Ukraine attacks industrial facility in Russia, governor says
An industrial facility in Russia’s Perm region has been attacked by a Ukrainian drone, the regional governor, Dmitry Makhonin, said on Thursday.
The governor did not specify the name of the facility.
There were no injuries or fatalities as a result of the attack, Makhonin said.
Perm is in the Urals region, about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Alex Croft7 May 2026 12:56
Russia warns embassies to evacuate staff from Kyiv
Russia is warning diplomatic missions to evacuate staff promptly from Kyiv, saying Moscow will carry out a mass strike on the Ukrainian capital if Ukraine tries to disrupt its Victory Day commemorations.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a video posted on Telegram that her ministry “strongly urges the authorities of your country… to treat this statement with the utmost responsibility”.
On Monday, Russia’s defence ministry had warned that it would respond to Ukrainian attacks during the Victory Day celebrations with a “massive missile attack” on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 12:25
Ukrainian officials set to meet Trump’s peace envoys – report
Ukraine is likely sending its national security and defence council secretary Rustem Umerov to Miami this week for a meeting with US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, reported Bloomberg.
The meeting between the two sides is a new development in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
While the US has sent its diplomats Mr Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow multiple times to meet the Russian side, it is yet to send them to Kyiv to hold peace talks.
Russia and Ukraine are yet to reach any conclusion in talks as they debate several key points, including control over part of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio flanked by White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian officials headed by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov in Hallandale Beach, Florida (AFP/Getty)
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 11:53
Angry Ukrainians call for country to respond to Russia: ‘We have no choice’
There are growing calls for Ukraine to disregard Russia’s unilateral Victory Day ceasefire, after Moscow ignored Kyiv’s own ceasefire this week and continued to carry out deadly strikes.
At least four people were killed yesterday in the northeastern region of Sumy, including two female workers at a kindergarten hit by a Russian drone, though children were not present, officials said.
Another person was killed when a house was struck by a drone and a man was killed by a mine thought to have been dropped by Russian forces.
In major cities such as Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia – where an attack on Tuesday killed 12 people – private buildings, infrastructure and industrial sites were damaged in air attacks after midnight, officials said.
“Maybe we should act the same way Russia does. That is, not to stay silent, not to observe the truce,” said 52-year-old Nataliia Fomenko in Kyiv. “We have no other choice,” she told Reuters.
A resident looks at a Russian-Iranian Shahed-136 (Geran-2) kamikaze drone installed in front of Saint Michael’s Cathedral as a part of an exhibition displaying destroyed Russian military vehicles and weapon in Kyiv (Reuters)
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 11:21
Oil storage facility in Latvia hit in drone attack
An oil storage facility has been hit in Latvia after two drones entered the Nato nation from Russian territory and crashed, the Latvian army said this morning.
Four empty oil tanks were damaged at a storage facility in Rezekne, about 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border, and possible debris of a crashed drone was found at the site, police and firefighters said.
The firefighters extinguished a smouldering area of around 30 square metres in one of the tanks.
The drones were probably launched by Ukraine against targets in Russia, Latvia’s defence minister Andris Spruds told national broadcaster LSM.
Military jets of the multinational Nato Baltic air police mission have been summoned to the site, he added.
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 10:52
Russian military logistics facility struck by drones
Suspected Ukrainian drones have hit a military logistics facility in Moscow’s Naro-Fominsk, according to early reports from Telegram channels and social media this morning.
The Moscow facility is a large-scale logistics building for the Russian army and was attacked by Ukrainian drones overnight, independent Telegram outlet Exilenova Plus reported.
Local residents took to social media to say they spotted drone flyovers and activity from air defence systems near the facility.
Naro-Fominsk is located about 70km (45 miles) southwest of Moscow and approximately 390km (240 miles) from Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia
The Independent has not verified the authenticity of the reports.
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 10:21
‘Rockets flew over our heads’: Ukrainian sailor who fled war trapped on ship in Strait of Hormuz
The sailor told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne on condition of anonymity how they could only watch on as three missiles “literally flew over our heads” as Iran opened fire on its neighbours on the afternoon of 28 February.
“We saw two downings and one ‘arrival’ near the airport in Dubai,” the captain said, adding that he was unmoved by the shelling after three years living through the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 09:51
Pussy Riot stage protest blocking access to Russian pavilion at Venice Biennale
Russian punk group Pussy Riot joined members of Ukrainian feminist organization FEMEN on Wednesday in a protest at the Venice Biennale against the opening of the Russian pavilion.
Yelling “Russia’s art is blood” and “Disobey” under a cloud of pink, blue and yellow smoke, the anti-Putin feminist groups covered their faces with pink balaclavas before rushing the venue in the Giardini exhibition area.
Italian police blocked the entrance to the site as the protest effectively blockaded Russia’s return for about 30 minutes.
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 09:21
Russia drones crash in Latvia as schools ordered shut
At least two drones entered Nato member Latvia from Russia and crashed, the Latvian army said this morning.
One of the drones crashed into an oil storage facility in Rezekne, about 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border, said national broadcaster LSM, quoting the police.
A fire at the site was no longer burning by the time firefighters arrived, it said.
The Latvian authorities have issued drone alerts to residents along the Russian border at 4.09am local time (0109 GMT) today, asking them to stay indoors.
All schools will be closed in Rezekne on Thursday, the municipality said.
The incident comes months after several stray Ukrainian drones hit Latvia and its Nato neighbours Estonia and Lithuania in late March, one of which slammed into a chimney at a local power station while another crash-landed in a frozen lake and exploded.
The Ukrainian drones were believed to have been launched to strike military targets in Russia. The three Baltic countries have never allowed their territories and airspace to be used for drone attacks against targets in Russia, their foreign ministers said in April.
File: A French Rafale fighter jet of the Nato Baltic Air Policing mission flies over Lielvarde air base in Latvia (Reuters)
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 09:21
Russia warns embassies to evacuate staff from Kyiv
Russia is warning diplomatic missions to evacuate staff promptly from Kyiv, saying Moscow will carry out a mass strike on the Ukrainian capital if Ukraine tries to disrupt its Victory Day commemorations.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a video posted on Telegram that her ministry “strongly urges the authorities of your country… to treat this statement with the utmost responsibility”.
On Monday, Russia’s defence ministry had warned that it would respond to Ukrainian attacks during the Victory Day celebrations with a “massive missile attack” on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Arpan Rai7 May 2026 08:51
