'Everything indicates' Russian drone shot down by allied country; what Putin wants from talks with Trump, according to former US official

Zelenskyy discusses 'maintaining close contact' with Trump in Netanyahu call

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has discussed "maintaining close contact" with the US and Donald Trump in a call with Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a message on X, Zelenskyy said he had told Netanyahu about his participation in the events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and conveyed his condolences to him and the people of Israel.

He also said he welcomed the beginning of the release of hostages.

"It is crucial to ensure a reliable and lasting peace, so that people can live in safety and security," he wrote.

"We also discussed maintaining close contact with partners, particularly the US and President Trump. 

"We addressed current bilateral matters and agreed to maintain close contact in the near future."

 

Polish politician accuses Russia of trying to meddle in election

A senior member of the Polish government has accused Russia of trying to recruit Poles on the dark net in an effort to influence Poland's presidential election campaign.

The European Union and NATO member state has warned before of the danger of Russian interference in the mid-May election but Moscow has repeatedly denied meddling in foreign elections.

Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Russia was looking for Polish citizens willing to influence the campaign from inside the country, offering them 3,000-4,000 euros (£2,519-£3,358) to spread content containing disinformation.

Gawkowski said recruitment was being done via the dark net, a part of the internet accessible only using a specialised web browser. Poland has been observing such attempts since the start of the year, he said.

"This is money directed from the Russian services GRU and FSB, which are looking for such patrons of their content here," Gawkowski said, referring to Russia's military intelligence and its Federal Security Service.

Moscow did not immediately comment on his remarks.

Poland said this month it had identified a Russian group tasked with influencing Polish elections through disinformation and stoking instability.

Warsaw says its role as a hub for supplies to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia's invasion had made it a target for spies working for Russia and its ally Belarus, as well as for acts of sabotage. Minsk and Moscow have dismissed accusations that they are behind acts of sabotage.

In December, fellow NATO and European Union member Romania annulled a presidential election after accusations of Russian meddling, which Moscow denied.

 

'So bizarre': Moscow responds to claims Biden administration tried to assassinate Putin

The deputy of Russia's State Duma has responded to claims made by US journalist Tucker Carlson that the Joe Biden administration attempted to assassinate Vladimir Putin.

Speaking on the latest episode of his podcast, Carlson said that Biden's team "tried to kill Putin" while in office.

The former Fox News commentator did not elaborate further, except to label the idea as "insane".

Speaking to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti, Amir Khamitov said: "We don't know whether Carlson has any secret data that allows him to assert this, or whether these are just his assumptions. 

"But Biden's reality is so bizarre and unpredictable that anything can be assumed."

For context: Carlson was ousted from Fox News in 2023 amid the network's troubles over airing inaccurate claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election, a conspiracy often trumpeted by Carlson on his show.

He travelled to Moscow last February for a widely criticised interview with Putin and returned last month to interview Moscow's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

 

Top Ukrainian defence official sacked amid infighting over procurement

Ukraine's government has sacked a deputy defence minister in charge of buying weapons amid infighting over procurement.

A dispute ignited last week after defence minister Rustem Umerov criticised Ukraine's arms acquisition effort as having failed to deliver results for frontline troops.

He subsequently dismissed Dmytro Klimenkov, citing "unsatisfactory" results, and said he would not renew the contract of Maryna Bezrukova, the head of the agency which coordinates weapons purchases for Kyiv's military.

The agency was established after a series of allegations earlier in the war of ministry misspending, and has aimed to cut out intermediaries and minimise the risk of corruption. 

In a statement on Friday, Umerov said the agency had "inexplicably transformed into an 'Amazon'" and its purchases were too publicly visible. 

The agency said in response that it had made "significant progress" in boosting supply and lowering prices, and that it would continue working under Bezrukova. 

 

'Everything indicates' Belarus shot down Russian drone overnight, military monitoring group says

At least nine Russian drones launched at Ukraine overnight crossed into Belarus, according to a report from a military monitoring group.

The Belarusian Hajun project says the drones were recorded flying in the country's airspace between 11.30pm and 1.30am (8.30pm and 10.30pm UK time).

It added that, at around 00.55am (9.55pm UK time), an explosion was heard near the Belarusian city of Mazyr. Shortly after this, it says a drone disappeared from its radars.

"At the moment, everything indicates that last night, a Shahed drone was shot down by the air defence forces near Mazyr," the project concluded.

For context: This is not the first time Russian drones have ended up crossing into Belarus, an ally of Moscow, since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In October, the Belarusian Hajun project reported that drones had crossed into Belarusian airspace as the country's president, Alexander Lukashenko, was travelling by helicopter.

 

What Putin wants from talks with Trump, according to former US official

In the wake of the presidential election in the US, focus has fallen on the prospect of talks between new president Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Both men have signalled a willingness to engage in discussions with the other, with each hinting that any negotiations could potentially range beyond the topic of Ukraine.

Stephen Sestanovich, a Russian and Eurasian studies expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former US State Department official, said a limited presence for Kyiv in the talks would be an incentive for Russia's president.

"For all these blustering exchanges, the thing Putin most wants to hear is that this is a deal Russia and the US will strike by themselves," he told the New York Times.

He suggested the American leader should factor this in when approaching negotiations, saying: "To keep Putin off balance, Trump has to show him a deal is possible only if it makes sense to Ukraine and our allies."

Moscow and Washington briefly discussed arms control talks during the Biden administration in 2021.

Wendy Sherman, the former deputy secretary of state, who conducted the talks for the US side, warned that if talks with Russia begin, the Trump administration should be prepared - and conscious of what the Russian leader sought to achieve from the negitiations.

"Putin will want what he has always said he wanted: As much territory as possible, no Ukraine ever in NATO, no Western nuclear weapons in Europe that could target Russia," she said.

She added that she believed a discussion of a revival of the arms control treaty that has been partly suspended by Russia and expires in February next year, was "likely low on his list".

 

Ukraine stops Russian agents preparing strike on jets and helicopters, Kyiv says

Ukraine has halted a Russian security service plot to carry out strikes on fighter jets and helicopters, according to Kyiv. 

The SBU security service said it had detained two Ukrainian nationals they accuse of being Russian "agents" after they photographed an F-16 jet taking off.

It added it had seized phones with evidence they were gathering intelligence for Russia's FSB to prepare a strike on airfields.

The suspects are being held without bail and face life imprisonment if found guilty.

 

North Koreans 'blow themselves up' rather than risk capture

A Ukrainian special forces commander has told Sky News that North Koreans have been seen blowing themselves up with grenades rather than risking capture.

The commander, who goes by the codename 'Puls', said Kim Jong Un's men were likely either learning lessons from mistakes made during their first, bloody clashes with Ukrainian soldiers, tending to their wounded or waiting for reinforcements.

Watch security and defence editor Deborah Haynes's full report from the frontline in Ukraine here... 

 

Ukraine 'repels nearly 100 Russian attacks' near key town

Ukrainian forces have repelled 85 Russian attacks near the key town of Pokrovsk, Kyiv has said. 

Ukraine's general staff noted fighting in some 20 settlements surrounding the town in its morning update. 

It also said yesterday Russian troops were "intensively attacking" there. 

The town of Pokrovsk, which has been under aerial bombardment and is being advanced upon from several sides by Moscow's troops, is home to a major logistics hub used by Ukrainian forces, which services the eastern region of Donbas.

Analysts and military experts say the town is a key part of Ukraine's defence and losing it could cause the entire frontline to crumble.

Capturing Pokrovsk would allow Moscow to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front and boost its campaign to capture the city of Chasiv Yar, which sits on higher ground - offering potential control of a wider area.

 

Russian airstrikes continue in Ukraine. 

On top of the strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv we reported on this morning, we can bring you images from Odesa, Lyptsi and Chernihiv.

Drones struck houses in Chernihiv, which lies to the north of Kyiv, while shelling struck residential buildings in the southeastern region of Odesa. 

Lyptsi is right on the eastern frontline, and has seen fierce fighting. 

 

Russia issues school textbook saying it was 'forced' to march into Ukraine

A new school textbook that says Russia was "forced" to send troops into Ukraine was presented in Moscow yesterday. 

The book also likens Russia's war in Ukraine to the Soviet struggle against the Nazis.

The three-volume "Military History of Russia" was edited by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Vladimir Putin who headed a delegation that held unsuccessful peace talks with Ukraine in 2022.

It explains why the Kremlin believes the war started and how it is being fought, as well as highlighting what it regards as "incidences of battlefield heroism".

Ivan Basik, a military historian affiliated with the Russian army, said Western and Ukrainian actions had made the war "inevitable" at a news conference to discuss the new book.

"The most important task was to explain to the younger generation, to schoolchildren, the forced nature of the special military operation carried out by the Russian Federation," he said. 

 

Ukraine collecting DNA from North Korean soldiers

Earlier, we shared a report from security and defence editor Deborah Haynes about North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian troops.

It details the lengths gone to by Moscow to disguise the identity of North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukraine, and attempts from Kyiv to identify Pyongyang's forces on the battlefield.

Watch the video report below and read the full story here.

 

The battlefield situation

These maps show the battlefield situation in Ukraine and the Russian region of Kursk.

The first shows a general view of Ukraine's eastern front, with a closer look at the Luhansk and Donetsk regions as you scroll left to right. 

The final maps show Ukraine's progress in the Kursk region of Russia after Kyiv's forces invaded in August. 

 

Vintage car museum hit by Russian drones

We mentioned in our last post that Moscow's forces launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv.

A vintage car museum was hit, with at least nine vehicles destroyed and 27 damaged, according to Kyiv official Mykola Kalashnyk,

Three other districts in the region were also hit, he added, with two homes, three non-residential buildings and three cars damaged.

"There were no civilian casualties. There were no hits to critical or residential infrastructure," Kalashnyk said.

 

Russia launches 100 drones at Ukraine overnight

Ukraine says it downed 65 Russian drones launched overnight at the country.

Kyiv's air force says 100 drones were launched overall, with 28 of those failing to reach their targets.

Damage has been reported in Kharkiv (see 7.05am post) as well as in the capital of Kyiv (we'll bring you more on that shortly).

 

Long-time Putin ally wins seventh term in 'sham' Belarus election

Alexander Lukashenko, a long-time ally of Vladimir Putin, has secured his seventh five-year term as Belarusian president.

The 70-year-old, often described as "Europe's last dictator", won 86.8% of the vote in Sunday's election, according to results published by the country’s electoral commission.

The election has been labelled a sham by many Western countries because independent media are banned in Belarus and all leading opposition figures have been jailed or forced to flee abroad.

"The people of Belarus had no choice. It is a bitter day for all those who long for freedom and democracy," Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said in reaction to the result.

Others were pleased at Lukashenko's apparent resounding victory, especially in Moscow.

"Your convincing victory in the elections clearly testifies to your high political authority and to the undoubted support of the population for the state policy Belarus is pursuing," Putin said, according to the Kremlin.

"You are always a welcome and dear guest on Russian soil. As agreed, I look forward to seeing you soon in Moscow."

Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a message of congratulations, Chinese state media reported.

How is this a fair election?

Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett put that question straight to Lukashenko over the weekend, asking how Belarus can hold fair elections when criticism of the president is banned.

"You used to be an empire, and now your subordinates have come in and are ruling you," the president replied.

 

North Koreans 'blow themselves up with grenades rather than risk capture', say Ukraine soldiers

By defence editor Deborah Haynes and producers Azad Safarov and Katy Scholes in northeast Ukraine

North Korean troops appear to have temporarily pulled back from the frontline in Russia after suffering heavy losses, a Ukrainian special forces commander has told Sky News.

The commander, who goes by the codename "Puls", said Kim Jong Un's men were likely either learning lessons from mistakes made during their first, bloody clashes with Ukrainian soldiers, tending to their wounded or waiting for reinforcements.

"I think they'll be back soon," he said, speaking at a secret base in northeastern Ukraine.

 

Ukrainian causes hit by Trump's aid freeze - as about 60 USAid staff put on leave

Ukraine-based humanitarian projects have had their funding cut after Donald Trump's freeze on US foreign aid, several sources have said.

Trump's secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Friday ordered a halt to virtually all US foreign aid except for Israel and Egypt.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed over the weekend that Kyiv was still receiving military aid from the US, but a source at the USAid mission in Ukraine has told AFP that "most" of the humanitarian projects there have received an order to stop.

Organisations that support veterans, local media and healthcare are among those to say their funding has been cut by Washington.

Trump has explained his decision by calling on other countries to increase their financial commitments to foreign aid.

Asked on Air Force One yesterday if there was a timeline for the US reopening aid, the US president said: "We want other people to join us.

"We are spending billions and billions and billions of dollars and other countries that are wealthy are spending zero. 

"We want them to help. Why should we be the only ones? They understand. They've been told that."

The Trump administration has put about 60 senior USAid employees on administrate leave, sources familiar with the matter have said.

In a memo seen by Reuters, some staff members have been accused of taking action "designed to circumvent" the president's executive order on foreign aid.

"As a result, we have placed a number of USAid employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions."

 

Fires rage in Kharkiv after drone attack

As we mentioned in our last post, an overnight attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv by Russia injured four people.

The area's regional governor said a 62-year-old woman was taken to hospital and a 66-year-old man was injured when debris from a destroyed drone fell, damaging several houses.

The emergency services were called soon after midnight to a private business that caught fire, Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram. 

These images show police experts at the scene of the attack as fires rage.

-SKY NEWS