KYIV: Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of having fired dozens of drones at one of President Vladimir Putin&#39;s homes, an accusation that Ukraine called a &quot;lie&quot; aimed at undermining US-led efforts to end the war.&nbsp;Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who does not typically announce drone strikes, said Ukraine had fired &quot;91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles&quot; at Putin&#39;s residence in the Novgorod region between late Sunday and early Monday, all of which were shot down.&nbsp;&quot;Given the complete degeneration of the criminal Kyiv regime, which has shifted to a policy of state terrorism, Russia&#39;s negotiating position will be reconsidered,&quot; Lavrov said, without elaborating.&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with US President Donald Trump on Sunday for talks on ending the war, called Russia&#39;s claim &quot;a complete fabrication&quot; designed to derail the peace process and suggested Moscow was preparing to intensify its bombardment of Ukraine.&nbsp;&quot;Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump&#39;s team,&quot; the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.&nbsp;Russia&#39;s accusation comes at a pivotal moment in the peace process.&nbsp;Ukraine says it has agreed to 90 percent of a US-drafted peace plan -- including the issue of post-war security guarantees -- though the issue of territory in a post-war settlement remains unresolved.&nbsp;Russia, which has stayed silent about what parts of the US plan it has agreed to, said Monday it was still committed to the peace process but would &quot;revise&quot; its position in light of the alleged drone attack.&nbsp;Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a &quot;special military operation&quot; to demilitarise the country and prevent the expansion of NATO.&nbsp;Kyiv and its European allies say the war, the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II, is an unprovoked and illegal land grab that has resulted in a tidal wave of violence and destruction.&nbsp;Territory main sticking pointTrump has held talks with both sides in recent days, including a phone call with Putin on Monday that the White House described as &quot;positive&quot;.&nbsp;During talks with Zelensky on Sunday, Trump offered Kyiv long-sought-after security guarantees for a period of 15 years, according to Kyiv.&nbsp;But the issue of territory and the future of the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine remain unresolved, Zelensky said.&nbsp;Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv was ready for &quot;any&quot; format of meetings including with Putin if necessary but said he still did not think the Kremlin chief wanted peace.&nbsp;The current plan, revised after weeks of intense US-Ukrainian negotiations, would stop the war at the current frontlines in the eastern Donbas region and establish a demilitarized area.&nbsp;But the Kremlin has shown no sign of compromise.&nbsp;Putin said Monday that Russia was pressing ahead with its plan to capture four Ukrainian regions it announced the annexation of in 2022 and that his troops were &quot;confidently advancing&quot;.&nbsp;Moscow on Monday said it took another village, Dibrova, in Ukraine&#39;s eastern Donetsk region.

Europe

Russia accused Ukraine of a massive drone attack on Putin’s residence, which Kyiv denied as a fabrication, warning Moscow is trying to derail US-led peace efforts as territorial disputes and military fighting continue despite ongoing negotiations.

Russia says Ukraine attacked Putin's home, Kyiv calls this 'lie'

TEHRAN: Iran launched three domestically built observation satellites into space from Russia on Sunday, state television reported, marking a new step for Tehran&#39;s space programme despite Western sanctions.&nbsp;The country maintains that its aerospace industry is peaceful and complies with UN Security Council resolutions imposed over its nuclear programme.&nbsp;&quot;Three Iranian satellites, Zafar-2, Paya and Kowsar 1.5, were launched into space by a Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia,&quot; Iranian television reported.&nbsp;The satellites were to be used for &quot;observation&quot; and were designed by &quot;the private sector&quot;, the official IRNA news agency said.&nbsp;Paya is Iran&#39;s most advanced domestically produced imaging satellite, using artificial intelligence to improve image resolution, IRNA said.&nbsp;It said the satellite would focus on water resource management, environmental monitoring and mapping.&nbsp;The Russian Soyuz launcher was chosen because it is one of the most reliable in the world for transporting sensitive satellites, according to the Fars news agency.&nbsp;Iran has carried out 10 satellite launches in the last two years, including one in July from the same launch site in Russia.&nbsp;Western countries fear that these satellite launch systems incorporate technologies interchangeable with those used in ballistic missiles, potentially capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.&nbsp;Tehran denies those accusations and refutes that it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

Asia

Iran launched three domestically built observation satellites from Russia using a Soyuz rocket, marking progress in its space programme. Tehran says the launches are peaceful, despite Western concerns over missile-related technology.

Iran says launched three satellites into space from Russia

MOSCOW: Russia claimed on Saturday to have captured two more towns in eastern Ukraine, Myrnograd and Guliaipole, a day ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky&#39;s meeting with US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;A Kremlin statement said Russian President Vladimir Putin had received a report from military command on &quot;the liberation of Dimitrov (the Russian name for Myrnograd) and of Guliaipole&quot;.&nbsp;Myrnograd is in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, near Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub that Russia claimed to have captured on December 1.&nbsp;Guliaipole is in the eastern part of Zaporizhzhia, where Russian advances have been more rare, but which have accelerated in recent months.&nbsp;Putin said the offensives on both areas of the front were &quot;intensifying the pressure&quot; on the Ukrainian army, in comments broadcast on television.&nbsp;Moscow&#39;s announcement of these latest advances comes a day before Zelensky is due in the United States for talks with Trump on the plan he had drawn up to stop the fighting.

Russia claimed to have captured two more towns in eastern Ukraine, Myrnograd and Guliaipole, a day ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Russia claims capture of two more eastern Ukraine towns

ISTANBUL: A drone of unknown origin has been found in Turkey, less than a day after another unmanned aerial vehicle of suspected Russian origin crashed in the northwest, Turkish media reported on Saturday.&nbsp;According to several independent television networks and the Cumhuriyet newspaper, the drone was found in an empty field near the town of Balikesir, some three hours southwest of Istanbul.&nbsp;The Turkish authorities had yet to react to the news, but the Halk TV and Haberturk broadcasters reported that the drone was transported to Ankara for analysis.&nbsp;Citing farmers, several media outlets reported that the crash appeared to have taken place days ago.&nbsp;The incident, the third of its kind since Monday, comes after Turkey warned both Russia and Ukraine against letting their ongoing war spill over elsewhere in the region.&nbsp;The authorities have pointed the finger at Russia for an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on Friday near the city of Izmit, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the Black Sea, which has seen strikes on ships in recent weeks.&nbsp;According to the Turkish interior ministry, which has opened an investigation, the drone &quot;is believed to be of Russian-made Orlan-10 type used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes according to initial findings&quot;.&nbsp;President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against the Black Sea becoming an &quot;area of confrontation&quot; between Russia and Ukraine, which occupy the opposite shores of the body of water to Turkey.

Middle East

Turkey found a second unidentified drone crashed in northwest Balikesir within 24 hours. It follows another suspected Russian Orlan-10 near Izmit, prompting investigations and renewed warnings by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over Black Sea spillover.

Second drone in 24 hours found crashed in northwest Turkey

BERLIN: Germany said Friday it had identified two Russian cyber operations, targeting air traffic control and February&#39;s general election, and that it had summoned the Russian ambassador.&nbsp;A foreign ministry spokesman said: &quot;We can now clearly attribute the cyberattack against German Air Safety in August 2024 to the hacker collective APT28, also known as Fancy Bear.&nbsp;&quot;Second, we can now state definitively that Russia, through the Storm 1516 campaign, sought to influence and destabilise the most recent federal election,&quot; he added at a press conference.&nbsp;The Russian embassy in Berlin was not immediately reachable for comment.&nbsp;The foreign ministry spokesman said that Germany &quot;would take a series of countermeasures to make Russia pay a price for its hybrid actions in close coordination with our European partners&quot;.&nbsp;Berlin would support &quot;new individual sanctions against hybrid actors on a European level&quot;, he said, without providing further details.&nbsp;Governments across Europe are on high alert over alleged Russian espionage, drone surveillance and sabotage activities, as well as cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns.&nbsp;Germany has been Ukraine&#39;s second-biggest supplier of aid since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and has accused Moscow of &quot;hybrid attacks&quot;, including drone flights near various European airports in recent months.

Germany said it had identified two Russian cyber operations targeting air traffic control and the February general election, summoned the Russian ambassador, and EU-level sanctions in response to Moscow’s alleged hybrid attacks

Germany blames Russia for cyberattack on air safety, election interference

SEOUL: South Korea and Japan reacted furiously on Wednesday after Chinese and Russian military aircraft conducted joint patrols around the two countries, with both Seoul and Tokyo scrambling jets.&nbsp;South Korea said it had lodged a protest with representatives of China and Russia, while Japan said it had conveyed its &quot;serious concerns&quot; over national security.&nbsp;According to Tokyo, two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers on Tuesday flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country.&nbsp;The incident comes as Japan is locked in a dispute with China over comments Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made about Taiwan.&nbsp;The bombers&#39; joint flights were &quot;clearly intended as a show of force against our nation&quot;, defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X Wednesday.&nbsp;Top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said that Tokyo had &quot;conveyed to both China and Russia our serious concerns over our national security through diplomatic channels&quot;.&nbsp;Seoul said Tuesday the Russian and Chinese warplanes entered its air defence zone and that a complaint had been lodged with the defence attaches of both countries in the South Korean capital.&nbsp;&quot;Our military will continue to respond actively to the activities of neighbouring countries&#39; aircraft within the KADIZ in compliance with international law,&quot; said Lee Kwang-suk, director general of the International Policy Bureau at Seoul&#39;s defence ministry, referring to the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone.&nbsp;South Korea also said it deployed &quot;fighter jets to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies&quot; in response to the Chinese and Russian incursion into the KADIZ.&nbsp;The planes were spotted before they entered the air defense identification zone, defined as a broader area in which countries police aircraft for security reasons but which does not constitute their airspace.&nbsp;Japan&#39;s defense ministry also scrambled fighter jets to intercept the warplanes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Routine exerciseBeijing later Tuesday confirmed it had organized drills with Russia&#39;s military according to &quot;annual cooperation plans&quot;.&nbsp;Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.&nbsp;Since 2019 China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft into South Korea&#39;s air defence zone without prior notice, citing joint exercises.&nbsp;In November last year Seoul scrambled jets as five Chinese and six Russian military planes flew through its air defence zone.&nbsp;Similar incidents occurred in June and December 2023, and in May and November 2022.&nbsp;Meanwhile Tokyo said Monday it had scrambled jets in response to repeated takeoff and landing exercises involving fighter jets and military helicopters from China&#39;s Liaoning aircraft carrier as it cruised in international waters near Japan.&nbsp;It also summoned Beijing&#39;s ambassador after military aircraft from the Liaoning locked radar onto Japanese jets, the latest incident in the row ignited by Takaichi&#39;s comments backing Taiwan.&nbsp;Takaichi suggested last month that Japan would intervene militarily in any Chinese attack on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

China

South Korea and Japan condemned joint Russian and Chinese military aircraft patrols near their borders, with both countries scrambling jets. The incident, amid rising tensions over Taiwan, sparked diplomatic protests over national security concerns.

South Korea, Japan accuse China, Russia over aircraft incursions

LONDON: Britain said Friday it was &quot;disappointing&quot; talks with Brussels to access a 150-billion-euro ($174 billion) EU scheme to bolster Europe&#39;s defenses had failed amid disagreement over the entry fee.&nbsp;European nations have scrambled to bolster their militaries since Russia&#39;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Brussels launching its loan initiative earlier this year.&nbsp;The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) scheme will provide EU countries with 150 billion euros of loans at lower rates to help them rearm.&nbsp;London and Brussels had been wrangling over the level of contribution the UK would make to join the scheme, which would have allowed Britain to secure more lucrative access for its arms manufacturers.&nbsp;EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said in a statement it was &quot;disappointing that we have not been able to conclude discussions on UK participation in the first round of SAFE&quot;.&nbsp;But he noted the UK defense industry &quot;will still be able to participate in projects through SAFE on third-country terms&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;Our position was always clear: we will only sign agreements that are in the national interest and provide value for money,&quot; Thomas-Symonds added.&nbsp;EU countries are obliged to spend the loaned money on weapons that are at least 65 percent produced in the bloc.&nbsp;If Britain had joined, that figure would have been reduced for London meaning British firms could try to cash in more.&nbsp;Both sides said the negotiations had been conducted in &quot;good faith&quot;, with the European Commission also stressing that Britain can still participate in up to 35 percent of SAFE procurements.&nbsp;It added that talks with Canada about its participation continue &quot;and we hope to find an agreement before Sunday&quot;.&nbsp;EU officials previously said the bloc had asked London to contribute up to 6.5 billion euros to join the SAFE scheme.&nbsp;But Britain which left the EU in 2020 following its Brexit split baulked at that price tag and had pushed for a better deal, according to diplomatic sources.&nbsp;Poland, Romania, France and Hungary were among the biggest claimants for money under SAFE, when Brussels unveiled its funding allocations in September.&nbsp;Poland snapped up loan&rsquo;s worth almost 44 billion euros, followed by Romania on 16.7 billion, and France and Hungary on 16.2 billion each, according to preliminary figures.

United Kingdom

Britain and the EU failed to agree on UK access to the €150-billion SAFE defense loan scheme due to disputes over the entry fee. The UK called talks “disappointing” but can still join projects on third-country terms.

UK fails to reach deal to access EU defense scheme

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Sunday a successful final test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, praising the &ldquo;unique&rdquo; nuclear-capable weapon with a range of up to 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles). &ldquo;The decisive tests are now complete,&rdquo; Putin, who is waging an offensive in neighboring Ukraine, said in a video released by the Kremlin during a meeting with military officials. He ordered the preparation of &ldquo;infrastructure to put this weapon into service in the Russian armed forces.&rdquo; Putin called the missile a &ldquo;unique creation that no one else in the world possesses,&rdquo; adding that the Burevestnik has &ldquo;unlimited range.&rdquo; During the last test on Oct. 21, the missile spent &ldquo;about 15 hours&rdquo; flying 14,000 km, said Russia&rsquo;s military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov, adding that this was not the upper limit for the weapon. &ldquo;The technical characteristics of the Burevestnik allow it to be used with guaranteed precision against highly protected sites located at any distance,&rdquo; he said.Putin announced the Russian military&rsquo;s development of the missile in 2018.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin gives a speech at a meeting of the Russian Geographical Society in Moscow on October 23, 2025. (Photo by Kristina Kormilitsyna / POOL / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Sunday a successful final test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, praising the “unique” nuclear-capable weapon with a range of up to 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles).

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