Russia said on Wednesday that its air defences shot down more than 260 Ukrainian drones including some approaching Moscow, and the capital's airports were briefly shut down to ensure the safety of flights. The news came as Poland's military intervened after a ship from the Russian "shadow fleet" was seen performing suspicious manoeuvres near a power cable connecting Poland with Sweden, the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
Ukraine detained 50,000 men trying to flee since war began
Ukrainian border guards have prevented tens of thousands of military service-age men from illegally leaving the country since the start of Russia's invasion, said a spokesman for the border guard.
Under martial law, most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 have been barred from leaving the country, unless they receive an official permission or qualify for an exemption.
But thousands have still attempted to flee to avoid being drafted in the Ukrainian army, which is struggling to recruit.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said it detained "around 45,000 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 since February 24, 2022", spokesman Andriy Demchenko told AFP.
"Another 4,000 citizens were detained at checkpoints for attempting to illegally cross the border using forged documents or by falsifying other grounds that would give them the right to cross the border," he added.
Kyiv has been trying to crack down on draft dodgers and encourage Ukrainians to return to their country to replenish the ranks of the army, which is struggling against Russian troops making gains in the east.
Russian cyber campaign targets delivery of support to Ukraine, warns France, UK and allies
France, Britain, Germany, the US and other allies have warned of a Russian state-sponsored cyber campaign targeting the delivery of support to Ukraine and Western logistics entities and technology companies.
The UK advisory said a "malicious campaign by Russia's military intelligence service presents a serious risk to targeted organisations, including those involved in the delivery of assistance to Ukraine".
The campaign has also targeted defence, IT services, maritime, airports, ports and air traffic management systems sectors in multiple North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members, said Paul Chichester, operations director at Britain's National Cyber Security Centre.
The advisory was issued in conjunction with the US, France, Germany and other allies, warning
organisations of the elevated threat and urging immediate action to protect themselves.
"We strongly encourage organisations to familiarise themselves with the threat and mitigation advice included in the advisory to help defend their networks," Chichester said.
Poland intervenes as Russian 'shadow fleet' ship spotted near power cable
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has revealed that the NATO member intervened after detecting "suspicious" activity from a Russian "shadow fleet" ship near a cable in the Baltic Sea.
Security analysts say Russia is operating a large "shadow fleet" of hundreds of vessels, seeking to dodge the sanctions Western nations imposed on its oil exports over the war in Ukraine.
Several undersea Baltic cables were damaged last year, with many experts calling it part of a "hybrid war" carried out by Russia against Western countries.
"A sanctioned Russian ship from the 'shadow fleet' was carrying out suspicious manoeuvres near a power cable connecting Poland to Sweden," Tusk said on X.
"Following a successful intervention by our military, the vessel left for one of the Russian ports," he added, saying a survey ship of the Polish navy was on its way to the site.
Photo released of Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting Kursk nuclear power plant under construction
EU, Germany in talks with all US players on Russia sanctions, says German govt spokesperson
Germany and the European Union are in talks with all concerned parties in the United States on new sanctions against Russia over Moscow's war in Ukraine, a German government spokesperson said on Wednesday.
"I cannot comment on these internal American debates, but rest assured that Europe and the (German) federal government are also talking to all the players in the USA," the spokesperson said at a regular government press conference.
Russian ship from the 'shadow fleet' performed 'suspicious manoeuvres' near Baltic cable
A Russian ship from the "shadow fleet" covered by sanctions performed suspicious manoeuvres near a power cable connecting Poland with Sweden, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a post on X.
"A sanctioned Russian ship from the 'shadow fleet' was carrying out suspicious manoeuvres near a power cable connecting Poland to Sweden. Following a successful intervention by our military, the vessel left for one of the Russian ports," Tusk said on X.
Poland's defence minister said the incident occurred on Tuesday.
Kremlin calls Trump's Golden Dome plan 'sovereign matter'
"This is a sovereign matter for the United States. If the United States believes that there is a missile threat, then of course it will develop a missile defence system," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The proposal, which Trump ordered a week after his inauguration in January, would see Washington deploy missile interceptors in space to protect against ballistic and hypersonic threats.
"That is what all countries do," Peskov added. "Of course, in the foreseeable future, the course of events will require the resumption of contacts to restore strategic stability," he added, referring to broader nuclear talks.
Pro-Russia ex-Ukraine MP shot dead near Madrid
A US-sanctioned ex-Ukrainian MP and senior aide to the country's former pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was shot dead near Madrid, a Spanish police source said.
Police rushed to the upmarket town of Pozuelo de Alarcon where "several people" shot a male "in the back and head" as he "prepared to climb into a vehicle", the source said, confirming the victim was Andriy Portnov.
The shooters "later fled from the scene towards a wooded area", the source added, saying the incident had occurred outside an American private school.
Moscow mayor says air defences downed three approaching drones
Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow's mayor, said on Wednesday that air defence forces had downed three drones en route to Russia's capital.
"The Defence Ministry's air defence forces repelled an attack by three drones flying towards Moscow. Emergency services specialists are working at the site where the debris fell," Sobyanin said on Telegram.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that air defence units had shot down 159 Ukrainian drones over various Russian regions, and that at least six had been shot down over the Moscow region, which has a population of over 20 million.
Russia's aviation watchdog said on Wednesday that three of Moscow's airports had resumed operations after temporary restrictions had been introduced to ensure the safety of flights.
Two Moscow airports suspend flights, Russian aviation watchdog says
Moscow's Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports have temporarily halted flight arrivals and departures, Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said on Wednesday via its channel in Telegram, without specifying the reasons.
Ukrainian military says drones hit semiconductor device plant in Russia's Oryol region
The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday it had struck a semiconductor device plant in a drone
attack on Russia's Oryol region.
The plant supplies various enterprises including some involved in the production of Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, the military said on Telegram, adding that 10 drones had reached the target area and that a fire had broken out.
Russian strike on military training site kills six, Ukrainian national guard says
A Russian strike on a military training site has killed six soldiers and wounded 10 others, the Ukrainian national guard said on Wednesday.
"Six soldiers were killed and more than 10 wounded as a result of the attack, while they carried out exercises at a military shooting range," the national guard said in a Facebook post, adding that an investigation has been opened into the incident.
Putin visits Kursk region for first time since ejecting Ukrainian forces
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the border region of Kursk on Tuesday, several weeks after Russian forces pushed Ukrainian troops out of the area, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
"Vladimir Putin made a working visit the previous day to the Kursk region," where he met with the interim governor and others, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Ukrainian troops seized control of parts of the Kursk region in August 2024, but were pushed out by Moscow's forces, with help from North Korean soldiers, by the end of April.
Images aired on the Rossia 24 channel showed a relaxed and smiling Putin sitting around a large table decked with tea and sweets with people from the region.
Russia intercepted 159 drones launched by Ukraine over 12 hours at several Russian regions, including Moscow, the military said in a statement on Wednesday.
The drones mostly targeted Russian regions bordering Ukraine and were launched from 8:00pm Moscow time (1700 GMT) Tuesday until 8:00am on Wednesday, said a defence ministry statement.
Welcome to our liveblog covering Russia's war in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday he expected Russia to present a Ukraine ceasefire outline within days that will show if it is serious, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of buying time.
President Donald Trump spoke separately by telephone on Monday to Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin, after Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul on Friday for their first direct talks on the conflict in three years.
