A major Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region has forced Russia to close two major airports in the early hours today.
The drones were destroyed in the Ramenskoye and Kolomensky districts of Moscow, its mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, claiming no major damage or casualties at the site of the downed weapons.
Russia’s federal air transport agency said it was temporarily restricting operations at the Domodedovo and Zhukovo airports at 5.30am GMT.
This comes after Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law a treaty on the country’s strategic partnership with North Korea which includes a mutual defence provision, according to a decree published yesterday.
And Russia said it was open to hearing president-elect Donald Trump’s proposals on ending the war.
On the battlefield, Ukraine is facing increasing difficulties in its fight against Vladimir Putin’s invasion as Russian forces advance and North Korean troops prepare to join the Kremlin’s campaign, Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Key Points
- Ukraine’s drone attack forces shut two Moscow airports
- Russian general ‘killed in drone strike as he rode motorbike’
- Ukraine drone attacks spark fire in Russia
- Putin open to hearing Trump’s proposals for ending the war – official
- Watch: Putin describes Trump in one word as he breaks silence on US elections
Ukraine drone attacks spark fire in Russia
06:56
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian overnight drone attacks have set several non-residential buildings on fire in Russia’s Kaluga and Bryansk regions, regional governors said this morning.
“Emergency services and firefighters are on the site,” Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Russian border region of Bryansk said, without providing further detail.
The defence ministry said its air defence units had destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 17 over Bryansk.
Vladislav Shapsha, governor of the Kaluga region, which borders the Moscow region to its northeast, said a non-residential building in the region was on fire as result of Ukraine’s drone attack.
Ukraine’s drone attack forces shut two Moscow airports
06:47
Arpan Rai
Ukraine launched at least 17 drones targeting Moscow early today, forcing the temporary closure of two of the capital’s airports, Russian officials said.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the 12 drones were destroyed in the Ramenskoye and Kolomensky districts of the Moscow region, as well as in Domodedovo city, southwest of Moscow.
“According to preliminary information, there is no damage or casualties at the site of the fall of the debris,” Sobyanin said on Telegram. “Emergency services are on the sites.”
The Ramenskoye district, some 45km (30 miles) southeast of the Kremlin, was last targeted in September Ukraine’s biggest attack on the Russian capital, when Russian air defence units destroyed 20 drones.
Rosaviatsia, Russia’s federal air transport agency, said on Telegram that “to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights, temporary restrictions have been introduced on the operation of the Domodedovo and Zhukovo airports,” starting at 5.30am GMT.
It did not say how long the restrictions would be in force.
Ukraine war led my son to join the Army, says defence secretary
06:00
Tom Watling
Putin signs into law mutual defence treaty with North Korea
05:02
Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law a treaty on the country’s strategic partnership with North Korea which includes a mutual defence provision, according to a decree published yesterday.
The accord, signed by Mr Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June after a summit in Pyongyang, calls on each side to come to the other’s aid in case of an armed attack.
Russia’s upper house ratified the treaty this week, while the lower house endorsed it last month. Mr Putin signed a decree on that ratification that appeared on Saturday on a government website outlining legislative procedures.
The treaty galvanises closer ties between Moscow and Pyongyang since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Read more about Moscow and Pyongyang’s pact here:
1 person killed in Odesa drone attack as EU foreign policy chief arrives in Kyiv
05:00
Tom Watling
Putin open to hearing Trump’s proposals for ending the war – official
04:31
Arpan Rai
Russia is open to hearing president-elect Donald Trump’s proposals on ending the war, an official in Moscow has said.
Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow and Washington were “exchanging signals” on Ukraine via “closed channels.” He did not specify whether the communication was with the current administration or Mr Trump and members of his incoming administration.
Russia is ready to listen to Mr Trump’s proposals on Ukraine provided these were “ideas on how to move forward in the area of settlement, and not in the area of further pumping the Kyiv regime with all kinds of aid,” Mr Ryabkov said yesterday in an interview with Russian state news agency Interfax.
Watch: Putin describes Trump in one word as he breaks silence on US elections
04:25
Arpan Rai
Russian leader Vladimir Putin described Donald Trump in one word as he spoke publically for the first time about the Republican’s election victory.
Putin said he had been “impressed” by Trump, before describing him as “courageous” concerning the assassination attempt on the president-elect at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Russian general ‘killed in drone strike as he rode motorbike’
04:00
Tom Watling
Trump adviser says priority in Ukraine is peace, not return of territory
03:50
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump’s incoming administration’s priority in Ukraine will be to establish peace, and not restore lost territory, a senior aide to president-elect said.
Bryan Lanza, a long-time Republican party strategist, told the BBC that Trump’s administration would be asking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for a “realistic vision for peace.”
Mr Zelensky has repeatedly said peace cannot be established until all Russian forces are expelled and all territory captured by Moscow, including Crimea, is returned. His “victory plan” presented last month maintains that provision as well as an invitation for Ukraine to join Nato, long denounced by Russia.
“And if president Zelensky comes to the table and says, well we can only have peace if we have Crimea, he shows to us that he’s not serious. Crimea is gone,” he said. “And if that is your priority of getting Crimea back and having American soldiers fight to get Crimea back, you’re on your own.”
He said the priority was “peace and to stop the killing.”
“What we’re going to say to Ukraine is, you know what you see? What do you see as a realistic vision for peace? It’s not a vision for winning, but it’s a vision for peace. And let’s start having the honest conversation,” he said.
Russian general ‘killed in drone strike as he rode motorbike’
03:43
Arpan Rai
A Russian general whose soldiers have been accused of torturing an American blogger to death for the Kremlin has died in Ukraine, according to reports.
Major General Pavel Klimenko, 47, headed the Fifth Separate Motor Rifle Brigade in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
It is believed he was killed in a missile strike as he rode a motorbike.
He is reported to have run torture camps used on dissenting Russian soldiers and pro-Moscow agents who refuse orders.
North Korea troops prepare to fight alongside Russian troops, says Ukraine military chief
03:38
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said there are reports North Korean troops were preparing for combat alongside Russian forces.
“We have numerous reports of North Korean soldiers preparing to participate in combat operations alongside Russian Forces,” Syrskyi wrote on Facebook of his conversation with Christopher Cavoli, a senior US general who heads the US European Command.
The situation in front line sectors of the more than two-and-a-half-year-old war with Russia remained “difficult and show signs of escalation”, the top military official said.
Blasts heard in Kyiv
03:13
Arpan Rai
Blasts were heard in Kyiv early this morning, Reuters’ witnesses reported, after Ukraine’s air force said that a number of Russian drones were heading towards the city.
The explosions sounded like air defence units in operation, Reuters’ witnesses said.
Kyiv, the region surrounding it and the eastern half of Ukraine were under air raid alerts, according to alerts issued by Ukraine’s air force.
Kyiv facing uphill battles with Russia, says military chief
03:02
Arpan Rai
Ukraine is facing increasing difficulties in its fight against Moscow’s invasion as Russian forces advance and North Korean troops prepare to join the Kremlin’s campaign, Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and facing Russian attacks in key sectors, he said, a concern he has shared with a top US general.
“The situation remains challenging and shows signs of escalation,” general Syrskyi wrote on Facebook, stating he told US General Christopher Cavoli who heads the US European Command.
“The enemy, leveraging its numerical advantage, is continuing offensive actions and is focusing its main efforts on the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions”, general Syrskyi said.
Ukraine’s general staff, in a late evening report on Saturday, said 40 armed clashes had occurred around villages near Kurakhove. Both Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers yesterday said Russian forces sought to encircle the city.
A Ukraine medic fell in love with a soldier. They died together
03:00
Tom Watling
US to speed up interceptor missiles delivery to Ukraine
02:49
Arpan Rai
The US will ship more than 500 interceptor missiles to Ukraine in the weeks ahead, speeding up Washington’s military aid delivery to the war-ravaged country, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Citing an unnamed Pentagon official, the WSJ reported that before the US presidential election, in which former Republican president Donald Trump defeated his Democratic rival vice president Kamala Harris, the US administration had been aiming to deliver the remainder of its aid to Ukraine by April.
The delivery of the interceptors for the Patriot missile defence system and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, should meet Ukraine’s air defence needs for the rest of this year, the newspaper reported, citing an unnamed US official.
This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky has been pleading for months for more weaponry and for Nato allies to help Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with long-range Western missiles.
European countries are spending more on defense, a think tank says
02:00
Tom Watling
Russia blasts Ukraine with more aerial attacks as part of an intensified campaign
01:00
Tom Watling
Pentagon responds to claims North Koreans in Russia ‘gorging on porn’
00:00
Tom Watling
What funds could Biden send to Ukraine before Trump takes office?
Saturday 9 November 2024 22:58
Tom Watling
Senior Trump advisor says Crimea will be given to the Russians
Saturday 9 November 2024 22:03
Tom Watling
A senior advisor to US president-elect has told the BBC World Service that they will not support Ukraine’s hopes of reclaiming the occupied peninsula of Crimea.
This article suggests that Ukraine will be evaluated as a good faith negotiating partner based on its willingness to make territorial concessions to Russia
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) November 9, 2024
It also argues that Trump will devise his Ukraine peace plan with a small band of advisorshttps://t.co/i3VtJsB5GM
Could South Korea send troops to fight for Ukraine?
Saturday 9 November 2024 21:00
Tom Watling
Zelensky urges European leaders to stay strong over Ukraine
Saturday 9 November 2024 20:00
Tom Watling
Ukraine makes advances in Russia’s Kursk region - map
Saturday 9 November 2024 19:01
Tom Watling
Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Novoivanovka, Kursk Oblast.
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) November 9, 2024
Russian forces recently advanced south of Chasiv Yar, southeast of Kurakhove, and north of Vuhledar. https://t.co/7cItUkxvwi pic.twitter.com/sVfo7RHKmk
EU foreign policy chief holds press conference in Kyiv
Saturday 9 November 2024 18:02
Tom Watling
I am in Kyiv to stress that the EU’s support to Ukraine remains unwavering in the brave fight against the Russian aggressor
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 9, 2024
This has been my personal priority since day one of the full-scale invasion
Press conference with @andrii_sybiha
⬇️
https://t.co/IwAzFtDkvo
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
Saturday 9 November 2024 17:01
Tom Watling
Ukraine drones hit tens of thousands of Russian targets last month, says military chief
Saturday 9 November 2024 16:01
Tom Watling
Ukrainian drones “destroyed or damaged” around 52,000 Russian targets in October, Kyiv’s military commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has revealed.
Syrskyi said that the targets included 129 artillery systems, 221 pieces of radio equipment, and more than 4,000 Russian troops.
His comment underscored the significance of the threat of drones on the frontline. While artillery remains a vital means of attack, the use of cheap, one-way drones has become much greater over the past two and a half years.
MoD issues update on Russian recruitment of African soldiers
Saturday 9 November 2024 15:31
Tom Watling
African soldiers are likely being recruited by the Kremlin to avoid a mobilisation of the Russian people. This comes amid record daily casualties in its illegal invasion of Ukraine.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/qaUqXMO8b4
— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) November 9, 2024
European countries are spending more on defense, a think tank says
Saturday 9 November 2024 15:09
Tom Watling
EU top diplomat shown around Kyiv by Ukrainian counterpart
Saturday 9 November 2024 14:31
Tom Watling
Odesa drone attack kills one and wounds dozens as EU foreign policy chief arrives in Kyiv
Saturday 9 November 2024 14:01
Tom Watling
Ukraine war led my son to join the Army, says defence secretary
Saturday 9 November 2024 13:32
Tom Watling
Polish PM to meet French, UK, Nato leaders to discuss Ukraine
Saturday 9 November 2024 13:01
Tom Watling
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will meet France’s president, Britain’s prime minister, the head of Nato, and leaders of Nordic and Baltic states soon to discuss transatlantic cooperation and the war in Ukraine, he said on Saturday.
The future of aid to Ukraine is among the major questions facing the European Union after Donald Trump’s US election victory. Trump has criticised the level of US support for Ukraine‘s fight against Russia’s invasion, and before the election promised to end the conflict before even taking office, without explaining how.
“There is no doubt that this new political landscape is a serious challenge for everyone, especially in the context of a possible end to the Russian-Ukrainian war as a result of an agreement between, for example, the president of Russia and the new president of the United States,” Mr Tusk said.
“...in the coming days, we will very intensively coordinate cooperation with countries that have a very similar view on the geopolitical and transatlantic situation and situation in Ukraine,” he added.
Tusk said French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato head Mark Rutte would visit Warsaw soon and he would meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer either in Warsaw or in London. Tusk will also meet Nordic and Baltic leaders in Stockholm.
“Everything will, of course, be in the context of new challenges facing our homeland, the entire region, the European Union and the Western community,” Tusk said.
He reiterated what he said before the US election: no matter the result, Europe has to take greater responsibility for its own safety and Ukraine‘s future cannot be decided without Ukraine.
In pictures: Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions in Toretsk, eastern Ukraine
Saturday 9 November 2024 12:31
Tom Watling
Ukrainian drones hit Russian chemical plant in Tula region, says Kyiv source
Saturday 9 November 2024 12:01
Tom Watling
Ukraine targeted and struck Russia’s Aleksinsky chemical plant, which produces gunpowder, ammunition and weapons in the Tula region, during an overnight drone attack, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told Reuters on Saturday.
The source said the attack was part of a broader strategy to target Russia’s munitions factories that support Moscow’s defence sector and the war effort against Ukraine.
Ben Wallace says momentum has dropped back on Ukraine
Saturday 9 November 2024 11:27
Tom Watling
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has claimed that “momentum has dropped back” on Ukraine.
Sir Ben told the BBC that the UK's leadership on Ukraine has “started to drop back into the... pack” and said that in order to drive change while in government "you have to really do it every single day".
The former army officer - who served in the Ministry of Defence under the last three Conservative prime ministers - said that Britain's stance had brought “lots of Europeans with us”.
His comments come amid uncertainty over the future of US backing for Kyiv after Donald Trump's election victory this week
Sir Ben told Radio 4's Today programme: “What has happened is the leadership that Britain showed right from the start has started to drop back into the sort of pack.”
He claimed that officials during his time in government had been reluctant to “get ahead” but cross-party consensus in Parliament meant that the UK “took a position to lead”.
“And the leadership did bring lots and lots of Europeans with us,” he said.
He added: “I definitely have a sense that that momentum has dropped back, and my experience of government is if you want to really drive things, you have to really do it every single day.
“You can't just do a statement and then float around.”
EU foreign policy chief arrives in Kyiv
Saturday 9 November 2024 11:00
Tom Watling
The European Union’s outgoing top diplomat Josep Borrell has arrived in Kyiv.
In Kyiv for my 5th visit since Russia’s full-scale invasion and last one as HRVP.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 9, 2024
EU support to #Ukraine has been my personal priority during my mandate and will remain on top of the EU‘s agenda. pic.twitter.com/XO5LvWopZY
EU leaders tell Trump to stand up to ‘bully’ Putin as Starmer is warned Britain can’t rely on US for defence
Saturday 9 November 2024 10:28
Tom Watling
A Ukraine medic fell in love with a soldier. They died together
Saturday 9 November 2024 09:57
Tom Watling
Russia sees no grounds for resuming talks with US on strategic stability, arms control, Interfax reports
Saturday 9 November 2024 09:21
Tom Watling
Russia’s foreign ministry sees no grounds for talking about resuming dialogue on strategic stability and arms control with the United States at the moment, Interfax reported Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Saturday.
Ryabkov said that Moscow and Washington “are exchanging signals on Ukraine“ through closed channels at the military and political levels, according to Interfax.
Russian general ‘killed in drone strike as he rode motorbike’
Saturday 9 November 2024 08:56
Tom Watling
In pictures: Russia drone strikes hit southern Ukraine
Saturday 9 November 2024 08:29
Tom Watling
Air defences down 15 drones over Russia's Bryansk region, governor says
Saturday 9 November 2024 08:17
Tom Watling
Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed 15 Ukrainian drones over the southern Bryansk region, the regional governor said early on Saturday.
Bryansk Regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz issued a series of statements on the Telegram app, saying air defence units had downed a total of 15 drones. He said there was no damage or injuries in connection with the incidents.
Ukraine downs 32 out of 51 Russian attack drones overnight
Saturday 9 November 2024 07:08
Arpan Rai
Ukraine has downed 32 out of a total 51 Russian attack drones launched overnight, its air force said in an update this morning.
Out of these, 18 drones disappeared from radar in various regions across Ukraine, it said.
The Ukrainian military said the attack involved Russian “Shahed-type” attack drones and that “the epicentre of the strike is Odesa”.
What funds could Biden send to Ukraine before Trump takes office?
Saturday 9 November 2024 07:00
Barney Davis
Pentagon responds to claims North Korean troops in Russia ‘gorging on pornography’
Saturday 9 November 2024 06:30
Barney Davis
The Pentagon has responded to claims that North Korean troops sent to Russia to bolster Vladimir Putin’s forces are consuming online pornography as they now have less restricted internet access.
US department of defence spokesperson Major Charlie Dietz said he couldn’t verify “any North Korean internet habits or virtual ‘extracurriculars’” taking place in Russia.
He continued: “As for internet access, that’s a question best directed to Moscow. Right now, our attention remains on supporting Ukraine and addressing the more significant regional security concerns”.
‘A very good call’ Ukraine impressed by first call with Trump and Elon Musk
Saturday 9 November 2024 05:45
Barney Davis
A senior Ukrainian official has described the first phone call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky since Trump won the election as “very good”.
“It was a very good call. Our work continues,” the Ukrainian official told Fox News.Tesla founder Elon Musk’s unexpected appearance may point to his growing standing in the upcoming Trump administration.
As Zelensky spoke about the importance of Musk’s Starlink satellites for providing internet to his frontlines, Trump reportedly invited Elon Musk on to the call, according to reports.“I had an excellent call with President Trump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory — his tremendous campaign made this result possible,” Zelensky posted on X.
Musk reportedly also joined a call between Trump and Turkish President Erdoğan, per reporting from Axios.
India defends buying Russian oil, says prices’ would’ve hit the roof’
Saturday 9 November 2024 05:20
Arpan Rai
India has defended its controversial purchases of oil from Russia in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Global oil prices “would have hit the roof” if India had not stepped in to import large volumes from Moscow, India’s oil minister said.
“While they remain fixated on India’s oil purchases from Russia, what many around the world don’t seem to realise is that the global oil prices would have hit the roof if India had not bought oil from Russia,” India’s union minister for petroleum and natural gas said.
“We owe it to our citizens – India will buy oil from wherever our companies get the best rates,” he said.
India, the world’s third largest oil importer and consumer, has become the top buyer of discounted Russian sea-borne oil shunned by Western countries since Ukraine’s invasion began in early 2022. Before that, India bought little oil from its long-running defence partner, Russia.
New Delhi has repeatedly defended its purchases from Russia as necessary to keep prices in check in the developing country of 1.42 billion people.
India says oil prices would have rocketed worldwide without its Russian imports.
Trump will end support for Ukraine, predicts Orban
Saturday 9 November 2024 05:10
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump’s biggest European fan, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, has predicted that a new US administration under Trump will cease providing support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“The situation on the front is obvious, there’s been a military defeat. The Americans are going to pull out of this war,” Mr Orban said.
Mr Trump’s reelection, he said, had created a “new situation” for Europe, and that the continent “cannot finance this war alone.”
Orban’s comments were a signal that Trump’s recent election could drive a wedge among European Union leaders on the question of the war.
Gaza, Ukraine, and beyond: What a second Trump term means for the world
Saturday 9 November 2024 04:45
Barney Davis
A Ukraine medic fell in love with a soldier on the front. They died together
Saturday 9 November 2024 04:44
Arpan Rai
A crowd of mourners lit torches and intoned a military chant to honor a Ukrainian medic and a soldier who fell in love on the frontline and died together in a Russian shell attack.
Valentyna Nahorna, whose call sign was Valkyrie, volunteered as a medic at the start of the war in Ukraine.
She and Daniil Liashkevych, known as Berserk, fell in love just a few months ago, their friends and comrades say, but it helped them endure the war. They both worked in the 3rd Assault Brigade, and were killed on 4 November.
Russia downs 15 drones over border Bryansk region
Saturday 9 November 2024 04:20
Arpan Rai
Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed 15 Ukrainian drones over the southern Bryansk region, the regional governor said early this morning.
Bryansk regional governor Alexander Bogomaz issued a series of statements on the Telegram, saying air defence units had downed a total of 15 drones. He said there was no damage or injuries in connection with the incidents.
Infant injured in Russian strike on Kharkiv
Saturday 9 November 2024 03:55
Arpan Rai
At least one civilian was killed and more than 30 people, including an infant, were injured after Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine yesterday.
Russia launched 92 drones and five missiles at 12 Ukrainian regions, the Ukrainian air force
