Ukraine-Russia newest: Moscow shuts down airports as Ukraine launches main drone assault

Ukrainian in a single day drone assaults have set a number of non-residential buildings on hearth in Russia’s Kaluga and Bryansk areas, regional governors mentioned this morning.

“Emergency services and firefighters are on the site,” Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Russian border area of Bryansk mentioned, with out offering additional element.

The defence ministry mentioned its air defence models had destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones in a single day, together with 17 over Bryansk.

Vladislav Shapsha, governor of the Kaluga area, which borders the Moscow area to its northeast, mentioned a non-residential constructing within the area was on hearth as results of Ukraine’s drone assault.

Ukraine launched at the very least 17 drones concentrating on Moscow early at the moment, forcing the short-term closure of two of the capital’s airports, Russian officers mentioned.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin mentioned the 12 drones have been destroyed within the Ramenskoye and Kolomensky districts of the Moscow area, in addition to in Domodedovo metropolis, southwest of Moscow.

“According to preliminary information, there is no damage or casualties at the site of the fall of the debris,” Sobyanin mentioned on Telegram. “Emergency services are on the sites.”

The Ramenskoye district, some 45km (30 miles) southeast of the Kremlin, was final focused in September Ukraine’s greatest assault on the Russian capital, when Russian air defence models destroyed 20 drones.

Rosaviatsia, Russia’s federal air transport company, mentioned on Telegram that “to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights, temporary restrictions have been introduced on the operation of the Domodedovo and Zhukovo airports,” beginning at 5.30am GMT.

It didn’t say how lengthy the restrictions could be in pressure.

Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into regulation a treaty on the nation’s strategic partnership with North Korea which features a mutual defence provision, in line with a decree printed yesterday.

The accord, signed by Mr Putin and North Korean chief Kim Jong-un in June after a summit in Pyongyang, calls on both sides to come back to the opposite’s assist in case of an armed assault.

Russia’s higher home ratified the treaty this week, whereas the decrease home endorsed it final month. Mr Putin signed a decree on that ratification that appeared on Saturday on a authorities web site outlining legislative procedures.

The treaty galvanises nearer ties between Moscow and Pyongyang since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Read extra about Moscow and Pyongyang’s pact right here:

Russia is open to listening to president-elect Donald Trump’s proposals on ending the conflict, an official in Moscow has mentioned.

Russian deputy international minister Sergei Ryabkov mentioned Moscow and Washington have been “exchanging signals” on Ukraine by way of “closed channels.” He didn’t specify whether or not the communication was with the present administration or Mr Trump and members of his incoming administration.

Russia is able to hearken to Mr Trump’s proposals on Ukraine offered these have been “ideas on how to move forward in the area of settlement, and not in the area of further pumping the Kyiv regime with all kinds of aid,” Mr Ryabkov mentioned yesterday in an interview with Russian state information company Interfax.

Russian chief Vladimir Putin described Donald Trump in a single phrase as he spoke publically for the primary time in regards to the Republican’s election victory.

Putin mentioned he had been “impressed” by Trump, earlier than describing him as “courageous” in regards to the assassination try on the president-elect at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Donald Trump’s incoming administration’s priority in Ukraine will be to establish peace, and not restore lost territory, a senior aide to president-elect said.

Bryan Lanza, a long-time Republican party strategist, told the BBC that Trump’s administration would be asking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for a “realistic vision for peace.”

Mr Zelensky has repeatedly mentioned peace can’t be established till all Russian forces are expelled and all territory captured by Moscow, together with Crimea, is returned. His “victory plan” offered final month maintains that provision in addition to an invite for Ukraine to hitch Nato, lengthy denounced by Russia.

“And if president Zelensky comes to the table and says, well we can only have peace if we have Crimea, he shows to us that he’s not serious. Crimea is gone,” he mentioned. “And if that is your priority of getting Crimea back and having American soldiers fight to get Crimea back, you’re on your own.”

He mentioned the precedence was “peace and to stop the killing.”

“What we’re going to say to Ukraine is, you know what you see? What do you see as a realistic vision for peace? It’s not a vision for winning, but it’s a vision for peace. And let’s start having the honest conversation,” he mentioned.

A Russian basic whose troopers have been accused of torturing an American blogger to loss of life for the Kremlin has died in Ukraine, in line with reviews.

It is believed he was killed in a missile strike as he rode a bike.

He is reported to have run torture camps used on dissenting Russian troopers and pro-Moscow brokers who refuse orders.