Six people have died after a Russian bomber crashed during a training exercise in the country’s far east, authorities have said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the Tu-95 aircraft came down in an uninhabited part of the Amur region, killing six crew members and leaving one injured.
A number of Tu-95 planes have suffered extensive damage during during Ukraine's "Spiderweb" operation, in which covertly truck-launched drones struck several air bases hosting long-range bomber aircraft across Russia.
Russian authorities said a team of military investigators has flown to the site to determine what caused the incident.
It comes after Nato member Estonia said an investigation has concluded that Russia was responsible for an arson attack in August that caused a fire at an Estonian defence company.
The company in question, Milrem Robotics, was a supplier of unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine. Estonia’s prime minister said it reached the conclusion based on evidence gathered by its security services, adding that the incident was consistent with other sabotage conducted on Russia's behalf in Europe.
World leaders including Emmanuel Macron have sent messages of solidarity to Estonia following the announcement.
Key Points
- Six dead after Russia’s long-range bomber crashes on training mission
- Estonia says Russia ordered August arson attack
- Macron offers Estonia 'full solidarity' after suspected Russian attack
- Putin places new restrictions on oil refineries after devastating strikes by Kyiv
- Putin envoy and US officials had 'constructive' meeting on Ukraine, US official says
In focus: The critical infrastructure Europe - and Nato - needs to protect from Russia
03:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Putin could attack ports, transport and communications in a bid to test Nato’s resolve. Experts tell Maira Butt that Nato members must start preparing for the worst.
The critical infrastructure Europe - and Nato - needs to protect from Russia
Russia boost fleet of ships sailing under its flag by a third in defiance of sanctions
02:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russia has boosted the number of ships flying its own flag by more than one third as it looks to keep oil flowing by avoiding tanker seizures from other countries.
Between January 2025 and June 2026, some 107 vessels were added to Russia’s flag registry, marking a 36 per cent increase from 280 to 382 vessels, according to analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) published on Friday.
European nations and the US have ramped up seizures and detentions of tankers violating maritime law by flying false flags and working as part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”, which carries Russian oil in defiance of Western sanctions.
You can read more below:
Russia boosts fleet of ships sailing under its flag by a third to defy sanctions
In depth: Inside the real war games as Europe readies for an attack by Russia
01:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
As warnings increase about a Russian attack on a NATO country, real-world war-games, whether played out around a conference table or on the ground as military exercises, are happening all the time. But the real danger is the potential for hysteria, fear and miscalculation to turn a shadow war into something much worse, writes Owen Matthews.
Inside the real war games as Europe readies for an attack by Russia
Russia to cut welfare and education funding in 2027 as war spending soars
Wednesday 30 September 2026 00:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russia will cut funding for welfare, education and healthcare in next year's state budget, in addition to previously announced tax hikes, to help cover soaring military spending, fiscal documents obtained by Reuters showed.
Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles ($202.58 billion) on defence in 2027, around 27 per cent more than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Funding for social policy, which covers items such as state pensions, payments to war veterans and maternity benefits, will shrink by 7 per cent in 2027. Funding for education will fall by 6 per cent and healthcare funding by 6.8 per cent, compared with the initial plan.
Spending under the "national economy" section, which includes road construction and other infrastructure projects, as well as subsidies for agriculture and other sectors, will shrink by 7.4 per cent in 2027.
Russia's budget situation has gradually deteriorated throughout the four-and-a-half years of war in Ukraine as the country has had to tap its fiscal reserve fund, increase borrowing and raise taxes to keep up with growing military spending.
Russia is drawing up a three-year budget in an attempt to improve long-term planning, but it has had to revise figures sharply upwards each year and has repeatedly missed its annual deficit targets.
Six dead after Russia’s long-range bomber crashes on training mission
Tuesday 29 September 2026 23:17 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Six crew members have died after a Russian nuclear-capable strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in the country's far east.
A Defence Ministry statement confirmed that the Tu-95 aircraft came down in an uninhabited part of the Amur region. One crew member survived the crash and was taken to hospital with injuries.
Officials said the bomber was unarmed at the time, and a team of military investigators has flown to the site to determine what caused the incident, according to the ministry.
A number of Russian Tu-95 bombers were damaged or destroyed in June 2025 during Ukraine's "Spiderweb" operation, in which covertly truck-launched drones struck several air bases hosting long-range bomber aircraft across Russia.
You can read more below:
Six dead after Russia’s long-range bomber crashes on training mission
Watch: Don't weaken sanctions on Russian oligarchs, Zelensky pleads with world leaders
Tuesday 29 September 2026 23:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
CIA warns Russia is preparing attacks on Spain, France or Italy with drones from the sea
Tuesday 29 September 2026 22:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
The CIA has warned Russia is preparing to carry out drone strikes in Europe targeting France, Spain and Italy from the sea, according to a report.
Several European governments have been passed information about the Kremlin’s supposed plans to escalate its interference on the continent, an unnamed source close to the Lithuanian ministry of defence told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
Lithuanian authorities believe Russia could use an explosive-laden Gerbera drone, launched from the sea, to cause a fire, damage exposed equipment or temporarily close a port or airport, according to the report.
You can read more below:
CIA warns Russia is preparing drone attacks on Spain, France or Italy: report
Belgium to transfer three F-16s to Ukraine this year, Zelensky says
Tuesday 29 September 2026 21:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Belgium will transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
"There is an important agreement with Belgium on the transfer of three F-16 fighter jets by the end of this year," he wrote on X. "We will work to receive these aircraft through an accelerated procedure."
Zelensky said Ukraine had already received "urgent deliveries" of F-16 ammunition from Belgium and Spain, among other countries.
In depth: Europe’s far-right turmoil is only the beginning – all the signs point to worse to come
Tuesday 29 September 2026 20:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Germany has provided the warning. Now elections across Europe will test whether nationalist and populist parties can turn growing support into lasting political power. John Kampfner reports on the terrifying surge of the far right across Europe and why it’s good news for Russia.
Europe’s far-right turmoil is only the start – all the signs point to worse to come
Watch: 'At least six dead' after Russian bomber crashes in flames
Tuesday 29 September 2026 19:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russia preparing to deploy 10,000 North Korean troops, warns Zelensky
Tuesday 29 September 2026 19:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russia is preparing to deploy 10,000 additional North Korean troops on top of the existing 8,000 fighting in Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Citing "new data", Mr Zelensky said in a post on X North Koreans were "being selected for training and subsequent deployment to Russia”.
In a latest presidential decree on Monday, the Russian president ordered increasing the size of the army to 1.55 million active servicemen. The number of uniformed personnel will increase by 15,500, while raising the strength of the armed force to 2.4 million, according to the decree.
Earlier last year, Mr Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had confirmed for the first time that North Korean troops were sent to Russia to fight the war in Ukraine, with both the leaders referring to them as “heroes”.
You can read more below:
Russia preparing to deploy 10,000 North Korean troops, warns Zelensky
Czechs would be ready to respond to attack on Baltics, PM says
Tuesday 29 September 2026 18:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
The Czech Republic would be ready to honour its NATO commitments in the event of a Russian attack on a Baltic country, prime minister Andrej Babis told a Czech news website on Tuesday.
Babis, whose government includes a pro-Russian anti-immigrant party, has halted Czech contributions to military aid for Ukraine and also opted out of EU and NATO financing and military aid pledges for Kyiv.
He has repeatedly spoken about the need for European leaders to promote peace, and was criticised in a presidential campaign in 2023 for saying he would not send Czech soldiers to fight for allies.
Asked if Prague was preparing for the eventuality of Russian action against NATO, a possibility raised by some NATO members' secret services, Babis said he was having discussions on security challenges, including with President Petr Pavel.
"The fact we do not talk about it and journalists don't get fodder for their articles does not mean we don't address it," Babis said in the video interview.
"Of course we are preparing. If, God forbid, Russia were to attack a Baltic state, then, under Article 5 (NATO members' mutual defence commitment), we have to send two of our mechanised brigades," he said.
"Of course we would be active and we talk about it, but I don't see a reason to share classified information."
Russian bomb attack kills two in Ukraine's Sumy, governor says
Tuesday 29 September 2026 18:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Two people have died after Russian glide bombs struck a school in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday, the regional governor said.
Governor Oleh Hryhorov, writing on Telegram, said three children were among the six injured in the attack. He said teachers and school officials had managed to evacuate 100 people into a shelter.
Nearby houses were also damaged.
Sumy is a frequent target of Russian attacks. Russia's military has said it wants to establish a buffer zone in the areas of the region on the Russian border.
Watch: Trump says 'I want Zelensky to settle with Putin' in deal to end the conflict
Tuesday 29 September 2026 17:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russian imperialism 'greatest threat to Europe', top diplomat says
Tuesday 29 September 2026 17:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russian imperialism is the “greatest threat to Europe” and questioning that is “irresponsible,” a top German diplomat has said.
"The greatest threat to the freedom of our continent comes from Moscow. The greatest danger to Europe is Putin's belligerent imperialism," said German foreign minister Johann Wadephul as he met Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanar.
"To question these facts is not only lacking in solidarity, but it would be simply irresponsible."
Slovakia, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico's leftist-nationalist government, has questioned the European Union and NATO's reaction to the war that followed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Fico has maintained warm relations with Moscow, including meetings with Putin, and battled the EU over measures to end Russian oil and gas supplies, which Bratislava still needs.
This month, Fico criticised unnamed Western politicians for wanting to stoke conflict between NATO and Russia after a "failed" strategy to defeat Moscow.
He also said Europe was closer than ever to war and that he wanted to keep Slovakia out of conflict.
Putin envoy and US officials had 'constructive' meeting on Ukraine, US official says
Tuesday 29 September 2026 16:39 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev held "constructive" talks with US officials on ending the Ukraine war, including possible US-Russia energy initiatives in the postwar period, a US official said on Tuesday.
The visit Monday by Dmitriev, who is also head of Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund, follows a meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskiy last week in New York, where Zelensky said they discussed a potential ceasefire on energy-related targets.
Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Putin in Moscow earlier this month.
Dmitriev was in Washington "to continue constructive discussions on a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and possible US-Russia energy initiatives after the war ends," the US official said.
Life in the village on the edge of Russia where locals fear the next hybrid attack
Tuesday 29 September 2026 12:30 , Shweta Sharma
Residents across a Polish border community received three emergency phone alerts in a single day, warning that a missile or drone could enter from Ukraine.
Above the eastern village of Dorohusk, vapour trails carved through the pale blue sky while military helicopters rumbled overhead. Just two kilometres (1.24 miles) away, traffic at the border crossing into Ukraine was halted three times, with personnel evacuated from the checkpoint on one occasion.
Thursday’s alerts and operational stoppages highlight an uneasy reality along Poland’s eastern frontier, where the war in Ukraine — now four and a half years old — feels increasingly immediate.
Life in the village on the edge of Russia where locals fear the next hybrid attack
Macron offers Estonia 'full solidarity' after suspected Russian attack
Tuesday 29 September 2026 12:03 , Adam Withnall
French president Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that France was in full solidarity with Estonia after it said it was the victim of a Russian arson attack.
Estonia, a Nato member bordering Russia, said earlier today that an investigation had concluded that an August fire at defence company Milrem Robotics was caused by an arson attack commissioned by Russia.
Macron said threats from Russia would not weaken French support for Ukraine.
“The proliferation of these hostile acts reflects a dangerous headlong rush by Russia —one that will only lead it into a dead end," Macron said in a post on X.
Inside Ukraine’s fortress cities – and the ex-convicts keeping them from Putin
Tuesday 29 September 2026 11:00 , Shweta Sharma
Even as Ukraine and Russia intensify mass aerial attacks against each other, the unrelenting slaughter on the battlefields below continues, particularly in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which Vladimir Putin has been obsessed with seizing since he launched his invasion.
Two large cities, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, and a number of smaller towns in the region remain in Ukrainian hands and have become known as the “fortress belt”. The area is key to Ukraine’s overall security.
Putin has vowed every year since 2022 to take the Donetsk region in its entirety. And each year that has not happened, Putin has felt more humiliated and again ordered his commanders to capture the region that year. Despite marginal advances with suicidal frontal attacks – at tremendous cost in Russian lives – Moscow has failed in its mission.
Defending this area are troops who in times of peace would make for the unlikeliest of allies – prisoners and police officers, whom The Independent met on visits to the frontlines.
Inside Ukraine’s fortress cities – and the ex-convicts keeping them from Putin
Estonia says Russia ordered August arson attack
Tuesday 29 September 2026 10:36 , Adam Withnall
Estonia says it has concluded that an August fire at Estonian defence company Milrem Robotics, a supplier of unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine, was caused by an arson attack commissioned by Russian security services.
Prime minister Kristen Michal said the conclusion was based on information gathered by Estonia's Internal Security Service KAPO.
Estonia did not disclose its evidence in the case, citing confidentiality of security services, but said the incident was consistent with other sabotage conducted on Russia's behalf in Europe.
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said the case was "extremely serious" and that Sweden stood fully behind the Baltic nation.
The Kremlin denied the claim that Russia was behind the attack, calling the accusations unfounded and saying it would not take them seriously.
Norway increases support for deported Ukrainian children
Tuesday 29 September 2026 10:00 , Shweta Sharma
Norway has announced increased humanitarian funding to support efforts to trace and return Ukrainian children, detained civilians and prisoners of war.
The funding will go to Unicef and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), helping to trace missing people, bring more Ukrainians home and support their rehabilitation and reintegration.
Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide said the initiative was also intended to draw attention to human rights violations committed by Russia in Ukraine.
Norway said many Ukrainian children remain in Russia after being unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred there.
The government has earmarked 15 million Norwegian crowns (£1.1m) for Unicef's work tracing missing children and supporting those who have returned to Ukraine.
A further 10 million crowns will go to the ICRC's Central Tracing Agency Bureau, which works to locate people missing as a result of armed conflict and reconnect families.
The announcement comes as Canada hosts a ministerial conference on the issue in Toronto this week, co-hosted by Norway and Ukraine.
