motorcycles and jery-rigged civilian trucks pic.twitter.com/vjeJfVW5Bz
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) November 11, 2025
Russia's defence units destroy Ukrainian drone heading towards Moscow
03:08 , Arpan RaiRussia’s air defence units destroyed a Ukrainian drone that was heading towards Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital, said this morning.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has previously said that its attacks are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to conducting Russia's war in Ukraine.
Russia claims control over village in Zaporizhzhia region
03:00 , Alex CroftRussia’s defence ministry has claimed that its forces have captured the village of Novouspenivske in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.
The Independent cannot independently verify the report, but authoritative Ukrainian battlefield map DeepState indicates that Russian troops have surrounded the village.
