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Ukraine’s relentless drone campaign has dealt another blow to Russia’s war machine, setting fire to the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical plant in Bashkortostan, more than 800 miles from the front lines. The attack, reported by local authorities on Wednesday, marks a bold escalation in Kyiv’s strategy to cripple Moscow’s energy infrastructure, a key pillar funding its invasion. As Ukrainian defenders repelled 172 Russian assaults across the front, the drone strikes appear to signal a war fought on two fronts: the battlefield and Russia’s economic heart. Confirming the attack on Telegram, Radiy Khabirov, head of Bashkortostan, said: “All emergency services are...

U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky are scheduled to meet face-to-face on Sept. 23 in New York, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced during a press briefing. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, which is expected to bring together leaders from nearly 150 countries. In addition to his meeting with Zelensky, Trump will hold bilateral talks with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Argentine President Javier Milei, and senior European Union officials. The U.S. president is also set to convene a multilateral summit with leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia,...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the number of Russian servicemen currently in the war zone in Ukraine, APA's Moscow bureau reports. He noted at a meeting with the leaders of the State Duma factions that more than 700,000 Russian servicemen are currently on the line of contact.

The attack comes as Russia suffers fuel shortages following Ukrainian attacks that have cut 20 percent of Russia's oil refining capacity. Ukraine struck several Russian oil facilities overnight Friday, including one if its largest refineries and an oil depot, worsening the country’s crippling fuel shortages. Ukrainian drones targeted facilities including Russia's largest Rosneft refinery in Ryazan and an oil depot in occupied Luhansk Oblast, according to Ukraine's chief drone warfare commander Robert Brovdi. Images of the attack on social media that appeared to show a massive fireball erupting immediately after the strike.

US President Donald Trump urged Europe to cease its purchases of Russian oil on a call with European leaders at the Coalition of the Willing, Fox News reported on Thursday, citing a White House official. Additionally, Trump stressed that European leaders should increase economic pressure on China "for funding Russia's war efforts," while stressing the importance of curbing financial aid to Russia. More to come...

It is a summit designed to challenge the West's historical dominance of the world –hosting the likes of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. On Sunday, China hosted the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, a grand meeting of the leaders of 26 nations, many of them opposed to the US and Europe. Putin and Chinese president Xi, who are closely allied under what they have termed a 'limitless' partnership, also held side talks to discuss the Russian leader's recent meeting with Donald Trump, a Kremlin official said. Xi personally welcomed several leaders, including Indian prime minister Narendra Modi,...

Amid increasingly belligerent Russian rhetoric against NATO, tiny Estonia has assumed the role of David standing up to Goliath. In recent months, Tallinn has intensified its signaling that in the case of an imminent Russian invasion, it would not hesitate to strike first. The world is now seeing the country’s logic. In a September 2024 interview with the Estonian public broadcaster ERR, Estonian General Vahur Karus stated that if Moscow showed signs of preparing for an attack, Estonia would strike the Russians first: “Our capability to neutralize the enemy on its own territory is crucial.” In the subsequent months, Estonia...

Drone attacks have been carried out on the Afipsky oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Territory and the Kuibyshev oil refineries in the Samara region, APA reports, citing Russian media. Large fires broke out at the oil refineries after the drone attacks. According to the governor of the Samara region, Dmitry Azarov, the airport and mobile internet use in the city of Samara have been temporarily restricted due to the threat.

Russia unleashed a sweeping aerial assault across Ukraine late Wednesday, pounding Kyiv with ballistic missiles and swarms of drones — killing at least 14 people, including 3 children and injuring over 20. “Many people are under the rubble, [including] children,” Andriy Yermak, top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told The Post. The barrage began around 9:30 p.m., setting off air raid sirens and prompting urgent shelter notification warnings in nearly every region nationwide. Missiles, drones, and bombs were spotted throughout the country, particularly in Kyiv, but also in western regions of the country where attacks have been rarer. At...

Moscow's decision will likely be seen as inconsequential given growing condemnation of widespread human rights abuses committed in Ukraine. Russia plans to formally withdraw from Europe's convention against torture and inhuman treatment, according to a decree published this week. The resolution by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin calls upon President Vladimir Putin to submit the withdrawal from the treaty to Russia's lower house of parliament. Moscow's move is likely to be seen as moot given widespread criticism of its worsening human rights record since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In 2024, UN-backed experts presented evidence that Russia...

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to X on Sunday to accuse United States President Donald Trump, whom he described as "the man who is now in office" in Washington, of wanting to have Tehran obedient to the North American country. "The Iranian nation feels deeply offended by such a grave insult, and they will stand with all their might against anyone who has such an illegitimate expectation," Khamenei wrote. He praised his nation for its response to Israel and the United States' recent strikes on Iran. Furthermore, Khamenei accused the US of interfering in Iran's internal affairs in...

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg visited Kyiv on August 24 to take part in the celebrations marking Ukraine’s Independence Day. Kellogg attended the ceremony on Sophia Square in central Kyiv, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an address, Caliber.Az cites Ukrainian media. Alongside Kellogg, representatives and officials from other countries also joined the celebrations, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Foreign guests also included the defence ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, and Canada, as well as the UK’s Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. Ukraine celebrates its Independence Day on August 24, marking the anniversary of the 1991 declaration...

One of Russia’s most highly decorated heroes in the war with Ukraine instructed his troops to intentionally shoot him to sit out of combat and collect a fat paycheck, according to investigators — who also found his alleged heroics were completely bogus. Lt. Col. Konstantin Frolov — nicknamed the “Executioner” for his reputation as a highly skilled sniper — was identified as the mastermind behind the massive military scam where he instructed 35 officers and soldiers in Russia’s elite sniper unit, the prestigious 83rd Air Assault Brigade, to deliberately fire at him and each other, the probe recently concluded, according...

6 severed heads found by side of the road along with chilling... Putin's three demands for Ukraine peace revealed: reportPutin's three demands for Ukraine peace revealed: report Experienced skydiver deliberately jumped to her death day after breakup with partner, coroner confirmsExperienced skydiver deliberately jumped to her death day after... World News Putin demands Ukraine surrender Donbas, give up NATO ambitions and keep Western troops out of country: report By David Propper Published Aug. 22, 2025 Updated Aug. 22, 2025, 6:16 p.m. ET 1.2K Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded three conditions to achieving peace with Ukraine — he wants it...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has awarded medals to his returning and fallen troops, who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine, as he held an emotional meeting with the families of soldiers killed on the battlefield, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “The combat activities of overseas operational forces … proved without regret the power of the heroic [North Korean] army,” and that the “liberation of Kursk” proved the “fighting spirit of the heroes”, KCNA reported on Friday, quoting Kim. “Our army is now doing what it ought to do and what needs to...

So much about Ukraine seems in flux since President Trump landed in Alaska Friday. It’s been nonstop action with a growing cast of world leaders jumping in. One thing has remained constant: Vladimir Putin’s demands—the surrender of territory he hasn’t conquered, the end of an independent Ukraine and, in its place, a puppet state from which he can threaten Europe. Politically, there appear to be three possible outcomes for Mr. Trump. One is that the American president becomes as tough on Mr. Putin as he has been on Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. Then he could play a pivotal role in getting...

United States President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to explain that Kiev does not stand a good chance of winning the war against Russia if it is only permitted to defend its territory. "It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It's like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offensive. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia. Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND defend,"...

A key takeaway from the summit in Alaska is that Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wants to freeze the war in Ukraine along its current front line in return for the surrender of the rest of Donetsk region. Russia holds about 70% of the region (oblast), including the regional capital of the same name, after more than a decade of fighting in which Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk have been the bleeding heart of the conflict. For Russia to gain all of Donetsk would cement its internationally unrecognised claim to the oblast as well as avoiding further heavy military losses. For...

Russia appears to be facing a fuel crisis with gas stations running out of petrol, as Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries sow chaos across the country. Multiple regions across Russia have reportedly been affected, with drivers forced to queue for hours in order to fill up. Some motorists have complained of having to wait for up to eight hours in queues stretching for kilometres. Images widely shared on social media show huge tailbacks as drivers wait patiently to get to the front of the line. Motorists have also seen petrol prices go through the roof as fuel supplies become...

Witkoff noted that these concessions were partly achieved because the U.S. side tested Russia’s willingness to adopt a more flexible stance. Trump and his team focused on securing a long-term peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire during the Anchorage meeting, he added. “We stayed there for quite some time because we actually made progress on how we might get to a peace deal,” Witkoff said. According to him, Trump began to sense that many preconditions for a comprehensive deal were already in place, prompting efforts to negotiate a full peace agreement.