Dramatic video has emerged of a huge fire off the coast of Russia’s Sochi resort town after a Black Sea oil tanker was struck by a drone.
Russia said clouds of black smoke from the tanker had blanketed the town, and warned that “crude oil is burning openly in the waters of the Black Sea”.
The Liberian-flagged tanker’s crew of 23 – all Indian citizens – have been rescued, said Russia’s transport ministry, while Ukraine has yet to comment on the incident.
Earlier, authorities in Kyiv said two people were killed in a massive Russian missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital overnight.
Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv at around 3am local time, with many residents taking shelter in subways and metro stations.
It came as president Volodymyr Zelensky said intelligence suggested Russia was preparing a massive fresh attack on Ukraine, and warned it was crucial that every ally with weapons should support his country.
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Key Points
- Huge fire off coast of Russian resort city after strike on oil tanker
- At least 15 dead in 'massive' strikes across Ukraine on Putin's birthday
- Two people killed in Kyiv as Russia launches another large-scale attack
- Zelensky says intel received that Russia is preparing for a massive strike
- Moscow behind sinking of ship off Bulgaria, Zelensky says investigation shows
- EU plans major new Russia sanctions
Planned Moldova-Romania power line to be named after Trump
11:30 , Shweta SharmaA planned high-voltage power line linking Romania and Moldova will be named the "Trump Liberty Line," the US embassy in Chisinau said on Monday, making it the latest infrastructure project to bear the name of US president Donald Trump.
The embassy said in a post on X that the project, "backed by a $130m US government investment", would strengthen Moldova's energy security and independence.
"The Government of the Republic of Moldova supports initiatives that benefit the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, especially those that ensure the country's security and energy infrastructure," government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici told Reuters.
Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries and a candidate for European Union membership, imports most of its electricity via existing links with Romania and Ukraine. Russian attacks on Ukraine's power infrastructure have disrupted those supplies in the past.
Trump's name has been attached to a growing number of projects around the world, including a proposed transport corridor through Armenia and a planned military base in Poland, as governments seek to win favour with the US president.
At least 15 dead in 'massive' strikes across Ukraine on Putin's birthday
10:57 , Adam WithnallAt least 15 people have died as Russian missiles and drones pounded Kyiv and a dozen other Ukrainian regions overnight, Ukrainian officials said.
Another 40 people were wounded, despite Ukraine having anticipated the attack, with president Volodymyr Zelensky warning the day before that Ukraine had intelligence Russia was building up for a “massive” strike.
The deadliest strike took place at an apartment block in Pryluky, in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region. Nine people died, including three children, and another 34 were wounded, interior minister Ihor Vyhivskyi said.
Deaths were also reported in three other Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, according to Zelensky.
“The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively,” the Ukrainian leader said on social media. He described the strikes as a "birthday gift" from the Russian military to their leader Vladimir Putin, who turned 74 today.
Zelensky blames Russia after drones sink ship off Bulgaria
10:30 , Shweta SharmaThe crew of a merchant ship was missing on Tuesday after the vessel sank in the Black Sea off Nato member Bulgaria following a drone strike that prime minister Rumen Radev described as a gross violation of international law.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack by air and sea drones about 70 nautical miles (130 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, but there are growing concerns about hybrid attacks by Russia as it wages war in Ukraine.
Shipping sources said it appeared to be the first such attack in the waters of Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
Radev said it was unclear whether the drones came from Russia or from Ukraine, the BTA news agency reported. Bulgaria does not border either country but it holds a strategic position in the Black Sea, where both Ukraine and Russia have major ports.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, said an investigation jointly with Bulgaria's navy showed that Russia was behind the "combined attack using both sea and aerial drones".
"The Ukrainian Defence Forces were conducting no operations in this part of the sea," he said.
Kremlin says Russia open to Putin-Trump-Xi talks on APEC sidelines
09:30 , Shweta SharmaRussia would be interested in a potential trilateral meeting between president Vladimir Putin, US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the upcoming APEC summit in China, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday.
The summit is scheduled to take place on 18-19 November. Ushakov said the idea remained at an early stage and that no practical details had yet been worked out.
He noted that, as China was hosting the APEC summit, it would circulate the agenda and there would likely be opportunities for a trilateral meeting.
Huge fire off coast of Russian resort city after strike on oil tanker
09:10 , Adam WithnallDramatic video footage showed a huge fire off the coast of Russia’s Sochi resort town after a Black Sea oil tanker was struck by a drone.
Russia said clouds of black smoke from the tanker had blanketed the town, and warned that “crude oil is burning openly in the waters of the Black Sea”.
The Liberian-flagged tanker’s crew of 23 – all Indian citizens – have been rescued, said Russia’s transport ministry.
Ukraine has not yet commented on the incident.
Black Sea drone attack that sunk ship off Bulgaria condemned as crew still missing
08:30 , Shweta SharmaEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable, after vessels were targeted in Bulgaria’s economic zone in the Black Sea.
The crew of a merchant ship was reported missing after their vessel sank near Nato member Bulgaria following a drone strike.
It remains unclear who launched the air and sea drones 70 miles off Byala, though concerns are growing over Russian hybrid attacks as it wages war in Ukraine.
Black Sea drone attack that sunk ship off Bulgaria condemned as crew still missing
Two dead as Russia launches 'massive' ballistic missile attack on Kyiv
07:33 , Adam WithnallRussia said it launched a “massive” aerial bombardment of Kyiv overnight into Wednesday morning, two days after one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow since the war began.
Ukrainian officials said this morning’s attack involved ballistic missiles and killed at least two people, as well as damaging civilian infrastructure.
Explosions were heard across central Kyiv at around 3am.
A rocket struck a non-residential building in the Podilskyi district, sparking a fire, a statement from the Kyiv City Military Administration said.
In the Darnytskyi district, a rocket strike caused a fire at a garage complex. The blaze was extinguished and the site sustained damage, officials said. Debris from the attack was also reported in an open area nearby.
The administration said two people were killed in the attack but did not immediately provide further details about the victims.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, said the broader Kyiv region was also subject to a combined attack involving drones and ballistic missiles.
In the Obukhiv district, three production and storage facilities were damaged, Tkachenko said. Fires broke out at the sites but had been contained. A truck and trailer were also damaged, he said.
Ukraine blames South Korean exports for easing Russia's fuel crisis
07:30 , Shweta SharmaRussia imported more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products from South Korean ports in July and August, helping Moscow ease fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on its oil refineries, according to Ukraine’s top sanctions official.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s presidential commissioner for sanctions policy, said supplies from South Korea accounted for 31 per cent of Russia’s fuel imports in August.
“These shipments began precisely when Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries were reducing processing volumes and creating a fuel shortage within Russia,” Vlasiuk wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
He cited available data and reports that tankers, including vessels under Western sanctions, had been involved in the deliveries.“In effect, imports from South Korea helped Russia offset the impact of losing its own refining capacity,” he said.
The claims come amid diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Kyiv after president Volodymyr Zelensky announced last month the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea – a move Seoul said was intended to remain confidential.
EU envoys set to approve major new Russia sanctions
06:30 , Shweta SharmaEU envoys are expected to approve about 1,650 new designations on Wednesday under the bloc's sanctions regime for Russia, with the majority focused on the country's military-industrial complex, EU diplomats said on Tuesday.
The package, proposed by the EU's foreign policy arm, the EEAS, will be the single largest set of designations since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Once approved by ambassadors, the listings will be sent to EU foreign ministers next Monday for final adoption.
About 1,570 of the new listings are entities and individuals involved in Russia's military-industrial complex, with over half concentrated on missile production.
Currently, the EU has just over 3,000 designations in its main Russia sanctions regulation, which entails EU travel and transaction bans as well as asset freezes.
The other new listings are Russia-related but under different frameworks including several under the EU's North Korea restrictions.
In pictures: Two killed in Kyiv in latest wave of Russian attacks
06:17 , Shweta SharmaAt least two people have been killed in the latest round of Russian bombardments in Kyiv.
Residents were forced to take refuge in subways and metro stations overnight as alerts were issued.
Two bodies were found after an air strike sparked a fire in a garage cooperative, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
Kim Jong Un hails 'wonderful' friendship in birthday letter to Putin
05:36 , Shweta SharmaNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged continued support for Russia and its war effort in a birthday message to president Vladimir Putin, state media KCNA said on Wednesday.
Kim said Pyongyang would continue to expand joint work under the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership, saying he was convinced that Russia's "sacred war of justice" to defend its sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity would end in victory, KCNA said.
"Attaching great importance to a comprehensive strategic partnership and allied relations with the fraternal Russian Federation, and continually expanding and developing our joint efforts is the unwavering line of [North Korea's] government and my personal, unwavering choice," he said.
"I am glad to have such a wonderful friendly relationship with you and to be opening a new chapter in the development of relations between our two countries," Kim added.
The message did not explicitly mention Russia's war in Ukraine.
North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine since 2024, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened ties sharply since Putin and Kim signed a mutual defence pact in June 2024.
Two people killed in Kyiv as Russia launches another large-scale attack
04:28 , Shweta SharmaAuthorities in Kyiv said two people have been killed in the latest wave of Russian attacks on the capital on Wednesday.
The attack coincides with Russian president Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday.
Multiple explosions have been heard in Kyiv overnight with many residents taking shelter in subways and metro stations.
Ukraine's Air Force previously warned of several Russian Tu-95 bombers approaching the border.
Zelensky says intel received that Russia is preparing for a massive strike
04:15 , Shweta SharmaVolodymyr Zelensky issued a video message to warn that Ukraine has received updated intel on “Russia’s preparations for a massive strike”.
“I ask you, please, to take care of yourselves and respond to missile threat alerts,” he said.
“Ukrainian services and our Air Force are ready to respond – as much as our defences allow.”He added that a lot depends on Ukraine’s partners to provide support.
“It’s very important that there be the political will to do this – particularly in the United States and in Europe.”
His warning came ahead of another round of bombardments in Kyiv overnight, with explosions heard in the city. With Moscow targeting the Ukrainian capital on a near-daily basis, it's not clear whether Wednesday morning's attacks were the "massive strike" Zelensky referred to.
Residents have been taking shelter inside metro stations amid the latest wave of attacks.
We’ve got updated intel on Russia’s preparations for a massive strike. I ask you, please, to take care of yourselves and respond to missile threat alerts. Ukrainian services and our Air Force are ready to respond – as much as our defenses allow. And a lot depends on our partners… pic.twitter.com/3IifRe2hBX
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 6, 2026
Russia strikes Ukraine's Kyiv in fresh wave of attacks
03:51 , Shweta SharmaRussia struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the early hours of Wednesday, damaging buildings and warehouses across the city, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, as Moscow keeps up nearly daily round-the-clock attacks.
Explosions were heard in the city, a witness said.
A separate air strike on Ukraine's southeastern city of Dnipro has damaged an industrial facility, the regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram, without giving details.
Moscow behind sinking of ship off Bulgaria, Zelensky says investigation shows
03:00 , Jane DaltonUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Moscow for the sinking of a merchant ship in the Black Sea off Bulgaria.
The crew was missing after the vessel sank off Nato member Bulgaria following a drone strike that Prime Minister Rumen Radev branded a gross violation of international law.
President Zelensky said an investigation jointly with Bulgaria's navy showed that Russia was behind the attack by air and sea drones.
Shipping sources said it appeared to be the first such attack in the waters of Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
Radev had said it was unclear whether the drones came from Russia or from Ukraine, the BTA news agency reported.
Bulgaria does not border either country but it holds a strategic position in the Black Sea, where both Ukraine and Russia have major ports.
Ukraine shifts to AI robot guns to tackle Russian drones
02:00 , Jane DaltonUkraine has shifted to using AI-enabled robot guns to intercept and take down Russian drones, said the country’s air force on Monday.
“Robotic turrets are now being installed on bridges” to respond to Russia’s newer jet-powered drones, said air force spokesperson Yuri Ignat.
“There have already been shoot-downs" of the drones, he said, including Russia's bigger and faster model.
The technology uses “optical vision and artificial intelligence to eliminate the human factor and deliver strikes,” Ignat told AFP.
Kremlin floats Putin-Trump-Xi meeting idea
01:00 , Jane DaltonRussia would be interested in a potential trilateral meeting between president Vladimir Putin, US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov says.
The summit is due to take place on November 18-19.
Ushakov said the idea remained at an early stage and that no practical details had yet been worked out.
South Korea selling fuel to Russia, Kyiv says
Tuesday 6 October 2026 23:59 , Jane DaltonRussia imported more than 176,000 tons of petroleum products from South Korean ports in July and August, easing the impact of a fuel crisis caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, Ukraine's top sanctions official say.
The supplies from South Korea made up 31% of Russian fuel imports in August, according to the official. Vladyslav Vlasiuk cited what he said were reports that tankers, including ones under Western sanctions, were used for the deliveries.
"These shipments began precisely when Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries were reducing processing volumes and creating a fuel shortage within Russia," Vlasiuk wrote.
A diplomatic row erupted between Seoul and Kyiv last month when President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, a step that Seoul says was meant to stay secret.
Russia drops case against children’s hospice founder
Tuesday 6 October 2026 23:00 , Jane DaltonRussian investigators have dropped a criminal case against children's hospice founder Lida Moniava after finding her actions did not constitute a crime, her lawyer and supporters say, a rare apparent reversal by authorities enforcing stringent wartime censorship laws.
Moniava was briefly detained in September and charged with deliberately spreading false information about the actions of Russian armed forces against Ukrainian civilians.
She denied the charge and was placed under pre-trial restrictions. Her Lighthouse charity continued its work supporting critically ill children and young people in the Moscow region.
In a post on Telegram, a group set up to support her during the case announced what it called a miracle. "We have incredible news — the criminal case against Lida Moniava has been dropped," they said.
Her lawyer said investigators had informed him that they had dropped the case, Russian news agencies reported.
Moniava has publicly criticised the war, calling it a crime that must end.
Black Sea drone attack that sank ship off Bulgaria condemned as crew missing
Tuesday 6 October 2026 22:02 , Jane DaltonBlack Sea drone attack that sunk ship off Bulgaria condemned as crew still missing
EU plans major new Russia sanctions
Tuesday 6 October 2026 21:01 , Jane DaltonEU envoys are expected to approve about 1,650 new designations on Wednesday under the bloc's sanctions regime for Russia, with the majority focused on the country's military industrial complex, diplomats say.
The package will be the single largest set of designations since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Once approved by ambassadors, the listings will be sent to EU foreign ministers next Monday for final adoption.
About 1,570 of the new listings are entities and individuals involved in Russia's military-industrial complex, with over half concentrated on missile production.
Black sea ship burns after reported attack by Ukrainian drones
Tuesday 6 October 2026 20:42 , Jane DaltonA ship in the Black Sea near the Russian port of Sochi has caught fire after reportedly being attacked by Ukrainian naval drones.
A huge plume of smoke rose over the coast and fire was seen above the city, in Russia's Krasnodar region.
The vessel’s identity and the cause of the fire have not been independently confirmed.
Russian authorities have not commented.
Kremlin preparing huge new attack, intelligence shows – Zelensky
Tuesday 6 October 2026 19:57 , Jane DaltonPresident Volodymyr Zelensky says intelligence suggests Russia is preparing a massive attack on Ukraine.
He warned it was crucial that every country that could back Ukraine with weapons should do so.
"There is updated intelligence indicating that Russia is preparing a massive attack," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
"Ukrainian services and our air force are ready to respond to the extent permitted by our available means of defence."
He said Ukraine's position depended largely on what its allies could provide in terms of weaponry to defend against a new Russian attack.
"A great deal depends on our partners, on every leader and every country in the world that has the defensive capabilities we need and can provide them to us," he said.
"It is critically important that there be the political will to do so, particularly in the United States, in Europe and among our other partners."
Estonia moves troops to Russian border as fears grow of Putin attack on Nato: report
Tuesday 6 October 2026 18:55 , Jane Dalton
Estonia moves troops to Russian border as fears grow of Putin attack on Nato: report
Tuesday 6 October 2026 18:00 , Namita SinghTwo people died and others were rescued after a fire on a ship in the Black Sea outside Romania's territorial waters, Romanian authorities said on Monday, as Ukraine blamed Russian drones for the incident.
Romania's interior ministry said 11 crew members of the ship which sank had been rescued.
The country's Naval Authority said the incident involved a fire on the ship Royad Mammadov.
Romania did not comment on the cause of the fire but Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said it had been caused by Russian drones.
A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Türkiye. Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board. As of now, unfortunately, we know that the ship’s captain was killed. My condolences. The fate of one other person is…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 5, 2026
He confirmed the death of one person in the incident but said a second person had yet to be accounted for.
"A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Türkiye. Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board," Zelensky wrote on social media platform X.
"As of now, unfortunately, we know that the ship's captain was killed. My condolences. The fate of one other person is still being established. Eleven crew members were rescued, one of them injured."
Ukraine targets Russian oil facility in a major attack
Tuesday 6 October 2026 17:00 , Namita SinghUkrainian drones have targeted a major oil facility in Moscow Oblast, in what Russian state media described as the largest attack on the region in two years.
A fire was reported at the Volodarsk Linear Production and Dispatch Center, near the village of Konstantinovo.
At least 650 Ukrainian drones were fired towards the capital during the overnight attack, with Russian air defence system downing 105, said Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Ukraine has yet to comment.
What will the next leader of the UN need to get the job done in an increasingly complex world?
Tuesday 6 October 2026 16:00 , Namita SinghOn 1 January, the next United Nations secretary-general will take over an aging organisation still controlled by World War II powers. What will the world need from that person?
Report:
What will the next leader of the UN need to get the job done in an increasingly complex world?
Tuesday 6 October 2026 15:00 , Namita SinghUkraine has shifted to using AI-enabled robot guns to intercept and take down Russian drones, said the country’s air force on Monday.
“Robotic turrets are now being installed on bridges” to respond to Russia’s newer jet-powered drones, said air force spokesperson Yuri Ignat.
“There have already been shoot-downs" of the drones, he said, including Russia's bigger and faster model.
The technology uses “optical vision and artificial intelligence to eliminate the human factor and deliver strikes,” Ignat told AFP.
