Russia has sent a letter to Nato threatening to use nuclear weapons if it feels its Baltic territory of Kaliningrad is under threat.
Despite a growing campaign of Russian hybrid attacks on Ukraine's European neighbours and allies, Moscow said it was Nato exhibiting "dangerous and reckless" behaviour that entailed "high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict".
The letter said Russia "will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory".
Nato said it had responded to Moscow directly, calling on Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine and noting “that Nato is a defensive alliance”. “We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,” a spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Russia plans to raise its defence spending to more than £150bn next year to bolster its war on Ukraine, according to a draft budget due to be submitted to parliament tomorrow.
And in Kyiv, overnight strikes by Russia killed at least four people and targeted energy infrastructure and data centres. The strikes, described as massive by the Russian defence ministry, saw Poland scramble fighter jets and briefly close two airports.
Read MoreWhy is South Korea unhappy with Ukraine over transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers?
Six dead after Russia’s long-range bomber crashes on training mission
Russia's ballistic missile and jet-propelled drone blitz keeps Kyiv on edge
Russia preparing to deploy 10,000 North Korean troops, warns Zelensky
Key Points
- Nato 'strongly denounces' Russia's nuclear threat in row over Baltic territory
- Russia raises 2027 military spending by 27% to £154bn
- Six dead as Russian long-range bomber crashes in far east
- Germany identifies air defence shortages as Ukraine's 'weakest point'
- Russian air strikes kill 3, injure 7 in and around Kyiv, officials say
- South Korea made no military aid pledge to Ukraine over transfer of North Koreans
Zelensky hails gains in 'Operation Vivaldi'
23:00 , Suha KidwaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has visited a military command post near Lyman in eastern Ukraine, praising frontline forces for reclaiming territory during a counteroffensive operation in the Donbas.
In a video posted to Telegram on Wednesday, the leader conferred with commanders, reviewing maps and handing out state awards near the strategic railway hub.
Zelensky said the operation, codenamed "Vivaldi", prevented a major Russian breakthrough toward the critical "fortress cities" of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, reporting that Ukrainian troops have recaptured 176 square kilometers of land in the sector since launching the counteroffensive earlier this year.
Vatican envoy holds talks in Moscow on POWs as Pope calls for peace
22:00 , Suha KidwaiPapal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has met with Kremlin officials in Moscow to discuss prisoner swaps and humanitarian relief, as Pope Leo XIV urges Russia and Ukraine to negotiate an end to the four-year war.
The Russian foreign ministry has confirmed Zuppi met with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov to address prisoner exchanges, the repatriation of displaced children, and civilian supplies in the occupied Kherson town of Oleshky.
Zuppi was also granted access to Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia. While Moscow claimed the visit proved its compliance with humanitarian standards, Kyiv continues to accuse Russian forces of mistreating detainees and blocking humanitarian corridors.
The mission coincides with a fresh appeal from Pope Leo XIV, who warned against rising global tensions, condemning leaders "beginning to speak about nuclear weapons and wars that are becoming ever more destructive."
India warns of major ‘food crisis’ in coming months amid El Nino and global conflicts
21:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIndia's foreign minister S Jaishankar has warned that the world faces a "major food crisis" in the coming months, as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East compound the effects of a super El Nino.
Speaking at an event organised by the Asia Society in New York, Mr Jaishankar said the two conflicts had "a devastating impact" on the economies of the Global South, and that energy, food, fertiliser and finance were all under strain at once.
"If you have energy as a big crunch and then food and fertilisers on top of it, and finance, because every time there's a conflict, money moves towards safe harbours and away from the Global South, the net result of it has been really very, very stressful," he said.
India warns of major ‘food crisis’ in coming months amid El Nino and global conflicts
Watch: Zelensky says Russia plans to deploy 10,000 more North Korean troops
20:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSouth Korea says Zelenskyy's revelation of a secret POW transfer was likely a play for more support
19:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSouth Korea’s spy agency said Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 's recent revelation of a supposedly secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to the South was likely meant to generate public support in this Asian democracy for greater assistance to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s disclosure during his U.N. speech last week of the transfer of the captured soldiers has stunned South Korea and drawn strong protests. Seoul called on Kyiv to apologize and explain the violation of what it said was a nondisclosure agreement about the transfer. Ukraine denied agreeing to any such deal.
The fracas surrounding the revelation has shaken the traditionally good relations between Kyiv and Seoul but it's unclear if it would lead to something more dramatic.
South Korea says Zelenskyy's revelation of a secret POW transfer was likely a play for more support
Watch: Three children injured after Russian glide bombs strike Sumy school
19:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain 18:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he visited a military command post near the eastern frontline on Wednesday.
Zelensky said he met servicemen who are fighting around the town of Lyman in the Donetsk region, where Ukraine has recently recaptured territory from Russian forces.
How Putin is sowing chaos in Poland as Ukraine war spreads across Europe
18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain“We are receiving information that Russia is preparing something big this year,” Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York recently, after renewed intelligence warnings suggested a planned Russian drone attack in Europe.
“I believe that Putin needs a pretext for mobilisation, so they could carry out a false-flag attack and tell the Russian people: ‘We are under attack, and therefore we need to mobilise,’” he added.
Poland has spent years preparing for a possible confrontation with Russia and repeatedly warns its neighbours not to undermine the threat from the east.
How Putin is sowing chaos in Poland as Ukraine war spreads
Russia pounds the Kyiv region, killing 4 and targeting the power grid
17:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainRussia pressed on with its weekslong missile and drone barrage of Kyiv and areas around the Ukrainian capital, killing four people including a child while targeting the power grid and a key internet exchange point, officials said Wednesday.
Moscow’s steep escalation of its aerial campaign since the end of August heaps pressure on Ukraine as it braces for winter, when Russia regularly bombards energy facilities to deny Ukrainians heating and running water.
Ukrainian officials say Moscow is not engaging with U.S. efforts to halt the fighting, 4 ½ years after Russia invaded its neighbor. Moscow says it wants a comprehensive settlement rather than a temporary truce, although its demand for Ukraine to surrender land is unacceptable for Kyiv.
Russia pounds the Kyiv region, killing 4 and targeting the power grid
Russia says European arms factories supplying Ukraine are legitimate military targets
17:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainFactories in Europe producing arms for Ukraine are legitimate military targets for Russia, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
Zakharova told a press briefing that European countries were directly involved in the conflict through their military support for Ukraine, adding that such activity delayed a resolution to the war.
She was responding to a question about Poland's apparent readiness to host a factory producing Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine.
No imminent threat to Nato territory from Russia, Rutte says
16:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainNato's Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday there was no imminent threat to Nato territory from Russia, in response to a warning issued by Moscow over the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
The threat assessment regarding Russia was unchanged from three weeks, three months and a year ago, Rutte said, despite the warning sent to NATO by Moscow in a document seen by Reuters.
In the document, Russia said it would be ready to resort to nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to cut off the territory, which is on the Baltic Sea sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.
Nato reacted with "a bit of calm", Rutte said. "Basically what we said is: 'Hey, listen, we are defensive alliance and stop the nuclear threat'," he said at an event held by Euronews in Brussels.
If Russia wanted to act against Finland, one of the Baltic nations, Poland or any other NATO country, it would be preceded by a military build-up, Rutte added.
He underlined the United States would stay involved in defending Europe by conventional and nuclear means.
Meanwhile Nato would continue what it was doing, namely supporting Ukraine and investing in its defence, he said.
He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no interest in negotiating to end the war in Ukraine.
"It takes two to tango," he said. "So far, it doesn't seem that Vladimir Putin is willing to tango when it comes to a peace deal."
Putin thinks he’s winning the Ukraine war – and I think he’s right, warns ex-Nato official
16:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAn ex-Nato official has urged Andy Burnham to “step up” the UK’s response to Russia as he warns Vladimir Putin is “winning” in Ukraine.
Since taking office, Mr Burnham has continued Sir Keir Starmer’s firm stance on Ukraine and pledged full support for the Kyiv government.
The prime minister has promised Britain is “100 per cent behind” Ukraine and travelled to Kyiv on his first foreign trip to mark the country’s independence day.
But John Lough, former Moscow-based Nato official and now head of foreign policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre (Nest), said he’s “not sure that our esteemed leaders have got their mind around” Russia’s position in the ongoing war, and the consequences a victory for Putin could have on Britain.
Athena Stavrou reports:
Putin thinks he’s winning – and I think he’s right, warns ex-Nato official
Germany identifies air defence shortages as Ukraine's 'weakest point'
16:00 , Namita SinghUkraine’s shortage of air defence missiles is currently its weakest point, the German Chancellor said on Tuesday, adding that Berlin is working with its partners to bolster Kyiv’s capabilities before winter sets in.
Friedrich Merz made the remarks during a briefing in Berlin, reported by DW.
Merz said he was raising the issue and trying to secure fresh supplies for Kyiv in discussions with multiple heads of state.
“At the moment, this is the weakest point. I hope that we will be able to prepare Ukraine for the upcoming winter, including in the field of energy supply,” he said.
Russia, he said, “will continue to bombard ruthlessly and destroy civilian infrastructure”.
“But we will not let ourselves be intimidated by this,” he continued. “We will continue to support Ukraine, because we know: Ukraine is part of Europe. If Ukraine falls, peace and freedom throughout Europe will be under threat.”
Nato should have 'a little bit of calm', says Mark Rutte
15:19 , Sian ElvinNato chief Mark Rutte said on Wednesday there is no imminent threat to Nato territory and that Russia's threat assessment is unchanged from three weeks, three months and a year ago.
If Russia wanted to act against Finland, one of the Baltic nations, Poland or any other Nato country, there would be a “military build-up”, he added.
"I think the best way to deal with this is to have a little bit of calm here on the Nato side,” he said. “We can allow a bit of calm, but also a bit of making sure we continue with what we are doing.”
Russia raises 2027 military spending by 27% to £154bn
15:00 , Namita SinghRussia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles (£154bn) on defence in 2027, around 27 per cent more than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, government documents revealed.
Total defence spending will amount to 50 trillion roubles in the next three years, according to the documents, reported Reuters. In 2026, the government planned to spend 12.1 trillion roubles on defence, but the actual amount is classified and will not be disclosed. Some military spending can also be accounted for in other parts of the budget.
Russian president Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik during their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Tuesday, 29 September
The documents also showed the government raised its estimate for its 2026 budget deficit to 3.2 per cent of gross domestic product, from 1.6 per cent of GDP previously. Budget spending in 2026 will increase by 13.2 per cent to 48.6 trillion roubles or 20.9 per cent of GDP.
The government is expected to submit the draft budget to parliament by 1 October. Last week, it announced plans for new tax hikes in 2027 to finance the growing deficit. The documents showed that a new windfall tax on metals and mining companies was expected to raise about 200 billion roubles annually.
Russian air strikes kill 3, injure 7 in and around Kyiv, officials say
14:00 , Namita SinghRussian air strikes killed three, including a child, and injured another seven people in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the surrounding region early on Wednesday, officials said.
The attack has killed two and injured four in the capital, Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram, and mayor Vitali Klitschko said fires broke out, affecting private houses along with a store and a warehouse.
Tymur Tkachenko, Kyiv regional governor, writing on Telegram, said that a Russian missile and a drone strike killed a child and injured three more people in the area, also damaging infrastructure facilities, houses, warehouses and cars.
Ukraine's neighbours, European Union and Nato members Romania and Poland, have both scrambled military jets to protect their airspaces amid Russian attacks on Ukraine, according to defence ministry and armed forces statements on X.
Russian military seizes food dropped for local residents
13:00 , Namita SinghRussian military personnel in Oleshky seized food packages dropped by Ukrainian forces for the residents of Oleshky, reported state news agency Ukrinform.
Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky Military Administration, said that the Russians have been taking food away from locals for a while and questioning how residents are obtaining food if it is not manufactured in Russia.
She added that if the Ukrainian Armed Forces were dropping the food, accepting it could be construed as cooperation – making it grounds for their detention.
Some locals have disappeared after being abducted by Russian forces, she alleged.
South Korea made no military aid pledge to Ukraine over transfer of North Koreans, lawmaker says
12:00 , Namita SinghSouth Korea made no promise to support Ukraine's fight against Russia in exchange for the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday, citing the country's intelligence agency.
Ukraine imposed no preconditions on the transfer of the pair captured during fighting in Russia's Kursk region, Yoo Yeong-ha, a lawmaker from the opposition People Power Party, told reporters after a briefing by South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly last week that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.
After Zelensky disclosed the transfer, South Korea's presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine and accused Kyiv of violating an agreement to keep the move confidential to protect the soldiers and their relatives in North Korea.
Ukraine has not apologised or expressed regret over the disclosure so far, Yoo said, citing the NIS.
Kyiv has said no secrecy agreement existed.
According to Yoo, Zelensky may have announced the transfer of the North Koreans because he had hoped it would spur public support in South Korea for providing weapons and other aid to Ukraine.
Why is South Korea unhappy with Ukraine’s disclosure of transfer of North Korean soldiers?
11:00 , Namita SinghSouth Korea has expressed displeasure to Ukraine after president Volodymyr Zelensky revealed the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul.
South Korea has demanded an apology from Ukraine over the disclosure, saying Kyiv breached an agreement to keep it confidential.
Kyiv has said that no secrecy agreement existed.
It comes amid questions over how the soldiers will be questioned in South Korea, and concerns about their protection, resettlement and the legal basis of their transfer.
Why is South Korea unhappy with Ukraine over two captured North Korean soldiers?
Nato 'strongly denounces' Russia's nuclear threat in row over Baltic territory
11:00 , Adam WithnallRussia has said it would be willing to use nuclear weapons to defend its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, in a letter sent to Nato.
Despite a growing campaign of Russian hybrid attacks on Ukraine's European neighbours and allies, Moscow said it was Nato exhibiting "dangerous and reckless" behaviour that entailed "high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict".
The Russian document said its response could include "Russian strikes against decision-making centres in the alliance's (Nato's) member states right from the outset of the conflict".
"Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should Nato countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country," it said.
Nato spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed the alliance had responded to Moscow directly.
"We have sent a response, noting that Nato is a defensive Alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia. We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. We call on Russia to end its unprovoked war in Ukraine," she said.
In focus: Putin's campaign to spread chaos across Europe
10:30 , Adam WithnallHow Putin is sowing chaos in Poland as Ukraine war spreads
Ukraine captures 250 Russian soldiers using 'zombie car' operation – report
10:00 , Namita SinghUkraine has captured 250 Russian soldiers as prisoners of war using “zombie cars”, reported the Telegraph citing a senior defence official.
Brig Gen Andriy Biletsky told the outlet that his troops reclaimed nearly 68 square miles of land in north of the city of Lyman in the military campaign named Operation Vivaldi.
He said that his command turned Soviet-era armoured vehicles into unmanned zombie cars to blew up a heavily fortified position, leading to the surrender of an entire Russian unit.
While vehicles have been used as improvised explosive devices, the new technology allows to steer them to the target in a “suicide” attack, without needing a driver to man it.
“The enemy was deceived and missed the real strike,” said Brig Gen Biletsky, who commands 3rd Army Corps.
The claimed surrender of 250 Russian soldiers is the one highest totals reported in a single operation.
'Dark winter' for Europe as Russia's sabotage continues, Belgian minister says
09:39 , Adam WithnallEurope needs to rapidly improve its air defence as Russia continues its hybrid actions in the coming months, Belgium's defence minister Theo Francken said on Wednesday.
"There will be more hybrid threat actions (in the) coming months. It will be a dark winter for Europe," Francken said at the Defence & Space Summit hosted by Euronews in Brussels.
"We need to scale up our air defences and we need to have more stocks, scale up production. Everything has to go faster," he added.
Belgium to transfer three F-16s to Ukraine this year, Zelensky says
09:00 , Namita SinghBelgium will transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year to help in its war with Russia, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
"There is an important agreement with Belgium on the transfer of three F-16 fighter jets by the end of this year," he wrote on X.
"We will work to receive these aircraft through an accelerated procedure."
Zelensky said Ukraine had already received "urgent deliveries" of F-16 ammunition from Belgium and Spain, among other countries.
Zelensky said later in his nightly video address that Ukraine had received delivery the day before of a "very good" assistance package of a NASAMS air defence system, developed jointly in the US and Norway.
He also said that talks were proceeding to ensure that Ukraine has a supply of missiles for the Patriot air defence system, which play a critical role in intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
Zelensky said tests were continuing to improve the efficiency of Ukrainian interceptors against Russian jet-powered drones, which fly higher and faster than conventional drones.
Of more than 100 Russian drones deployed on Tuesday, he said, 29 were jet-powered and 18 of those had been downed.
Russia claims massive overnight strike hit Kyiv communications centre and energy facilities
08:45 , Adam WithnallRussia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that it had launched a massive overnight strike hitting a communications centre and energy facilities in Kyiv, as well as Ukrainian port infrastructure in Izmail.
In Kyiv, Russia said it struck the De Novo data centre, which it described as a major internet traffic exchange hub supporting the Ukrainian armed forces.
In the wider Kyiv region, Russia said it hit the Kyivska power substation near Nalyvaikivka, the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant in Vyshhorod, the Trypilska thermal power plant and an energy storage facility in Horenychi.
And in the Odesa region, Russia said it struck an industrial complex at the port of Izmail used to receive, store and transport military cargo and fuel for the Ukrainian military.
Ukraine is yet to comment on the specific claims but said its emergency services are responding in Kyiv.
Debris found at Western embassy in Kyiv, mayor says
08:21 , Adam WithnallDebris had been found at the premises of one of the Western embassies in the centre of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Wednesday, citing preliminary information.
Klitschko did not name the embassy, but said emergency services were heading to the site.
Polish airports resume flights after major Russian assault
08:05 , Adam WithnallOperations at airports in Lublin and Rzeszow have resumed after temporary closures due to military aviation operations, Poland's Air Traffic Authority said on Wednesday.
Military aviation was operating in Polish airspace due to Russian strikes on Ukraine using "airborne assault means", the Polish army said in a statement earlier.
The army also said it had readied its ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance as a defensive measure aimed at securing its airspace.
Russian bomb attack kills two in Ukraine's Sumy, officials say
08:00 , Namita SinghRussian glide bombs struck homes and a school in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday, killing two people and injuring six, officials said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, said one bomb struck a house, killing a woman. A second bomb hit the school.
"An ordinary school, where children happened to be at the time," he said. "The building sustained considerable damage, but the children and teachers were in a shelter, and fortunately, thanks to that, no one was hurt at the school."
Governor Oleh Hryhorov, writing on Telegram, put the death toll at two, with three children among the injured. He said teachers and school officials had managed to evacuate 100 people into the shelter.
Sumy has been a frequent target of Russian attacks during its war with Ukraine. Russia's military has said it wants to establish a buffer zone in areas along the border.
Six dead as Russian long-range bomber crashes in far east
07:00 , Namita SinghAt least six crew members were killed after a Russian bomber crashed during a training flight.
The incident occurred in an uninhabited part of the Amur region in the country's far east, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday.
The sole crew member who survived the crash was taken to hospital with injuries.
Report:
Six dead after Russia’s long-range bomber crashes on training mission
Germany identifies air defence shortages as Ukraine's 'weakest point'
06:38 , Namita SinghUkraine’s shortage of air defence missiles is currently its weakest point, the German Chancellor said on Tuesday, adding that Berlin is working with its partners to bolster Kyiv’s capabilities before winter sets in.
Friedrich Merz made the remarks during a briefing in Berlin, reported by DW.
Merz said he was raising the issue and trying to secure fresh supplies for Kyiv in discussions with multiple heads of state.
“At the moment, this is the weakest point. I hope that we will be able to prepare Ukraine for the upcoming winter, including in the field of energy supply,” he said.
Russia, he said, “will continue to bombard ruthlessly and destroy civilian infrastructure”.
“But we will not let ourselves be intimidated by this,” he continued. “We will continue to support Ukraine, because we know: Ukraine is part of Europe. If Ukraine falls, peace and freedom throughout Europe will be under threat.”
Russian air strikes kill 3, injure 7 in and around Kyiv, officials say
06:30 , Namita SinghRussian air strikes killed three, including a child, and injured another seven people in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the surrounding region early on Wednesday, officials said.
The attack has killed two and injured four in the capital, Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram, and mayor Vitali Klitschko said fires broke out, affecting private houses along with a store and a warehouse.
Tymur Tkachenko, Kyiv regional governor, writing on Telegram, said that a Russian missile and a drone strike killed a child and injured three more people in the area, also damaging infrastructure facilities, houses, warehouses and cars.
Ukraine's neighbours, European Union and Nato members Romania and Poland, have both scrambled military jets to protect their airspaces amid Russian attacks on Ukraine, according to defence ministry and armed forces statements on X.
Russia raises 2027 military spending by 27% to £154bn
06:17 , Namita SinghRussia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles (£154bn) on defence in 2027, around 27 per cent more than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, government documents revealed.
Total defence spending will amount to 50 trillion roubles in the next three years, according to the documents, reported Reuters. In 2026, the government planned to spend 12.1 trillion roubles on defence, but the actual amount is classified and will not be disclosed. Some military spending can also be accounted for in other parts of the budget.
The documents also showed the government raised its estimate for its 2026 budget deficit to 3.2 per cent of gross domestic product, from 1.6 per cent of GDP previously. Budget spending in 2026 will increase by 13.2 per cent to 48.6 trillion roubles or 20.9 per cent of GDP.
The government is expected to submit the draft budget to parliament by 1 October. Last week, it announced plans for new tax hikes in 2027 to finance the growing deficit. The documents showed that a new windfall tax on metals and mining companies was expected to raise about 200 billion roubles annually.
Russian military seizes food dropped for local residents
06:05 , Namita SinghRussian military personnel in Oleshky seized food packages dropped by Ukrainian forces for the residents of Oleshky, reported state news agency Ukrinform.
Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky Military Administration, said that the Russians have been taking food away from locals for a while and questioning how residents are obtaining food if it is not manufactured in Russia.
She added that if the Ukrainian Armed Forces were dropping the food, accepting it could be construed as cooperation – making it grounds for their detention.
Some locals have disappeared after being abducted by Russian forces, she alleged.
Ukraine sets its sights on boosting high-tech exports, hails digital resilience
06:00 , Namita SinghUkraine aims to leverage its expertise in military technologies and digital innovation to sharply increase high-tech exports in coming years, including through the use of AI, the country's minister for digital transformation told Reuters on Tuesday.
Oksana Ferchuk said Ukraine was exploring cooperation agreements with the US, other countries and international institutions, drawing on its experiences maintaining digital services during the war against Russia's invasion, now in its fifth year.
"Ukraine during the war showed this tremendous speed of digitising the state services and providing the services to the population in a digital way," said Ms Ferchuk, who travelled to Washington this week to meet with US economic, cybersecurity and telecommunications officials, as well as senior leaders at the World Bank.
"We are ready to cooperate and consult other states in this experience, how it was done, how it was analysed, what is the architecture."
Ukraine, which has become a test bed for the newest weaponry during the war, is already helping other countries build their drone defences, but could do the same in non-military sectors, while incorporating AI technologies, said Ms Ferchuk, who previously oversaw digital transformation at the defence ministry.
South Korea made no military aid pledge to Ukraine over transfer of North Koreans, lawmaker says
05:55 , Namita SinghSouth Korea made no promise to support Ukraine's fight against Russia in exchange for the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday, citing the country's intelligence agency.
Ukraine imposed no preconditions on the transfer of the pair captured during fighting in Russia's Kursk region, Yoo Yeong-ha, a lawmaker from the opposition People Power Party, told reporters after a briefing by South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly last week that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.
After Zelensky disclosed the transfer, South Korea's presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine and accused Kyiv of violating an agreement to keep the move confidential to protect the soldiers and their relatives in North Korea.
Ukraine has not apologised or expressed regret over the disclosure so far, Yoo said, citing the NIS.
Kyiv has said no secrecy agreement existed.
According to Yoo, Zelensky may have announced the transfer of the North Koreans because he had hoped it would spur public support in South Korea for providing weapons and other aid to Ukraine.
Poland temporarily closes Rzeszow, Lublin airports
05:41 , Namita SinghPoland's Air Traffic Authority said on Wednesday that airports in Rzeszow and Lublin temporarily suspended air operations due to military aviation activity during Russian strikes on Ukraine.
Russian air strikes kill one and injure five in Kyiv
05:00 , Namita SinghRussian air strikes killed a child and injured another five people in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the surrounding region early on Wednesday, officials said.
Fires broke out affecting private houses, as well as a store and a warehouse, and leaving two people injured, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
Tymur Tkachenko, Kyiv's regional governor, said on Telegram that a Russian missile and a drone strike killed a child and injured three more people in the area, also damaging infrastructure facilities, houses, warehouses and cars.
Russian strikes leave Ukraine’s steel industry in shambles
04:02 , Namita SinghUkraine’s prized local steel factory, employing over 8,500 people, has been shut down after a spate of attacks from Russia.
Zaporizhstal suffered four major attacks including two in August and two in September, leading to its closure after all the equipments were completely destroyed.
“There are no windows left, and there are hole in the roofs,” an employee Denys Maksyshko told the BBC News.
President Vladimir Putin’s forces fired at least 17 missiles at the steel factory, killing eight workers and leaving 31 wounded, said Oleksandr Myronenko, the chief operating officer of steelworks owner Metinvest.
In focus: The critical infrastructure Europe - and Nato - needs to protect from Russia
03:00 , Nicole Wootton-CanePutin could attack ports, transport and communications in a bid to test Nato’s resolve. Experts tell Maira Butt that Nato members must start preparing for the worst.
The critical infrastructure Europe - and Nato - needs to protect from Russia
Russia boost fleet of ships sailing under its flag by a third in defiance of sanctions
02:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneRussia has boosted the number of ships flying its own flag by more than one third as it looks to keep oil flowing by avoiding tanker seizures from other countries.
Between January 2025 and June 2026, some 107 vessels were added to Russia’s flag registry, marking a 36 per cent increase from 280 to 382 vessels, according to analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) published on Friday.
European nations and the US have ramped up seizures and detentions of tankers violating maritime law by flying false flags and working as part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”, which carries Russian oil in defiance of Western sanctions.
You can read more below:
Russia boosts fleet of ships sailing under its flag by a third to defy sanctions
In depth: Inside the real war games as Europe readies for an attack by Russia
01:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAs warnings increase about a Russian attack on a NATO country, real-world war-games, whether played out around a conference table or on the ground as military exercises, are happening all the time. But the real danger is the potential for hysteria, fear and miscalculation to turn a shadow war into something much worse, writes Owen Matthews.
Inside the real war games as Europe readies for an attack by Russia
Russia to cut welfare and education funding in 2027 as war spending soars
Wednesday 30 September 2026 00:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneRussia will cut funding for welfare, education and healthcare in next year's state budget, in addition to previously announced tax hikes, to help cover soaring military spending, fiscal documents obtained by Reuters showed.
Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles ($202.58 billion) on defence in 2027, around 27 per cent more than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Funding for social policy, which covers items such as state pensions, payments to war veterans and maternity benefits, will shrink by 7 per cent in 2027. Funding for education will fall by 6 per cent and healthcare funding by 6.8 per cent, compared with the initial plan.
Spending under the "national economy" section, which includes road construction and other infrastructure projects, as well as subsidies for agriculture and other sectors, will shrink by 7.4 per cent in 2027.
Russia's budget situation has gradually deteriorated throughout the four-and-a-half years of war in Ukraine as the country has had to tap its fiscal reserve fund, increase borrowing and raise taxes to keep up with growing military spending.
Russia is drawing up a three-year budget in an attempt to improve long-term planning, but it has had to revise figures sharply upwards each year and has repeatedly missed its annual deficit targets.
Six dead after Russia’s long-range bomber crashes on training mission
Tuesday 29 September 2026 23:17 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSix crew members have died after a Russian nuclear-capable strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in the country's far east.
A Defence Ministry statement confirmed that the Tu-95 aircraft came down in an uninhabited part of the Amur region. One crew member survived the crash and was taken to hospital with injuries.
Officials said the bomber was unarmed at the time, and a team of military investigators has flown to the site to determine what caused the incident, according to the ministry.
A number of Russian Tu-95 bombers were damaged or destroyed in June 2025 during Ukraine's "Spiderweb" operation, in which covertly truck-launched drones struck several air bases hosting long-range bomber aircraft across Russia.
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Six dead after Russia’s long-range bomber crashes on training mission
Watch: Don't weaken sanctions on Russian oligarchs, Zelensky pleads with world leaders
Tuesday 29 September 2026 23:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneCIA warns Russia is preparing attacks on Spain, France or Italy with drones from the sea
Tuesday 29 September 2026 22:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe CIA has warned Russia is preparing to carry out drone strikes in Europe targeting France, Spain and Italy from the sea, according to a report.
Several European governments have been passed information about the Kremlin’s supposed plans to escalate its interference on the continent, an unnamed source close to the Lithuanian ministry of defence told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
Lithuanian authorities believe Russia could use an explosive-laden Gerbera drone, launched from the sea, to cause a fire, damage exposed equipment or temporarily close a port or airport, according to the report.
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CIA warns Russia is preparing drone attacks on Spain, France or Italy: report
Belgium to transfer three F-16s to Ukraine this year, Zelensky says
Tuesday 29 September 2026 21:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBelgium will transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
"There is an important agreement with Belgium on the transfer of three F-16 fighter jets by the end of this year," he wrote on X. "We will work to receive these aircraft through an accelerated procedure."
Zelensky said Ukraine had already received "urgent deliveries" of F-16 ammunition from Belgium and Spain, among other countries.
In depth: Europe’s far-right turmoil is only the beginning – all the signs point to worse to come
Tuesday 29 September 2026 20:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneGermany has provided the warning. Now elections across Europe will test whether nationalist and populist parties can turn growing support into lasting political power. John Kampfner reports on the terrifying surge of the far right across Europe and why it’s good news for Russia.
Europe’s far-right turmoil is only the start – all the signs point to worse to come
