US secretary of state Marco Rubio has denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's assertion that the Trump administration is demanding Kyiv hand over its eastern Donbas region to Russia to receive American security guarantees in any ceasefire plan.
Rubio told reporters on Friday: “That’s a lie. And I saw him say that. And it's unfortunate he would say that because he knows that's not true and that's not what he was told.”
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said Russia will fight on until it captures the remaining areas of the Donbas region not under its control, reported the Financial Times.
People familiar with the matter said Putin has asked oligarchs to donate to the country's budget in a bid to stabilise the country's finances.
It comes as Trump suggested the US could divert weapons from Ukraine to the Middle East – despite Zelensky’s urging Europe not to allow Putin to take advantage of the escalating Iranian crisis.
The US president said: “You know, we have tremendous amounts of ammunition. We have them in other countries... sometimes we take from one and we use for another.”
Read MoreRussia is backing Iran in attacks against American allies – while Trump attacks Nato
Russia sending drones to Iran to help war effort, Western intelligence says
Key Points
- Putin asks oligarchs to donate to budget amid dwindling Ukraine war funds
- Russia decries Starmer’s move to detain vessels as ‘deeply hostile’
- Zelensky says will offer war-tested defence systems in surplus to allies
- Pentagon ‘may divert crucial Ukraine weapons to Middle East’
- Russia is using alcoholics from rehab and deploying them to front line
- Russia bans Oscar-winning documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin for promoting ‘negative attitudes’
Zelensky says he discussed defence cooperation with UAE president
09:00 , Tara CobhamUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he had met United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed security and defence cooperation.
"We agreed to cooperate in the field of security and defence. Our teams will finalise the details," Zelensky said on the Telegram app.
Watch: Kremlin says Ukraine peace talks on 'situational pause'
08:30 , Tara CobhamMore than 150 Ukrainian drones repelled or destroyed overnight, Russia's defence ministry says
07:55 , Tara CobhamA total of 155 Ukrainian drones have been repelled and destroyed overnight over a number of Russian regions, including the Moscow region, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday.
Russian air defence units repelled more than 30 Ukrainian drones during an attack in the Yaroslavl region, which the local governor said killed a child.
Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Yaroslavl region kills child, governor says
07:33 , Tara CobhamA Ukrainian drone attack in Russia's Yaroslavl region north-east of Moscow killed a child and injured three people, while causing damage to several residential buildings and "a retail object", the local governor said on Saturday.
"A child who was in one of the private houses in the suburban district of Yaroslavl region at the time of the attack has died," the governor, Mikhail Evraev, said on his Telegram channel.
"His parents have been hospitalised in a serious condition. A woman living in a neighbouring house was also injured. They are receiving all necessary medical care," he added.
Kim Jong Un gifted assault rifle by Belarus president
05:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUkraine reaching agreement on Middle East diesel supplies
04:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Kyiv was working on reaching an agreement with countries in the Middle East on supplies of diesel, the type of fuel most in short supply in the country.
Zelenskiy was speaking to a Ukrainian television interviewer while on a tour of Middle Eastern countries. Earlier, he said Ukraine and Saudi Arabia had signed an agreement on defence cooperation that lays the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation and investments.
Zelenskiy said he was discussing with his ministers and Naftogaz, the national gas production and distribution company, "a potential diesel shortage".
"I understand the importance of this task for Ukraine's security and believe that this issue will be resolved," he said.
"First and foremost, this is about diesel. Because about 90% of the potential shortage is specifically diesel. This is therefore the issue we are focusing on to resolve," he added.
Zelenskiy earlier said the framework agreement was signed ahead of a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The president hopes during the visit to the Gulf to bolster support for Ukraine in its four-year-old war against Russia.
Kyiv has sent more than 220 experts to advise several Middle Eastern countries on how to intercept drone attacks that have wreaked havoc on energy infrastructure across the region.
What is Russia’s shadow fleet and how is it helping Putin wage war in Ukraine?
03:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainBritish prime minister Keir Starmer has given the UK military permission to board and detain Russian ships claimed to be part of a network of vessels that allows Moscow to export oil around Western sanctions.
The prime minister said he approved more aggressive action as Russian president Vladimir Putin was likely "rubbing his hands" at the spike in oil prices driven by the US-Israel war against Iran.
“That's why we're going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin's war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine,” Starmer said in a statement.
What is Russia’s shadow fleet and how is it helping Putin wage war in Ukraine?
Ukrainian tennis star’s mental abuse lawsuit against WTA over Russian players dismissed
02:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA US judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko, who accused the WTA Tour and its former chief executive, Steve Simon, of inflicting mental abuse.
The legal action stemmed from the organization's handling of Russian and Belarusian players following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ms Tsurenko, once a top-25 player, alleged that the WTA failed to uphold a promise made by Mr Simon to ban Russian and Belarusian players who supported the war. She also claimed the tour did not prohibit "conduct detrimental" to the integrity of the game.
Ukrainian star’s mental abuse lawsuit against WTA over Russian players dismissed
Russia bans Oscar-winning documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin for promoting ‘negative attitudes’
01:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA Russian court banned the distribution of Mr Nobody Against Putin after authorities claimed the Oscar-winning documentary promoted “negative attitudes” about the government and the war in Ukraine.
The film, directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin, won the Academy Award for best documentary feature earlier this month as well as the Bafta.
Mr Nobody Against Putin premiered in January 2025 at the Sundance Film Festival where it received a special jury award.
Russia bans Oscar-winning documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin
Europeans vow to get tougher on Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers as a sea drone hits one of them
00:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA group of northern European countries vowed Thursday to harden the fight against Russia's “shadow fleet” of tankers exporting its sanctioned oil, as Turkish officials said that one of those tankers approaching the Black Sea entrance to the Bosporus Strait was hit by a naval drone.
Russia's shadow fleet is made up of aging tankers that are bought used, often by nontransparent entities with addresses in countries that are not sanctioning Russia. Moscow needs the vessels to dodge Western sanctions and sell the oil and petroleum products that largely finance its more than 4-year invasion of Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a meeting with allies in Finland that "we should go after the shadow fleet even harder.”
Europeans vow to get tougher on Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers as a sea drone hits one of them
Pentagon ‘may divert crucial Ukraine weapons to Middle East’
Friday 27 March 2026 23:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe Pentagon is reportedly considering diverting crucial weaponry initially earmarked for Ukraine towards the Middle East.
It comes as the escalating Iran conflict places significant strain on the United States military's critical munition supplies.
The potential redirection of weapons, including air defense interceptor missiles, was reported by the Washington Post, which cited three informed sources.
Pentagon ‘may divert crucial Ukraine weapons to Middle East’
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, banned from Olympics, speaks at United Nations
Friday 27 March 2026 22:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainVladyslav Heraskevych was shunned by the Olympics, then invited to the United Nations.
He never expected that would happen.
The Ukrainian skeleton athlete was not allowed to compete at the Milan Cortina Games because of his plan to wear a helmet paying tribute to some of those killed following Russia's invasion of his country. He spoke on a panel at the U.N. on Thursday detailing why he still believes he made the right decision.
Read more here:
Ukrainian skeleton racer, banned from Olympics, speaks at United Nations
Russia ordered to stop organising chess events in occupied Ukrainian territories
Friday 27 March 2026 21:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has delivered a stringent ultimatum to Russia's chess federation, demanding it cease organising events and asserting control in occupied Ukrainian territories within 90 days or face a suspension of up to three years.
The decision, dated 11 March but published on Friday, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute.
This ruling replaces an earlier €45,000 (£38,000) fine imposed by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), substantially toughening the penalty in a long-running conflict initiated by the Ukrainian Chess Federation.
Russia ordered to stop organising chess events in occupied territories
Ukraine closes on Mideast deals to help counter Iranian drones
Friday 27 March 2026 20:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUkraine is close to clinching several security agreements — including with the UAE and Qatar — to counter Iranian attacks, its foreign minister said on Friday, adding that he saw scope to draw China into peace efforts to end the war with Russia.
"We have the situation in the Middle East so it is important not to lose the global attention on the Ukrainian case, because everything is interlinked," Andrii Sybiha told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in France.
Kyiv is hoping to bolster support in its war against Russia, which is now in its fifth year, as the U.S. Israeli conflict with Iran raises uncertainty over whether Washington will restrict its military supplies.
EU's Foreign Policy Chief Kallas to travel to Kyiv with EU ministers on Tuesday
Friday 27 March 2026 18:45 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe European Union's foreign policy Chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday she plans to travel on March 31 to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, together with other EU Foreign Ministers.
They will discuss the EU's support to Ukraine, she said.
"We will also come with a clear message, namely that Russia must be held responsible for its war crimes," she added in a post on X.
France hits back at Lavrov, says Russia does not defend international law
Friday 27 March 2026 17:54 , Maryam Zakir-HussainFrance's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday that Russia does not defend international law either in Ukraine or Iran with its actions, in response to comments made by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in an interview on French TV.
"Mr. Lavrov was able to calmly spread his propaganda last night on a French television channel... You do not defend international law by launching a war of aggression," Barrot told reporters on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in France.
Speaking to France Television on Thursday, Lavrov said that by standing with Iran in its war against the U.S. and Israel, Russia's focus was upholding international law.
UK commits £100 million air defence package for Ukraine
Friday 27 March 2026 14:43 , Sam RkainaThe UK will urgently commit an additional £100 million for air defence support to Ukraine, helping to defend the country from Russia’s relentless attacks.
The funding will be rapidly deployed to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences, ensuring frontline forces and key national infrastructure are better protected from aerial bombardment.
This latest package means the UK has committed £600 million over the last two months in air defence support to Ukraine, reaffirming the Government’s determination to save lives and strengthen Ukraine’s resilience.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “As Putin continues his abhorrent attacks across Ukraine, my message is simple - there will be no let up in the UK’s support.
“Putin’s needless full-scale invasion has hurt households up and down the UK by increasing the cost of living and undermining European security.”
Ukraine closes on Middle East deals to help counter Iranian drones
Friday 27 March 2026 13:55 , Sam RkainaUkraine is close to clinching several security agreements — including with the UAE and Qatar — to counter Iranian attacks, its foreign minister said on Friday, adding that he saw scope to draw China into peace efforts to end the war with Russia.
“We have the situation in the Middle East so it is important not to lose the global attention on the Ukrainian case, because everything is interlinked,” Andrii Sybiha said on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in France.
Kyiv is hoping to bolster support in its war against Russia, which is now in its fifth year, as the US Israeli conflict with Iran raises uncertainty over whether Washington will restrict its military supplies.
Watch: Trump says US could divert weapons from Kyiv to Middle East
Friday 27 March 2026 11:00 , Arpan RaiPutin pledges donation of 100bn rouble to sustain war efforts
Friday 27 March 2026 10:30 , Arpan RaiRussia's president Vladimir Putin has asked oligarchs to donate to the country's budget in a bid to stabilise the country's finances as he presses on with his invasion of Ukraine, reported The Bell online media outlet, citing unnamed sources.
It said Putin met top Russia's businessmen behind closed doors on Thursday.
The Financial Times also published a similar report on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter. The Bell, citing the sources, said Putin discussed military funding and continuation of the war, which is in its fifth year since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russia will fight on, Putin said, until it captures the remaining areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region not under its control, the report added.
The Bell also said billionaire Suleiman Kerimov at the meeting with Putin pledged to donate 100bn roubles ($1.23bn).
As the war in Ukraine drags on, Russia is facing a double whammy of falling budget revenues from energy sales and of an economic slowdown, which affects tax income from other sectors of the economy.
Sources told Reuters earlier this month that the Russian government has been preparing a possible 10 per cent cut to all "non-sensitive" spending in this year's budget, but the final decision will hinge on the sustainability of the oil price rise triggered by the Iran war.
EU hopes Orban's blockades will end with his loss in Hungarian elections
Friday 27 March 2026 10:30 , Arpan RaiFew EU leaders will miss Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban if he loses 12 April election after he blocked key policies, including vital aid to Ukraine, but they don't expect his rival – if elected – to fully reverse Budapest's approach to Europe.
Most opinion polls suggest Orban's nationalist Fidesz party, in power since 2010, could lose to Peter Magyar's centre-right Tisza party.
Orban, who maintains friendly ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin and is also a close ally of US president Donald Trump, has often infuriated his EU partners, most recently by blocking a vital €90bn loan to Ukraine.
"This was the last straw that broke the camel's back," said one EU diplomat. "On our side, the hope to talk reason into Orban is gone."
If Orban loses power, diplomats from multiple EU governments say they hope for an end to Hungary's blockade of policies ranging from the Ukraine loan to sanctions against Russia and violent Israeli settlers.
If Orban wins and continues to wield his veto, some officials expect a push to sideline Hungary.
"It seems that 'more of the same' is no longer an option for most EU countries," former Latvian prime minister Krisjanis Karins, who spent years around the table with Orban at EU summits, told Reuters.
"If Orban stays, we will have to change how we work," added a senior European official.
Zelensky says will offer war-tested defence systems in surplus to allies
Friday 27 March 2026 10:00 , Arpan RaiUkraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said the war-hit nation is ready to sell its battle-tested defence systems in surplus to partners.
This would enable Ukraine to finance its own defence industry which is operating at only half capacity due to a lack of funding, and defence deals could help strengthen Ukraine's position.
“Our defence industry is currently operating at half capacity, and we need more financing to produce drones for ourselves. That's why we are ready to sell to our partners the systems we have in surplus. And we're not just selling – we'll provide our expertise as well. Interceptor drones don't work without our expertise. It's the system that works," Zelensky said, speaking to Le Monde.
He added that Ukraine is now discussing future deliveries of certain equipment that Ukraine has.
“We want Middle Eastern countries to give us the opportunity to strengthen ourselves as well. They have some air defence missiles that we lack. We would like to reach agreements on this. Funding is the scarcest resource today,” he said.
Russia decries Starmer’s move to detain vessels as ‘deeply hostile’
Friday 27 March 2026 09:30 , Arpan RaiThe Russian embassy in London has criticised the British government’s announcement that it could detain Russia’s “shadow fleet” vessels in its waters and threatened a response.
Moscow will respond with political, legal and "asymmetric" measures, the Russian embassy in London said in a statement quoted by the state-run TASS news agency.
Sir Keir Starmer said he had authorised the military to board and detain Russian ships in British waters to disrupt a network of vessels that his government says enables Moscow to export oil despite Western sanctions.
The Russian statement said Sir Keir's announcement was "yet another deeply hostile step directed at Russia".
"Reckless statements about the intention to attack Russian merchant ships directly show an aspiration to escalate an already tense situation in the field of security and international trade," it said.
“Such actions have consequences. Navigation becomes unsafe in British waters, where any vessel may be subject to piratical seizure. Russia will use all political, legal, and other tools at our disposal, including asymmetric ones, to protect our interests.”
Other European nations have also stepped up efforts to disrupt the so-called shadow fleet of tankers used by Moscow to fund its four-year war against Ukraine.
Russia is using alcoholics from rehab and deploying them to front line
Friday 27 March 2026 09:00 , Arpan RaiRussian officials are now relying on patients recovering from alcohol addiction and sending them to fight Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine.
A Russian serviceman confirmed a stream of new arrivals in his unit that included several Russians older in age, physically unfit and struggling with alcohol dependency, reported The Telegraph.
“I saw it myself – from Petrozavodsk, from Karelia, they recruited these f***ing guys from rehab, f***ing drunks,” he said, speaking to the newspaper.
He added that these men were first rounded up at a facility in Petrozavodsk near the border with Finland. The soldier said they were detained by “black recruiters” who held them in their custody by confiscating their bank accounts and draining their accounts of money.
Ukrainian officials have previously pointed out Moscow’s strategy of relying on vulnerable and weak recruits to prolong its war and secure gains on the frontline.
Russia and Ukraine both say they capture frontline villages
Friday 27 March 2026 08:30 , Arpan RaiRussia's defence ministry said its forces had taken control of a new village in its slow advance through eastern Ukraine, naming it as Sheviakivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.
Ukraine's military made no acknowledgement that the village on the Russian border had changed hands.
A Ukrainian paratroop unit said it had retaken a village to the south in Dnipropetrovsk region that had earlier fallen under Russian control.
Ukraine will aim to repel a widely anticipated new Russian springtime offensive along the frontline amid a breakdown in US-backed peace talks by building on recent tactical successes.
The campaign focuses on the "Fortress Belt" of heavily defended cities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
The Russian defence ministry report gave few details on the capture of Sheviakivka, but senior Russian military officials have said Moscow intends to build up buffer zones in both Kharkiv and Sumy regions on its border.
Ukraine's Command of Paratroop Assault Forces, writing on Facebook, said the 95th Separate Assault Brigade had taken control of the village of Berezove, just inside Dnipropetrovsk region.
“Step by step paratroops are pushing Russian forces out of Ukrainian lands," the statement said.
Zelensky and other officials have said Ukrainian forces have made advances in southern areas of the 1,250km (775-mile) frontline in recent weeks.
Saudi crown prince meets Zelensky in Jeddah
Friday 27 March 2026 08:00 , Arpan RaiSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Jeddah yesterday and discussed the regional escalation and the Ukrainian crisis, the Saudi state news agency said.
No further details were provided. Earlier this month, Zelensky said he had spoken with the Saudi crown prince and restated Kyiv's offer to help deal with Iranian drones.
Arrived in Saudi Arabia. Important meetings are scheduled. We appreciate the support and support those who are ready to work with us to ensure security. pic.twitter.com/5n6Qa72MID
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 26, 2026
Europeans to press US over Russian support for Iran
Friday 27 March 2026 07:30 , Arpan RaiEuropean powers have accused Russia of helping Iran target US forces in the Middle East war and said they would raise the issue with US secretary of state Marco Rubio at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France.
Rubio is joining the second day of the gathering of ministers of leading Western democracies, taking place amid wars in Iran and Ukraine, economic uncertainty and mounting unease over unpredictable US foreign policy under Donald Trump.
Two Western security sources and a regional official close to Tehran told Reuters that Russia has been providing satellite imagery to Iran and also helped Iran upgrade its drones to emulate the equivalent versions used by Russia against Ukraine.
Other media outlets have also reported that Russia is aiding Iran in the conflict with the United States and Israel, just as Tehran has helped Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
"We are raising this issue that we see that Russia is helping Iran with intelligence to target Americans, to kill Americans," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters at the G7 meeting in Vaux-de-Cernay abbey near Paris.
"Russia is also supporting Iran now with the drones so that they can attack neighbouring countries and also the US military bases," she said.
Watch: Trump says US could divert weapons from Kyiv to Middle East
Friday 27 March 2026 07:00 , Arpan RaiWhat is Russia’s shadow fleet and how is it helping Putin wage war in Ukraine?
Friday 27 March 2026 06:55 , Arpan RaiBritish prime minister Keir Starmer has given the UK military permission to board and detain Russian ships claimed to be part of a network of vessels that allows Moscow to export oil around Western sanctions.
The prime minister said he approved more aggressive action as Russian president Vladimir Putin was likely "rubbing his hands" at the spike in oil prices driven by the US-Israel war against Iran.
“That's why we're going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin's war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine,” Starmer said in a statement.
British military and law enforcement officials have been preparing to board Russian vessels that do not surrender, are armed, or use high-tech, pervasive surveillance to evade capture.
The Independent answers what the shadow fleet is and how it helps Putin in Ukraine:
What is Russia’s shadow fleet and how is it helping Putin wage war in Ukraine?
Russia bans Oscar-winning documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin for promoting ‘negative attitudes’
Friday 27 March 2026 06:30 , Arpan RaiA Russian court banned the distribution of Mr Nobody Against Putin after authorities claimed the Oscar-winning documentary promoted “negative attitudes” about the government and the war in Ukraine.
The film, directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin, won the Academy Award for best documentary feature earlier this month as well as the Bafta.
Mr Nobody Against Putin premiered in January 2025 at the Sundance Film Festival where it received a special jury award.
The film, based on footage secretly recorded over two years by Pavel Talankin, a school teacher in the town of Karabash in Chelyabinsk region, documents how “patriotic” lessons introduced after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 are delivered in classrooms. The lessons include lectures justifying the war, military-style drills, and visits from veterans.
Talankin gave the footage to Borenstein, an American filmmaker living in Denmark, in 2024.
Russia bans Oscar-winning documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin
Putin pledges donation of 100bn rouble to sustain war efforts
Friday 27 March 2026 06:20 , Arpan RaiRussia's president Vladimir Putin has asked oligarchs to donate to the country's budget in a bid to stabilise the country's finances as he presses on with his invasion of Ukraine, reported The Bell online media outlet, citing unnamed sources.
It said Putin met top Russia's businessmen behind closed doors on Thursday.
The Financial Times also published a similar report on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter. The Bell, citing the sources, said Putin discussed military funding and continuation of the war, which is in its fifth year since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russia will fight on, Putin said, until it captures the remaining areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region not under its control, the report added.
The Bell also said billionaire Suleiman Kerimov at the meeting with Putin pledged to donate 100bn roubles ($1.23bn).
As the war in Ukraine drags on, Russia is facing a double whammy of falling budget revenues from energy sales and of an economic slowdown, which affects tax income from other sectors of the economy.
Sources told Reuters earlier this month that the Russian government has been preparing a possible 10 per cent cut to all "non-sensitive" spending in this year's budget, but the final decision will hinge on the sustainability of the oil price rise triggered by the Iran war.
Canada announces additional sanctions against Russia
Friday 27 March 2026 06:00 , Arpan RaiCanada has announced addition sanctions against Russia, adding 100 more vessels from Russia's shadowfleet to its sanctions list, Global Affairs Canada said in a statement yesterday.
Just hours earlier, prime minister Keir Starmer said he had authorised the military to board and detain Russian ships in British waters to disrupt a network of vessels that his government says enables Moscow to export oil despite Western sanctions.
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, banned from Olympics, speaks at United Nations
Friday 27 March 2026 05:40 , Arpan RaiVladyslav Heraskevych was shunned by the Olympics, then invited to the United Nations.
He never expected that would happen.
The Ukrainian skeleton athlete was not allowed to compete at the Milan Cortina Games because of his plan to wear a helmet paying tribute to some of those killed following Russia's invasion of his country.
He spoke on a panel at the UN on Thursday detailing why he still believes he made the right decision.
“I think it’s important that we use this stage and talk about important things," Heraskevych said at the opening ceremony of Change the World Model United Nations, an educational simulation for thousands of students.
“Sometimes it feels like, in all these hours of training, we really forgot about the overall mission of sports. It is not only about the medals, but it’s also about values that we represent.”
Ukrainian skeleton racer, banned from Olympics, speaks at United Nations
Russia is backing Iran in attacks against American allies – while Trump attacks Nato
Friday 27 March 2026 05:20 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump’s response to this is to double down on his criticism of his allies and reveal that, while he rules in America, the US is sliding closer to being an outright enemy of the West.
According to several Western intelligence agencies and none other than the defence secretary of the United Kingdom, John Healey, Russia and Iran are “an axis of aggression” between Tehran and Moscow.
That aggression means that Iran has been getting Russian help, including the use of drones and electronic warfare and the tactical lessons the Kremlin has learned in the battlefields of Ukraine.
By any and every definition, that would make Russia an enemy of the US. This is not the first time that Western intelligence has informed the public that Russia has been helping Iran in fighting the US and Israel and in attacking US allies, including the UK, in and beyond the Gulf.
Russia is backing Iran in attacks against American allies – while Trump attacks Nato
Zelensky makes surprise Saudi Arabia trip for ‘important meetings’ as Ukraine steps up Middle East support
Friday 27 March 2026 05:00 , Arpan RaiUkrainian -resident Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for an unannounced visit, just days after revealing Ukraine's expanding role in Middle Eastern security.
Kyiv is reportedly assisting five countries in the region – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan – in countering drone attacks, a capability honed during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Zelensky confirmed his arrival on X, stating: "Arrived in Saudi Arabia. Important meetings are scheduled." He added: "We appreciate the support and support those who are ready to work with us to ensure security."
The Ukrainian leader had previously indicated that his nation is providing drone expertise and helping to build defence systems for these Gulf states.
He also suggested Ukraine could play a part in restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Zelenskyy visits Saudi Arabia as Ukraine provides expertise against Iranian drones
Russia decries Starmer’s move to detain vessels as ‘deeply hostile’
Friday 27 March 2026 04:40 , Arpan RaiThe Russian embassy in London has criticised the British government’s announcement that it could detain Russia’s “shadow fleet” vessels in its waters and threatened a response.
Moscow will respond with political, legal and "asymmetric" measures, the Russian embassy in London said in a statement quoted by the state-run TASS news agency.
Sir Keir Starmer said he had authorised the military to board and detain Russian ships in British waters to disrupt a network of vessels that his government says enables Moscow to export oil despite Western sanctions.
The Russian statement said Sir Keir's announcement was "yet another deeply hostile step directed at Russia".
"Reckless statements about the intention to attack Russian merchant ships directly show an aspiration to escalate an already tense situation in the field of security and international trade," it said.
“Such actions have consequences. Navigation becomes unsafe in British waters, where any vessel may be subject to piratical seizure. Russia will use all political, legal, and other tools at our disposal, including asymmetric ones, to protect our interests.”
Other European nations have also stepped up efforts to disrupt the so-called shadow fleet of tankers used by Moscow to fund its four-year war against Ukraine.
Zelensky says will offer war-tested defence systems in surplus to allies
Friday 27 March 2026 04:15 , Arpan RaiUkraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said the war-hit nation is ready to sell its battle-tested defence systems in surplus to partners.
This would enable Ukraine to finance its own defence industry which is operating at only half capacity due to a lack of funding, and defence deals could help strengthen Ukraine's position.
“Our defence industry is currently operating at half capacity, and we need more financing to produce drones for ourselves. That's why we are ready to sell to our partners the systems we have in surplus. And we're not just selling – we'll provide our expertise as well. Interceptor drones don't work without our expertise. It's the system that works," Zelensky said, speaking to Le Monde.
He added that Ukraine is now discussing future deliveries of certain equipment that Ukraine has.
“We want Middle Eastern countries to give us the opportunity to strengthen ourselves as well. They have some air defence missiles that we lack. We would like to reach agreements on this. Funding is the scarcest resource today,” he said.
Pentagon ‘may divert crucial Ukraine weapons to Middle East’
Friday 27 March 2026 04:15 , Arpan RaiThe Pentagon is reportedly considering diverting crucial weaponry initially earmarked for Ukraine towards the Middle East.
It comes as the escalating Iran conflict places significant strain on the United States military's critical munition supplies.
The potential redirection of weapons, including air defence interceptor missiles, was reported by the Washington Post, which cited three informed sources.
The missiles were acquired through a Nato initiative launched in 2025, designed for partner nations to purchase US arms for Kyiv.
The potential move coincides with a marked intensification of US military operations across the Middle East.
Pentagon ‘may divert crucial Ukraine weapons to Middle East’
Russia is using alcoholics from rehab and deploying them to front line
Friday 27 March 2026 04:00 , Arpan RaiRussian officials are now relying on patients recovering from alcohol addiction and sending them to fight Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine.
A Russian serviceman confirmed a stream of new arrivals in his unit that included several Russians older in age, physically unfit and struggling with alcohol dependency, reported The Telegraph.
“I saw it myself – from Petrozavodsk, from Karelia, they recruited these f***ing guys from rehab, f***ing drunks,” he said, speaking to the newspaper.
He added that these men were first rounded up at a facility in Petrozavodsk near the border with Finland. The soldier said they were detained by “black recruiters” who held them in their custody by confiscating their bank accounts and draining their accounts of money.
Ukrainian officials have previously pointed out Moscow’s strategy of relying on vulnerable and weak recruits to prolong its war and secure gains on the frontline.
Russia and Ukraine both say they capture frontline villages
Friday 27 March 2026 03:40 , Arpan RaiRussia's defence ministry said its forces had taken control of a new village in its slow advance through eastern Ukraine, naming it as Sheviakivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.
Ukraine's military made no acknowledgement that the village on the Russian border had changed hands.
A Ukrainian paratroop unit said it had retaken a village to the south in Dnipropetrovsk region that had earlier fallen under Russian control.
Ukraine will aim to repel a widely anticipated new Russian springtime offensive along the frontline amid a breakdown in US-backed peace talks by building on recent tactical successes.
The campaign focuses on the "Fortress Belt" of heavily defended cities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
The Russian defence ministry report gave few details on the capture of Sheviakivka, but senior Russian military officials have said Moscow intends to build up buffer zones in both Kharkiv and Sumy regions on its border.
Ukraine's Command of Paratroop Assault Forces, writing on Facebook, said the 95th Separate Assault Brigade had taken control of the village of Berezove, just inside Dnipropetrovsk region.
“Step by step paratroops are pushing Russian forces out of Ukrainian lands," the statement said.
Zelensky and other officials have said Ukrainian forces have made advances in southern areas of the 1,250km (775-mile) frontline in recent weeks.
Putin asks oligarchs to donate to budget amid dwindling Ukraine war funds
Friday 27 March 2026 03:09 , Arpan RaiRussian president Vladimir Putin has asked oligarchs to donate to the country's budget in a bid to stabilise the country's finances as he presses on with his invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Times reported, citing three people familiar with the matter.
Russia will fight on, Putin said, until it captures the remaining areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region not under its control, the report added.