An explosion at a gas station in Russia’s southern region of Chechnya killed at least four people, officials said Saturday. The explosion of a gas tank triggered a fire at the service station in the regional capital, Grozny, said Russia’s Emergencies Ministry, adding that two children were among the dead. The fire was extinguished. Grozny is about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) south of Moscow. Read: Ukrainian drone strikes another arms depot inside Russia, officials say Regional authorities said a criminal investigation was opened. Last month an explosion at a gas station in the neighboring region of Dagestan killed at least 13 people and injured 23 others.

Excerpts of a memoir written by late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny revealed he believed he would die in prison. The New Yorker magazine published the excerpts Friday in anticipation of the release of “Patriot” on Oct. 22. Navalny was President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest and most prominent foe and relentlessly campaigned against official corruption in Russia. He died in a remote Arctic prison in February while serving a 19-year sentence on several charges, including running an extremist group, which he said were politically motivated. He was jailed after returning in 2021 from Germany where he was recuperating from a nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin, and was given three prison terms since. Russian officials have vehemently denied involvement both in the poisoning and in his death. “Patriot" was announced in April by publisher Alfred A. Knopf who called it the late politician’s “final letter to the world." According to Knopf, Navalny began working on the book while recovering from the poisoning and continued writing it in Russia, both in and out of prison. In detailing his coping strategies while imprisoned, Navalny said he would “imagine, as realistically as possible, the worst thing that could happen. And then (...) accept it.” For him, this was dying in prison. “I will spend the rest of my life in prison and die here,” he wrote on March 22, 2022. “There will not be anybody to say goodbye to ... All anniversaries will be celebrated without me. I’ll never see my grandchildren.” Although he had accepted this fate, Navalny’s memoir conveys a resolute stance against official corruption in Russia. “My approach to the situation is certainly not one of contemplative passivity. I am trying to do everything I can from here to put an end to authoritarianism (or, more modestly, to contribute to ending it),” he wrote, also on March 22, 2022. In a published excerpt, dated January 17, 2024, a month before his death, Navalny answers the question posed by his fellow inmates and prison guards: “Why did you come back?” “I don’t want to give up my country or betray it. If your convictions mean something, you must be prepared to stand up for them and make sacrifices if necessary,” he wrote. As well as capturing the isolation and challenges of his imprisonment, Navalny’s writing is notable also for its humor. The late dissident recounts a bet with his lawyers over the length of a new prison sentence: "Olga reckoned eleven to fifteen years. Vadim surprised everyone with his prediction of precisely twelve years and six months. I guessed seven to eight years and was the winner.” He also marveled at the absurdity of being made to sit for “hours on a wooden bench under a portrait of Putin” as a “disciplinary activity.” Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said in a statement released in April by the publisher the book was not only a testament “to Alexei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship,” adding that sharing his story would" inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.” She also said the memoir was already translated into 11 languages and would “definitely” be published in Russian.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was city-hopping across Europe on Thursday to promote a “victory plan” that he said “aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war" against Russia, detailing the proposals to European allies after a summit with President Joe Biden was derailed by Hurricane Milton. Zelenskyy's talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were quickly followed by another meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, who just the previous day sent a strong signal of support for Ukraine by visiting Ukrainian troops being trained in France. Zelenskyy posted on X that he “outlined the details” of the Ukrainian victory plan to Starmer and added: “We have agreed to work on it together with our allies.” Starmer's Downing Street office said the leaders discussed the blueprint, the challenges for Ukraine of the approaching winter and “how investment in the country’s security today would support Europe’s broader security for generations to come.” The Ukrainian leader also met Rutte with Starmer. Zelenskyy posted afterward that they discussed trans-Atlantic cooperation and further reinforcing Ukraine militarily. He gave no details but posted that “these are the steps that will create the best conditions for restoring a just peace.” Zelenskyy has yet to publicly present his proposals for victory. But the timing of his efforts to lock in European support appeared to have the looming U.S. election in mind. Former President Donald Trump has long been critical of U.S. aid to Ukraine. Zelenskyy had planned to present his blueprint at a weekend meeting of Western leaders in Germany, but it was postponed after Biden stayed home because of the hurricane that struck Florida. Zelenskyy then embarked on his whistle-stop tour of European capitals that have been among Ukraine's staunchest allies outside of the United States. In Paris, Macron and Zelenskyy hugged before talks on the plan at the French presidential Elysee Palace. Afterward, Zelenskyy said “all the details” would come in November and that he's talking with allies about securing more military aid and permission for Ukrainian forces to carry out long-range strikes. Kyiv wants Western partners to allow strikes deep inside Russia, using long-range weapons they provide. Some, including the U.K. and France, appear willing, but Biden is reticent about escalating the conflict. Read: New NATO chief Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in his first trip since taking office “The situation looks bleak for all sides,” Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Thursday on X. "The West hesitates amid internal divisions, Ukraine struggles while bracing for a harsh winter, and Russia presses forward without any strategic shifts in its favor, yet grows increasingly impatient.” Later Thursday, Zelenskyy met in Rome with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who ensured Italy's full and continued support “at both bilateral and multilateral level in order to put Kyiv in the best position possible to build a just and lasting peace.” Meloni said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the situation on the ground and Ukraine’s “most immediate military, financial and humanitarian needs, as well as the forthcoming diplomatic initiatives and the pathway to bring an end to the conflict.” She added that Rome will continue to do its part also in the future reconstruction of Ukraine and announced the dates for the next Ukraine recovery conference, which will be held in Rome in July 2025. Zelenskyy stressed that his priority is to strengthen Ukraine’s position, with the help of its international partners, to create the necessary conditions for diplomacy. "Russia is not really looking for a diplomatic path,” he said. “If we are able to implement the victory plan, Russia won't be able to continue the war.” Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet Pope Francis Friday morning for a half-hour audience, the Vatican said. Later in the day, he'll meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. Ukraine relies heavily on Western support, including tens of billions of dollars’ worth of military and financial aid, to keep up the fight against its bigger enemy after almost 1,000 days of fighting since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022. Fearing that crucial help could be in jeopardy due to political changes in donor countries, Ukraine has been building up its domestic arms industry. It also wants to raise more money from taxpayers to pay for the war effort. The Ukrainian parliament passed a bill on second reading Thursday that raises the so-called military tax from 1.5% to 5%. Some amendments are expected before it becomes law. Read more: China, at UN, warns against 'expansion of the battlefield' in Ukraine war Zelenskyy’s tour comes as Russia continues a slow but relentless drive deeper into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and targets key infrastructure with airstrikes. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the victory plan seeks to strengthen Ukraine “both geopolitically and on the battlefield” before any kind of dialogue with Russia. “Weakness of any of our allies will inspire (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” he said. “That’s why we’re asking them to strengthen us, in terms of security guarantees, in terms of weapons, in terms of our future after this war. In my view, he (Putin) only understands force.” The death toll from a Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa rose Thursday to eight, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. It was the latest in a string of assaults on the Black Sea port. Authorities in Kyiv also announced Thursday that Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna died while being in Russian captivity, although the circumstances of her death remained unknown. Moscow admitted detaining Roshchyna, who went missing in 2023 while on a reporting trip to Russia-occupied areas.

A Ukrainian drone struck an important arms depot inside Russia, the Ukraine military said Wednesday, three weeks after another drone blasted a major Russian armory and three days after a drone smashed into a key oil terminal in Russia-occupied Crimea. The Tuesday night strike targeted an arsenal in Russia’s Bryansk border region where missiles and artillery munitions were stored, including some that had been delivered by North Korea, a Ukrainian General Staff statement said. Hugely powerful glide bombs that have terrorized civilian areas of Ukraine and bludgeoned Ukrainian army defenses were also kept at the arsenal, located 115 kilometers (70 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and some of the ammunition was stored in the open, it said. “Striking such arsenals creates serious logistical problems for the Russian army, thus significantly reducing (its) offensive capabilities,” the statement said. Russia is expending enormous amounts of ammunition as it makes its advantage in artillery shells felt on the battlefield in a war of attrition that is approaching its 1,000-day milestone next month. Read: New NATO chief Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in his first trip since taking office Its slow but relentless drive deeper into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region is stretching Ukraine’s resources just as some of Kyiv’s key Western partners are being distracted by domestic concerns and Middle East wars. Ukraine is building up its own arms industry, and authorities have identified drones as an important aspect of that. “Among the key areas identified are drones for our army, and this should be a supply that not only constantly increases in volume, but also evolves and develops in line with the demands of war,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address late Tuesday about weapons production. The Russian military has also improved its drones’ capabilities and expanded their use. Russian drones targeted Ukraine’s southern Odesa region for the third night in a row on Tuesday, injuring five people, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. Read more: China, at UN, warns against 'expansion of the battlefield' in Ukraine war However, Ukraine’s air defenses have proved resilient against drones. The Ukrainian air force said Wednesday it shot down 21 out of 22 drones that Russia launched over three Ukrainian regions.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate halt to arms shipments to Israel for use in the ongoing Gaza conflict, drawing swift condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview with France Inter radio, Macron said, “the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza.” He expressed concern over the continuation of violence in Gaza despite calls for a ceasefire and criticized Israel's deployment of ground troops in Lebanon during a summit in Paris, reports BBC. Netanyahu responded sharply, declaring that “Israel will win with or without their support,” and labeled the call for an arms embargo as “a disgrace.” He condemned Macron and other Western leaders who support such measures, stating, “Shame on them.” Macron reiterated in his interview, recorded on Tuesday and aired on Saturday, that France is not supplying weapons to Israel. He warned that the ongoing conflict is inciting “hatred” and stressed that preventing escalation in Lebanon is crucial, stating, “Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza.” Read: Israel intensifies bombardment of Gaza and southern Lebanon ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary In response to Netanyahu's office, which claimed that nations failing to support Israel are aiding Iran and its allies, Macron's office reaffirmed France's steadfast friendship with Israel and characterized Netanyahu's reaction as “excessive and detached from the friendship between France and Israel.” Macron acknowledged both the U.S. and France’s calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, expressing regret over Netanyahu’s decision for ground operations there. He reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense and planned to meet with relatives of Franco-Israelis held hostage in Gaza. During their recent call, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel's fight against Hezbollah would transform the situation in Lebanon and promote stability across the Middle East, stating that Israel's allies should support it without imposing restrictions that would bolster Iran's influence. Read more:Israel strikes Gaza and southern Beirut as attacks intensify As the first anniversary of Hamas's attack on Israel approaches, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages, the humanitarian toll in Gaza has reportedly exceeded 41,000 deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.          

Rescue teams from Bosnia's neighbors and European Union countries on Sunday were joining efforts to clear the rubble and find people still missing from floods and landslides that devastated parts of the Balkan country. Bosnia sought EU help after a heavy rainstorm overnight on Friday left entire areas under water and debris destroyed roads and bridges, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens. “Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hit by devastating floods,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X. “We have activated our EU Civil Protection Mechanism and are sending rescue teams on the ground. This is EU solidarity in action.” Officials said that at least 10 people are still unaccounted for, many of them in the village of Donja Jablanica, in southern Bosnia, which was almost completely buried in rocks and rubble from a quarry on a hill above. Residents there have said they heard a thundering rumble and saw houses disappear before their eyes. Read: Rescue teams search for missing after floods, landslides kill at least 16 in Bosnia “We heard water and rock coming down from the hill. I told my son, Let's go up to the attic, we don’t know what’s going to happen," recalled Munevera Dautbegovic. “In the morning when we got out, we saw large amount of sand around.” Regional Gov. Nermin Niksic visited the village on Sunday, promising help to rebuild. “All material damage can be compensated somehow but human lives cannot. Grief will stay on.” Earlier on Sunday, Luigi Soreca, who heads the EU mission in Bosnia, said on X that teams wer arriving to help. Bosnia is a candidate country for membership in the 27-nation bloc. Authorities said Croatian rescuers have already arrived while a team from Serbia is expected to be deployed in the afternoon, followed by a Slovenian team with dogs. Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Czechia and Turkey have also offered help, a government statement said. Sunday is the date of a local election in Bosnia. Election authorities have postponed voting in the flood-hit regions, but the flooding has overshadowed the vote across the country. Read more: Flooding from seasonal rains threatens residents in northern Thailand, including elephants Ismeta Bucalovic, a resident of Sarajevo, Bosnia's capital, said “we are all overwhelmed by these flooding events. We all think only about that.” Impoverished and ethnically divided, Bosnia has struggled to recover after the brutal war in 1992-95. The country is plagued by political bickering and corruption, stalling its EU bid.

New NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Ukraine on Thursday in his first official trip since taking office and pledging continued support for Kyiv in its war with Russia. Rutte met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv as air raid sirens twice went off in the Ukrainian capital. The new head of NATO vowed when he took office Tuesday to help shore up Western support for Ukraine, which has been fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion since February 2022 and has recently been on the defensive due to a relentless Russian army push in eastern regions. Rutte expressed confidence that he can work with whomever is elected president of the United States, the alliance’s most powerful member, in November. That could be a key moment for Ukraine’s effort to ensure continuing Western support. Zelenskyy said he discussed with Rutte elements of Ukraine's so-called victory plan, ahead of a NATO meeting at the Ramstein air base in Germany next week. The two also discussed the battlefield situation and the specific needs of Ukrainian military units. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine needs more weapons, including long-range weapons. Rutte reiterated the alliance's unwavering support for Ukraine, saying “Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before.” When asked about the prospects for NATO membership for Ukraine, Rutte said recent steps taken by NATO together “build a bridge to NATO membership,” including 40 billion euros ($44 billion) of funding assistance, bilateral security agreements between allies, and the formation of a new NATO command to coordinate assistance and training. Rutte arrived after a Russian glide bomb struck a five-story apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, injuring at least 12 people including a 3-year-old girl, local officials said Thursday. The bomb hit between the third and fourth floors of the building on Wednesday night, igniting blazes, Kharkiv regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Firefighters searched for survivors through smoke and rubble. The city of Kharkiv, located around 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of aerial attacks throughout the war against Russia that is now deep into its third year. Glide bombs have become an increasingly common weapon in the war. They have terrorized civilians and bludgeoned the Ukrainian army’s front-line defenses. They were a key weapon in Russia’s capture of the tactically significant town of Vuhledar on Wednesday, as Russian forces wreak destruction on the eastern Donetsk region and force weary Ukrainian troops to withdraw from obliterated towns and villages. Ukraine has no effective countermeasure for glide bombs, which are launched from Russian aircraft inside Russia. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the latest Kharkiv attack highlighted the urgent need for increased support from Ukraine’s Western allies. Zelensky recently held talks with officials in the United States in an effort to ensure further Western military support. Russia has had the battlefield initiative since late last year, when a Ukrainian counteroffensive petered out. Ukraine is grappling with a critical manpower problem on the front line and is straining to hold back Russia’s grinding assaults. Though Russia’s battlefield gains have been incremental, its steady forward movement is adding up as the Ukrainians are pushed backward and yield ground. Both sides have kept up regular cross-border aerial attacks, usually at night. Ukraine’s air force said Thursday that 78 out of 105 Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight were destroyed on Thursday as 15 regions of the country came under attack. The Russian military, meanwhile, intercepted 113 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry in Moscow. The drones were destroyed over four Russian regions on the border with Ukraine —Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk and Voronezh, it said.

The European Union on Wednesday offered to delay by a year the introduction of new rules that would outlaw the sale of products that come from forests following an outcry from several governments claiming that it will damage trade and hurt small farmers. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, said that “it would make the law applicable on 30 December 2025 for large companies and 30 June 2026 for micro- and small enterprises,” if the 27 member countries and the bloc’s parliament agree. The deforestation regulation’s scope is wide, including things like cocoa, coffee, soy, cattle, palm oil, rubber, wood and products made from them. Critics say it discriminates against countries with forest resources and would hurt their exports, while supporters insist that it will help save forests on a global scale. Deforestation is the second-biggest source of carbon emissions after fossil fuels. In offering to delay the regulation by a year, the commission said that “several global partners have repeatedly expressed concerns about their state of preparedness,” most recently during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Officials from leading exporters of affected commodities — including Brazil, Indonesia and the Ivory Coast — fear the regulation could act as a trade barrier, hit small farmers and disrupt supply chains. But even EU governments, including in Austria and Germany, have also sought to water the regulation down or delay its introduction. The commission conceded that “the state of preparations amongst stakeholders in Europe is also uneven. While many expect to be ready in time, thanks to intensive preparations, others have expressed concerns.” In addition to offering a delay, it published additional guidance to better clarify the rules for companies and to help national authorities enforce them. The commission encouraged EU member countries and the parliament to endorse the delay by the end of this year.

Local officials said two bodies were pulled from the rubble Saturday following an explosion at a gas station in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan, bringing the death toll to at least 12. The explosion on Friday triggered a fire that tore through the service station and its cafeteria on the outskirts of the regional capital, Makhachkala, said Russia’s Emergencies Ministry, adding that two children were among the dead. The fire was later extinguished. Makhachkala is about 1,600 kilometers (990 miles) south of Moscow. Regional authorities said a criminal investigation into the cause of the explosion has been opened and that Saturday has been declared a day of mourning in Dagestan. Last August, a massive explosion at a gas station in Dagestan killed 35 people and injured 115 more.

ussia launched new strikes in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv that hit high-rise apartment buildings, leaving at least 21 wounded in a second consecutive nighttime attack, authorities said. The bombs fell Saturday night on the district of Shevchenkivsky, north of the center of Kharkiv, which is the second-largest Ukrainian city, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Residential buildings sustained varying degrees of damage, including 16- and nine-story buildings, he added. Kharkiv's city council said that 18 buildings were damaged. The wounded included an 8-year-old child, according to Syniehubov and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov. Terekhov said that 60 residents were evacuated from one of the buildings, a high-rise that was hit directly. Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian attacks since Moscow launched its all-out invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. On late Friday, 15 people, including children ages 10 and 12, were wounded when Russian airstrikes hit three Kharkiv neighborhoods, Terekhov said. Zelenskyy appeals for more weapons Ukrainian officials said that KAB-type aerial glide bombs — a retrofitted Soviet weapon that has for months laid waste to eastern Ukraine — were used in both attacks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike and urged Kyiv’s Western allies to send more weapons to help it “protect lives and ensure safety.” “Ukraine needs full long-range capabilities, and we are working to convince our partners of this,” Zelenskyy said on X, as he prepared to kick off a busy week in the United States shoring up support for Kyiv in the war. And Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Sunday that Kyiv was in talks with partners in Europe to secure Swedish-made Gripen and European Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Umerov said that commitments were already in place for deliveries of U.S.-made F-16s and French Mirages. Russia sends drones and missiles elsewhere in Ukraine Russia also launched 80 Shahed drones and two missiles at Ukraine overnight into Sunday, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukrainian defenses shot down 71 drones, and another six were lost on location because of electronic warfare countermeasures, the statement said. Farther south, a 12-year-old girl and a woman died after a Russian drone struck a passenger car in the city of Nikopol, local Gov. Serhii Lysak reported. Two others, including a 4-year-old child, suffered wounds. In the eastern Donetsk region, a Russian airstrike on Sunday morning struck homes in the city of Sloviansk, trapping a woman under rubble and wounding two of her neighbors, regional prosecutors reported. In the same province, two miners died and one other person was injured late Saturday after Russian forces shelled a mine west of the city of Pokrovsk, local Gov. Vadym Filashkin and Ukraine’s Energy Ministry reported. Pokrovsk and Sloviansk have both been key targets for Russian forces as they continue their grinding push westwards aimed at capturing the entirety of Ukraine’s industrial east. In southern Ukraine, a Russian drone strike on Sunday morning wounded two civilians in the city of Kherson, regional authorities said. Hours later, police reported that Russian attacks wounded at least four more people elsewhere in the province. Other Russian drone attacks Sunday damaged energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s central Poltava region and the northern city of Shostka, officials reported. Shostka lies in the Sumy region, across the border from Russia's Kursk province — the target of a startling Ukrainian military incursion launched last month. Weeks into the incursion, Zelenskyy said that the aim is to create a buffer zone to prevent further Russian cross-border strikes that have for months wreaked havoc in Sumy. Around 10,000 residents have left the nearby town of Hlukhiv because of intensified Russian shelling, around a third of its prewar population, the local military administration said Sunday. That includes almost 70% of the town’s children, following the regional government’s calls to evacuate parts of the Sumy region nearest the Russian border. Hlukhiv lies less than 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Russian territory, and about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Shostka. Ukrainian troops strike at Russian targets Also on Sunday, a firefighter was killed and two others were injured by a Ukrainian drone in the Russia-occupied Luhansk province in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. In Russia proper, in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, Ukrainian shelling wounded at least 12 people including a village official and members of a volunteer self-defense force, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. Several Russian regions, including Belgorod in the south, set up so-called territorial defense units to counter-sabotage activity after Russian troops moved into Ukraine in February 2022.