Hundreds of young Russians were detained by police in Moscow and issued military summonses, sparking fears of an impending mass mobilisation for its war on Ukraine, according to reports.
Russian forces are struggling to recruit enough men for the war, in which it has deployed a attritional warfare strategy, sending vast numbers of troops towards heavily fortified Ukrainian defences.
Some adults reportedly were issued draft notices or pressured to sign army contracts in what police described as a “preventive operation”, according to Radio Free Europe.
Experts told The Kyiv Independent that the raids are not only a mobilisation measure, but part of a wider attempt to tighten control over young people as it looks to ramp up the pressure on them to join the war effort.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has warned that foreign troops fighting in Ukraine are “legitimate targets”, after he held meetings with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.
Putin said the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine poses a threat to Russia’s national security. It is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 foreign troops are fighting in Ukraine, with a large portion believed to be from countries in Latin America.
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Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war trying to join Russian assault
Key Points
- Hundreds of young people detained in Moscow and issued military summonses
- Putin says foreigners fighting in Ukraine are 'legitimate targets'
- Putin proposes joint Kyiv-Moscow aid mission to Kostiantynivka
- Kyiv says ‘fighting could end this year’ after peace talks but US warns of lack of trust
- Ukraine's military says it struck Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga
- Russia and Ukraine exchange attacks on each other's capitals
UK sanctions all 10 of Russia's major oil producers
17:00 , Alex CroftThe UK is sanctioning all 10 of Russia’s major oil producers, Andy Burnham will announce as he attends a gathering of European leaders in Ireland.
The Prime Minister will use the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Dublin to urge leaders from some 50 nations to ramp up pressure on Vladimir Putin to take peace talks seriously.
Mr Burnham said Britain has slapped a package of new sanctions on Moscow, including on shadow fleet vessels illicitly transporting Russian oil, Russian oil company Slavneft, and Rosneft’s flagship Arctic oil and gas project LLC Vostok Oil.
At the EPC, the Prime Minister will co-chair a small group meeting on Ukraine on Thursday afternoon, alongside the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Peace talks on Ukraine have progressed but now is not the time for complacency – we must continue to ramp up pressure on Russia to agree a full and immediate ceasefire,” he said.
“That is why the UK has announced a sweep of stinging new sanctions to turn the screws on Russia’s oil revenues and drive forward an end to the Kremlin’s needless war.
“We all now need to harness the momentum on negotiations and find a way forward for our security at home, and the security of our continent.”
Hundreds of young people detained in Moscow and issued military summonses
16:01 , Alex CroftHundreds of young Russians were detained by police in Moscow and issued military summonses, sparking fears of an impending mass mobilisation for its war on Ukraine, according to reports.
Russian forces are struggling to recruit enough men for the war, in which it has deployed a attritional warfare strategy, sending vast numbers of troops towards heavily fortified Ukrainian defences.
Some adults reportedly were issued draft notices or pressured to sign army contracts in what police described as a “preventive operation”, according to Radio Free Europe.
Experts told The Kyiv Independent that the raids are not only a mobilisation measure, but part of a wider attempt to tighten control over young people as it looks to ramp up the pressure on them to join the war effort.
Europe must decide on its own security, around 40 leaders expected to say
16:01 , Alex CroftEuropean leaders are gathered for a summit in Dublin as they call for a stronger role in the ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine.
A group of about 40 countries is expected to say on Thursday that any matter affecting European security should be decided with the Europeans, according to a draft declaration on key principles of European security seen by the Reuters news agency.,
"The signatory states recall that the path to peace in Ukraine should be decided with Ukraine and that any matter affecting European security should be decided with the Europeans," the countries wrote in a draft declaration initiated by France's foreign minister.
"They emphasize that Ukraine's security is an integral part of Euro-atlantic security and that future developments in European strategic stability will be conditional upon the conclusion of the war in Ukraine," they added.
The signatories laid out their support for principles including respect for the sovereign equality of states, the inviolability of borders and the right to choose whether to participate in alliances, as well as a commitment to human rights.
Putin proposes joint Kyiv-Moscow aid mission to Kostiantynivka
15:29 , ReutersPresident Vladimir Putin on Thursday told US envoys that Russia was proposing a joint Russian-Ukrainian humanitarian mission to the city of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported.
Putin was cited as saying that the mission could be modelled on a similar initiative that allowed residents to leave the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southeastern Ukraine at the end of last month and for aid to be brought in for those who chose to remain.
Russia needed 5 days to clear the area near Kostiantynivka of mines, Putin was cited as saying.
Comment | These Ukraine talks are nothing more than an exercise in delusion and illusion
15:01 , Alex CroftBrokered by American businessmen, Ukrainian and Russian securocrats met in Abu Dhabi in a stalling effort to find peace in Europe - without Europe present. It was a masterclass in delusion and illusion.
It fell to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky after the talks ended to spell out the absurdity of leaving the US and Russia to carve up a future shape of the European map with only Kyiv on the other side of the table.
“We believe that Europe must be represented at every stage of real diplomacy,” Volodymr Zelensky said on X.
This is a view widely accepted in Europe. Yet no one in Europe has been able to agree to a united view of what the Continent wants from talks.
Europe’s securocrats do agree that negotiations with Putin should not be conducted from an assumption of Ukrainian weakness.
Sam Kiley writes:
These Ukraine talks are nothing more than an exercise in delusion and illusion
Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin in Kremlin
14:29 , Alex CroftUS envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived at the Kremlin on Thursday for talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
It is part of a new push for a peace deal in Ukraine despite what they have called a lack of trust between Moscow and Kyiv.
The negotiations are the 10th time Witkoff has met Putin in person during a conflict that has lasted longer than the Soviet Union's fight against Nazi Germany in World War Two, and follow two days of US-led trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
As he entered a Moscow hotel before the Kremlin talks, Witkoff was asked by a reporter whether progress made in the talks so far meant peace was closer.
"I hope so," he replied.
After the Abu Dhabi talks, the first direct US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in nine months, the sides said they had agreed on a major exchange of prisoners of war that is likely to happen in the coming weeks, but announced no breakthrough in wider negotiations.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reported some progress in Abu Dhabi, but the US side said differences remained on major issues, including territory.
Putin says foreigners fighting in Ukraine are 'legitimate targets'
14:15 , Alex CroftUkraine peace talks between Vladimir Putin and US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began in the Kremlin on Thursday.
The Russian president warned that foreign troops fighting in Ukraine are “legitimate targets”,
Putin added that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine poses a threat to Russia’s national security.
It is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 foreign troops are fighting in Ukraine, with a large portion believed to be from countries in Latin America.
Meanwhile in the talks, Kushner told Putin that Europe wanted a role in future negotiations, while Witkoff said a major prisoner exchange agreed earlier this week during talks in Abu Dhabi was a sign of progress.
Macron calls for clear and united European vision on Ukraine
13:30 , Alex CroftFrench president Emmanuel Macron has once again called on Thursday for a clear, united European vision on Ukraine.
"I think that today, above all, Europe needs a clear and united vision of what it wants,” the French president said.
His comments came after two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi took place earlier this week.
European leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, are meeting in Dublin for talks.
Rutte hails 'positive developments' in Ukraine talks
13:00 , Alex CroftNATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Thursday there had been positive developments during the Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
However, he warned that it remained unclear whether Russia was genuinely willing to engage in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
"It all depends on the Russians, whether they are willing to play ball," Rutte said, adding that Ukraine must be kept as strong as possible as negotiations with Russia continue.
EU set to present new Russia sanctions and Ukraine funding by end of 0226
12:28 , Alex CroftWe’ve just heard from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who said the commission will present a new sanctions package against Russia and proposals on Ukraine-related financial measures before the next European Council.
"We are ... preparing a proposal (on) how to cover the financial needs of Ukraine in 2027,” she says before a meeting with international leaders in Dublin.
“We will come with the sanctions package and the proposal for the financial needs before the next European Council.”
Zelensky set to hold talks with US representatives on Thursday
12:03 , Alex CroftWe’re hearing live from president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is speaking at an EU meeting in Dublin.
He says he is set to hold talks with US representatives later on Thursday.
Kyiv finds the US approach to discussing a new security order with Moscow weird, he adds.
The Ukrainian president continues by again calling for further military support.
Ukraine says it struck Russia's five biggest oil refineries in past two weeks
11:29 , Alex CroftUkraine's military has just said that it successfully attacked Russia’s five largest oil refineries since 30 October.
This includes refineries in Omsk, Kirishi, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl.
In a post on Telegram, the General Staff said the smaller Novokuibyshevsk and Saratov refineries had also been hit.
It is part of Ukraine’s wider strategy to hit Russia’s wartime economy, while bringing the war home to ordinary Russians who feel the impacts in the form of price increases.
ICYMI: How Ukraine’s devastating attacks on Putin’s oil refineries brought the war to Russia’s doorstep
11:00 , Rituparna ChatterjeeAll but five of Russia’s 32 major oil refineries have been hit by Ukrainian drone attacks, costing the country an estimated $20bn.
Experts tell Maira Butt that Zelensky has brought the reality of Putin’s invasion to the doorstep.
Ukrainian troops encountering ‘systemic’ Starlink disruptions, Zelenskyy says
10:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeePresident Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukrainian military units had recorded significant disruptions to the Starshield satellite communications service for several days, affecting the entire front line and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
In a post on Telegram, Zelensky said that systemic restrictions were limiting the speed at which Starshield could be used to 161kmph (100 mph). Starshield is the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications service.
As a result of the restrictions, Ukrainian interceptors could not reach sufficient speed to down Russian jet-powered drones, with some hits already occurring, Zelensky said.
"This helps Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes on Ukraine," Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine was trying to clarify the reasons for the restriction with the US side.
In pictures: Russia and Ukraine launch massive overnight attacks on each other
10:02 , Rituparna ChatterjeeRussia's army said it had carried out a massive overnight strike on military factories across Ukraine. In Kyiv, the mayor said a Russian drone had struck an apartment block.
Russia and Ukraine agree to biggest prisoner swap yet at Abu Dhabi peace summit
10:00 , Shweta SharmaNegotiators from Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a major prisoner swap following two days of peace discussions in Abu Dhabi, though American mediators cautioned that deep divides remain over key matters such as territory.
Marking their first direct negotiations in nine months, both nations established an agreement in principle to exchange prisoners of war, with specific numbers expected to be finalised on Thursday.
US envoy Jared Kushner described the planned exchange as the "biggest humanitarian release of prisoners" during the four-and-a-half-year conflict, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy indicated that its overall scale would be "significant."
Russia and Ukraine agree to biggest prisoner swap yet at Abu Dhabi peace summit
Ukrainian forces launch 8-hour attack on Russia's largest oil refinery – reports
09:55 , Rituparna ChatterjeeA massive fire broke out at Russia’s largest refinery after bombing by Ukrainian forces, according to local media.
The bombing raid on the Omsk oil refinery continued for over eight hours on Wednesday, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Owned by Gazprom Neft, the refinery has the capacity to process about 22 million tonnes of crude a year, roughly 440,000 barrels a day, it said.
A massive fire has broken out at the Omsk Oil Refinery in Russia, local channels report.
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) November 11, 2026
Owned by Gazprom Neft, the plant is Russia’s largest refinery, with capacity to process about 22 million tonnes of crude a year — roughly 440,000 barrels a day. pic.twitter.com/LgnKymzjeK
Russia launches massive overnight strike on Ukrainian military factories
09:41 , Rituparna ChatterjeeRussia's army said on Thursday it had carried out a massive overnight strike on military factories across Ukraine.
In Kyiv, the mayor said a Russian drone had struck an apartment block. Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of Thursday.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said one woman had been reported killed and five people had been injured after a Russian drone struck a nine-storey building in the city's Solomyanskyi district, setting it ablaze.
The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement it had hit a rocket factory in Kyiv and a drone assembly workshop and missile fuel factory in the wider Kyiv region, as well as electricity substations in the western Zhytomyr region.
The Russian attacks had also damaged energy and civilian infrastructure in the north-western Rivne region, a local Ukrainian official said on Telegram.
Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war fighting for Russia
09:00 , Shweta SharmaUkraine says it has captured its first Indonesian prisoner of war amid a reported surge in Russian recruitment of fighters from the southeast Asian country.
The 49-year-old man, originally from the Indonesian island of Java, was reportedly deployed to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region to take part in a Russian assault.
According to Ukraine's state-run I Want to Live project, the man managed to reach Ukrainian-held territory after his unit came under a drone attack, where he was subsequently captured by Ukrainian forces.
The capture comes amid Ukrainian claims that Russia has stepped up efforts to recruit Indonesian nationals to fight in its war.
Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war trying to join Russian assault
Ukraine's power supply on the brink as Russia intensifies attacks
08:30 , MehrajUkraine’s power supply is on the brink as Russia intensifies attacks on its energy grid.
Kyiv instituted a rolling schedule of power cuts in October, earlier this year than last winter, and they were already lasting longer, making homes darker and colder, the BBC reported.
Officials told the broadcaster they were concerned life could quickly become unsustainable for millions of Ukrainians if power supplies couldn’t be maintained for at least four hours per day. Some privately warn that scenario is already close, as some families are living with outages of up to 20 hours in Kyiv.
Ukraine frontline mapped: The land in dispute as peace talks end without breakthrough
08:00 , Shweta SharmaNegotiators for Russia and Ukraine emerged from a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday confident about progress towards a long-awaited peace deal, despite lingering differences over territory.
Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that mutual understanding had been achieved on some issues and that more talks would be held, adding that the two sides had agreed on a large-scale prisoner swap.
Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said that there was “good momentum” towards reaching a solution by the end of this year, but that Europe should also be represented in future discussions.
Ukraine frontline mapped: The land in dispute as peace talks end
When will the Kremlin talks take place?
07:31 , Rituparna ChatterjeeThe Kremlin talks are expected to take place in the first half of the day.
This will be the 10th time that Steve Witkoff has met Vladimir Putin in person.
The meeting will follow two days of trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi which finished on Wednesday with news of another planned major prisoner exchange but no public breakthrough in wider negotiations.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy, met Jared Kushner and Witkoff off their plane amid wet snow and accompanied them to central Moscow ahead of their talks with Putin.
This week's Abu Dhabi talks were the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine mediated by the US to try to end the 4-1/2-year-old war in nine months and, although Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reported some progress, the US side said differences remained on major issues, including territory.
Despite public optimism from US President Trump, there has been no sign of major compromises.
Kyiv has strongly rejected Putin's demands to surrender the whole of the eastern region of Donbas in return for peace, and with talks deadlocked on land, US mediators have tried to steer discussions towards postwar security guarantees and reconstruction.
Russian soldier killed in car blast near St Petersburg
07:00 , Rituparna ChatterjeeA Russian serviceman was killed in a car explosion in the Pushkinsky district of St Petersburg, investigators said on Thursday.
"Investigative authorities have opened a criminal case into the murder of a member of the armed forces," a statement from Russia's Investigative Committee said.
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrive in Moscow
06:50 , Rituparna ChatterjeeUS envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to meet president Vladimir Putin.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy, greeted the US negotiators at a Moscow airport, ahead of their meeting with the Kremlin chief later in the day.
BREAKING: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Moscow for a meeting with President Putin. pic.twitter.com/dp4mtgWaZi
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) November 12, 2026
"Welcoming Steve and Jared to Moscow," Dmitriev said on X, posting a picture of himself shaking hands with Witkoff near a plane on a grey wintery morning, Kushner standing alongside.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed to a prisoner exchange during two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi that ended on Wednesday, but US mediators said differences remained on major issues, including territorial questions.
Kushner has said European partners must be at the Russia-Ukraine negotiating table. The Russian Defence Ministry said on Telegram it had hit military and energy facilities in Ukraine as well as a munitions warehouse in the capital Kyiv.
Russia hits energy facilities in Ukraine, Russian defence ministry says
06:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeRussia has hit military and energy facilities in Ukraine as well as a munitions warehouse in Kyiv and the surrounding region, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.
Russia also hit a cargo vessel en route to the Odesa region ports, it added.
Russian ambassador to US dies, foreign ministry says
06:00 , Shweta SharmaRussia's ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, has died aged 66, the Russian foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Ministry spokespersonMaria Zakharova said later on Telegram that Darchiev had died in Moscow from a chronic illness.
Putin appointed Darchiev, a veteran diplomat known in the past for his public denunciations of the West, as ambassador to Washington in March 2025 to lead a rapprochement with the Trump administration that has rattled Ukraine and European countries.
Ukrainian drone strike kills worker at Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, officials say
05:00 , Shweta SharmaA Ukrainian drone strike has killed an employee of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant at his home in southeastern Ukraine, according to the facility's Russian-appointed management.
The worker was reportedly killed after returning home from his shift in Enerhodar, the town where many of the plant's employees live.
Russian officials said the latest death brought the number of plant employees killed since April to 15, amid repeated attacks in the surrounding area.
"The Ukrainian armed forces are continuing to strike homes in Enerhodar and nearby villages," the plant's management said in a statement on Wednesday.
It warned that continued shelling was worsening living conditions and raising concerns about safety at the nuclear facility.
Russia seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station with six reactors, shortly after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of carrying out attacks that threaten nuclear safety.
The plant is not currently generating electricity but remains dependent on external power supplies to keep its reactor fuel cool.
US envoys en route to Moscow, to meet Putin's envoy Dmitriev first, sources say
04:38 , Shweta SharmaUS envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will arrive in Moscow on Thursday after trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi for a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Kremlin, two sources with direct knowledge of the visit's preparation said.
The pair, which are brokering Russia-Ukraine peace talks, will meet with Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev before the Kremlin talks, the sources told Reuters.
US and China discuss possible Trump-Xi-Putin summit on peace and denuclearisation
04:00 , Shweta SharmaUS secretary of state Marco Rubio and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi have agreed on the importance of talks between world leaders to advance peace and denuclearisation, including a potential trilateral summit involving Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.
The two diplomats spoke by phone on Wednesday ahead of Trump's visit to China for next week's APEC summit and Xi's planned trip to Florida for the G20 summit next month.
According to the US State Department, Rubio and Wang reaffirmed their leaders' commitment to maintaining a constructive relationship based on mutual respect, fairness and reciprocity.
The call comes amid efforts to arrange a three-way meeting between Trump, Xi and Putin, potentially on the sidelines of the APEC summit, to discuss nuclear arms
Russia and Ukraine exchange attacks on capitals as US envoys head to Moscow
02:54 , Shweta SharmaRussia and Ukraine launched attacks targeting each other's capitals early on Thursday, just hours after peace talks in Abu Dhabi ended without a breakthrough on key issues.
Explosions were heard across Kyiv in the early hours, although there were no immediate reports of damage.
Meanwhile, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defences had shot down five drones heading towards the Russian capital.
The attacks came a day after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators concluded two days of US-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi, where they agreed to a prisoner exchange but remained divided over major issues, including territory.
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are expected to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday for further negotiations.
The pair are also expected to raise the possibility of bringing European partners into the peace process, with Kushner insisting they must have a seat at the negotiating table.
The US negotiators are then scheduled to travel to Ireland for talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is due to attend a meeting of European leaders there.
Spate of deadly bear attacks in Russia caused by hunters enlisting in army - report
02:19 , Alex RossA spate of deadly bear attacks has left 35 people dead across Russia since the start of the spring, with the latest victim a security guard at a holiday camp in Kamchatka, Russia's RIA state news agency reported on Wednesday.
The number of deaths has risen sharply in recent weeks, rising to 35 from 22 as of early October, according to RIA.
Russia's population of brown bears has more than doubled in the last three decades to 308,000, in part due to shorter and milder winters. Some regions have struggled to control bear numbers and the government said in September it was drawing up measures to make it easier cull them.
Alexei Tsydenov, the head of Russia's Buryatia region where at least two people have been killed by bears so far this year, told state TV this month that rising bear numbers and the spike in attacks on humans was partly linked to hunters enlisting in the army at a time when Russia's forces are fighting in Ukraine.
Ukraine's military says it struck Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga
01:17 , Alex RossUkraine's military said on Wednesday that its drones had struck Russia's major Baltic port of Ust-Luga, a key point for shipment of oil products, triggering a fire and damaging part of its network of tanks.
"According to preliminary information, as a result of drone strikes on the port's oil infrastructure, the tank network suffered the most damage," Ukraine's General Staff said on Telegram, noting five tanks had sustained damage.
Russian ambassador to US dies, foreign ministry says
00:14 , Alex RossRussia's ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, has died aged 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said later on Telegram that Darchiev had died in Moscow from a chronic illness.
Putin appointed Darchiev, a veteran diplomat known in the past for his public denunciations of the West, as ambassador to Washington in March 2025 to lead a rapprochement with the Trump administration that has rattled Ukraine and European countries.
Trump's envoys to meet Putin in Moscow on Thursday
Wednesday 11 November 2026 23:14 , Alex RossUS President Donald Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Moscow, Axios reported on Wednesday.
Ukraine frontline mapped: The land in dispute as peace talks end without breakthrough
Wednesday 11 November 2026 22:00 , James ReynoldsNegotiators for Russia and Ukraine emerged from a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday confident about progress towards a long-awaited peace deal, despite lingering differences over territory.
Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that mutual understanding had been achieved on some issues and that more talks would be held, adding that the two sides had agreed on a large-scale prisoner swap.
Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said that there was “good momentum” towards reaching a solution by the end of this year, but that Europe should also be represented in future discussions.
This week’s talks in the United Arab Emirates marked a restart for diplomacy some nine months after delegations last met in Geneva to discuss peace terms.
Here’s how the frontlines look as talks resume:
Ukraine frontline mapped: The land in dispute as peace talks end
Romanian intelligence agency says it identified Russian-linked cyber attack
Wednesday 11 November 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsA hacking group linked to Russia's FSB security service staged a cyberattack on a Romanian government organisation last year, the country's intelligence agency said on Wednesday.
Russian-linked APT hacking group Turla was behind the December 2025 cyberattack, Romania's intelligence agency SRI said, adding that it had "implemented measures to counter the attack and remedy its effects".
"The attackers exploited a series of systemic vulnerabilities in Microsoft operating systems, but the attack was stopped after the National Cyberint Centre intervened," SRI said in a statement.
"No exfiltration of sensitive data was identified, and the affected email service has been fixed," it added, without identifying the government organisation that was targeted.
Kyiv says ‘fighting could end this year’ after peace talks but US warns of lack of trust
Wednesday 11 November 2026 20:13 , Maryam Zakir-HussainDavid Arakhamia, a senior member of Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, said peace talks have seen a “good momentum to reach a solution before the new year”.
Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Vladimir Putin, said on Wednesday that the two days of talks had been substantial and useful.
However, US mediators said there was a lack of trust between the warring sides.
Along with postwar security guarantees for both countries, other key hurdles are the fate of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and what role European countries will play in an eventual settlement.
Zelensky says progress in talks depends largely on how Americans talk to Russia
Wednesday 11 November 2026 20:04 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Kyiv hoped to achieve concrete results in talks on resolving the war with Russia this year, but that much depended on how the United States approached Moscow.
"We are living through these massive attacks. Of course, we want to get results by the end of this year, and of course, we will be doing everything to make that happen," Zelensky told a news conference in Dublin after two days of US-led trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.
Zelensky said much depended on "the will of American side to pressure on Russia or not, it depends on format of their dialogue with Russians."
US soldier suspected of spying for Russia arrested by British counter-terror police
Wednesday 11 November 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsA soldier in the US Army has been arrested by British counter-terror police in the UK on suspicion of spying for Russia.
The man, aged 41, was arrested near Gloucester on Tuesday following an investigation involving US authorities, US military and the FBI. He remains in custody at a London police station, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London said.
The senior serviceman, who has not been named, was detained on suspicion of offences under the National Security Act 2023.
Police confirmed to The Independent the soldier had been serving at Imjin Barracks at Innsworth in Gloucestershire, which serves as the headquarters of Nato’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
US soldier suspected of spying for Russia arrested by British counter-terror police
Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war trying to join Russian assault
Wednesday 11 November 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsUkraine has captured its first Indonesian prisoner of war – a 49-year-old man from the island of Java – as Ukrainian officials report a sharp rise in Russia's recruitment from Indonesia.
The man was taken to the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine to join a Russian assault but reached Ukrainian-held territory after his group came under drone attack, where Ukrainian forces captured him, according to Ukraine's state-run I Want to Live project.
The project said 283 Indonesians were recruited in the first nine months of this year to fight for Russia, against no more than 10 in the previous three years. The figure comes from Ukrainian officials and may change.
Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war trying to join Russian assault
Watch: Rubio admits ‘a lot of work to be done’ for peace after first day of Kyiv-Moscow talks
Wednesday 11 November 2026 18:00 , James ReynoldsFrance warns Germany its missile programme ‘could accidentally provoke nuclear war with Russia’
Wednesday 11 November 2026 17:00 , James ReynoldsFrance has warned Germany that it could trigger a nuclear conflict with Russia if it does not define how it would use its newly acquired long-range missiles.
Several countries including Germany the UK, Poland and others have taken steps to bolster their defences in a bid to deter Moscow from any attacks on Europe.
As part of this preparation, Berlin is reportedly acquiring and developing ground-range missiles with ranges varying from 500km to more than 2,000km.
France warns Germany it ‘could accidentally provoke nuclear war with Russia’
Russia's negotiator on Ukraine rejects option of territorial swaps with Kyiv
Wednesday 11 November 2026 16:20 , James ReynoldsRussia sees no possibility of exchanging territory with Ukraine as part of any peace deal, Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow's chief negotiator in peace negotiations, said on Wednesday after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi.
Medinsky and Ukrainian negotiators had earlier reported some progress in the talks that ended on Wednesday, but US mediators said there was a lack of trust between the warring sides and differences remained on issues including territory.
Medinsky was also cited as saying that if what he called a fair security system for Europe could be created, it would help ensure peace on the continent for decades, and possibly centuries, to come.
He added that Russia's buffer zone along its border with Ukraine was already substantial and would keep expanding, according to the Interfax news agency.
Ukraine frontline mapped: The land in dispute as peace talks end without breakthrough
Wednesday 11 November 2026 15:40 , James ReynoldsNegotiators for Russia and Ukraine emerged from a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday confident about progress towards a long-awaited peace deal, despite lingering differences over territory.
Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that mutual understanding had been achieved on some issues and that more talks would be held, adding that the two sides had agreed on a large-scale prisoner swap.
Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said that there was “good momentum” towards reaching a solution by the end of this year, but that Europe should also be represented in future discussions.
This week’s talks in the United Arab Emirates marked a restart for diplomacy some nine months after delegations last met in Geneva to discuss peace terms.
Here’s how the frontlines look as talks resume:
Ukraine frontline mapped: The land in dispute as peace talks end
The latest: Zelensky says Putin ‘lives in a different reality’ as Abu Dhabi talks resume
Wednesday 11 November 2026 14:52 , James ReynoldsVolodymyr Zelensky claimed the US agreed with Ukraine’s assessment of what was happening on the battlefield and that Vladimir Putin lived in a “different reality”.
The Ukrainian leader said Russia had claimed at the peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which resumed for the second day on Wednesday, that it held half of the Donbas region in Ukraine’s east.
“Putin lives in a different reality,” Zelensky said. “I can draw a picture for him too where I fully occupy Russia. But it’s not true.”
Zelensky’s comments came as his forces launched drones at Ust-Luga in Russia's northwest, regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said, adding that the strikes caused a fire and cut off a power station.
Ukrainian attacks on refineries since October have reportedly cut Russia's oil refining capacity by 30 per cent. In the last week alone, the strikes have disrupted operations at nine of the nation’s 35 major refineries, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources.
Putin is open to EU contacts, including with Merz, TASS cites Kremlin
Wednesday 11 November 2026 13:00 , Maira ButtRussian President Vladimir Putin is open to contacts with the European Union, including with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Russian state agency TASS said on Wednesday, citing the Kremlin.
Watch: Rubio admits ‘a lot of work to be done’ for peace after first day of Kyiv-Moscow talks
Wednesday 11 November 2026 13:00 , Maira ButtRussian strikes in Odesa kills 3
Wednesday 11 November 2026 12:30 , Maira ButtRussian strikes in Odesa have killed three people and injured 11, according to the region’s governor.
It follows attacks on six large electricity substations in Ukraine’s four central regions earlier in the day.
Russia strikes six Ukrainian electricity facilities
Wednesday 11 November 2026 12:00 , MehrajRussia struck six large electricity substations in Ukraine's four central regions, prime minister Sergii Koretskyi said on Wednesday.
He said on the Telegram app that in addition to hitting the energy infrastructure, Russian forces struck railways in Ukraine's east and centre.
