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Ukraine led attack on to military airfield near town of Morozovsk in Rostov region in RussiaA Ukrainian intelligence source has described the operation targeting the Morozovsk air base as an important one.The source did not say how the attack was conducted but that six Russian warplanes were destroyed, and eight more were damaged, in a joint operation by the SBU security service and the...

British foreign minister to urge counterparts to step up support for Kyiv and ramp up defence productionArriving for the Nato ministers’ meeting this morning, Jens Stoltenberg, the alliance’s secretary-general, made the case for changing how aid is channeled to Ukraine.He said officials will now discuss how Nato could take on more responsibility for coordinating military equipment for Kyiv and that ministers will discuss a...

Online footage show jet on fire as Ukrainian security expert claims it was shot downNato member Romania said it had found fragments of what appeared to be a drone on a farm near the river Danube and the border with Ukraine late on Thursday.Russia has been striking targets in western and central Ukraine with missile and drone attacks conducted at night. Continue reading...

Rights groups say Antonina Favorskaya is accused of links to Alexei Navalny’s ‘extremist organisation’ and is one of six journalists held this monthA journalist who filmed the last video of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny before he died, Antonina Favorskaya, has been detained by authorities.Favorskaya covered the trials of Navalny for several years and media freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders said on Thursday she...

National security spokesperson says US passed on warnings and dismissed Russian allegations Ukraine was involved as ‘nonsense’The US repeatedly alerted Russia that extremists were planning to attack large gatherings in Moscow ahead of last week’s concert hall attack that claimed more than 140 lives, the White House has said.The national security spokesperson, John Kirby, said on Thursday that US officials passed on warnings –...

IS has stalled in Iraq and Syria but officials believe it has been planning new attacks on west for yearsIslamic State (IS) remains defeated in its core strongholds of the Middle East but has made significant progress in Africa and parts of south Asia, winning territory and resources that could serve as a launchpad for a new campaign of extremist violence, analysts and officials...

Kyiv’s forces shoot down 26 drones overnight as Russian president says suggestion of attacks on nearby Nato states is ‘drivel’Russian president Vladimir Putin’s foreign intelligence chief paid a visit to North Korea this week to deepen bilateral cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang and discuss broader regional security, Russia’s spy service said on Thursday according to Reuters.Sergei Naryshkin, the head the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence...

Head of Ukrainian air force says they were able to shoot down 10 out of 13 drones launched overnight by Moscow’s forcesKyrgyzstan’s foreign ministry has urged citizens of the central Asian nation to put off unnecessary travel to Russia following the Crocus City Hall terror attack, Reuters reports.The massacre has increased existing anti-immigrant sentiment in Russia, especially towards migrant labourers from the predominantly Muslim...

Landing ship ‘not combat-capable’ say Ukraine’s navy as investigations continue into the Moscow terror attackA Moscow court has extended the pre-trial detention of the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 30 June.His detention had already been extended several times but no date has been set for his trial. Continue reading...

Footage of four gunmen appears to support Islamic State’s claim that it masterminded the worst terrorist attack in Russia in two decades. But the Kremlin has put Ukraine in the frame. Andrew Roth reportsThe attack on Crocus concert hall near Moscow was the worst act of terrorism carried out in Russia in more than 20 years. More than 130 people were killed after gunmen...

Islamic State released footage of Friday’s deadly attack, even as Russia sought to blame Ukraine, which Kyiv deniesAFP journalists have reported hearing several explosions in the centre of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, as officials urged residents there to take shelter.The explosions sounded at about 10:30am (0830 GMT) after almost a dozen people were injured in a Russian drone strike on southern Ukraine overnight and...

Footage of gunmen reinforces Islamic State’s claim to have masterminded worst terror attack on Russia in two decadesFour suspects have appeared in court in Moscow charged over the terrorist attack on the Crocus City concert hall on Friday that left 137 people dead.The men were officially identified as citizens of Tajikistan, the Tass state news agency said, and were remanded in custody for two...

Russian president informed that 11 suspects have been held as the death toll continues to climbFull story: shootings and fire at Moscow venueState-owned media RIA reports that so many people have turned up to donate blood after the attack that the Buyanov hospital in Moscow has had to ask people to return in the following days.Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, has posted to...

This blog has closed, read our full report here: Full story: shootings and fire at Moscow venueThe roof of Crocus City Hall where gunfire and flames were heard and seen on Friday night is collapsing, RIA reports.Here are videos emerging through social media: Continue reading...

Islamic State claims responsibility after gunmen in combat gear opened fire and reportedly set off explosives at Crocus City HallMoscow concert hall attack: what we know so farAt least 93 people have been killed and 145 wounded in Russia’s worst terror attack in years, as gunmen in combat fatigues opened fire and detonated explosives in a major concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow.State...

The ISKP regional affiliate has a haven in Afghanistan and carried out recent bombings in Iran, suggesting it has capacity for major atrocitiesMoscow concert hall attack: latest updatesAt least 40 killed and more than 140 wounded in Moscow concert hall attackSpeculation about who carried out the shooting at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow has quickly indicated that the terror attack will have outsized...

Sixty people have been killed and scores wounded, according to authorities, after gunmen opened fire at Crocus City Hall. Islamic State has claimed responsibilityMoscow attack – latest updatesDozens of people have reportedly been killed and scores wounded in an attack at a concert venue near Moscow.Here is what we know about the shooting so far:Gunmen opened fire at the 6,200-seat Crocus City Hall in...

No risk of dam breach, Ukraine’s state hydropower company says, after Russian on dam in ZaporizhzhiaRussia regards itself to be in a state of war due to the West’s intervention on Ukraine’s side, the TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying, Reuters reported.The EU is set to impose a tariff of up to 50% on Russia grain imports amid fears that...

Ukraine could receive the first €1bn of interest on the sequestered assets by early JulyEU leaders have agreed in principle to commandeer a large majority of the profits generated from frozen Russian assets and give them to Ukraine.The proposal could generate €3bn (£2.6bn) this year and the first billion could be released to Ukraine by July, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen,...

Prime ministers to examine plans to confiscate billions of euros in interest from frozen Russian assets and send the money to KyivEU leaders are to meet in Brussels to discuss ways to radically increase military and financial support for Ukraine amid calls for member states to put their economies “on a war footing”.Fuelled by what one diplomat said was a new “sense of urgency...

Pair are accused of roles in ‘extremist organisation’ and could face up to 10 years in prisonA Russian court has ordered two bar workers to be placed in custody, accusing them of roles in an “extremist organisation”, under new legislation criminalising the LGBTQ+ community.It is the first criminal case of its kind since Russia banned the so-called “international LGBT movement” in November. Continue reading...

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief says drones could give country ‘qualitative advantage’; Putin to travel to China in May, sources sayMoldova expelled a Russian diplomat over the opening of polling stations for Russia’s presidential election in its breakaway region of Transnistria, the foreign ministry said after summoning the Russian ambassador on Tuesday.The ministry protested over the opening of the polling stations in Transnistria, a pro-Russian enclave that...

Report alleges that candidate asked Hungary to help arrange visit to Moscow in 2020 – when prime minister – to boost popularitySlovakia risks moving further away from the west, government critics have warned, as a report alleged that a presidential candidate aligned with the country’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, had previously sought an invitation to Russia to boost his position at home.Slovaks will...

One site tweeted of monarch’s purported demise only to later concede: ‘Most likely, the information is fake’The news broke in the Russian media on Monday afternoon. King Charles III was dead. He was not, but no one really had time to check the details. The saga of the royal family finally had its latest twist: a viral Russian disinformation angle.The rumour went into overdrive...