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Russian attacks on nine Ukrainian regions triggered emergency power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of households, damaged homes and injured at least 15 people, officials said Friday, as civilian casualties continue to rise. The strikes came amid growing concerns that deteriorating relations between Kyiv and Washington could leave Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks ahead of winter. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure before winter, seeking to weaken public support by disrupting heating and water supplies. Ukrainian officials have warned that Moscow is stockpiling ballistic missiles for further attacks. Ukraine abandoned a brief truce on energy targets on Thursday, accusing Russia of violating the arrangement despite US President Donald Trump's call for a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended a European Union summit in Brussels on Friday, where leaders pledged continued support and urged Washington to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tensions escalated after Trump and Zelenskyy exchanged sharp remarks this week. Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by Trump, who openly expressed his dislike for the Ukrainian leader. Zelenskyy also criticised disruptions in Western intelligence sharing and restrictions on Starshield, SpaceX's military-grade satellite internet service used in Ukraine's drone operations and military communications. Ukraine faces a shortage of US-made Patriot missiles needed to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks. Zelenskyy also criticised Trump's diesel deal with Russia, while Ukrainian officials accused the US president of pressuring Kyiv to surrender territory. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said European leaders were trying to persuade Washington to maintain its support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, a UN human rights report said 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured in Ukraine in September, an 85% increase from the same month last year. UN official Danielle Bell said the first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 644 Ukrainian drones overnight. Nearly 160 flights were delayed or cancelled at Moscow's four airports, while another 46 were disrupted at St Petersburg airport, local media reported.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” in their four-and-a-half-year war, but provided no details as Kyiv reported fresh Russian attacks on energy facilities. In a brief social media post, Trump said the ceasefire had taken effect immediately, adding, “Do not break it!” Moscow did not immediately comment on the announcement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Trump's statement as “good news for everyone” but said Russian attacks on energy infrastructure continued in Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv. “Unfortunately, Ukrainian skies have been infested with Russian 'shaheds' all day today,” Zelenskyy said in an evening address, referring to Russian-launched drones. He also reported glide bomb attacks and strikes on energy facilities, including a power plant in Kharkiv. Zelenskyy's office confirmed that the Kharkiv attack occurred after Trump's announcement. The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was ready to stop attacking Russian energy facilities and expected Moscow to do the same. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the war, disrupting electricity, heating and water supplies in an effort to weaken public resistance to its invasion. Ukrainian officials have described the strategy as “weaponising winter”. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had proposed several measures to reduce tensions, but Russian President Vladimir Putin had rejected them all. He expressed hope that Putin would finally respond positively to appeals from the United States, Ukraine and the international community. Kyiv remains in contact with Washington, Zelenskyy said, thanking the US for its support. He also said he had discussed the latest developments with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. In an interview broadcast earlier Sunday on ABC's “This Week”, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Moscow halted attacks on Ukraine's energy system. He urged Trump to press the Kremlin to accept the proposal. “We are asking President Trump, (to) give them (a) signal, not (to) attack energy infrastructure of Ukraine,” he said. On September 14, Trump had also claimed that the two countries agreed not to attack each other's energy infrastructure, but provided no details. Zelenskyy had expressed willingness to comply if Russia did the same, but the proposal did not lead to an agreement. Trump, Zelenskyy clash over elections Trump said Saturday that Ukraine should elect a new president, arguing that Zelenskyy had failed to do enough to end the war. He also blamed the Ukrainian leader for high diesel prices in the United States. In response, Zelenskyy said Ukraine could hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. “Give us two months, 60 days off. Total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organize elections,” he said, adding that he would accept whatever choice Ukrainian voters made. “With all respect to President Trump, it's up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader,” Zelenskyy said. He added that holding elections during the war would be unlawful under the current legal framework and that security guarantees would be needed to ensure safe voting. Ukraine has been under martial law since Putin launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The country's constitution prohibits elections while martial law remains in force and allows the president to stay in office until a successor is sworn in. Organising a nationwide vote would also be difficult because Russia controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, millions of Ukrainians have fled abroad and many soldiers remain on the front line. Zelenskyy's presidential term formally expired in May 2024. The exchange came as Ukraine continued its campaign against Russian infrastructure. A Ukrainian drone strike on Sunday shut down a data centre operated by technology company Yandex in the Russian city of Vladimir, east of Moscow. It was the third attack on the company's facilities in four days. Russia and Ukraine have continued long-range aerial attacks while fighting on the front line has remained largely deadlocked. Trump, who announced a deal with Putin on Friday to purchase Russian diesel to help lower fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections, has repeatedly urged Zelenskyy to stop attacks on Russian energy facilities. He has blamed Ukraine for record-high US diesel prices rather than the US-led war in Iran, which has pushed up global energy costs. Ukrainian and European officials criticised the proposed diesel deal, saying it would help finance Russia's war effort. Ukrainian strike disrupts Russian digital services The Ukrainian drone attack on Yandex's data centre in Vladimir disrupted several of the company's services, leaving users in dozens of Russian cities, as well as in Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia, unable to order taxis or access banking services, according to Russian independent news outlet Astra. “Operations at the data center have been completely halted. There were no injuries,” Yandex Cloud said on its Telegram channel, which provides service updates. The disruption affected everyday activities in Moscow. Pavel Belyavskiy, a Yandex Taxi driver, said he was unsure whether ride requests were coming through and had to cancel several trips after waiting for passengers he could not contact. “I'd press the 'call' button to contact them, but nothing happens,” he said. “There's nothing I can do, so I'm just forced to cancel.” Igor Mann said he could not access an order on Yandex Market, the company's shopping platform. Using a virtual private network did not solve the problem. “Nothing worked,” he said. Another Moscow resident, Eduard Malyavko, said the outages had a “direct impact” on daily life beyond simple inconvenience, affecting areas including healthcare. The latest attack followed two other strikes on Yandex facilities. A drone attack on Thursday disrupted a data centre in Russia's Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow. Ukrainian drones struck another major Yandex data centre in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, the following day, disabling part of the facility, the company said. Often described as Russia's equivalent of Google, Yandex operates the country's most popular search engine and a wide range of digital services. It is also heavily involved in Russia's artificial intelligence development. Death toll from Zaporizhzhia bombing rises to 23 Elsewhere, search and rescue operations ended in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia following a Russian bombing on Saturday, according to Ivan Fedorov, a former regional head and co-chair of the regional defence council. Zelenskyy said 23 people, including four children, were killed in the attack. More than 30 others were injured, Fedorov said, adding that eight remained in hospital. In Russia, a man was killed and two women were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike in the border region of Bryansk, local officials said Sunday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday to reaffirm Germany’s support for Ukraine as Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian cities. The air war has intensified, with Russia targeting cities across Ukraine with ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones that are difficult to intercept. Ukraine, meanwhile, has been attacking Russian oil facilities and businesses. Merz said his visit, his second to Ukraine since becoming chancellor, was aimed at demonstrating Germany’s continued support for the country. “If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us,” he said in a statement on Sunday, assuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Germany would continue to provide assistance. Merz also highlighted cooperation between the two countries, saying their partnership was not one-sided. He pointed to joint efforts by German and Ukrainian companies to develop technologies that benefit both sides. “This makes us safer and stronger,” he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said discussions would focus on strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities, resilience and shared European security. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Moscow would continue carrying out what it called “mass retaliatory strikes” on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. It also urged foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Ukraine, repeating a warning issued in May. A Russian drone struck Kyiv’s Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River again on Sunday morning. Videos circulating on social media showed the drone hitting the bridge and an explosion as vehicles crossed it. There was no immediate information about casualties. The latest attack followed Russian strikes earlier this week that forced the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv’s six road bridges over the Dnipro River, disrupting traffic and causing long queues. Russia has also targeted apartment buildings, supermarket warehouses, gas stations and data centres in previous attacks. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four and a half years ago, but there are still no clear signs of a possible peace agreement. Fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line stretching across northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has remained largely deadlocked in recent months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reiterated that Moscow has no plans to attack European countries but warned that Russia would respond to any aggression with “all weapons” available to it. Speaking at the Valdai Club foreign policy forum, Putin accused Western and European countries of heightening tensions by discussing preparations for a possible war with Russia in the coming years, holding military exercises in the Baltic Sea and seizing Russian vessels. His comments came after Moscow warned NATO that it would not rule out using nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad if members of the military alliance attempted to cut the Russian exclave off from the rest of the country. Several Russian embassies in Europe issued statements this week saying Moscow had information that NATO was preparing an “air and naval blockade” of Kaliningrad and the surrounding region. The embassies accused European leaders of “playing a dangerous game” by suggesting that Russia could attack another country or intensify destabilizing operations involving drones and sabotage. Moscow has dismissed the allegations as absurd. “There should be no mistake — Russia would be ready to use all its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory if NATO countries try to isolate Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country,” the Russian Embassy in Ireland said Tuesday. Asked at the forum whether Russia and NATO were approaching a war or simply trying to intimidate one another, Putin said Moscow's warnings were a response to what he described as attempts to intimidate Russia. “It’s not intimidation, it’s a response to an attempt to intimidate us,” he said. Putin said the earlier warning to NATO was accurate. “If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case we mean Kaliningrad, or maybe some other territories — of course, inevitably and immediately the question of Russian Federation using all weapons at the disposal of our country will appear on the agenda,” he said. Putin did not say specifically whether Russia would use nuclear weapons. However, he said Moscow possesses weapons that “no one else has” and would decide which ones to use if the country came under attack. NATO rejects Russia’s nuclear rhetoricNATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed Wednesday that Russia had sent a written message to the US-led military alliance. “We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,” Hart said in a statement. Hart said NATO was not targeting Kaliningrad and that the alliance had responded by stressing that “NATO is a defensive alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia.” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance’s response was “short and concise.” “Basically what we said is, ‘Hey, listen, we are defensive alliance, and stop the nuclear threat. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful,’” Rutte told Euronews. NATO also called on Russia to end its “unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,” which has entered its fifth year. Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave located between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. It hosts Russia’s main Baltic naval base and other military facilities, including nuclear-capable Iskander missiles. Western military officials have said key military installations in Kaliningrad would likely be among the first targets if Russia attacked a NATO member. NATO allies have held military exercises in the Baltic Sea region in recent months, with additional drills planned for October. The alliance launched Operation Baltic Sentry there last year to protect communication cables and pipelines. On Aug. 18, NATO conducted an exercise over northern Poland and the Baltic region involving several aircraft, including an EA-37B Compass Call, an advanced US aircraft capable of disrupting communications and radar, according to the US Air Forces in Europe. Defense analysts said the large-scale exercise, which had not been announced in advance, was unlikely to have been welcomed by the Kremlin. Rutte calls for continued support for UkraineEuropean leaders and intelligence agencies have warned that Russia could be capable of attacking another country within a few years, particularly if it succeeds in its war against Ukraine. Rutte told Euronews that Russia was seeking “to divide us and lose the focus” on supporting Ukraine. “We will not,” he said, adding that continued support for Kyiv was the best response. “That’s the message. Calm, carry on, keep the support for Ukraine going. That’s how we deal with it,” Rutte said.

Russia's parliamentary election is for the first time including residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed since launching its full-scale invasion more than 4 1/2 years ago, in a move aimed at strengthening its control over the areas. Ukraine strongly condemned the voting as illegal, while a human rights activist said residents in Russian-held areas were being pressured to take part. Voting across Russia began Friday and will continue through Sunday in an effort to boost turnout. However, balloting in the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and some Russian border areas began at the end of last month. Russian officials said the extended voting period was necessary for security reasons. Russian authorities say more than 3.5 million voters live in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which Moscow calls the "new regions." Russia declared the territories annexed in September 2022, although it did not fully control them. The annexations have not been internationally recognized. At a polling station in the Russian-held part of Donetsk, voters cast ballots while an armed Russian soldier stood nearby. Putin highlights importance of vote Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that voting in the regions was important, as residents would elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, for the first time since what he called their "reunification with Russia." Russian soldiers fighting in the war also will be allowed to vote, Putin said. Voting is also taking place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. The election is the first wartime parliamentary vote in Russia and is intended to reinforce the Kremlin's political control and demonstrate public support for the war. "Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters," Putin said, adding that Russians were united by shared values, historical memory and love for their homeland. Ukraine calls for rejection of vote Ukrainian authorities described the voting in the occupied territories as illegal and urged foreign governments and international organizations not to recognize the election or its results. Kyiv also warned Ukrainians that helping organize the vote could result in criminal charges. A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights organizations urged residents in Russian-held territories to avoid the polls, saying the election was an attempt to legitimize Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory. European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said holding the vote in the occupied regions was "another blatant violation of international law." "The European Union does not, and will never recognize" the elections or their results, Wigand said. Activists allege pressure on residents Violeta Artemchuk, coordinator of the Donbas SOS human rights group and one of the signatories of the statement, said local election officials were visiting homes with Russian soldiers and security agents to pressure people into voting. She said Moscow-backed authorities were also threatening public-sector workers with dismissal if they did not vote and making pensions and other social benefits conditional on participation. People receiving social assistance, including pensioners and people with disabilities, could be placed on lists of those considered "disloyal" and risk losing benefits or humanitarian aid if they refused to vote, Artemchuk said. Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst at the Kyiv-based Penta Center, said elections held under such conditions could not be considered genuine. "The very fact that voting takes place amid endless shelling and bombing reflects the Kremlin's attitude toward the people and the electoral process in the occupied territories," Fesenko told The Associated Press. He said electoral procedures conducted by Russian occupation authorities "have nothing to do with democracy."Make the wire copy more conciseImprove the lead’s clarity and flow

Russians who have fought in Ukraine are playing a prominent role in this week's parliamentary election, appearing on party tickets, in campaign videos and in televised debates. Election officials say nearly 200 candidates have served in Ukraine. The Kremlin has promoted the veterans as part of what it calls Russia's “true elite,” seeking to portray them as people who will receive an honored place in civilian life after the war. However, analysts say few of the veterans are likely to gain significant influence among Russia's ruling elite. They view the campaign as partly an effort to encourage more men to join the military. Independent Russian media have frequently reported cases involving returning veterans in assaults, drunken fights and killings. Some of those involved were recruited into the military from prison. The election for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, begins Friday. It is the first parliamentary vote since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and will also include areas of Ukraine that Russia seized and illegally annexed. The Kremlin is closely controlling the election as it seeks to demonstrate public support for the war and strengthen the legitimacy of its actions. Most Kremlin-aligned parties allowed to participate have candidates identified as participants in the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine. One of the prominent candidates is Vladislav Golovin, 29, of the ruling United Russia party. He fought in the battle for the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and lost part of his leg. President Vladimir Putin has appeared with Golovin at events and awarded him the Hero of Russia title, the country's highest honor. Golovin participated in Putin's “Time of Heroes” program in 2024, which prepares war veterans for careers in government. He now leads the Young Army, a military and patriotic youth organization. He has also been placed on Western sanctions lists. United Russia has several dozen candidates with backgrounds in the Ukraine war. Another prominent candidate is Yevgeny Poddubny, a state television war correspondent with close ties to the authorities who was wounded by a Ukrainian drone. The ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party's leading candidate, Alexei Vereshchagin, is described as having joined Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and later led a volunteer brigade. “We are the ones our homeland has called upon to fight for the ‘Russian World,’ and we will fight,” Vereshchagin, who was born in Kyiv, says in a campaign video, referring to a term promoted by Putin, particularly since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. Ukrainian police said in March that they were investigating Vereshchagin over alleged home invasions and threats against civilians in the Kyiv region in 2022, before Ukrainian forces regained control of the area. Police said he had fought against Ukraine for more than a decade. Vereshchagin has not publicly commented on the allegations. Kremlin seeks to encourage more enlistmentBy giving veterans a prominent role in the election campaign, the Kremlin wants to demonstrate to potential recruits that fighting in Ukraine can lead to future career opportunities, said Nikolay Petrov, a senior research fellow at the NEST Centre, founded by exiled Russian businessman and opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Petrov said Russia also appears uncertain about how to reintegrate soldiers returning from the battlefield. He said many are offered positions with limited influence, while greater attention is given to people who already held government positions. Former Putin speechwriter and political analyst Abbas Gallyamov described the approach as “empty talk.” He said the government needs to offer potential recruits promises of financial rewards and praise about their importance and contribution to building a “new Russia.” Many veterans face difficult return to civilian lifeReturning to civilian life can be difficult for many veterans. Most soldiers who signed military contracts cannot end their service under Putin's 2022 “partial mobilization” decree. Those drafted under the decree have also not yet been demobilized. Some soldiers can leave the military because of serious injuries or age, while certain special units reportedly provide limited periods of service. Presidential administration official Sergei Novikov said in December that about 167,000 servicemen had returned from Ukraine. Russian media reports and experts, however, say the actual figure is likely higher. Competition for the Time of Heroes program is also intense. Applicants must have higher education and management experience. Of more than 65,000 applicants in 2024-25, only 168 were accepted, according to the program's website. About 80 were subsequently appointed to positions at national, regional or municipal levels. Independent Russian news outlet Meduza reported in June that at least 1,300 veterans had been appointed to government positions, elected to local legislatures or councils, or hired by state-backed companies and institutions. About 850 of those veterans had previous government or related experience before serving in Ukraine, Meduza reported, suggesting that many of the beneficiaries were already connected to the ruling establishment. The Associated Press could not independently verify the findings. However, reports of government officials and lawmakers serving in Ukraine and later returning to their civilian positions are common. Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlyov, who leads the Rodina, or “Homeland,” party, has said he served at the front while retaining his parliamentary seat, as have some of his colleagues. Zhuravlyov recently criticized a YouTube blogger who questioned why he was not serving full time in Ukraine. He later said he spends “more time on the front line than in the Duma.” Tambov regional Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov, a United Russia candidate and former mayor of Krasnodar and Duma lawmaker, served in Ukraine in a special military unit in 2022. The British government said in 2024 that the unit had “an unusually high number of United Russia party members and sons of Kremlin VIPs.” Britain's Defense Ministry said on X that the unit was mainly involved in drone operations away from the front, allowing prominent political figures to avoid the usual requirements of military service while remaining relatively safe. After serving for less than a year, Pervyshov entered the Time of Heroes program. He was later appointed acting governor of Tambov and elected governor in September 2025. Enthusiasm over Putin's “new elite” promise fadesIvan Filippov, who studies propaganda and monitors military and pro-war bloggers, said such cases have contributed to growing disappointment among supporters of the war. He said many initially welcomed Putin's promise that veterans would form a new elite, but soon concluded that the policy did not primarily benefit ordinary veterans. Some, he said, served briefly, obtained veteran status and then returned to government positions. Filippov said supporters of the war now recognize that many returning soldiers could face difficult lives at home. “They understand clearly that no one will let them into power,” he said. Novikov, the Kremlin official, said in December that “tens of thousands” of returning veterans remained unemployed, describing the situation as a potentially dangerous risk. Petrov said the Kremlin is more likely to favor experienced bureaucrats who have served in the military when selecting veterans for positions of influence. “The authorities don't at all need bandits that come back from there,” he said.

Russians are continuing to leave the country or prepare to move abroad amid fears of a new military mobilization, tighter internet restrictions, economic problems and declining personal freedoms. This summer, a 28-year-old digital content marketer packed his belongings and left Russia, leaving his family and friends behind and uncertain when he could return. “It is very sad to leave Russia,” he said in the southern city of Krasnodar before heading toward the Georgian border. He cited Russia’s political situation and growing restrictions on internet access as reasons for leaving, saying he otherwise would not have stayed abroad for more than a few months. He is among Russians who have recently left or are considering leaving as Ukraine continues drone attacks inside Russia and rumors persist of a new military mobilization after more than four years of war. The attacks this summer triggered an unprecedented fuel shortage and badly affected Russia’s fast-growing e-commerce sector. Authorities have also used security concerns linked to the attacks to justify tighter internet restrictions. The latest departures are far smaller than the mass exodus of 2022, when hundreds of thousands left after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, Kovcheg, a group that helps Russians moving abroad, said it received nearly eight times more inquiries last month than in May. Anastasia Burakova, the group’s founder, said the rise did not mean large numbers were currently gathering at the borders. Instead, she said, more people were preparing to leave and exploring their options. Fears of mobilization grow Unlike 2022, there are currently no long lines at border crossings or major shortages of flights to visa-free destinations such as Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Still, AP found numerous social media posts from across Russia in which people said they had decided to leave because of the war, economic uncertainty and shrinking freedoms. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials have claimed Russia is preparing another mobilization after Sunday's State Duma election. The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected those claims. Yan Slovitsky, an emergency assistance coordinator for Kovcheg, described a “panicked wave” of emigration since mid-July linked to fears of mobilization, fuel shortages and internet restrictions. A Moscow-based diplomat also told AP there had been a noticeable increase in public anxiety this summer, along with reports of more Russians than usual appearing in neighboring Georgia and Armenia. The diplomat suggested some may be worried about another mobilization after the Duma election. Alen Simonyan, secretary of Armenia's Security Council, told independent Russian television channel Dozhd last month that Armenia would not interfere with Russians moving there to avoid military service and would help them if necessary. The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized his comments as “provocative.” Russian lawmaker Viktor Sobolev, meanwhile, told RTVI that the country did not need people who left because of rumors, saying, “Let them leave.” Some leave to avoid military service The 28-year-old digital marketer, who describes himself as a pacifist, said this was his second attempt to leave Russia. He first left in 2022 to avoid the mobilization of 300,000 troops announced by President Vladimir Putin, which shocked the country. He said he is not technically eligible for military service during peacetime because of a hip condition, but decided it was safer to leave because he did not know what authorities might do. Russian officials and rights groups gave conflicting views in 2022 over whether men in such circumstances could legally be mobilized. Some said they could be drafted, while others argued that martial law would have to be declared. Russia has not formally declared war on Ukraine, although the Kremlin imposed martial law in four Ukrainian regions it claimed to annex in 2022 but does not fully control. The marketer returned to his hometown of Ulyanovsk in 2025 and worked remotely for foreign clients. But he said Russia's restrictions on thousands of websites, platforms and online services made his work increasingly difficult. He often had to change VPN servers to bypass the restrictions. The possibility of another mobilization added to his concerns. “You never know what will happen tomorrow,” he said from an apartment in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he has settled. A 23-year-old woman from Moscow who left Russia last month also cited mobilization fears and concerns that her husband could be sent to the military. She said her father narrowly avoided being drafted in 2022 by leaving the country. This year, her husband learned that he would no longer receive a military deferment after completing his master's degree. “A person can figure anything out, but we were really afraid that (my husband) could end up in the army, because at this point it is a one-way ticket,” she said. Ivan Nazarov, a recent university graduate who moved to Yerevan, Armenia, expressed similar concerns. He said he had seen reports that Russian conscripts serving mandatory military duty, who are not supposed to be sent to Ukraine, were being pressured to sign contracts that could send them to the battlefield. “For me, it is a question of survival,” Nazarov said at a Kovcheg gathering in Yerevan for new immigrants. Shrinking freedoms also drive departures Some Russians are leaving because of growing restrictions on political and personal freedoms. Queer activist Daniil Neonov left Russia this summer after several detentions and a 10-day jail sentence for allegedly displaying extremist symbols. The case involved a photograph he posted online showing him wearing a T-shirt with a rainbow-colored design. Russian authorities have designated what they call the “international LGBT movement” as extremist. People can face misdemeanor charges for possessing or displaying items featuring rainbow colors. Neonov told AP in Yerevan that he feared authorities could bring a criminal case against him. He said he also knows several people who left Russia after being detained while gathering outside the Supreme Court to support the opposition Yabloko party. The court had removed Yabloko from the parliamentary election ballot. It was the only party on the ballot that openly opposed the war. “The police came to them and filed reports. I know several people who, after they were held in detention, also left. I mean, I'm not the only one,” Neonov said. A 35-year-old Russian man told AP he was preparing to leave because he did not want to live in a country without free speech, amid a weakening economy and growing school propaganda that promotes war, normalizes violence and encourages isolation from the rest of the world. The man, who spoke anonymously for security reasons, said he had considered leaving Russia for more than a decade but had continued to hope that “everything would work out.” Now, he said, Russians “live in a huge digital jail,” where “you can't say anything, you can't do anything. You have absolutely no rights.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday as Washington renewed efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. The closed-door meeting ended without any immediate announcement of a breakthrough. Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov later described the talks as constructive, frank and useful, but did not disclose specific outcomes. Witkoff and Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are scheduled to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian officials. It will be their first visit to the Ukrainian capital as part of the current peace process. The meeting took place amid an escalation in Russian and Ukrainian aerial attacks. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to temporarily suspend strikes on each other's capitals while the US delegation conducted its talks. At the start of the Kremlin meeting, Putin asked the US envoys to convey his greetings and gratitude to Trump, while acknowledging that the situation surrounding Ukraine remained difficult. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv beginning at midnight Saturday. Zelenskyy separately said Ukraine was prepared to refrain from attacking Moscow through Monday and expected Russia to reciprocate. Ushakov said Moscow provided the US delegation with a detailed assessment of the battlefield situation in Ukraine. He added that the discussions also covered economic issues and possible large-scale projects that could benefit both Russia and the United States. The latest talks come after the US-led peace process lost momentum amid Washington's focus on the war involving Iran over the past six months. Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow in January, when they also met Putin. Meanwhile, fighting has continued along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line, with both sides stepping up long-range attacks. Zelenskyy said Russia carried out overnight strikes on Kyiv and Boryspil international airports, suggesting the attacks were linked to preparations for the US delegation's planned trip to Ukraine. “Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,” he said in a social media post. The latest Russian attacks also caused civilian casualties in several parts of Ukraine. In the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian strikes killed five workers and wounded others at an industrial facility, according to regional officials. Separate attacks in the region's Nikopol district and around Dnipro also killed one person and injured several others while damaging residential and commercial buildings. In the eastern Kharkiv region, a Russian drone struck a house in Chuhuiv, killing three people, including an 11-year-old boy, and injuring a woman, regional officials said. Two people were also killed and another wounded in a Russian drone attack in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region. Officials said dozens of facilities across five districts were damaged, including homes, warehouses, railway infrastructure and vehicles. In the southern Mykolaiv region, Russian drones repeatedly struck a shopping center, damaging shops and triggering fires. A 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were wounded, according to Ukraine's emergency services. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 attack drones overnight, including Shahed-type drones, many of them jet-powered. Ukrainian air defenses said they shot down or otherwise neutralised 128 drones. Ukraine also continued attacks inside Russia. Authorities in Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said two people were killed and three wounded in Ukrainian attacks on Saturday. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones overnight. Despite the renewed diplomatic push, the continued attacks underscore the difficulty of securing a lasting ceasefire, with both sides still seeking military and political leverage on the battlefield.

Russia said Thursday it will close several German cultural centers after Berlin accused Moscow of being behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport and announced the closure of Russian diplomatic and cultural facilities in Germany. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said centers operated by Germany's Goethe-Institut would be shut down in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Lavrov said Germany should have understood that closing the Russian House cultural center in Berlin would bring an end to Germany's cultural presence in Russia. The move came after German authorities blamed Russia for an alleged plot involving a drone carrying explosives that was found near a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4. The device was later defused. The airport is a major international cargo hub and has been used to provide support and supplies to Ukraine. Western officials have repeatedly accused Russia of carrying out sabotage and other disruptive activities across Europe in an effort to weaken support for Ukraine and destabilize European countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the accusations, claiming that Germany was trying to divert attention from its own domestic problems and growing voter dissatisfaction. He also said any evidence presented against Russia had been fabricated. EU considers response European Union foreign ministers discussed possible responses to the alleged drone attack on Wednesday but faced difficulties in finding new measures that would address the threat without military action. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the incident appeared to have the characteristics of state-sponsored terrorism. Possible measures discussed included additional sanctions, visa restrictions and the closure of Russian consulates. The EU has already imposed nearly two dozen rounds of sanctions on Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, targeting more than 3,000 Russian officials, business figures and organisations, including banks, energy companies and drone manufacturers. Kallas said the bloc was also preparing additional travel bans and asset freezes against around 1,600 more individuals. Germany said it was “not at war” with Russia but had become a regular target of what it described as the Kremlin's hybrid campaign. German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul said Berlin had carefully prepared its response and that Moscow would now have to face the consequences. He also called on Russia to demonstrate its willingness to engage in meaningful talks and negotiations, particularly over the war in Ukraine.

Russia launched a major overnight attack on Ukraine, firing missiles and drones at cities across the country. The strikes continued into Thursday morning, with explosions heard in Kyiv. Ukraine is facing a shortage of US-made Patriot air defense missiles, which are among its main weapons against Russian ballistic missiles. Russia has also introduced fast, jet-powered drones, adding another challenge for Ukrainian defenses. Ukrainian officials say Russia has been building up its missile stockpiles and launching large-scale attacks every few days in an apparent attempt to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses. Ukraine, meanwhile, has carried out long-range drone attacks on targets inside Russia. Russia says strikes targeted military facilitiesThe Russian Defense Ministry said its forces carried out a "massive" attack on nine Ukrainian cities from Wednesday night, targeting military-related facilities including industrial plants, oil refineries, logistics centers and port infrastructure. However, civilian areas were also damaged. A 78-year-old woman was killed in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and another person died in the northern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian officials said. At least 14 others were wounded in different areas. "Russia continues to invest in missiles and in expanding its war, and that means more countermeasures are needed," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media. He welcomed promises made by European countries earlier this week to provide additional air defense support, but said Ukraine also needs more systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles through European purchases of US weapons. The strikes also damaged businesses and other economic infrastructure. Russian drones hit three major distribution centers, destroying warehouses belonging to a toy retailer and a confectionery company and damaging another facility operated by an electronics retailer, the companies said. Russia also continued attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter. Four powerful glide bombs destroyed generating equipment at a combined heat and power plant in the southern Kherson region, forcing the facility to shut down, its operator Naftogaz said. Zelenskyy to visit MoldovaZelenskyy was scheduled to visit neighboring Moldova on Thursday to attend celebrations marking the country's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Ukraine also declared independence that year. Moldova's Defense Ministry said five drones entered its airspace overnight, though it did not say who launched them. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised concerns among neighboring Eastern European countries about the possibility of the conflict spreading. Drone incursions into their airspace have added to those concerns. Ukraine's air force said it shot down or disrupted seven Russian ballistic missiles but did not provide details on how they were intercepted. Four districts of Kyiv were hit during the night, damaging apartment buildings, a school and a medical facility, city police said. No casualties were reported in the capital. Russian forces also targeted industrial and energy facilities in the central Poltava region, regional military administration chief Vitalii Diakivnych said. The southern Odesa region faced more than seven hours of Russian attacks, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. A 16-story residential building, two educational facilities and a grain elevator were damaged. Odesa is a major port for Ukraine's exports of grain and other agricultural products. The attacks also caused major disruption to rail services, with some trains delayed by more than 17 hours, state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia said. Ukraine targets Russian businessesUkraine has also been carrying out near-daily long-range drone attacks against targets inside Russia. Ukraine's General Staff said air-launched missiles struck Russia's main and backup command posts near the eastern city of Donetsk, where Ukrainian troops are facing pressure from a Russian offensive. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 267 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Ukrainian drones have recently targeted major Russian online retailers. After attacks destroyed large warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer, drones have now targeted Ozon, the country's second-largest e-commerce company. Ozon initially said logistics facilities in Orenburg and Ufa were attacked, although neither caught fire. The company later revised its statement, saying only the Ufa facility was attacked while the Orenburg site was evacuated following an alert and later resumed normal operations.