Free Republic

A drone struck a residential building in Romania’s city of Galati near the Ukrainian border, injuring two people and triggering a fire after impact, authorities said on Friday. The incident, which prompted the evacuation of dozens of residents, comes amid continued drone activity in the region linked to the war in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have reportedly discussed replacing Ukraine’s current ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, during their most recent phone call on Friday, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter. According to the report, Zelenskyy has asked Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to begin consultations with US officials regarding a potential successor. Among the leading candidates to replace Markarova are high-profile Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and Energy Minister German Galushchenko.

Russia’s former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit who was fired by President Vladimir Putin has shot himself dead, Russian authorities said Monday. According to Kremlin-controlled media, Starovoit was found dead with a gunshot wound in Odintsovo near Moscow. Officials said they believe it was a suicide. “The circumstances of the incident are being established. The main version is suicide,” Russia’s Investigative Committee Official Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement, as speculation swirled in Moscow.