Ukrainian officials are seeking approval to use Starlink-equipped drones against ballistic missile launchers, according to a report.
The war-hit nation will need approval from Starlink chief Elon Musk, the FT reported. The world's richest man has offered to help Ukraine but also made comments critical of the country.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump and other American officials to facilitate Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications system for guiding strikes within Russian territory.
Kyiv is looking for alternative strategies to reduce its reliance on US Patriot air defence systems, crucial for countering Russia's relentless missile and drone assaults but in short supply amid the US's own war on Iran.
Meanwhile Romania scrambled F-16 fighter jets yesterday to destroy a suspected Russian marine drone spotted a few hundred metres from a Black Sea gas project.
The country’s defence minister said that the drone was destroyed as it travelled near Neptun Deep, a critical facility that is expected to make Romania the European Union's largest gas producer when it comes on-stream in 2027.
One of the main suspects in the 2022 Nord Stream explosions was arrested while reportedly acting as a consultant on a Hollywood film which dramatises the gas pipeline attack, according to German media.
Volodymyr Zhuravlev was arrested by police in Pula, Croatia, under a European arrest warrant put out by Germany, which is seeking his extradition.
German prosecutors accuse him of being a member of a team of Ukrainian divers that allegedly planted explosives on the Baltic Sea energy link between Russia and Germany which destroyed three of the four pipelines in 2022. They describe Zhuravlev as a professional and experienced scuba diver.
Ousted Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov will go to the United States to raise money for new defence technology projects as he seeks new ventures after losing his post, a source close to the former minister told Reuters.
The source denied earlier media reports that Fedorov was going to the US to seek political support for his election call, and said that the tech-savvy, reform-minded former minister would not be meeting US politicians or officials.
“Fedorov is planning to launch a range of projects related to the war and to Ukrainian startups,” the source said, without providing any dates.
One of the projects would be an investment fund, the source said.
Fedorov's dismissal from the defence ministry in July led to weeks of protests in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities calling for his reinstatement although they have now died down.
A proponent of new military technologies and drone warfare since Russia's 2022 invasion, Fedorov has close ties to US companies such as SpaceX and Palantir.
Russia's relentless onslaught has spooked other European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, which fear spreading attacks from Moscow.
Amid a major attack on Kyiv yesterday morning, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command activated its military aviation operations, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance. Polish and other Nato military aircraft were deployed to monitor its airspace, Polish news agency PAP reported.
Romania's defence ministry later said an unidentified drone crashed and burned in an uninhabited area near the Ukrainian border.
Two Spanish F-18 jets, deployed on a policing mission in Romania, were scrambled overnight to monitor a group of "air targets" near the border, the ministry said.
In addition, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were deployed to destroy a naval drone seen near a major Black Sea gas project, Romania's acting defence minister Radu Miruta said.
Moldova's defence ministry also said its airspace was breached by at least one drone.
Russia "is increasingly testing the resolve of Nato and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighboring states and deliberately expanding the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine," Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen saw a broad threat to the European Union. "An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union," she said on X.
German security authorities discovered handguns stashed in a forest near Berlin last year and believe the weapons were to be used to carry out assassinations on behalf of Russian intelligence, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday.
A suspect has been arrested in Romania and may have been responsible for setting up the weapons storage, the newspaper reported citing unspecified sources.
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the case on suspicion of planning of a serious act of violence posing a threat to the state, the report said.
The paper said that Germany's domestic intelligence service, which has been warning of a heightened risk of Russian sabotage or assassination attempts, is convinced that those setting up the cache were acting on orders from Russian services.
Potential targets include defence industry executives, exiled opposition figures and supporters of Ukraine, the report said. The Federal Public Prosecutor and Germany's domestic intelligence service have not issued a comment.
Russia is open to listening to new proposals on how to reach a settlement on the Ukraine conflict, a senior Russian diplomat said, but any proposals should reflect the "realities on the ground".
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with media outlet News.ru published this morning that the US demonstrated a readiness for “constructive dialogue” and an "understanding of Russia's position”.
“At this stage, it is more important to what extent Washington is able to influence the decisions of the Kyiv regime and its European sponsors, who still dream of a 'strategic defeat' of Russia,” he told the outlet.
Ryabkov said Russia was ready to listen to Rubio's new ideas and continue dialogue with Washington.
“The Russian Federation is ready to listen to any reasonable proposals and ideas that are in line with the goals set by the Russian president and meet the 'realities on the ground',” he said.
Russia attacked 52 civilian vessels in July and the first half of August, Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry said this morning.
These included vessels transporting food and other cargo to or from Ukrainian ports, as well as vessels that already were in the ports, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russian police have arrested citizens complaining of fuel shortages at the pump, as Ukraine’s drone campaign sparked fighting at petrol stations and rationing.
Moscow and its surrounding regions have been forced to reimpose purchase limits on fuel, capping sales at between 50 and 60 litres per vehicle.
As Ukraine intensifies its “deep strike” campaign, hitting another major oil refinery on Wednesday, the strain on Russia’s domestic energy grid continues to grow. Across at least 12 regions, miles of gridlocked traffic now stall forecourts, with motorists waiting up to 30 hours only to find the pumps empty.
The prolonged waits have pushed the Russian public to breaking point, with footage showing fights erupting between drivers over fuel.
Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck two key Russian oil facilities yesterday, with both attacks starting fires.
The facilities that were hit were an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, in Russia’s Tatarstan region, and the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in Volna, Krasnodar.
Ukraine has previously hit both facilities in recent months as part of its campaign to disrupt Russia’s vital oil industry.
Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov confirmed there had been a “massive attack” in the region, state news agency Tass reported, citing his press service.
Many of the drones targeted Nizhnekamsk’s Zakamsk economic area, disrupting production at industrial sites and damaging residential buildings, Tass quoted him as saying.
The Russian defence ministry said air defences shot down 726 drones on Thursday overnight over a number of Russian regions, annexed Crimea and the Black and Azov seas, in one of Ukraine's biggest aerial attacks of the war.
