Nato allies foiled a plot where Russian subs trained to unleash a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables without leaving any fingerprints, it has been revealed.
A joint operation involving Britain, Norway and the United States tracked and confronted the Russian vessels at sea, officials told Reuters after a clandestine Russian operation was carried out by Moscow's GUGI undersea warfare directorate.
Deep-sea submersibles were used to simulate the deployment of the sophisticated and destructive technology capable of disrupting deep sea cables vital for global internet connectivity and financial transactions. The vessels were prevented from completing their exercise and eventually left the area.
The discovery of the new weapon, location of the operation and US involvement come months after Britain and Norway disclosed that they had uncovered a covert Russian operation in Arctic waters.
The deep-sea face-off comes at a time when some Western intelligence officials fear the Kremlin is ramping up sabotage operations in Europe and preparing for a conflict with Nato.
Meanwhile, a plane with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on board, travelling from Moldova to Norway, was almost hit by a Russian drone, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said.
Key Points
- Nato allies foil Russian subsea cable sabotage plot - Reuters
- Russian drones kill two at Ukraine-Moldova border crossing
- Flight carrying Zelensky to Norway delayed in Moldova because of drone incursion
- Zelensky says Kyiv hitting Russia 'across its entire map' including Black Sea port attack
- Turkey to start drilling challenging Black Sea well
Two people killed and four injured in attacks on businesses
02:00 , Jane Dalton
Russian forces have struck a petrol station in the capital Kyiv and an international agribusiness facility in Dnipro as Moscow intensifies attacks on logistics and economic targets.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said attacks on businesses and civilian infrastructure were rapidly growing and urged the government to "react and act in advance".
The strike on the Ukrnafta petrol station appeared to be the first jet-powered drone attack on such a facility in Kyiv. It follows around 300 attacks on petrol stations in or near Ukraine's frontline regions in recent months.
Four people were injured, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
"There is no military objective in such strikes. This is terror and intimidation of the civilian population," said Ukrnafta CEO Bohdan Kukura on Facebook.
In Dnipro, two people were killed in the attack on the Bunge sunflower oil facility, one of Ukraine's five largest food plants with a processing capacity of 1,600 tons of oilseed per day.
It was the second attack on a US-owned business in several weeks, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
"This is no coincidence, but part of Moscow's systematic terror campaign against American businesses and economic interests," he wrote.
Five people were wounded, a local official said.
No trilateral talks before Russian election, Zelensky warns
01:00 , Jane Dalton
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday there would be no trilateral meeting on how to end the war before the elections in Russia.
Zelensky said Ukrainian and US negotiators were in constant contact and he hoped for progress in talks on energy and grain at the end of September after his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Russia will hold parliamentary elections on 20 September, and Zelensky expects to meet Trump in the second half of this month.
23:59 , Jane Dalton
Canada will give Ukraine a “very important package of air defence” as well as support for the energy industry, president Volodymyr Zelensky said before a meeting with prime minister Mark Carney.
Canada, one of Ukraine's most vocal defenders, has committed more than C$25.5billion (£13.6bn) in aid since Russia invaded in February 2022.
Kyiv is running critically low on US-made Patriot interceptors capable of stopping Russia's ballistic missiles at a time when Moscow is stepping up its attacks.
"This is a very important package of air defence. This is crucial," Zelensky said.
Carney promised Canada would offer Kyiv more aid to help it fend off Russian attacks as well as back its efforts to join Nato and the European Union.
Russian attacks on Ukraine's Dnipro hits food company
23:00 , Daniel Keane
Russian attacks on Ukraine's southeastern city of Dnipro hit a business owned by global agribusiness and food company Bunge , Mayor Borys Filatov said on Thursday.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said earlier that two people had been killed and five injured in attacks that damaged a food business in the city.
Seven people killed in Russian attack on Pavlohrad
22:00 , Jane Dalton
Russian forces launched a broad onslaught on the industrial city of Pavlohrad in southeastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing seven people, as Moscow intensifies attacks on logistics and economic targets.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said Russian forces deployed drones, artillery and aerial bombs in hitting five districts of Pavlohrad, a rail-and-logistics hub that has acted as a critical supply route for the Ukrainian military, connecting central Ukraine to eastern front lines.
The city serves a coal-mining area with a pre-war population of about 120,000.
A total of 76 people were injured, including several children.
Shops were shattered and vehicles burned out.
Russia strikes petrol station in Kyiv
21:00 , Daniel Keane
Russia struck a petrol station in Ukraine's capital Kyiv as Moscow intensified attacks on logistics and economic targets.
The strike on the Ukrnafta petrol station appeared to be the first jet-powered drone attack on such a facility in Kyiv.
It followed around 300 attacks on petrol stations in or near Ukraine's frontline regions in recent months.
Four people were injured, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
"There is no military objective in such strikes. This is terror and intimidation of the civilian population," said Ukrnafta CEO Bohdan Kukura on Facebook.
British man charged with aiding Russian spies to sabotage UK drone factory
20:00 , Daniel Keane
A British man plotted with Russian spies to sabotage a drone factory in England, prosecutors said.
Joshua Cammidge, 31, was charged with engaging in conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out activities in violation of the National Security Act.
He did not enter a plea during his initial court appearance.
He was returned to custody and ordered to appear Sept. 25 in the Central Criminal Court.
Cammidge was in contact with a suspected representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia's military intelligence agency, prosecutor Warren Stanier said in Westminster Magistrates' Court.
"The essence of communications was locations within the U.K. of factories that manufactured drones and the sabotage of those factories," Stanier said.
"He knew exactly who he was communicating with and the implications of what he was offering to do."
Putin sends bones of medieval warrior to Ukraine frontline
19:00 , Daniel Keane
Russia has sent bone fragments from a legendary Russian prince in a bizarre attempt to boost morale for its soldiers fighting in Putin’s war against Ukraine.
Tiny fragments from the sword hand of the medieval Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who won a famous victory over the Mongols, have been sent in the Russian Orthodox Church's latest show of support for Putin's war.
The sarcophagus of the Grand Prince, who died in 1389 and is revered by Russian nationalists for defeating the Mongol Golden Horde at the 1380 Battle of Kulikovo, was uncovered this summer during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of the Archangel inside the Kremlin.
Russian military and church officials presented the discovery as a fortuitous find that could help Russian forces prevail in Ukraine, now in the fifth year of a grinding war.
Read our full story below.
Putin sends bones of warrior prince to Ukraine in desperate bid to boost morale
Russian attack on Ukraine kills two Azerbaijani tugboat crew, Kyiv says
18:00 , Daniel Keane
Two Azerbaijani tugboat crew members were killed and two others injured as a result of Russian attack on civilian shipping in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, Ukraine's infrastructure ministry said on Thursday.
The tug TEDY came under a strike, it added on X.
Six other crew members received medical assistance on the spot.
Recap: Russia threatens retaliation after Hungary expels Putin’s diplomats
17:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russia threatens retaliation after Hungary expels Putin’s diplomats from country
Watch: Russian drone strike on Sumy shopping mall kills two, injures 14
16:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russian attack on Ukraine kills two Azerbaijani tugboat crew, Kyiv says
15:30 , Bryony Gooch
Two Azerbaijani tugboat crew members were killed and two others injured as a result of Russian attack on civilian shipping in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, Ukraine's infrastructure ministry said on Thursday.
The tug TEDY came under a strike, it added on X. Six other crew members received medical assistance on the spot.
Putin sends bones of medieval prince to Ukraine in morale bid
15:00 , Bryony Gooch
Putin sends bones of warrior prince to Ukraine in desperate bid to boost morale
Streeting says UK ‘won’t flinch’ in support for Kyiv as £100m pledged for winter
14:30 , Bryony Gooch
Defence secretary Wes Streeting said Moscow must understand that the UK “won’t flinch” in its support to Ukraine, as he co-chaired his first meeting of a group of allies providing military kit to Kyiv.
The virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group of some 50 nations comes after the UK committed £100 million to boost Ukraine’s air defences over winter.
Mr Streeting said he had seen the consequences of Russian aggression and the Ukrainian people’s “resilience and strength” firsthand during a visit to Ukraine.
“In that spirit, I think we owe it to them to make sure we are giving them every bit of support we can to see through what is inevitably a challenging winter.
“And at the same time to demonstrate to the aggressors in Moscow that our collective commitment to Ukraine remains, that it is strong, that it is unwavering, and I think that’s really important for demonstrating that alongside the diplomatic track that’s under way.
“We know that this war will only end through a negotiated peace.
“It’s really important that Russia understands that we won’t flinch in terms of our support for Ukraine as they continue to fight for their freedom and, for that matter, for ours.”
Watch: Rubio says substantive talks could pave way for Ukraine peace deal
14:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russian strikes on Kyiv fail to cancel Ukrainian soldier’s wedding
13:30 , Bryony Gooch
Deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv fail to cancel Ukrainian soldier’s wedding
Russia says it will continue attacks on Ukrainian ships carrying ammunition
13:00 , Bryony Gooch
The Kremlin, asked about a potential moratorium on attacks on ships in the Black Sea, said on Thursday that its armed forces would continue to destroy vessels carrying ammunition for the Ukrainian army.
Both Ukraine and Russia have stepped up attacks in recent weeks against commercial ships, sending world grain prices higher. Russia has previously rejected the idea of a ceasefire in the Black Sea as a "half-measure".
Pictured: Bearers carry a case with relics of a medieval Russian prince Dmitry Donskoy during a citywide procession in Moscow
12:40 , Bryony Gooch
Russian attacks on Ukraine's Dnipro hits enterprise owned by Bunge, mayor says
12:20 , Bryony Gooch
Russian attacks on Ukraine's southeastern city of Dnipro hit a business owned by global agribusiness and food company Bunge, Mayor Borys Filatov said on Thursday.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said earlier that two people had been killed and five injured in attacks that damaged a food business in the city.
Two Azerbaijani citizens killed in drone attack on Black Sea cargo ship, Baku says
12:00 , Bryony Gooch
Two Azerbaijani crew members were killed in a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Black Sea on Wednesday, Baku's foreign ministry said.
Two more crew members were brought to a hospital in the Ukrainian city of Chornomorsk, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, offering condolences to the victims' families.
Both Russia and Ukraine have been pounding each other's export terminals and grain-carrying vessels in an escalation that has created the biggest risks to Black Sea trade in the four and a half years of the war. The Azerbaijani statement did not say which side had carried out the attack on Wednesday.
Pictured: Police officer appears at a site of a gas station hit by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv
11:40 , Bryony Gooch
Russian forces hit Kyiv petrol station, injuring four
11:20 , Bryony Gooch
Russian forces attacked a petrol station in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, for the first time, injuring four people, Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the oil company Ukrnafta said on Thursday.
The attack hit a petrol station complex in southwestern Kyiv, sparking a fire, destroying at least one vehicle and causing a fire in a neighbouring building, the emergencies service said.
"There is no military objective in such strikes. This is terror and intimidation of the civilian population," Ukrnafta CEO Bohdan Kukura said on Facebook.
For nearly two weeks, Kyiv has been under an almost continuous barrage of jet-powered drones targeting warehouses and industrial facilities in the city and its suburbs.
In recent months, Russia has attacked around 300 Ukrainian petrol stations, mostly in frontline eastern regions, in an effort to disrupt logistics for Ukraine's military.
Russian forces attacked and disabled an oil depot in the Kyiv region in late August.
Ukraine has also targeted Russian fuel logistics with drone strikes on petrol stations, fuel tankers and railway fuel infrastructure in Russian-occupied regions, as well as oil refineries across Russia, causing fuel shortages.
Russian forces almost completely destroyed Ukraine's major oil depots and fuel storage facilities early in the war, triggering a widespread fuel crisis and forcing the country to overhaul its supply logistics.
Watch: Russian drone strike on Sumy shopping mall kills two, injures 14
11:00 , Bryony Gooch
Ukrainian drone kills one person in Russia's southern Belgorod region, authorities say
10:40 , Bryony Gooch
One civilian was killed when a Ukrainian drone attacked his car in Russia's Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, on Thursday, local authorities said.
Two more people were being treated for wounds in hospital, authorities added.
The Belgorod region and its neighbouring regions regularly come under Ukrainian attack.
NATO allies foil Russian subsea cable sabotage plot - Reuters
10:30 , Bryony Gooch
NATO allies caught Russian subs training to unleash a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables without leaving any fingerprints.
The clandestine Russian operation, described to Reuters by two Western officials, was carried out by Moscow's GUGI undersea warfare directorate, which used deep-sea submersibles to simulate the deployment of the sophisticated and destructive technology.
A joint operation involving Britain, Norway and the United States tracked and confronted the Russian vessels at sea, said the two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. The vessels were prevented from completing their exercise and eventually left the area.
Britain and Norway disclosed in April that they had uncovered a covert Russian operation in Arctic waters. But the discovery of the new weapon, the location of the operation and the U.S. involvement have not been reported.
The deep-sea face-off comes at a time when some Western intelligence officials fear the Kremlin is ramping up sabotage operations in Europe and preparing for a conflict with NATO.
Russia's Defence Ministry didn't respond to a request for comment on the incident. The Kremlin consistently denies conducting sabotage operations in NATO countries or plotting any confrontation.
Asked for comment, NATO referred Reuters to Norwegian and UK authorities.
"Through our joint operation, we sent a clear message to Russia that they cannot operate covertly," Norway's defence minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement.
"We have made it unequivocally clear to Russian authorities that any attempt to target our critical infrastructure will be detected and met with consequences," he said. "It is in no one's interest to escalate tensions in the High North."
Britain's Defence Ministry pointed to April 9 statements acknowledging attempted covert activities in and near Norwegian and British waters by Russia's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, known by its Russian acronym GUGI. Washington and London have both imposed sanctions on the secretive directorate.
The White House didn't respond to a comment request. The CIA declined to comment.
Zelensky, arriving in Canada, says air defences and winter preparation in focus
10:20 , Bryony Gooch
President Volodymyr Zelensky said support for Ukraine's air defences and winter preparation would be the main focus of his visit in Canada, as he arrived in the country.
Zelensky added that "important meetings and agreements" were planned for the visit, during which he would meet Canada's prime minister Mark Carney.
Zelensky says Kyiv hitting Russia 'across its entire map' including Black Sea port attack
10:00 , Arpan Rai
We’ve heard earlier from Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken out on Kyiv’s attack on the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.
The Ukrainian president said targets in the Krasnodar region, including a naval base and a oil-loading terminal, were attacked.
Warships carrying missiles and military port facilities were also hit, he said.
“We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X alongside footage of the attacks.
“I thank everyone developing our long-range sanctions capabilities, so that Russia’s war is increasingly felt where it came from.”
We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map. Over the past 24 hours, there have been results in Novorossiysk, in the Krasnodar region. A naval base was hit, including a terminal used to load oil, military port… pic.twitter.com/Szoqds72Xc
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 9, 2026
Ukraine drones spark fire at Russia's Caspian Sea port
09:40 , Arpan Rai
Authorities have doused a fire ignited by Ukraine drone strikes on port infrastructure in Russia's Caspian Sea city of Makhachkala in Dagestan, the region's acting head Fyodor Shchukin said.
Both sides have exchanged major strikes on each other in the early hours today.
Four killed as Russia hits Ukraine's Black Sea port facilities
09:20 , Arpan Rai
Russia's defence ministry claims it hit facilities “used for military purposes” in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, two vessels near Odesa and a drone warehouse in Mykolaiv overnight.
The ministry made the comments on the Telegram messaging app.
The air strikes on Ukraine's port of Mykolaiv hit civilian and industrial infrastructure there on Wednesday and overnight, killing four and injuring 19, acting regional governor Heorhii Reshetilov said.
Trump says Putin wants to make a deal in Ukraine but says two sides 'hate each other'
09:00 , Arpan Rai
Donald Trump said he had a "great" conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier in the week and that the Russian leader wanted to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
“He is wanting to make a deal, and if (Ukrainian president Volodymyr) Zelensky is wanting to make a deal, that'd be very nice," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One en route to Dallas for the Republican National Convention.
Trump spoke over the phone with Putin on Tuesday, shortly after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned from a diplomatic swing through Moscow and Kyiv.
“The holdup is two people who hate each other," Trump told reporters, referring to Putin and Zelensky.
“I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other."
North Korea's Kim celebrates troops involved in supporting Putin's invasion of Ukraine
08:40 , Arpan Rai
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a message of gratitude to his country's troops who supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, state media KCNA said.
Kim referred to the troops during a speech at Pyongyang's assembly hall on Wednesday, amid celebrations marking the 78th anniversary of the country's founding.
He thanks workers and soldiers for their contributions to the state, and extended what KCNA called special gratitude and respect to commanders and soldiers "participating in overseas military operations", likely referring to North Korean troops deployed for Russia's war in Ukraine.
In return for sending troops and munitions to join Russia's war effort, Pyongyang has received economic and military technology assistance from Moscow, according to South Korean intelligence assessments.
North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces since late 2024, according to Western and South Korean officials.
Pyongyang was continuing preparations for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but there were no signs that such a deployment was imminent, according to South Korea's defence ministry in late August.
CIA chief Ratcliffe preparing for bigger role in Russia and Ukraine talks – report
08:20 , Arpan Rai
CIA director John Ratcliffe is preparing to take a bigger role in Washington's negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, US officials told their European counterparts, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons denied the report, calling it "false" in a post on X.
The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said the White House is considering scaling back the involvement of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Ukraine peace effort.
Five killed and 24 injured in Russian attack on Sumy
08:00 , Arpan Rai
At least five people have been killed and 24 injured in a Russian air strike on Ukraine’s Sumy, police officials said this morning.
Regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said earlier that a Russian drone had struck a shopping centre in Sumy on Wednesday and put the toll at two killed and 20 injured.
Russian drones kill two at Ukraine-Moldova border crossing
07:45 , Arpan Rai
Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa, killing two people, Ukrainian and Moldovan officials said, as Moscow targets trade and logistics routes to cause economic damage.
Two civilians were killed and three wounded in the attack on the Starokozache border crossing in southwest Ukraine, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
The checkpoint, about a kilometre (half a mile) from Moldovan territory, is used daily by thousands of people and hundreds of cars. Moldovan officials said passenger and vehicle traffic was halted by the attack.
Russia has struck five border crossings in recent weeks, the Ukrainian border guards said — four on the border with Moldova and one on its border with Romania, a Nato member.
Flight carrying Zelensky to Norway delayed in Moldova because of drone incursion
07:30 , Arpan Rai
A flight scheduled to carry Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky from Moldova to Norway was delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace because of a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.
The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.
Moldovan police said a Russian drone crashed on Tuesday in a sunflower field on the outskirts of a village in Riscani district, which caused four fires to break out but no injuries.
Moldovan authorities confirmed the drone came down and exploded 160km (100 miles) from Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.
Russia says it detained a man who spied on British diplomats in Moscow for Ukraine
07:21 , Arpan Rai
Russia's FSB internal security agency said it has detained a former guard at the British Embassy in Moscow who collected personal data on British diplomats, alleging that he had been working for Ukrainian intelligence.
The agency said the data collection was part of preparations for a Ukrainian false-flag operation against British diplomatic staff in Russia, aimed at accusing Russia of hostile actions at a later stage.
The UK government has yet to comment on the developments in Moscow.
Zelensky’s plane ‘almost hit’ by Russian drone as deadly strikes rock Moldovan border
07:15 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's flight from Moldova to Norway was delayed after it was almost hit by a Russian drone, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said.
Officials in Moldova said they had to shut down the country’s airspace because of a drone incursion as Russian forces targeted the border between that country and Ukraine this week.
“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in,” Store said yesterday. The drone exploded around 160km from Moldova’s main Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were eventually lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.
At least two people were killed yesterday when a swarm of Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa.
The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.
Another Russian drone had crashed in a sunflower field on Tuesday causing four fires to break out, Moldovan police said.
Ukraine drones spark fire at Russia's Caspian Sea port
06:58 , Arpan Rai
Authorities have doused a fire ignited by Ukraine drone strikes on port infrastructure in Russia's Caspian Sea city of Makhachkala in Dagestan, the region's acting head Fyodor Shchukin said.
Both sides have exchanged major strikes on each other in the early hours today.
Four killed as Russia hits Ukraine's Black Sea port facilities
06:30 , Arpan Rai
Russia's defence ministry claims it hit facilities “used for military purposes” in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, two vessels near Odesa and a drone warehouse in Mykolaiv overnight.
The ministry made the comments on the Telegram messaging app.
The air strikes on Ukraine's port of Mykolaiv hit civilian and industrial infrastructure there on Wednesday and overnight, killing four and injuring 19, acting regional governor Heorhii Reshetilov said.
Trump says Putin wants to make a deal in Ukraine but says two sides 'hate each other'
06:15 , Arpan Rai
Donald Trump said he had a "great" conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier in the week and that the Russian leader wanted to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
“He is wanting to make a deal, and if (Ukrainian president Volodymyr) Zelensky is wanting to make a deal, that'd be very nice," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One en route to Dallas for the Republican National Convention.
Trump spoke over the phone with Putin on Tuesday, shortly after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned from a diplomatic swing through Moscow and Kyiv.
“The holdup is two people who hate each other," Trump told reporters, referring to Putin and Zelensky.
“I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other."
North Korea's Kim celebrates troops involved in supporting Putin's invasion of Ukraine
06:02 , Arpan Rai
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a message of gratitude to his country's troops who supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, state media KCNA said.
Kim referred to the troops during a speech at Pyongyang's assembly hall on Wednesday, amid celebrations marking the 78th anniversary of the country's founding.
He thanks workers and soldiers for their contributions to the state, and extended what KCNA called special gratitude and respect to commanders and soldiers "participating in overseas military operations", likely referring to North Korean troops deployed for Russia's war in Ukraine.
In return for sending troops and munitions to join Russia's war effort, Pyongyang has received economic and military technology assistance from Moscow, according to South Korean intelligence assessments.
North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces since late 2024, according to Western and South Korean officials.
Pyongyang was continuing preparations for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but there were no signs that such a deployment was imminent, according to South Korea's defence ministry in late August.
CIA chief Ratcliffe preparing for bigger role in Russia and Ukraine talks – report
05:48 , Arpan Rai
CIA director John Ratcliffe is preparing to take a bigger role in Washington's negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, US officials told their European counterparts, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons denied the report, calling it "false" in a post on X.
The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said the White House is considering scaling back the involvement of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Ukraine peace effort.
Five killed and 24 injured in Russian attack on Sumy
05:29 , Arpan Rai
At least five people have been killed and 24 injured in a Russian air strike on Ukraine’s Sumy, police officials said this morning.
Regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said earlier that a Russian drone had struck a shopping centre in Sumy on Wednesday and put the toll at two killed and 20 injured.
Watch: Russian drone strike on Sumy shopping mall kills two, injures 14
05:00 , Arpan Rai
Russian drones kill two at Ukraine-Moldova border crossing
04:12 , Arpan Rai
Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa, killing two people, Ukrainian and Moldovan officials said, as Moscow targets trade and logistics routes to cause economic damage.
Two civilians were killed and three wounded in the attack on the Starokozache border crossing in southwest Ukraine, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
The checkpoint, about a kilometre (half a mile) from Moldovan territory, is used daily by thousands of people and hundreds of cars. Moldovan officials said passenger and vehicle traffic was halted by the attack.
Russia has struck five border crossings in recent weeks, the Ukrainian border guards said — four on the border with Moldova and one on its border with Romania, a Nato member.
Flight carrying Zelensky to Norway delayed in Moldova because of drone incursion
03:52 , Arpan Rai
A flight scheduled to carry Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky from Moldova to Norway was delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace because of a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.
The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.
Moldovan police said a Russian drone crashed on Tuesday in a sunflower field on the outskirts of a village in Riscani district, which caused four fires to break out but no injuries.
Moldovan authorities confirmed the drone came down and exploded 160km (100 miles) from Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.
