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Arrest of deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov comes weeks after Vladimir Putin urged FSB to step up efforts to root out corruptionA well-connected Russian deputy defence minister has been charged with bribe-taking, in the highest-profile corruption scandal in the country in years, triggering speculation about a possible purge within Moscow’s elites.Timur Ivanov, 47, who was responsible for Russia’s military infrastructure projects, was detained by...

Ukraine’s SBU security service drones struck two oil depots in Russia’s Smolensk overnight, according to a Ukrainian intelligence source. It came as the US Senate approved wartime foreign aid for UkraineHere are some of the latest images on the newswires:Ukraine’s SBU security service drones struck two Rosneft-owned oil depots in Russia’s Smolensk region in an overnight attack, according to a source in Ukrainian intelligence...

Andrzej Duda says country could host arms if Nato decides to deploy the weapons in the face of Russia reinforcing its armaments in Belarus and KaliningradEurope “cannot relax” its support for Ukraine following US lawmakers’ approval of a $61bn (€57bn, £49bn) aid package, Kyiv’s most vocal allies in the region have said.Baiba Braže, Latvia’s new foreign minister, warned against slackening the EU’s efforts to...

Prime minister Petteri Orpo says eastern Finland ‘suffering because of Russian behaviour’Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, visited the Donetsk region today.Two people have been detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Leonid Volkov, an aide to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told reporters today, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

Poland’s national prosecutor says man was preparing to share security details of airport used by Ukrainian presidentA Polish man has been arrested on allegations that he aided a plot by Russian intelligence services to assassinate the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to Polish and Ukrainian prosecutors.The office of Poland’s national prosecutor said in a statement that the man, identified only as Pawel K, was...

Prosecutors accuse suspects of working with Russian secret service in attempt to undermine support for UkraineEurope live – latest news updatesTwo Russian nationals have been arrested in southern Germany suspected of plotting sabotage attacks on US military facilities, German prosecutors announced on Thursday.The men, named as Dieter S and Alexander J, are suspected of operating as Russian spies on behalf of the Kremlin, according...

Led by prime minister Andrej Plenković, the Croatian Democratic Union won 60 seats out of 151 but face tough talks to gather a majorityCroatia’s ruling conservative party won the most seats in parliamentary elections, but not enough to form a government, according to almost complete official results.The prime minister, Andrej Plenković’s Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has won 60 seats in the 151-member assembly, results...

In today’s newsletter: As the crisis in the Middle East shifts resources away from the Russian invasion, Zelenskiy is calling for more money, weapons and attention• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.As soon as Iran launched its aerial attack on Israel, western allies coordinated a rapid, united military and diplomatic response. The US, Britain, France and others intercepted more than...

Head of IAEA issues warning as Ukraine and Russia trade accusations over Europe’s biggest nuclear plantThousands of people in Ukraine were left without power on Tuesday after strong winds and heavy rain damaged electrical infrastructure, authorities said.“Due to the bad weather, 173 settlements in four regions are without power supply,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said. Continue reading...

Underwater infrastructure vulnerable to Russian threats, says V Adm Didier Maleterre, after suspected sabotage of gas pipelinesThe security of nearly 1 billion people across Europe and North America is under threat from Russian attempts to target the extensive vulnerabilities of underwater infrastructure including windfarms, pipelines and power cables, a Nato commander has warned.V Adm Didier Maleterre, the deputy commander of Nato’s Allied Maritime Command...

Andriy Kobolyev calls for more weapons after Russia destroys one of Ukraine’s largest power plantsA dramatic rise in European energy prices is inevitable if the Russian destruction of Ukrainian energy infrastructure continues unabated, the former chief executive of Ukraine’s state-owned oil company has warned.Andriy Kobolyev, a former head of Naftogaz, said in an interview with the Guardian: “Russia is trying to wage a global...

Ukraine parliament passes controversial mobilisation bill to boost troop numbers; Japan’s prime minister calls on US to continue supporting Ukraine. What we know on day 779See all our Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

Air force commander says 14 of 17 attack drones and two guided missiles targeting Odesa and Mykolaiv region were destroyedAn EU court has removed war-related sanctions against prominent billionaires Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman, in a surprise victory for the Russian oligarchs in their fight against western sanctions.The European court ruled that the European council did not present enough evidence to establish that the...

British foreign secretary talked with Republican presidential candidate following Trump’s repeated questioning of US aid to UkraineChina’s foreign minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in China on Tuesday, underlining the ever-friendly relationship between Moscow and Beijing.Wang said that China and Russia would continue to strengthen international cooperation and work together to maintain the stability of supply chains. The two sides agreed...

Watchdog condemns ‘reckless’ attack after inspectors find damage at Russian-controlled power stationRussia and Ukraine have each accused the other of launching kamikaze drones at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in an incident condemned by the International Atomic Energy Agency for recklessly endangering safety.The nuclear watchdog said onsite inspectors had seen the damage caused by drone detonations at three locations, including “superficial scorching” at the...

Federal emergency declared in Orenburg region and at least 6,000 homes inundated after Ural River overflowsFlood waters were rising in two cities in Russia’s Ural mountains on Sunday after Europe’s third-longest river burst through a dam, flooding at least 6,000 homes and forcing thousands of people to flee.The Ural River, which rises in the Ural Mountains and flows into the Caspian Sea, swelled several...

Rafael Grossi says three direct hits against the main reactor containment structures ‘significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident’See all our Ukraine war coverageThe head of the UN’s atomic watchdog agency has condemned a drone strike on one of six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, saying such attacks “significantly increase the risk of a major...

International Atomic Energy Agency warns about safety after Russia says Ukrainian drone detonated at nuclear power plantSee all our Ukraine war coverageThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed on Sunday by authorities at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that a drone detonated on site today.“IAEA experts have been informed by ZNPP that a drone detonated on site today. Such detonation is consistent with...

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...