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Attack comes after Russian drones in Odesa kill one and damage local infrastructure
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Moscow has come under a massive Ukrainian drone attack for the second night in a row, prompting the cancellation of flights and shutdown of all four airports serving the Russian capital.
Russian defence ministry said its air defence units shot down at least 19 drones that had approached Moscow “from different directions” and a total of 105 Ukrainian drones over all parts of Russia overnight. It was a dramatic escalation from the four drones that hit Moscow a day earlier.
The city is set to host a Victory Day parade at the weekend, a major event where Vladimir Putin will meet with a number of world leaders allied to his cause. Russia has already been forced to cancel its Victory Day parade in occupied Crimea due to safety concerns.
On the war’s frontline, Ukrainian forces attacked a power substation in Russia’s western Kursk region after launching an audacious second incursion into the region.
Last month, Russia’s top general said that Ukrainian troops had been ejected from Kursk, ending the biggest incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War.
President Donald Trump greeted Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American ballerina and esthetician who was held in a Russian prison for over a year, at the White House.
Mr Trump met with Karelina, 34, in the Oval Office yesterday, shaking her hand and telling her it’s “an honour.” When the 34-year-old responded that it was her honor to meet him, Mr Trump, speaking to the people she had arrived with, said: “Now I know why you fought so hard to get her out of there.”
Ms Karelina was born in Russia and immigrated to the US more than 10 years ago, building a life in Los Angeles as an esthetician at a spa and obtaining citizenship in 2021. But Karelina was arrested in January 2024 while visiting her parents and sister in the southern Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
At least one person was killed after a Russian drone attacked Odesa oblast yesterday, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
Several houses were damaged in Odesa oblast as a result of the attack, the official said.
“The body of a deceased person was found in one of the houses. Additional information about the victims is being verified,” he said.
At least three residents were killed and seven others were injured in a separate attack by Russian forces on a village in Sumy oblast in Ukraine’s north on Monday.
The European Union will publish plans today to ban new Russian gas deals by the end of the year, and phase out existing contracts with Moscow by the end of 2027, three EU officials told Reuters.
The European Commission will publish a “roadmap” of how it plans to end Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027, the officials said.
The roadmap will include a commitment to propose, in June, a ban on new Russian gas import deals and spot contracts by the end of 2025, the officials said.
The roadmap will also include a commitment to make a legal proposal to ban Russian gas and liquefied natural gas imports under existing contracts by the end of 2027, said the officials, granted anonymity to discuss the confidential plans, which could still change before they are published.
US president Donald Trump and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone call yesterday that both leaders described as “very productive” and said they discussed everything from how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine to Syria and the Gaza war.
In a social media post, Mr Trump said the Turkish leader had invited him to Turkey “at a future date” and that he would also be coming to Washington, but did not say when.
Mr Trump, who described as “excellent” his relationship with Mr Erdogan during his first tenure at the White House, said the two countries would cooperate on ending the war in Ukraine.
“I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous but deadly War between Russia and Ukraine ended – NOW!” Mr Trump said in his post.
Mr Erdogan welcomed the US efforts to end the war, Turkey’s presidency said.
Mr Erdogan, in a subsequent X post, confirmed the mutual invitation.
“The phone call that I had today with my friend Donald Trump was very productive, comprehensive and sincere,” the Turkish president said.
After Russian military bloggers reported a fresh Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region on Monday, Ukraine’s military has now confirmed its forces were engaged in combat operations there over the past 24 hours.
The earlier reports said Ukrainian forces conducted a series of limited attacks across the Russia-Ukraine international border near Tetkino in Kursk Oblast, including strikes on energy infrastructure.
Last month Moscow said it had fully defeated Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk that began in August last year, but Kyiv has insisted it maintained a foothold in the region throughout.
In a daily update posted on Telegram this morning, the Ukrainian military said its forces in Kursk had fought off Russian attacks, and come under fire from Russian artillery and air-dropped bombs.
In a long message posted online, president Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz for supporting Ukraine through the Russian invasion.
“We appreciate that Germany plays a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine throughout the years of war. Ukraine is also grateful for your personal commitment,” Mr Zelensky said in the post on X.
The outgoing German leader has been one of the strongest backers of Ukraine through the course of Russia’s invasion, and has offered cautious military assistance while strongly condemning Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“There are many milestones to reflect upon: the Zeitenwende speech, the historic coffee break that helped open the way for Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, three Patriot batteries and other air defence supplies – and much more,” Mr Zelensky said.
Mr Scholz made the Zeitenwende speech just days after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, where he signalled his country’s commitment to Europe’s defence.
Responding to Mr Zelensky, Mr Scholz said: “Thank you for your trusting partnership… My deepest appreciation for your courage, bravery and determination in the fight against Russian aggression. It remains clear: Ukraine can count on Germany.”
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron yesterday evening, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
On the situation in Ukraine, the leaders discussed the need for Russia to commit to a 30-day ceasefire to ensure meaningful peace talks.
“Discussing the situation in Gaza, both expressed their deep concern at recent developments and agreed a renewed peace process was required,” the statement from No 10 said.
Russia has cancelled a Victory Day parade in occupied Crimea, Russian state-controlled media reported yesterday.
The parade in the port city of Sevastopol, which is held on 9 May to commemorate the Soviet Victory in the Second World War, will not take place due to safety risks, Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.
It comes after Volodymyr Zelensky said he cannot guarantee the safety of foreign officials who attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow, warning that Russia could orchestrate provocations and attempt to blame Ukraine.
Moscow is responsible for safety on Russian territory, he added.
The cancellation in Crimea comes after the Ukrainian military claimed to have downed two Russian fighter jets using sea drones near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on Friday – believed to be the first strikes of their kind.
Sevastopol is a major naval base in the Black Sea which has been under Russian occupation since its illegal annexation of the peninsula in 2014.
Officials in Greece have rejected reports that it is being lined up by the Trump administration to send Ukraine a Patriot air defence system.
A report by the New York Times cited four current and former US officials as saying that a Patriot missile system from Germany or Greece is likely to be sent to Ukraine, with logistics still being discussed.
However, a Greek official denied that Patriot systems will be sent from there while discussions are still being held on a package of new aid ahead of the Nato summit in late June.
“There is no question of supplying Ukraine with Patriot systems from Greece,” a government official in Athens told Reuters.
The Times report said one Patriot system was being refurbished and sent to Ukraine from Israel.
The war-hit nation has asked its allies in Europe to provide it with more Patriot systems to down incoming Russian missiles.
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Ukraine-Russia war live: Moscow airports shut as ‘more than 100 drones’ attack Russia ahead of Putin’s parade – The Independent
