Ukraine war latest: Putin hosts EU leader in rare visit - as NATO boss tells Zelenskyy his criticism of German chancellor is 'unfair'

'Mysterious' fire breaks out at Russian drone warehouse

A fire has broken out at a Shahed drone warehouse in Russia's western Tatarstan region, destroying drone parts worth $16m, Ukraine's defence ministry reports.

The ministry has said on Telegram that the warehouse, which housed parts for the Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles, had been "destroyed".

"The mysterious destructive fire was another blow to the military-industrial complex of terrorist Russia," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Ukrainian defence ministry's general directorate of military intelligence reminds that there will be fair retribution for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people."

Kremlin rejects reports Assad's wife seeking divorce

The Kremlin has rejected Turkish media reports which suggested the wife of Bashar al Assad wanted a divorce and to leave Russia.

Earlier this month, Assad, his wife Asma and members of his family arrived in the Russian capital after fleeing Syria.

Assad's location was confirmed as Russian news agencies said Moscow had struck a deal with Syrian opposition leaders. 

A source said the rebels had guaranteed the safety of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions in Syria.

But yesterday, Turkish and Arabic media reported that Asma al Assad had filed for divorce in Russia.

Asked on a conference call if the reports about Asma al Assad  corresponded to reality, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "No they do not correspond to reality."

He also rejected Turkish media reports which suggested that Assad had been confined to Moscow and had his property assets frozen.

Russian forces 'capture eastern Ukrainian village'

Russian forces have taken control of the eastern Ukrainian village of Storozheve, the Interfax news agency reports.

The village sits in the Donetsk region where fierce fighting has ensued, with Russia intent on capturing the entire eastern region.

Last year, Ukraine claimed they had liberated the village of Storozheve, which was seized by Russia after their invasion. 

Sky News has not been able to verify these claims.

Russian delegation arrives in Tehran

A Russian delegation has arrived in Tehran for a visit that includes a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian state news agency TASS reports.

The group is being headed by deputy prime ministers Alexei Overchuk and Vitaly Savelev.

What relationship do Russia and Iran share?

Iran has been one of Russia's few staunch allies throughout the war against Ukraine and Western officials have also accused Iran of supplying Russia with weapons.

In September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran had sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia and the Kremlin "will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine".

And British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the supply of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia was "definitely a significant escalation" and said the UK was "coordinating".

Iran and Russia denied the claims.

Russian troops operate equipment

Images have emerged through the Kremlin's defence ministry of Russian troops operating equipment at an undisclosed location.

The scenes come as Vladimir Putin said Moscow will only be ready to sign a deal with Volodymyr Zelenskyy if he secures re-election.

Putin repeats assertion he should have invaded Ukraine 'earlier'

Vladimir Putin has repeated his assertion that he should have invaded Ukraine earlier, the Institute for the Study of War reports.

In an interview with Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin yesterday, the Russian leader said his country should have started its full-scale invasion before February 2022 but added that it was impossible to say exactly when that should have been, the American thinktank reports.

He also blamed Ukraine and the West for "misleading" Russia and not implementing the Minsk II Accords.

This, he claimed, gave the West time to prepare Ukraine for future "military actions" against Russia. 

Putin made similar remarks during a national address he gave last week.

During that address, he said the decision to invade "should have been made earlier" and stated Russia could have "prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly".

North Korea 'to send more troops to Russia'

North Korea appears to be preparing to deploy more troops and weaponry to Russia, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports, citing South Korea's military.

The deployment "probably includes suicide drones", the agency reports.

"A comprehensive assessment of multiple intelligence shows that North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase the deployment of troops (in Russia), while currently supplying 240mm rocket launchers and 170 mm self-propelled artillery," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

"There are also some signs of (the North) moving to manufacture and supply suicide drones, first unveiled during Kim Jong-un's on-site inspection in November."

For context: North Korea has been supplying weapons to Russia for some time but the arrival of troops to Russia in October was seen as a major escalation in its involvement in the war of Ukraine.

The first official evidence of large numbers of North Korean troops entering Russia was provided by the South Korean government.

According to the press release, an initial contingent of 1,500 North Korean special forces troops were transported on Russian naval ships to the port city of Vladivostok.

Ukraine shoots down 47 Russia-launched drones, air force says

Ukraine's air force has said it shot down 47 out of 72 Russia-launched drones across the country overnight.

In a statement on Telegram, it said an additional 25 drones had not reached targets and were "locationally lost".

The air force also said that in the Khmelnytskyi and Kyiv regions, citizens' homes had been damaged and assistance was being provided to the victims.

Russia and Ukraine often send drones into each other's territory, but over the last few months the frequency of the attacks has intensified.

NATO chief tells Zelenskyy his criticism of German leader is unfair

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said he considers the criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be unjustified.

Although Germany has been a vital ally of Ukraine, its hesitation in providing long-range Taurus cruise missiles has been a source of frustration in Kyiv, which is battling a foe armed with a powerful array of long-range weaponry.

"I have often told Zelenskyy that he should stop criticising Olaf Scholz, because I think it is unfair," German news agency DPA quoted Rutte today as saying in an interview.

Rutte also said that he, unlike Scholz, would supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles and would not set limits on their use.

"In general, we know that such capabilities are very important for Ukraine," Rutte said, adding that it was not up to him to decide what allies should deliver.

After a November telephone call by Scholz with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in November, Zelenskyy said it had opened a Pandora's box that undermined efforts to isolate the Russian leader and end the war in Ukraine with a "fair peace". 

Putin hosts Slovakian PM in rare Moscow visit by EU leader

Vladimir Putin yesterday hosted Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to the Kremlin by an EU leader since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Fico arrived in Russia on a "working visit" and met with Putin one-on-one yesterday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia's RIA news agency.

Peskov said the talks were expected to focus on "the international situation" and Russian natural gas deliveries.

Russian natural gas still flows through Ukraine to some European countries, including Slovakia, under a five-year agreement signed before the war that is due to expire at the end of this year.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy told EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday that Kyiv had no intention of renewing the deal, something Fico insisted would harm his country's interests.

Fico said after meeting with Putin - which was condemned by opposition figures in Slovakia - that he informed EU leaders about his trip on Friday.

He said the talks in Moscow were a reaction to Zelenskyy's statement saying he was against any gas transit to Slovakia through Ukraine.

Fico also said that Zelenskyy was in favour of sanctions against Russia's nuclear program, which he said was unacceptable and against the interest of his country that relies on nuclear energy.

Fico said Putin told him that Russia was still ready to deliver gas to the West. He said the two also discussed the military situation in Ukraine, chances for a peaceful solution to the war and the bilateral relations between their two countries, which Fico said they will seek to "standardise."

-SKY NEWS