Nato has vowed to defend its territory after Poland said that a Russian missile landed on its territory and exploded in a field.
A spokesperson for the alliance said it would “take all necessary measures” to protect member states after the violation of Polish airspace on Thursday morning.
President Donald Tusk said the missile was likely a Russian Kh-101 ballistic missile, but that authorities were not yet “100 per cent certain” who launched it.
Polish police said they found a 10m-wide crater and scattered debris in a field left by an unidentified object that disappeared from army radars tracking it in domestic airspace.
At least 8 people, including three children, have been killed across Ukraine after Russia launched a wave of ballistic missiles and drones across the country, hours after Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an impending “massive attack” by Moscow.
Zelensky said Russia launched 70 missiles, many of them ballistic, and over 280 drones in the overnight attack. He said dozens of ordinary homes, civilian businesses, and infrastructure facilities were destroyed.
Read MoreWildberries: Why Ukraine is blowing up Russia’s ‘Amazon’ with massive strikes
How the wars in Iran and Ukraine are colliding on the world’s largest lake
Every major Ukrainian strike on Russia’s energy infrastructure: Full list
Ukraine launches appeal against Russia’s proposed Olympic return
Key Points
- At least 8 dead in Russian strikes as Zelensky calls for faster air defence support
- Russia launches dozens of ballistic missiles amid massive attack warning
- F-16 fight jet crashes after a malfunction
- What's happening in Ukraine after Zelensky's warning of massive Russian attack
- Latest pictures show Kyiv residents taking shelter in metro stations
Polish prime minister says 'no reasons to believe that Poland was the target' as probes into Russian missile continue
15:15 , Suha KidwaiAddressing the media, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called the explosion — which created a 10-metre crater, “a very serious incident,” but added: “There are absolutely no reasons to believe that Poland was the target.”
The attack comes two days after Ukrainian President Zelensky met with Donald Trump to secure a license for the domestic production of Patriot air defence systems to stop Russia’s ballistic missiles.
Read more about Ukraine’s Patriot deal here:
Trump meets Netanyahu and Zelensky at White House as wars drag on
Ukraine attacks on Wildberries defended as 'long-range sanctions' on Russia
15:00 , Suha KidwaiUkraine has described its long-range strikes on Wildberries facilities as “long-range sanctions,” according to Reuters.
The term is frequently used by President Zelensky to describe attacks intended to weaken Russia’s ability to wage war.
Three Wildberries facilities have been attacked as of Thursday.
Several of the attacks on Wildberries have caused massive damage to warehouses, disrupting the company's distribution chain and threatening heavy losses for tens of thousands of small businesses who use it as their main marketplace.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, said on Thursday that around 1,500 sellers had seen goods destroyed or damaged following a Ukrainian strike on a Wildberries warehouse there last week.
Russia likely used North Korean missile in deadly Ukraine strike, sources say
14:35 , Suha KidwaiA Russian overnight attack that killed a family near the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih likely used a North Korean missile, two sources have told Reuters.
If confirmed, the strike would be the first Russian use of North Korean missiles against Ukraine in nearly a year.
Russia has fired North Korean missiles at Ukrainian targets before, but their deployment after a lengthy gap points to a fresh stock of weapons Moscow can draw on as it intensifies missile attacks on its neighbour, one of the sources added.
One of the sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, said August 8, 2025 was the last time that Ukraine confirmed a Russian strike using a North Korean missile.
NATO commander pledges to take all 'necessary measures' to defend NATO territory amid Russian missile probe
14:30 , Suha KidwaiNATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe has discussed the suspected Russian missile crash in Poland with the country’s chief of defence.
The commander emphasised that the organisation will continue to take all “necessary measures” to defend NATO territory, a ‘SHAPE’ spokesperson has said.
The organisation continues to be in close contact with the Polish authorities over the incident.
Russian missile in Poland 'unacceptable,' says EU Commission president
14:00 , Suha KidwaiThe suspected Russian missile that crashed in Poland is another "unacceptable violation" of the EU's airspace, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.
"To put an end to this, we are helping Ukraine win this war in every way we can. And we are building a robust European security architecture on land, at sea and in the air," the president wrote on X.
Ukrainian drone attacks in Black Sea shut Kazakhstan oil gateway again
13:30 , Suha KidwaiKazakhstan's main oil export terminal in the Black Sea has closed for the third time this month after Ukrainian drones hit two vessels at and near Russia's Novorossiysk port.
The closure suspends crude tanker loadings, causing severe disruption to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which owns the pipeline that carries Kazakh oil across Russia to the Black Sea.
Repeated disruption to CPC infrastructure, which accounts for 80 per cent of Kazakh oil exports, highlights the increasing threat to the country's economic interests from Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as to those of U.S. oil majors Chevron and Exxon, which have major investments in Kazakhstan.
Previous export loading suspensions have forced the Central Asian state, which is among the world's 10 largest oil exporters in OPEC+, to reduce output temporarily because it has no easy alternative route to ship crude to world markets.
Kazakhstan has condemned previous attacks affecting CPC facilities.
Meanwhile, Kyiv has defended them as part of its campaign against infrastructure supporting Russia's war effort, saying its actions are not directed at Kazakhstan, whose oil the CPC primarily carries.
At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last weekend, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev publicly suggested that Putin “freeze" the Ukraine war and pursue peace talks, a proposal that has since been rejected by the Kremlin.
Russian retailer Wildberries says they are 'operating normally' following Ukrainian strike
13:15 , Suha KidwaiWildberries, Russia's largest online marketplace has responded to reports of another Ukrainian drone attack on a facility in Perm.
In a statement, the retail giant said that their sorting centre is “operating normally.”
With facilities in the Penza region and Udmurtia facing similar attacks, the Perm strike marks the third attack Wildberries warehouses have faced on Thursday morning alone.
At least nine other Wildberries facilities have been targeted in the past two weeks, after Kyiv accused the firm of helping to bolster Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
EU disburses €3.47 billion to Ukraine to boost country's defence systems
12:45 , Suha KidwaiThe European Union has disbursed €3.47 billion ($4 billion) to Ukraine to finance more drones, missiles, air defence and Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets, the European Commission said on Thursday.
The disbursement forms part of a €90 billion loan approved by the EU earlier this year.
The Commission paid a first €3.2 billion instalment to Ukraine on June 25 to help the country's government financing, before transferring sums of €3.9 billion and €1.1 billion for drones and other military purposes, respectively.
Together, this brings total disbursements for Ukrainian defence purposes to €8.5 billion, a Commission spokesperson told reporters on Thursday.
The EU expects to transfer €28 billion for defence by the end of this year.
U.S. 'interested' in joining investigation into suspected 'Russian missile' crash in Poland
12:15 , Suha KidwaiPolish prime minister, Donald Tusk has shared that the United States has expressed interest in taking part in the country’s investigation into what is now believed to be a Russian missile crash on Thursday.
In pictures: Kyiv reels after Russian strikes
11:30 , Suha Kidwai
Record 56,000 Ukrainians seek shelter in metro stations amid shelter crisis
11:00 , Suha KidwaiWith over 4000 shelters, Kyiv has more than any other Ukrainian city.
But the state ombudsman's office has found problems in 93 per cent of 1,066 sites it has inspected, including 125 in the capital.
Russia has killed 73 people in intensified attacks on Kyiv over the past two months, according to the city's military administration.
As demand for safe spaces has spiked — with some sheltering for the first time — the lack of proper sites has come into focus.
Current issues with the shelters include accessibility for people with disabilities, sanitation, and maintenance.
As a result, Kyiv's 47 underground stations have become some of the city’s most reliable shelters, though even they are not totally safe.
On Thursday a record 56,000 Ukrainian residents sought shelter in a metro station.
Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv's mayor, has said that city authorities have set aside over 1.1 billion hryvnias ($24.51 million) this year to repair `shelters, adding that since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022, they had spent 7 billion hryvnias.
Ukraine offers to assist Polish probe into 10-metre crater
10:45 , Suha KidwaiUkraine has requested that its specialists be allowed to help Poland with its investigation into an object that fell in eastern Poland, prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz said on Thursday.
While an investigation into the matter continues, the crater is believed to have been caused by Russian missile crash.
10:30 , Suha KidwaiRussian forces have captured four settlements in eastern and northeastern Ukraine, according to reporting by RIA, a state-owned news agency.
The defence ministry has said that Russian troops have successfully taken Chernihivka in Donetsk region, as well as Mala Slobidka and Mohrytsia in Sumy region and Yurchenkove in Kharkiv region.
Together, these areas cover the established eastern front, as well as Ukraine’s northern border with Russia.
Ukrainians left desperate as shelter situation described as 'poor'
10:28 , Suha KidwaiFrustrations have grown as record numbers of Ukrainians seek shelter in the face of mounting Russian attacks.
While the capital has seen metro stations become a popular alternative to traditional shelters, there are not enough to accommodate Kyiv’s three million residents.
Dmytro Dichenko, a 30-year-old musician and marketing specialist, shared his experience after he tried to seek shelter at a metro station last year: "Metro security treats people as if they are going there for fun."
Dichenko and his wife were turned away by security between waves of strikes.
Missiles had reached the city once they got back home.
Since then, they mostly stay at home during Russian attacks, as Dichenko's prosthesis makes it hard for him to run.
But Dichenko's experience is by no means unique.
Without adequate shelter provision, many residents across Ukraine have resorted to sleeping in underground parking lots, or relocating to basements — a choice that risks being buried under rubble.
For others, the only option is to stay in a bathroom or a corridor, with zero protection from a direct hit.
"The situation with shelters is very poor, given that we are now in the fifth year of the war.
"As a result, we are seeing a higher number of civilian casualties, " Dichenko emphasised.
Ukraine hits four Russian tankers at sea, commander says
10:15 , Suha KidwaiThe Ukrainian military has hit four Russian tankers in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, according the country’s drone force commander.
Polish PM claims unidentified object that caused 10-metre crater appears to be 'Russian missile'
09:45 , Suha KidwaiFollowing an ongoing investigation into the source of a ten-metre crater found in Poland on Thursday, the Polish prime minister has said: “It looks like it was a Russian missile, but we don’t have a hundred per cent certainty exactly what kind of missile.
"All the indications are that it was a Russian Kh-101 ballistic missile,” the leader told an emergency meeting.
Russian cruise missile violated NATO airspace, says Polish foreign minister
09:30 , Suha KidwaiA Russian cruise missile is believed to have entered Poland's airspace overnight, “violating NATO airspace,” Ukraine's foreign minister said on Thursday.
The event occurred amid Russian airstrikes confirmed to have killed at least 13 people in neighbouring Ukraine.
Russia says Ukrainian drones attacked the port of Taman in the Krasnodar region
09:15 , Suha KidwaiThe Russian prosecutor's office has confirmed that Ukrainian drones have attacked the port of Taman in Russia's `southern Krasnodar region.
Regional authorities had said earlier on Thursday that a drone attack on an unnamed enterprise in the village of Volna had caused a fire at the site.
Poland begins to investigate what caused 10-metre crater amid Russian strikes on Ukraine
08:29 , Suha KidwaiAn investigation is ”currently underway” after previous reports of a 10-metre crater being found in Poland.
According to local authorities, it was located in farmland about 2 km from residential buildings.
Now, an investigation to determine what the object was has begun, according to Poland’s defence minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Aftermath of Russian strikes in Ukraine
08:18 , Shweta Sharma
Poland's Tusk heads to site of airspace violation
08:04 , Shweta SharmaPoland's government spokesman says prime minister Donald Tusk is traveling to the area where an airspace violation was recorded.
Polish police found a crater and scattered debris in a field left by an unidentified object that disappeared from army radars tracking it in domestic airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine, authorities said on Thursday.
A Mi-24 helicopter that went to the object's last location to verify and confirm the radar data pinpointed the likely crash site.
At least 8 dead in Russian strikes as Zelensky calls for faster air defence support
07:41 , Shweta SharmaUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called on allies to speed up deliveries of air defence systems and anti-ballistic missiles after Russia's latest wave of strikes killed at least 8 people, including three children.
He said eight people have been killed across Ukraine with 70 missiles launched by Russia.
Saying the attacks showed the human cost of delays in military assistance, Zelensky warned that protecting Ukraine from Russia's missile threat "cannot be left to Ukraine alone."
“My condolences to their families and loved ones... Dozens of people were injured, and everyone is receiving the necessary medical care. All the relevant services are involved,” he said.
He said Kyiv and the region, as well as Dnipro, Lviv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, came under attack overnight.
“Given the critical shortage of air defence missiles from our partners, our warriors are accomplishing truly incredible things, demonstrating a very high level of professionalism,” he said.
“This is extraordinary expertise that saves lives when air defence missiles are not provided, or deliveries are being slow walked.”
Last night, a Russian missile strike on Radushne in the Dnipro region killed parents and three children. Two more children were pulled alive from under the rubble. It was an ordinary home, blown into smithereens by a ballistic missile... Rescue efforts are also underway in Lviv… pic.twitter.com/htxpbenMrA
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 30, 2026
Russia says enterprise caught fire after drone attack in Krasnodar region
07:32 , Shweta SharmaRussian regional authorities said on Thursday that an enterprise caught fire in the southern Krasnodar region, in the village of Volna, after debris from a Ukrainian drone fell there.
The authorities did not specify which enterprise was was affected.
Russia pounds Ukraine with 70 missiles, 280 drones, Zelensky says
07:17 , Shweta SharmaRussia launched more than 70 missiles and 280 drones during a major attack on Ukraine overnight, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
Zelensky said on the Telegram app that Ukraine continued to suffer from critical shortages in its air defences and he urged his international partners for help.
Polish police find crater and debris amid Russian strikes on Ukraine
07:13 , Shweta SharmaPolish police found a crater and scattered debris in a field left by an unidentified object that disappeared from army radars tracking it in domestic airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine, authorities said on Thursday.
Poland scrambled fighter jets to secure its airspace after Russian air strikes killed at least 13 in neighbouring Ukraine, including one in Kyiv, the capital, in attacks that spread as far as the western city of Lviv."
An unidentified object moving westward was detected in Polish airspace," the operational command of the armed forces said on X, adding that it disappeared from radars soon after the sighting at 3.40am.
A Mi-24 helicopter that went to the object's last location to verify and confirm the radar data pinpointed the likely crash site, it added.
"A helicopter crew located the probable crash site of the object in an undeveloped area near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin province."The crater was about 10 m (33 ft) wide, the interior ministry added on X.Police in the Lublin region said they received a report of a loud bang in Biłgoraj county, between the villages of Tarnawa Kolonia and Biskupice."
Officers discovered a crater and scattered debris from an unidentified object in a field located about 2km (1.2 miles) from the nearest buildings, between the villages," the police added on X.
Sirens sounded in Lublin for a few minutes to warn against the Russian strikes, media said.
Founder of Russian drone company shot
07:05 , Shweta SharmaThe director and founder of a Russian drone manufacturing company was shot and wounded early on Wednesday in what prosecutors described as an "attempted murder."
Andrei Cherezov heads the Russian Air Transport Laboratory, best known for developing the Ovod family of combat drones.
Cherezov was returning home from work at around 1am when he was attacked by an unidentified assailant in the city of Tula, about 150km (90 miles) south of Moscow, according to Russia's Izvestia newspaper.
Pictures: Residents evacuated from buildings after Russian strikes
06:48 , Shweta Sharma
Poland secures 10m-wide crater after explosion
06:29 , Shweta SharmaPolish firefighters are securing the site of a 10-metre-wide crater in Tarnawa-Kolonia, in the Lublin region of eastern Poland, after receiving reports of an explosion, Radio Zet reported on Thursday.
Sirens sounded overnight in the Lublin region due to Russian air strikes on Ukraine, PAP reported.
The Polish military said an unidentified object was detected in Polish airspace overnight and later the probable crash site of the object was found near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia.
Poland had earlier scrambled fighter jets due to the ongoing Russian strikes across the border in Ukraine.
Russia confirms attack on cities including Kyiv and Lviv
06:21 , Shweta SharmaRussia's defence ministry said on Thursday its forces struck what it called military facilities across Ukraine, in areas from the capital Kyiv to Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as three cargo ships.
The dry cargo vessels, which the ministry accused of carrying weapons and military equipment, were hit around the Black Sea city of Odesa, it added on the Telegram messaging app.
At least 13 killed across Ukraine as strikes expand to Zelensky's hometown
06:18 , Shweta SharmaRussian air strikes killed at least 13 people so far in Ukraine on Thursday, including two young girls aged five and 12, as Moscow unleashed a wave of missile and drone attacks.
The attacks reached from president Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih to the capital Kyiv and the western city of Lviv.
The attacks came as Zelensky returned from the US where he said president Donald Trump had agreed to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.
Air raid alerts sounded across most of Ukraine overnight, with explosions heard in Kyiv. Fires broke out at several non-residential sites in the capital after falling debris, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
One person was killed and two others injured in Kyiv, emergency services said. Six more people, including the two children, were killed in the Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions.
In Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, the two girls were among six people killed when a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile struck a private home, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city's defence council. Eight others were injured.
"A dark night," Vilkul wrote on Telegram, saying the missile was launched from Russia's Voronezh region and hit the home of a large family. He warned the death toll could rise as rescuers continued clearing the rubble.
In Lviv, near the Polish border, Russian missiles damaged two apartment buildings and injured 15 people.
Rescue workers were searching through the debris for anyone trapped beneath the wreckage.
Death toll in Ukraine rises to eight in Russia's 'massive' overnight strike
05:56 , Shweta SharmaOne person has been killed in Ukraine's Poltava region, bringing the death toll from Russia's latest wave of strikes to eight.
The victim was killed in a strike on a warehouse, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said.
The nationwide death toll has now risen to eight following a massive Russian drone and ballistic missile attack that president Volodymyr Zelensky had warned was likely before it began.
Pictures from Lviv and Kyiv show extensive damage
05:51 , Shweta SharmaLatest pictures from Ukraine show residents reacting with shock as Russian missiles and drones strike residential buildings.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the hard-hit cities of Lviv and Kyiv.
Two girls among seven dead in Ukraine
05:42 , Shweta SharmaTwo girls, aged 5 and 12, were among the seven people killed in the Russian attacks across Ukraine.
In the early hours of Thursday, Russia launched multiple ballistic missiles and drones targeting cities across the country, the Ukrainian military said.
The girls were killed when a Russian ballistic missile struck a private home in a village near the central city of Kryvyi Rih, a local official said.
Eight other people were injured in the attack, including two children, with authorities warning the casualty toll could rise.
In the capital, Kyiv, one person was killed and fires broke out at three non-residential buildings after debris from intercepted missiles and drones fell across the city, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
Ukraine's ex-defence minister says changes to military procurements behind his dismissal
05:29 , Shweta SharmaFormer Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said his efforts to overhaul the military's procurement system were the main reason behind his dismissal this month in a military and political shake-up.
Fedorov, a technical expert seen by many as an agent for change in the over four year old war against Russia, told the media outlet Ukrainska Pravda that the proposed changes met resistance from officials inside and around the ministry.
"The reason is connected with procurement, tenders, to the fact that we began overhauling the processes in this area," Fedorov, 35, told Ukrainska Pravda.
"This caused significant dissatisfaction among many people, who then started constantly exerting influence and spreading negativity, not just around the president but across the broader media space."
Fedorov, who held office for six months, said his first undertaking in office was to introduce a tender system for procurement.
"Our task was to fix the root of the problem as quickly as possible," he said.
"First, launch tenders. Second, restructure the management system in the Defence Ministry, and choose the people working there differently, based on the goals we came in with."
He said he saw pressure "from all sides as part of the process. That meant you needed simply to rebuild the foundation and the issue will be resolved."
Latest pictures show Kyiv residents taking shelter in metro stations
05:00 , Shweta SharmaResidents in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, took shelter in metro stations as Russia launched missile and drone attacks.
Families stayed overnight in the crowded underground stations amid warnings of a large-scale Russian attack.
F-16 fight jet crashes after a malfunction
04:56 , Shweta SharmaAn F-16 fighter jet crashed on a frontline mission, the Ukrainian air force said on Wednesday.
Its pilot was safe after he ejected and was transported to a medical institution for treatment.
In a statement, the air force said the aircraft was carrying out a frontline assignment to intercept Russian airborne targets before it crashed.
Experts were examining the crash site.
Ukraine has received multiple F-16s from NATO countries, including the Netherlands and Denmark.
What's happening in Ukraine after Zelensky's warning of massive Russian attack
04:20 , Shweta Sharma- Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine, firing ballistic missiles and drones at multiple regions.
- Kyiv came under heavy bombardment, with at least one person killed. Explosions were heard across the capital and several non-residential buildings caught fire after falling debris.
- Lviv, near the Polish border, was also struck. Two apartment buildings were damaged and six people were injured, according to local officials.
- At least six people, including children, have been killed and eight others injured in a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian officials said.
- Air raid alerts were issued across most of Ukraine as authorities warned of widespread missile and drone attacks.
- Poland scrambled fighter jets and put its air defence systems on high alert to safeguard Nato airspace during the Russian strikes.
Six killed, including children, in Russian strike in central Ukraine
04:13 , Shweta SharmaAt least six people, including children, have been killed and eight others injured in a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian officials said.
Emergency crews are responding as the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Russia launches dozens of ballistic missiles amid massive attack warning
04:01 , Shweta SharmaRussia launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday, with damage reported in Kyiv and Lviv.
Residential buildings in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv were damaged in Russian airstrikes, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Telegram, citing preliminary reports and urging residents to seek shelter.
At least one person was killed in the capital, Kyiv, the city's military administration reported.
Fires also broke out at non-residential properties in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi and Obolon districts after falling debris struck buildings, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a "massive attack" by Russia overnight and called on allies to provide additional air defence missiles.
He said Ukraine's air force had informed him that Russia had been preparing a large-scale attack for several days and that there was a "high probability" it would take place overnight.
In focus: How the wars in Iran and Ukraine are colliding on the world’s largest lake
03:00 , Harriette BoucherFears have mounted over the world’s two major wars converging after Ukraine attacked an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, with Tehran vowing to respond.
Iran claimed one sailor was killed and another injured in the Ukrainian attack, as the ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to protest against what it described as a “hostile and criminal” act.
Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday the reported strike on a commercial vessel “cannot go unanswered” in a call with the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
How the wars in Iran and Ukraine are colliding on the world’s largest lake
Telegram's billionaire founder Pavel Durov has faced legal woes before -- in Russia and France
02:00 , Harriette BoucherPavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, has repeatedly run into trouble with both the Kremlin and Western officials as he cast himself as a champion of free speech.
On Wednesday, Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, accused him of aiding what it called terrorist activities. It also said it was adding Durov’s name to international wanted lists.
The Russian-born Durov, 41, responded to the charges by posting an image of himself raising a middle finger on Telegram's official account on X. He has denounced previous Kremlin attempts to restrict Telegram as an attack on freedom of expression.
The case marks an escalation of the Kremlin’s efforts to tighten control over the internet and digital communications as it prepares for parliamentary elections in September amid rising public fatigue with the 4-year-old war in Ukraine and its growing economic fallout.
Read more here:
Telegram's billionaire founder Pavel Durov has faced legal woes before -- in Russia and France
Pilot safe after F-16 aircraft crash
01:00 , Harriette BoucherA pilot was forced to eject one of Ukraine’s F-16 fighter aircraft after a malfunction occurred, the air force said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the air force said the aircraft was carrying out a frontline assignment to intercept Russian airborne targets before it crashed.
The pilot was transported to a medical institution for treatment and experts examined the site of the crash.
Ukraine has received US-made F-16s from a number of Nato countries, including the Netherlands and Denmark.
Watch: Zelensky meets Lockheed Martin team to discuss 'further development of cooperation'
01:00 , Harriette BoucherZelensky counting on 'practical results' from Trump meeting
Thursday 30 July 2026 00:00 , Harriette BoucherVolodymyr Zelensky said he is counting on “practical results” after his meeting in Washington on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president said he briefed Norway’s prime minister on his talks in Washington, which he said were “good” and resulted in diplomatic progress.
“We are very much counting on practical results, and protection against ballistic missiles is the first priority and an everyday need.
“Patriot missiles and our joint production efforts are what save people’s lives. It is important that we achieve this anti-ballistic progress with America.
“We also discussed opportunities for pushing Russia toward diplomacy. And we addressed the risks – first and foremost, what could happen this winter.”
Every major Ukrainian strike on Russia’s energy infrastructure: Full list
Wednesday 29 July 2026 23:00 , Daniel Keane
Every major Ukrainian strike on Russia’s energy infrastructure: Full list
Zelensky urges air defence support ahead of suspected 'massive attack'
Wednesday 29 July 2026 22:45 , Harriette BoucherVolodymyr Zelensky is urging allies to provide air defence support ahead of a “massive attack” he expects Russia to carry out tonight.
He said Ukraine’s air force had informed him that Russian had prepared a massive attack several days ago, and there was a “high probability” it would take place tonight. t
“It is important that our partners fully understand what is happening and that the protection of lives directly depends on their readiness, or lack thereof, to help us with air defence missiles,” he said.
“First and foremost, this concerns the United States and those partners that have Patriot missiles and can provide them to support our defence.
“Every partner knows what is needed and fully understands the consequences of marking time. Please, in all regions of Ukraine, pay attention to air raid alerts today and stay safe.”
Ukrainian miner cuts back operations after Russian attacks on shipping
Wednesday 29 July 2026 22:00 , Daniel KeaneUkrainian iron ore concentrate producer, Pivdennyi Mining and Processing Plant, has begun suspending operations because of the disruption caused by Russian attacks on civilian vessels heading to Ukraine's Black Sea ports, the company said.
It added it hoped to resume production in August. Other companies have also curtailed operations after intensified Russian strikes. Shipowners last week halted vessel arrivals at Ukraine's main Black Sea seaports in the southern Odesa region.
The ports handle much of the country's grain and iron ore shipments that are Ukraine's biggest exports and an important source of foreign currency earnings.
"Pivdennyi Mining and Processing Plant has begun the process of suspending production and temporarily reducing work," the company said in a statement.
How the wars in Iran and Ukraine are colliding on the world’s largest lake
Wednesday 29 July 2026 21:00 , Daniel KeaneFears have mounted over the world’s two major wars converging after Ukraine attacked an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, with Tehran vowing to respond.
Kyiv’s attack on an Iranian vessel is a move to bolster US support at a crucial juncture, experts tell Maryam Zakir-Hussain.
Read our full story below.
How the wars in Iran and Ukraine are colliding on the world’s largest lake
