Parliamentary polls open in Russia's Far East
Polling stations opened early Friday in Russia's Far East, kicking off a three-day election that President Vladimir Putin's party is all but guaranteed to win, in the fifth year of war with Ukraine.
Russia's Ria Novosti and TASS news agencies reported that the first polling stations opened at 8:00am Friday (2000 GMT) on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula and the autonomous Chukotka district.
Putin puts Nestlé, Auchan Russian assets under temporary administration
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian assets of Swiss food group Nestlé and French supermarket group Auchan to be placed under temporary administration, according to a presidential decree.
The decree shows Nestlé's and Auchan's Russian assets have been transferred to the temporary management of LEV Management.
Earlier, the Kommersant newspaper reported that a company known as KS Logistika had asked Putin to place Nestlé's assets under temporary administration.
India vows to protect energy security after new US tariffs over Russian oil
India has warned Washington that new measures to levy tariffs over the purchase of Russian oil could impact bilateral ties, the South Asian nation's foreign ministry said, hours after the US made a new move to punish such buyers.
Earlier in the day, the US House of Representatives passed a sweeping sanctions and tariff bill intended to increase economic pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports.
EU to disburse €3.3 billion to Ukraine to procure missiles and drones, von der Leyen says
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union will on Friday disburse €3.3 billion to Ukraine to procure missiles and drones.
"I just had a phone call with President Zelensky. Tomorrow we will disburse €3.3 billion for missiles and drones in Ukraine," von der Leyen said on X.
Putin says Russia's 2027 budget deficit seen at around 2% of GDP
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the country's budget deficit is projected to be around 2% of gross domestic product in 2027.
He also said Russia's economy is expected to grow by up to 1% in 2026.
Trump says progress made toward establishing US Army base in Poland
US President Donald Trump said that progress is being made toward establishing a US Army base in Poland, crediting "the bold leadership" of Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
"If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great US-Polish Alliance," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Poland has been pushing for a bigger allied presence on NATO's eastern flank after Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.
Europe closer to war than ever, Slovak prime minister says
Europe is closer than ever to a large-scale war erupting from the war in Ukraine and politicians must strive for peace, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said, as he planned to visit Ukraine for a meeting of several European leaders.
Fico, who has kept warm relations with Russia, said a drone incursion could spark the activation of NATO's common defence clause and he wanted to prevent Slovakia from becoming part of an armed conflict.
Russia to open voting booths at border with Poland, Baltic states
Russia said it would open voting stations at its border points with Poland and the three Baltic states, with ties between Moscow and its EU neighbours frozen over the war in Ukraine.
Moscow is holding a three-day parliamentary election across its 11 time zones starting on Friday, with President Vladimir Putin's party facing no real opposition and guaranteed to win.
Russia's ties with EU members Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — already historically fragile — are de-facto frozen, with embassies open but many diplomats expelled and most Russian consulates closed.
📸 In photos: the aftermath of Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv
A woman cleans her apartment after a Russian missile exploded near her home in Kyiv on September 17, 2026. © Dan Bashakov, AP
Residents clear a playground of debris after a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on September 17, 2026. © Dan Bashakov, AP
A missile crater is seen in the foreground, of a damaged apartment building following Russia's air attack in Kyiv on September 17, 2026. © Dan Bashakov, AP
Russian plans include strikes against Ukraine's allies, Tusk says
Russia's plans in the war against Ukraine include "hybrid" drone and missile strikes against Kyiv's allies, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, as the conflict drags on into its fifth year.
"The Russian plan, according to intelligence assessments ... includes hybrid strikes using drones and missiles on countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland," he told parliament.
Ukraine attacks kill one, injure one in Russia's Belgorod region, authorities say
One person was killed and another injured in Ukrainian attacks on Russia's Belgorod region, local authorities said.
Russian central bank appeals to EU top court amid Euroclear dispute
Russia's central bank said it had filed a challenge with the EU General Court against an EU regulation adopted in July that it said interfered with its dispute with Euroclear over the freezing of Russian assets in Europe.
Russian missile and drone attacks injure at least 19, including children, in Ukraine
A Russian barrage of missiles and drones targeting Ukraine's capital and the surrounding region injured at least 19 people overnight and into Thursday morning, authorities said.
The Kyiv City Military Administration said the overnight attacks struck more than 10 locations in the city, while 33 sites were damaged in the wider region. A 10-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy were among the injured, the administration said in a statement on Telegram.
Armenia leader says would not oppose Russian base pullout
Yerevan will not object if Russia closes its military base in the country, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said, adding that the base is no longer vital to national security.
The base, near Armenia's border with Turkey, has been a key symbol of Moscow's military influence in the South Caucasus.
Pashinyan's comments come as Armenia pursues an increasingly pro-Western foreign policy and distances itself from traditional ally Moscow's orbit.
Ukraine receives 252 bodies in swap with Russia
Ukraine has received the bodies of 252 people in an exchange of war dead with Russia, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.
Russia received 23 bodies in return, Russian lawmaker Shamsail Saraliev was quoted as saying by the RBK news outlet.
The exchange of prisoners of war and fallen soldiers is one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides.
"As a result of repatriation measures, the bodies of 252 deceased persons have been returned to Ukraine," Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.
Police and other officials will "conduct all necessary examinations and identify the repatriated bodies", it added.
Poland says no violation of its airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine
The Polish army says that no violation of Polish airspace was recorded and that military aircraft have finished their operations.
Airports in Rzeszow and Lublin reopened after their temporary closure.
Turkey proposes a deal between Ukraine and Russia to end Black Sea shipping attacks
Turkey has sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine that would end attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, a Turkish diplomat told AFP on Thursday.
"We have shared a text of a memorandum, a draft text, with the Russians and the Ukrainians to come up with a solution to those strikes taking place in the Black Sea," the diplomat said.
No damage to border crossing points after a Russian drone attack in western Ukraine, Ukraine's border service says
Explosions sounded several kilometres from the Ukraine-Polish border during a Russian drone attack, Ukrainian official says
Ukraine says explosions sounded several kilometres from Polish border
Explosions were heard several kilometres from Ukraine's border with Poland during a Russian drone attack, a Ukrainian official has said.
Ukraine's border service said there were no reports of damage to border crossings.
Yesterday's key developments:
- US President Donald Trump strengthened NATO by pushing allies to increase their defence spending, Finland 's president said, describing a "pragmatic" relationship with a US leader who is "a man of his own mind".
- US Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday dismissed questions about a Russian oligarch who paid for a party at Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding earlier this year, and said Trump did not know the Russian.
- The European Union must ramp up measures against the Kremlin , including reviewing the issuance of tourist visas to Russians, to counter Moscow 's "hybrid attacks", foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
