Air defense systems in southern Ukraine destroyed more than 30 drones in a “massive” Russian attack overnight, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military’s Southern Command said on Thursday. Natalia Humeniuk added that air defenses were activated, including in the port of Odessa and nearby Mykolaiv.
Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny did this tweeted that he be transferred to a stricter prison for a year. According to Portal, he faces a transfer to the “toughest grade in the Russian penal system.”
Here you will find the latest information about the war and its global impact.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it destroyed dozens of drones overnight. Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper said air defenses repelled the drone attack on his southern region and reported no casualties or major damage. The governor of Mykolaiv said a building and a power line were damaged by debris from intercepted drones, but there were no injuries.
Navalny described his transfer to prison as the “strictest punishment possible.” on his account on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. He lost his appeal against a 19-year prison sentence this week. As the Associated Press reported, Navalny has already spent several months in a one-person “punishment cell” for alleged disciplinary violations.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized after a Nazi unit veteran applauded in Parliament during a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week. Jaroslaw Hunka was invited to the event and praised by the speaker of Canada’s House of Commons, who resigned after Jewish groups said the 98-year-old Hunka fought in a Waffen-SS unit during World War II. “This was a mistake that deeply embarrassed Parliament and Canada,” Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday.
Russia released another video of its Black Sea Fleet commander. Admiral Viktor Sokolov, whom Ukraine is believed to have killed in an attack on the annexed Crimean peninsula last week. It was not clear when the video released Wednesday of Sokolov speaking to reporters was filmed. Ukrainian special forces had previously said they were clarifying information about Sokolov.
Some mercenaries from the Wagner Group have returned to the battlefield in Ukraine Having been in Belarus since a failed mutiny in Russia, Illia Yevlash, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian army’s Eastern group, told RBC Ukraine.
The new British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps met with Zelensky during a visit to Kievthe Ukrainian president announced Thursday. According to Zelensky’s office, the two discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defense during this week’s meeting.
A government shutdown in the US could jeopardize Ukraine’s financing, despite the $6 billion in aid announced Tuesday as part of a bipartisan Senate plan to fund government operations through mid-November. The uncertainty “underscores the political challenges facing Kiev’s supporters” as they continue to seek billions of dollars for Ukraine, the Washington Post reports.
Washington imposed sanctions aimed at stopping the supply of parts for Iran’s Shahed-136 drones used by Russia in Ukraine, This was announced by the Ministry of Finance. It said five companies and two individuals based in Iran, mainland China, Hong Kong, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates facilitated supplies and financial transactions related to the procurement of critical components of the unmanned weapons.
Analysis of our correspondents
“Although Moscow maintains close ties with Azerbaijan, it has long viewed Armenia as an ally and security partner in its immediate neighborhood. But it seems unable to assert its role as a peacemaker and guarantor of stability not only in the South Caucasus but also in Central Asia,” he writes.
David L. Stern contributed to this report.