Zelensky says Ukraine bombed Russian data centers to take out social media bots dividing the west
Zelensky says Ukraine bombed Russian data centers to take out social media bots dividing the west
Shweta Sharma13 October 2026 12:00
Three killed, 16 wounded in Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s Belgorod, governor says
Three people have been killed and 16 wounded in Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s Belgorod region which borders Ukraine, the local governor said on Wednesday.
Two people were killed in an overnight attack and another man died following an attack that took place on Friday, the region’s governor, Alexander Shuvaev, said.
Shweta Sharma13 October 2026 11:30
Finland criticises Trump’s Russian diesel deal
Finland’s foreign minister Elina Valtonen has criticised Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, warning that providing Moscow with additional revenue would help fuel its war in Ukraine.
Speaking to Reuters at a forum in Singapore on Tuesday, Valtonen said feeding Russia’s “imperial” war machine with more money was “not a good idea”.
She urged the US, as the leader of the free world, to stand with Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
“The rest of the world should be on the side of the victim and certainly those countries who want to still be strong for the concept of freedom,” she said.
Valtonen also called on European Union member states to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens until Moscow ends its war in Ukraine.
“I hear from all of my colleagues in the European Union an agreement to the principle and I am so sure that all of the European Union countries will start restricting tourist visas to Russians even more strongly now, especially because Russia is also waging a hybrid war against Europe,” she said.
Shweta Sharma13 October 2026 11:00
Poland accuses Russia of arson attack on Starlink station as two arrested
Poland has accused Russian intelligence services of orchestrating an arson attack on a Starlink satellite station near Warsaw, as authorities arrested two Turkish nationals suspected of carrying out the sabotage.
The suspects were detained in Germany in connection with the 23 September attack on Starlink infrastructure in Wola Krobowska, about 40km south of the Polish capital, officials said on Monday.
“We have no doubt that Russian intelligence services are behind this act of sabotage,” Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister overseeing intelligence services, said in a news release, adding that Russian intelligence services are increasingly turning to people with ties to the criminal underworld.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk described the incident as “another act of hybrid warfare”.
Speaking at a security conference in Warsaw on Tuesday, Mr Siemoniak warned that Russian intelligence services were carrying out almost “daily acts of subversion” against European countries supporting Ukraine.
“There is not a week where activities do not happen,” he said, adding that Moscow had increasingly relied on recruits contacted through platforms such as Telegram to carry out attacks.
“Our enemy – that is Russia’s intelligence services – changes its methods of operation and has unlimited resources,” he said.
The Starlink incident is among more than 210 suspected acts of sabotage and other hostile activities across Europe tracked by the Associated Press since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Western officials believe such operations are intended to undermine support for Kyiv, spread fear and instability across Europe and stretch security resources.
Norway’s domestic intelligence chief, Beate Gangas, also warned of the growing threat, telling the conference: “We are in the most serious situation since the Second World War.”
Shweta Sharma13 October 2026 11:00
Zelensky says Ukraine halted strikes on Russian oil refineries
Ukraine halted strikes on Russian oil refineries and its other energy infrastructure for two days following US president Donald Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
But he said that Russia failed to refrain from strikes.
“During this time, the Russians have attacked both our energy facilities and our critical infrastructure, sending absolutely clear signals that they have no intention of refraining from strikes on Ukraine,” he said on X.
He said the Russians have attacked Ukraine with more than a hundred different weapons – jet-powered drones, loitering munitions, and ballistic missiles.
Shweta Sharma13 October 2026 10:56
Ukraine still receiving intelligence data from US, foreign minister says
Ukraine continues to receive intelligence data from the United States, foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday, seeking to calm concerns after his country received no warnings before Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv.
Speaking during the Warsaw Security Forum, Sybiha said Kyiv and Washington were continuing their cooperation.
He reiterated an appeal for more air defence systems and also energy equipment supplies as Ukraine braces for another winter with Russia waging war on the country.
Shweta Sharma13 October 2026 10:36
Eleven sailors missing after drones strike ships off Bulgaria
Eleven sailors are missing after the drone strikes on two merchant vessels off Bulgaria this morning, according to officials.
Officials said five crew members had been rescued but 11 were still listed as missing from the ship which sank off the coast of the village of Krapets. Bulgarian media identified the vessel as the cargo ship Azov Concord.
Another ship, the Chelsea 3 sailing under Maltese flag, was also hit by three drones overnight, Bulgarian officials said. All crew from that ship – seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis – were rescued and none seriously injured.
Adam Withnall13 October 2026 10:12
What to know about the Nord Stream pipeline explosions trial opening in Germany this week
A former Ukrainian army officer is going on trial in Germany this week over undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany four years ago in one of the biggest acts of sabotage in Europe since the Second World War.
The suspect faces charges of causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public service and being an “accomplice to war crimes” by attacking civilian infrastructure, according to prosecutors.
The attack laid bare Europe’s dependence on Russian energy but also raised sensitive questions about Ukraine and its Western allies.
Shweta Sharma13 October 2026 10:00
Bulgaria summons Russian ambassador after two ships struck in Black Sea
Two ships were hit in the Black Sea off Bulgaria, sinking one and prompting emergency rescues, prime minister Rumen Radev said this morning.
Rescuers pulled all 15 crew from the Ukrainian-owned “Chelsea 3”, sailing under Maltese flag, with five treated for minor injuries, Radev confirmed via social media.
The crew, comprising seven Ukrainian citizens and eight Azerbaijan citizens, said three aerial drones struck the vessel’s deck and hull.
Radev blamed Russia for the strikes and said he would summon the Russian ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, for a conversation today.
Adam Withnall13 October 2026 09:05
Austria says Ukrainian journalist’s arrest on suspicion of spying was unrelated to his job
Vienna prosecutors have said the arrest of a Ukrainian investigative journalist and his cameraman last week was linked to a spying investigation and had nothing to do with their profession.
Journalist Mykhailo Tkach and cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko were arrested on Thursday after witnesses reportedly spotted three men observing the same location in a similar manner and during the same period.
Two other Ukrainians arrested earlier on suspicion of espionage remain in custody, while Tkach and Bondarenko were released without charge.
Prosecutors said police were unaware of the pair’s profession at the time of their arrest.
The journalists and their employer, Ukrainska Pravda, have criticised the Austrian authorities, arguing they could have been summoned for questioning instead.
Shweta Sharma13 October 2026 09:00
