Sweden and Finland have scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Gulf of Finland, in their first such joint operation.
The Russian aircraft was flying in international airspace over the Gulf of Finland, an area on high alert as Russia’s war with Ukraine spills into Europe in the form of gas pipeline outages, drone sightings and airspace violations.
Ulf Kristersson, Sweden’s prime minister, said the Thursday operation showed how the so-called Quick Reaction Alert cooperation could defend the nordic countries’ airspace.
"It is a concrete expression of the readiness and trust we have built together – and an expression of the strength in the Nordic, Nordic-Baltic, and broader NATO cooperation in our part of the world," Kristersson he wrote on X.
It comes as Denmark’s intelligence has warned that there is “a low but growing risk” that Russia would launch a limited military attack against one or several Nato countries that border it.
Such attacks could include isolated strikes with long-range weapons like drones or missiles on infrastructure supporting Ukraine, or false-flag operations using Ukrainian-made drones, intelligence service chief Thomas Ahrenkiel said at a press conference.
Moldova reports four Russian drones crossed into its territory
Moldova reported that four Russian drones crossed into its territory and at least one exploded.
Moldovan defence minister Anatolie Nosatii said the incidents posed a “real danger” to people and the country’s security.
“These incidents can no longer be seen as isolated cases. They pose a real danger to people and Moldova's security,” Nosatii told reporters.
Romania separately said a drone crashed on its territory, while Nato member Poland deployed aircraft twice in response to Russian attacks on neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday.
Finland asks Musk to expand Starlink coverage for Ukraine
Finnish president Alexander Stubb said he has asked Elon Musk to extend Starlink coverage into Russian territory, arguing that it could help Ukraine locate Russian ballistic missile launchers.
Starlink has been a key part of Ukraine’s battlefield communications since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and is also used to support drone operations, but its coverage does not extend over Russia.
Ukraine faces a shortage of air defences against ballistic missiles and believes access to Starlink over Russian territory could improve its ability to identify launch sites.
Russia has invited Kim Jong Un to visit the country, the Tass news agency said
Russia has extended an official invitation to visit the country to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a deputy foreign minister has said according to the TASS state news agency.
Moscow and Pyongyang have drawn markedly closer in recent years, with North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine in 2024 and deepening military cooperation under a mutual defence pact.
Russian drone attack on high-rise building kills 14-year-old
A Russian drone struck a 16-storey residential building in Kyiv’s central Pechersk district on Friday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring at least seven people, Ukrainian officials said.
The attack also caused fires in non-residential buildings in two Kyiv districts.
Separately, one person was killed and another injured in the Odesa region in what the regional governor described as massive Russian strikes on a residential area and logistics facilities belonging to a postal operator.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had targeted Ukrainian defence-industry facilities, logistics centres and vessels used by the Ukrainian military.
Turkey pushes to revive Black Sea grain corridor
Turkey is stepping up efforts to restore a Black Sea grain corridor that previously enabled Ukrainian agricultural exports to reach international markets despite the war, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Erdogan discussed the issue with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in New York and said Kyiv had responded positively.
“We have now increased our efforts to re-establish the grain corridor. We are also accelerating our diplomatic steps for this,” he said.
Turkey and the UN previously helped broker the arrangement, and Ankara is now seeking to revive it amid continued disruption to Ukraine’s vital agricultural exports.
Zelensky broke confidentiality with North Korea POWs disclosure, South Korean president Lee Jae Myung says
South Korean president Lee Jae Myung accused Ukraine of breaking a confidentiality agreement by publicly revealing that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia had been sent to South Korea.
Zelensky announced the transfer during his UN speech, saying Ukraine had handed over the two POWs to South Korea after consultations.
Lee wrote on X: “I do not know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public, but it is very disappointing.
“The issue of bringing North Korean prisoners to South Korea is a highly sensitive one that could have a major impact on diplomacy, security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.
His comments came as opposition parties in South Korea questioned Lee for hiding arrival of North Korean troops in South Korea after it was first revealed by Zelensky.
Lee said those who “harm someone's life, national interest, or security for their own petty gain are called murderers or traitors”.
“Criticising valid and justified confidentiality measures is wrong,” he said.
Nato says it is prepared for sabotage and drone incidents
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has reassured member states that the alliance has plans to respond to drone and sabotage incidents, following a Danish warning that Russia could intensify hybrid operations across Europe.
The concerns were heightened by a fire at a Starlink facility in Poland, which Polish officials said was deliberate, although they have not identified those responsible.
Rutte said Nato was prepared for such threats, as European governments increasingly focus on protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, sabotage and other forms of disruption.
Moscow has denied involvement in sabotage incidents attributed to Russia.
Russia says it struck Ukrainian defence industry facilities, logistics hubs overnight
Russia’s defence ministry claimed on Friday that its forces carried out overnight drone strikes targeting Ukrainian defence-industry facilities, logistics centres and vessels used by the Ukrainian armed forces.
The ministry said the strikes hit a site in the Kyiv region used to assemble and store drones, as well as logistics hubs in the Odesa region and port infrastructure in Reni.
It also claimed that Russian forces struck a cargo ship carrying military and dual-use goods bound for the port of Odesa.
Ukraine has not verified these claims yet.
A Reuters witness said an explosion was heard near the centre of Kyiv following a Russian drone attack.
Denmark warns of possible Russian attack on Nato
Denmark’s defence intelligence service has warned that Russia could carry out a limited attack against a Nato member in the coming months, while stressing that the overall risk remains “low” but is “growing”.
Possible scenarios include strikes on infrastructure linked to support for Ukraine or a small-scale incursion by Russian forces.
The warning comes amid growing European concerns over suspected Russian sabotage, cyber operations and other hybrid activity.
Danish intelligence said Moscow could seek to test Nato’s response, although a full-scale Russian invasion of a Nato country remains considered highly unlikely.
The assessment comes as European authorities investigate a series of suspected sabotage incidents, including a fire at a Starlink facility in Poland.
Eight killed in Russian strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv region as civilian sites hit
At least eight people were killed in Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine on Thursday, including strikes that damaged a maternity hospital in Kyiv and killed six people at an agricultural facility in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian officials said.
Two people were killed in Kyiv, according to president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The overnight assault reportedly damaged homes and civilian infrastructure in the capital.
Police said nine houses, a post office, warehouses and dozens of vehicles were among the sites affected.
A maternity hospital was also damaged, although reports indicated that patients were not harmed.
Zelensky, who was in New York for the UN General Assembly, said the attacks struck Kyiv while people were sleeping.
The deadliest incident occurred in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, where six people were killed at a farm and 12 others were injured, according to prosecutors.
The attack hit a vegetable storage facility in the village of Stara Hnylytsia in the Chuhuiv district.
