Russia’s largest search engine operator and tech giant Yandex says it is struggling to keep services running after suffering strikes on two of its major data centres.
"Our teams are working day and night to do everything possible to keep services running and to help those affected by the incident. Right now this is our most important task, but unfortunately it is not an easy one," the company said in a statement.
Yandex said it was very difficult to estimate how long it would take to restore the damaged equipment.
Earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine defend itself after a Russian bomb attack on two passenger buses killed at least 35 people.
Speaking to reporters in Pryluky, the Ukrainian leader criticised Washington for pursuing economic ties with Moscow while attempting to broker an end to the war, now in its fifth year.
Ukrainian negotiators are travelling to the US today for talks with their American counterparts, Zelensky added, urging Donald Trump to increase sanction pressure on Russia.
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Key Points
- Russia's Yandex says 'not easy' to keep services running after Ukrainian drone attacks
- Zelensky calls for US to expand Starlink access after deadly bus strikes
- Ukrainian negotiators to travel to Miami for talks
- Russia agrees with Rubio that Ukraine conflict is in a stalemate
- Two dead in drone strikes in Russia's Belgorod region
- Ukraine grapples with a shortage of troops at the front after over 4 years of war
Russia's Yandex says 'not easy' to keep services running after Ukrainian drone attacks
10:45 , Adam WithnallRussia’s largest search engine operator and tech giant Yandex says it is struggling to keep services running after suffering strikes on two of its major data centres.
"Our teams are working day and night to do everything possible to keep services running and to help those affected by the incident. Right now this is our most important task, but unfortunately it is not an easy one," the company said in a statement.
Yandex said it was very difficult to estimate how long it would take to restore the damaged equipment.
Kremlin: Russia agrees with Rubio that Ukraine conflict is in a stalemate
10:15 , Shweta SharmaKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Thursday that Russia agreed with US secretary of state Marco Rubio that the Ukraine conflict was in a stalemate.
"Yes, we agree with him," Russian news agencies quoted Peskov as saying on the sidelines of a meeting of leaders of ex-Soviet states in Turkmenistan.
State news agency RIA quoted Peskov as saying it was up to diplomats to find ways of moving towards peace.
"The art of diplomacy precisely involves finding some way out that would allow moving onto a peaceful track," Peskov was quoted as saying.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet Ukrainian representatives on Friday in Miami to discuss new ideas and try to produce a unified proposal for resolving the war, an American source familiar with the plan said on Thursday.
Peskov was quoted as saying he saw no immediate prospect for a three-way summit between Putin, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US president Donald Trump.
He restated the Kremlin's position that Russia wanted an overall solution to the conflict and was not interested in temporary measures, like a limited ceasefire.
"We are not for a fragmented solution, we are for a comprehensive solution that will allow for sustainable settlement for many, many years, for decades," the agencies quoted him as saying.
Zelensky accuses US of inaction as Russian strikes kill over 70 in two days
09:15 , Shweta SharmaUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack on Thursday killed at least 35 people in the east, sending the two-day death toll from Russian strikes to over 70.
Hours after the strike on the embattled city of Kramatorsk tore through two buses, Zelensky criticised Washington's effort to pursue economic ties with Russia while also seeking to mediate the more than four-year war.
City authorities reported a new drone attack in the evening that killed two people. That brought to 35 the total death toll in the city.
Local authorities reported that a Russian guided aerial bomb killed two people in a village in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk and one person died in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.
The attacks were launched a day after a mass Russian drone and missile assault killed dozens across Ukraine – 22 of them in a residential building in the central town of Pryluky, around 130km (80 miles) east of Kyiv.
Speaking in the early evening, Zelensky said 78 people were killed and 215 wounded by strikes in the last two days across Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters in Pryluky, the Ukrainian leader urged the US to accede to his requests to expand Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite service to help it target Russian ballistic-missile launchers.
Schroeder celebrates Putin's birthday at president's home
08:15 , Shweta SharmaFormer German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended celebrations for Russian president Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday at the leader's home, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Pictures posted on Telegram showed Schroeder and Putin smiling broadly and shaking hands, with an old-style stove and a Russian samovar used to boil water for tea in the background.
"Vladimir Putin found out from the morning news the day before that Gerhard Schroeder was in Moscow and had come on business for the company Globus," the Kremlin said on Telegram.
"The president invited his old friend to his home. Gerhard Schroeder was with Vladimir Putin when the head of state celebrated his birthday yesterday."
Schroeder, who served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, recently joined the supervisory board of Russian supermarket chain Hyperglobus.
He visited one of its Moscow stores on Wednesday and was greeted with applause from employees, Russian TV footage showed.
Schroeder has faced criticism, including in Germany, over his links to Russian business and Putin, ties that have persisted despite Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent waves of Western sanctions.
Putin suggested in May that Schroeder could represent European countries in peace talks to settle the conflict.
European foreign ministers rejected the notion of any such role for Schroeder.
Why North Korea is at the heart of South Korea’s strange rift with Ukraine
07:15 , Shweta SharmaThe unusual public confrontation between Ukraine and South Korea has raised questions about how relations between two nations facing the consequences of growing Russian-North Korean military cooperation deteriorated so sharply, Shweta Sharma reports.
Why North Korea is at the heart of South Korea’s strange rift with Ukraine
Zelensky's comments about American inaction in full
06:59 , Shweta SharmaVolodymyr Zelensky accused the US of “unwillingness” to help in the war after Russian strikes killed more than 70 people over two days.
Speaking to reporters in Pryluky after a Russian guided aerial bomb attack on Kramatorsk that killed at least 30 people, he pushed back against US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s earlier comment that the war was at a “stalemate” and that Washington would keep working toward a settlement.
“We have heard about many different moments during the war. Many hopeless situations, difficult corners and so on. We – people, leaders, politicians – drive ourselves into a corner… Even on the first day of the war, we were not in a corner. Because one person tried to drive an entire nation into a corner, and the nation rose up and defended its state,” he said.
“You see, you cannot negotiate economic projects for the future with the Russians on the one hand and, on the other, say that we are at a… diplomatic deadlock. We are not at a diplomatic stalemate. Shut down their entire economy. Shut Russia’s mouth. Do not feed them with your sales. Just impose sanctions on their weapons. Open Starlink to us, to Ukraine,” he added.
“So where’s the truth here, where’s the honesty? Where’s the stalemate? ... That’s called unwillingness,” he said.
“One cannot, on the one hand, negotiate with the Russians about future economic projects, whilst on the other hand say that we find ourselves in some sort of … diplomatic stalemate,” Zelensky added.
Former Ukrainian security officer claims military intelligence ordered Monaco bombing
06:39 , Shweta SharmaA former Ukrainian security services officer linked to a bomb attack targeting a millionaire businessman in Monaco has claimed that the operation was authorised by senior figures in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, HUR.
Vitalii Zhykovych alleged that an active-duty HUR officer, Vladyslav Reut, had proposed the operation against Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolayev, in an interview with the BBC.
Yermolayev and his 13-year-old son were seriously injured in the June explosion, while his partner suffered catastrophic injuries.
Zhykovych, who describes himself as a freelance operative for Ukraine’s SBU security service, said he believed the mission had official approval.
“As Reut informed me, this operation […] had been authorised and approved by Reut's superiors, who served in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence [HUR],” he said.
He denied involvement in planting the bomb or killing Anastasia Berezovska, the woman filmed placing the explosive device in Monaco. Her body was discovered with gunshot wounds in woodland near Kyiv a week later.
Zhykovych and Reut were subsequently arrested over her murder.
Reut initially confessed to investigators before changing his account in court to blame Zhykovych.
HUR has not commented on the latest allegations but previously said it was committed to a full investigation and would cooperate with law enforcement authorities.
Ukrainian negotiators to travel to US for talks
06:15 , Shweta SharmaA Ukrainian delegation will travel to the US on Friday and Saturday for talks aimed at advancing efforts to end the war, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Zelensky urged US president Donald Trump to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and said he expected Ukraine’s European allies to participate in the discussions.
The talks, scheduled to take place in Florida, will involve Zelensky’s chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, alongside senior Ukrainian officials Rustem Umerov, Sergiy Kyslytsya and David Arakhamia.
Ukrainian drone strike sparks fire at industrial facility in Russia
05:56 , Shweta SharmaA Ukrainian drone attack has sparked a fire at an industrial facility in Russia’s Tver region, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
TASS cited the regional governor as confirming the blaze following the attack.
The extent of the damage and whether there were any casualties were not immediately clear.
UN rights chief condemns ‘horrifying’ Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians
05:30 , Shweta SharmaUN human rights chief Volker Turk has condemned a wave of deadly Russian strikes across Ukraine, including Thursday’s attack on two civilian buses in Kramatorsk.
“I am appalled by the wave of attacks killing civilians across Ukraine over the past four days, including today’s horrifying strike hitting two public buses,” he said in a statement.
“The scale and manner of these attacks – killing and injuring people on buses, at their homes and work in different areas of the country – is reprehensible.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian strikes had killed 78 people and wounded 215 others across the country over the past two days.
Russian air strike kills one, injures two in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, official says
04:45 , Shweta SharmaA Russian air strike has killed one person and injured two others in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, acting governor Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram on Friday.
Ed Miliband says UK 'will not relent in its support for Ukraine'
04:30 , Shweta SharmaUK foreign secretary Ed Miliband visited the site of the Russian strike in Pryluky along with Volodymyr Zelensky, where he condemned Vladimir Putin's "evil intent and evil strategy".
He announced "more sanctions on Russia, on the war machine of Putin, on the shadow fleet, on the oil companies, on the crypto, on the financing of the war".
“My message to Putin is clear – you cannot wait us out. Until you choose the path of peace, the UK will not relent in its support for Ukraine, our values, or our national security. You will remain a pariah,” he said.
They visited a site where 22 people, including five children, were killed in a single strike on a five-storey block of flats in Pryluky on Wednesday.
The sanctions package, which includes around 40 targets across Russia’s financial, oil and technology sectors, is designed to disrupt Russia’s supply chain and cut off financing streams.
Zelensky calls for US to expand Starlink access after deadly bus strikes
04:12 , Shweta SharmaVolodymyr Zelensky urged the US to accede to his request to expand Ukraine’s access to its Starlink satellite service in order to better target Russian ballistic missile launchers, after Moscow launched one of the deadliest single aerial attacks of the war so far.
Speaking to reporters in Pryluky in the east of Kyiv, he said: “Open Starlink for Ukraine. You did open it when you were responding to Iran ... I’ve said quite openly – give it to us, help us defend our skies and dominate there. And then Putin will sit down at the negotiating table.”
At least 30 people were killed in a Russian glide bomb attack on two civilian buses in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, rescue officials said.
Three others were killed in the nearby village of Bilenke, while 18 people were wounded, according to Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin, who accused Russia of deliberately targeting passenger buses to maximise civilian casualties.
Two dead in drone strikes in Russia's Belgorod region, officials say
03:00 , Alex RossTwo people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes on Thursday in Russia's border region of Belgorod, regional officials said.
The regional operational headquarters reported one person died when a drone struck a car.
A later evening strike killed one person and injured three.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Belgorod region has been a frequent target of Ukraine's forces.
Indian imports of Russian oil sink to lowest level since 2022
02:00 , Daniel KeaneIndian imports of Russian oil have their lowest level since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, according to a report.
In the four weeks up to 4 October, shipments of Russian rude averaged just 310,000 barrels a day, Bloomberg data showed. This is the lowest level since March 2022.
India has gradually reduced its dependence on Russian oil since the US threatened punitive sanctions earlier this year.
Zelensky says Ukraine expects Europeans to join talks with US
01:00 , Alex RossVolodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine expected Kyiv's European partners to join talks with the US in coming days.
Zelenskiy earlier said that Ukraine's negotiators would hold talks in the United States on Friday and Saturday as part of efforts led by the United States to seek a settlement of the war with Russia.
The president, speaking to reporters in Kyiv, said Ukrainian negotiators would raise the issue of air defences in light of near-constant Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. More than 70 have been killed in strikes over the past two days.
Zelenskiy also said Ukraine had "mirrored" Russian attacks on data centres, referring to a strike on a centre operated by Russian technology company Yandex.
"We always respond in mirror-like fashion," Zelenskiy said. "You all know, they have been hitting and continue to hit our data centres. We are responding. I can't share all the details."
Russian technology and AI company Yandex said on Thursday it could not yet determine whether equipment at a data centre hit by a Ukrainian drone attack could be restored.
Russian drone strike on Kramatorsk kills two, local authorities say
Friday 9 October 2026 00:01 , Alex RossA new evening drone strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk killed two people on Thursday, local authorities said.
The Kramatorsk city council, in a post on Telegram, said the drone struck a car, killing two people inside. It said a total of 35 people had been killed in the city after a bomb attack tore through two buses.
Russia agrees with Rubio that Ukraine conflict is in a stalemate
Thursday 8 October 2026 22:55 , Alex RossKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Thursday that Russia agreed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the Ukraine conflict was in a stalemate.
"Yes, we agree with him," Russian news agencies quoted Peskov as saying on the sidelines of a meeting of leaders of ex-Soviet states in Turkmenistan.
State news agency RIA quoted Peskov as saying it was up to diplomats to find ways of moving towards peace.
"The art of diplomacy precisely involves finding some way out that would allow moving onto a peaceful track," Peskov was quoted as saying.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet Ukrainian representatives on Friday in Miami to discuss new ideas and try to produce a unified proposal for resolving the war, an American source familiar with the plan said on Thursday.
Peskov was quoted as saying he saw no immediate prospect for a three-way summit between Putin, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
He restated the Kremlin's position that Russia wanted an overall solution to the conflict and was not interested in temporary measures, like a limited ceasefire.
"We are not for a fragmented solution, we are for a comprehensive solution that will allow for sustainable settlement for many, many years, for decades," the agencies quoted him as saying.
The crippling effect we’re all feeling from the deadlock in Ukraine’s war with Russia
Thursday 8 October 2026 22:00 , James C. ReynoldsTwo of the world’s largest exporters of grain, locked in war for more than four years, have seen exports plunge even further over the last year. Prolonged conflict around the Black Sea threatens both economies - and those most in need, writes James C. Reynolds.
The crippling effect we’re all feeling from the deadlock in Ukraine’s war with Russia
Rubio claims war in Ukraine is 'at dangerous stalemate'
Thursday 8 October 2026 21:00 , Daniel KeaneUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Russia's war in Ukraine is at a dangerous stalemate and the United States will continue to try to facilitate a settlement to end the conflict.
"We'd love to see a negotiated settlement to this war that is permanent, enduring, and fair," Rubio told reporters during a visit to Portugal.
Pictured: Miliband visits Ukraine to meet Zelensky
Thursday 8 October 2026 20:00 , Daniel Keane
Why North Korea is at the heart of South Korea’s strange rift with Ukraine
Thursday 8 October 2026 19:00 , Shweta SharmaThe unusual public confrontation between Ukraine and South Korea has raised questions about how relations between two nations facing the consequences of growing Russian-North Korean military cooperation deteriorated so sharply, Shweta Sharma reports.
Why North Korea is at the heart of South Korea’s strange rift with Ukraine
Drone attacks industrial zone in Russia's Omsk region, governor says
Thursday 8 October 2026 18:00 , Daniel KeaneAn industrial zone was hit by a drone in Russia's Omsk region, Vitaly Khotsenko, the region's governor, said on Thursday, without providing details.
Ukraine, under heavy missile and drone attack from Russia, is waging its own campaign of long-distance drone strikes against military, energy and commercial targets in a bid to raise the cost to Moscow of continuing the war.
The Omsk region, which is in Siberia, hosts an oil refinery operated by Gazpromneft.
Full story: UK welcome to rejoin EU ‘anytime’, French finance minister says as Burnham visits Berlin
Thursday 8 October 2026 17:00 , Maira ButtFrance’s finance minister said the UK would be welcome to rejoin the EU “anytime”, as Andy Burnham visits Berlin after suggesting a return to the bloc could be possible.
Alongside his first face-to-face talks with German chancellor Friedrich Merz, the leaders have established a joint UK-Germany security framework aimed at countering cyber attacks, sabotage and other hybrid threats from hostile foreign actors, particularly Russia.
The strategic agreement will see both countries share intelligence and coordinate action to monitor, deter and disrupt potential dangers, while building greater resilience around critical national infrastructure.
UK welcome to rejoin EU ‘anytime’, French minister says as Burnham visits Berlin
Ukraine grapples with a shortage of troops at the front after over 4 years of war
Thursday 8 October 2026 16:30 , Maira ButtUkraine’s advances in drone technology and tactics have captured the world’s attention. Despite those innovations, one problem has plagued the country since the start of Russia’s invasion: a shortage of combat-ready troops.
Ukraine always has been outmanned by Russia, but as the war drags through its fifth year, the need for personnel is increasingly acute, commanders and analysts say, with some units at only half strength. There just aren't enough forces to fully exploit the battlefield advantages resulting from the drone innovations.
“Based on the equipment and the number of people we have today, we barely have enough to hold the sector we currently have," said a deputy commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion in eastern Ukraine's Pokrovsk area, a focus of Russia’s offensive.
South Korea to recall its ambassador to Ukraine over North Korean POW dispute
Thursday 8 October 2026 16:00 , Maira ButtSouth Korea said Thursday it will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, stepping up its protest against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent revelation of a supposedly secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
The South Korean announcement came days after its President Lee Jae Myung threatened to take unspecified punitive steps if Ukraine refuses to apologise over the revelation.
South Korea’s foreign ministry didn’t say when the ambassador, Park Hee-chang, will be brought back home. A ministry statement said that South Korea will continue consultations with Ukraine, adding it hopes the dispute between the two countries would be resolved smoothly.
South Korea to recall its ambassador to Ukraine over North Korean POW dispute
In pictures: UK foreign secretary Miliband meets Zelensky in Ukraine
Thursday 8 October 2026 15:30 , Maira ButtBritish foreign secretary Ed Miliband is visiting Ukraine where has met President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.
He has completed a visit to the site of a Russian missile strike which hit a residential area in Pryluky, northern Ukraine, where 22 people, including five children, were killed on 6 October.
Burnham and Merz set to confirm security pact to counter hybrid Russian threats
Thursday 8 October 2026 15:00 , Maira ButtThe prime minister has met Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz for the first time in Berlin for the launch of a new security partnership.
Andy Burnham arrived in the capital on Thursday morning where he was greeted at the Federal Chancellery with military honours ahead of his meeting with Mr Merz.
The two leaders are expected to confirm a joint UK-Germany security partnership to counter sabotage, cyber attacks and other hybrid threats from adversaries, especially Russia.
Burnham and Merz set to confirm security pact to counter hybrid Russian threats
Watch: At least 25 killed across Ukraine in ‘vile strikes’ on Putin’s birthday
Thursday 8 October 2026 14:30 , Maira ButtSyria calls for independent probe into sinking of ship in Black Sea
Thursday 8 October 2026 14:01 , Maira ButtSyria has called on the International Maritime Organisation and Bulgarian authorities to conduct an independent investigation into the sinking of a cargo ship in the Black Sea, whose 10 crew members including nine Syrians were missing.
It said that the investigation should look into why search and rescue operations stopped before the fate of the crew was determined, in a statement by Mazen Aloush, director for international relations of the Syrian General Authority for Ports and Customs on Thursday.
The ship, the Alfa Watan, was attacked early Tuesday in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Aloush said and had carried 10 crew members, including nine Syrians and one Egyptian.
One killed in Ukrainian attack on Russia's Kursk region, governor says
Thursday 8 October 2026 13:30 , Maira ButtOne person was killed in Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Kursk region, the regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said on Thursday.
EU envoys approve new Russia sanctions listings, diplomats say
Thursday 8 October 2026 13:00 , Namita SinghEuropean Union envoys approved on Wednesday 1,646 new designations under the bloc's sanctions regime for Russia, with the majority focused on the country's military industrial complex, three EU diplomats said.
More than half of the newly added entities and individuals are involved in the chain of production of Russia's ballistic missiles, such as the 9M723 Iskander-M, which can only be intercepted by US-made Patriot air defence systems.
Ukraine has virtually run out of these interceptors as the US military diverts resources to the Gulf, and Russia has seized on this vulnerability to ramp up ballistic missile strikes.
The designations include a range of entities involved in missile testing and research as well as the production of solid fuels and rocket engines for Russia's Iskander system.
The EU is also targeting producers of specialised textiles and synthetic and carbon fibres used across a range of different missile systems, one of the sources specified.
In addition, the list has drone manufacturers, shipyards that service submarines and 77 Russian politicians who ran for parliamentary seats in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. The sanctions will be formally adopted when EU foreign ministers meet on Monday.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said last week Moscow would not resume diesel exports - currently banned until the end of October - to global markets until sanctions are lifted. The global diesel market has tightened due to the Iran war, which, combined with the loss of Russian diesel after Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, triggered shortages in Russia.
The EU, concerned about strengthening links between Russia and North Korea, also added seven North Korean entities and individuals linked to Moscow's war effort. In July, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia struck Ukraine with North Korean missiles for the first time in nearly a year after an apparent stock replenishment.
