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Drone Crashes in Failed Attack Southeast of Moscow, Regional Governor Says

Recruits carry their weapons during a military training at a shooting range in the Krasnodar region, southern Russia (AP)
Recruits carry their weapons during a military training at a shooting range in the Krasnodar region, southern Russia (AP)
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Drone Crashes in Failed Attack Southeast of Moscow, Regional Governor Says

Recruits carry their weapons during a military training at a shooting range in the Krasnodar region, southern Russia (AP)
Recruits carry their weapons during a military training at a shooting range in the Krasnodar region, southern Russia (AP)

A drone crashed near a natural gas distribution station southeast of Moscow on Tuesday in an apparent failed attack 110 km (68 miles) from the center of the Russian capital, the regional governor said.

Andrei Vorobyov reported the incident near the town of Kolomna shortly after the Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of attempting two drone strikes in southern Russia overnight, Reuters said.

Ukraine does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks inside Russia. If it was behind the Kolomna incident, it would be its closest attempted drone strike to the Russian capital since Russia invaded Ukraine just over a year ago.

Postings on Russian social media showed the grey metal wreckage of a drone lying in a snowdrift by the edge of a wood said to be near Kolomna. Reuters could not immediately verify the images.

Vorobyov said the drone appeared to have been intended to strike a "civil infrastructure facility" but there was no damage. He said the FSB security agency was dealing with the situation and there was no danger to residents.

Earlier, the Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching attack drones towards civil infrastructure targets in the southern regions of Krasnodar and Adygea.

It said its anti-drone defense systems had caused the drones to veer off course and miss their targets.

"Both drones lost control and deviated from their flight paths. One fell into a field, the other, deviating from its trajectory, did not harm the intended target," it said.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities. Russian state news agencies had earlier reported a fire at an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, around 240 km (150 miles) southeast of the Crimean peninsula, after a drone was spotted flying overhead.

The main civilian airport of Russia's second city, St Petersburg, suspended all flights for an hour on Tuesday morning for what the Defense Ministry said were exercises involving fighter jets in Russia's western air space.

In early December, Russia said three military personnel had been killed in alleged Ukrainian drone attacks on two air bases hundreds of miles from the front lines in Ukraine.

On Dec. 26, it said it had shot down another Ukrainian drone close to one of the air bases - near the city of Saratov, where Russian strategic nuclear bombers are based - and that three more air force personnel had been killed.

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World

Russia’s Lavrov, China’s Wang Discuss Cooperation, Ukraine, Iran at Asia Security Meeting

In this handout photograph taken and released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on October 14, 2026, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku. (Handout /Russian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on October 14, 2026, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku. (Handout /Russian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
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Russia’s Lavrov, China’s Wang Discuss Cooperation, Ukraine, Iran at Asia Security Meeting

In this handout photograph taken and released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on October 14, 2026, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku. (Handout /Russian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on October 14, 2026, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku. (Handout /Russian Foreign Ministry / AFP)

The Russian ‌and Chinese foreign ministers discussed the state of bilateral cooperation as well as the crises in Ukraine and Iran during an Asia security meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping reaffirmed ‌their strategic ‌alliance at a ‌regional summit ⁠last August and ⁠both praised prospects for closer cooperation.

The statement on Wednesday said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met in Azerbaijan at ⁠a meeting of the ‌Conference on ‌Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.

It ‌said the two ministers "praised the ‌development dynamics of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation" and "synchronized watches on bilateral political dialogue".

It said discussions ‌also focused on "relations with the United States and the situation ⁠around ⁠the Ukrainian and Iranian crises".

Both Russia and China have called for an end to the Iran conflict, saying it could expand and threaten stability throughout the region.

China has affirmed its "no limits" partnership with Russia throughout the 4-1/2-year-long war in Ukraine, while calling for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

World

Netanyahu Says He Is Not Seeking to Attack Iran Again Before Israel Election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends a ceremony marking the opening of Colombia's new embassy in Jerusalem, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel, 14 October 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends a ceremony marking the opening of Colombia's new embassy in Jerusalem, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel, 14 October 2026. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Says He Is Not Seeking to Attack Iran Again Before Israel Election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends a ceremony marking the opening of Colombia's new embassy in Jerusalem, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel, 14 October 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends a ceremony marking the opening of Colombia's new embassy in Jerusalem, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel, 14 October 2026. (EPA)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he was not in favor of a preemptive strike against Iran before Israel's October 27 election but also warned Tehran and its proxies against striking Israel.

"It is not convenient for us, it's no good," Netanyahu said in an interview on Israel's Army Radio, when asked about the possibility of a preemptive strike and allegations by his political rivals that he was seeking a military confrontation ahead of the election.

"Even if Iran fires missiles at us they will blame me," Netanyahu ‌said, though ‌he also repeated his previous warnings to Iran, saying ‌Israel ⁠would respond forcefully ⁠if attacked.

He would not elaborate on the possibility of a preemptive strike after the election or about his recent discussions with Washington about Iran.

The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states.

Israel and Iran have not traded ⁠fire since June.

Netanyahu said that Iran's proxies were looking to launch attacks ‌on Israel before the election.

Defense Minister Israel Katz, speaking from the self-declared security zone Israeli forces are ⁠occupying in southern Lebanon, ⁠warned Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah against attacking Israel.

"Hezbollah will suffer a severe blow and lose additional territories in southern Lebanon within the Nabatieh and Litani regions, which will become part of Israel's permanent security zone. The army is prepared to carry out the maneuver," Katz said.

Katz said that a million Shiites would be displaced and that Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut would not be spared.

Israel launched air strikes and a ground invasion in southern Lebanon this year in parallel with the war in Iran, after Hezbollah fired into Israel in revenge for the attacks against Tehran.

Hundreds of thousands of people from Lebanon's Shiite community, from which Hezbollah draws its support, were uprooted by the fighting.

World

Israel Army Chief Says Reinforcing Troops on All Fronts

Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. (Reuters file)
Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. (Reuters file)
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Israel Army Chief Says Reinforcing Troops on All Fronts

Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. (Reuters file)
Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. (Reuters file)

Israel's army chief said on Wednesday that the military was reinforcing troop levels "across all fronts", citing an increased risk of escalation as the country heads into elections this later month.

On a visit to the occupied West Bank, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said the potential for incidents on Israel's borders had grown because of the election period, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing a tight race to stay in power in the October 27 poll.

"In light of the increased number of alerts across all fronts and the sensitivity of this period, the potential for escalation has grown," he said, according to an Israeli military statement.

"We have reinforced our forces across all areas."

He added that the military had raised its level of readiness as it prepares "for scenarios in which attempts may be made to catch us by surprise".

Israel recently marked the third anniversary of Hamas's surprise October 7 attack, in which the group's fighters stormed into Israel with pickup trucks and paragliders and opened fire at sites including a music festival.

Citing the need for "vigilance", Zamir said the military was "at a high level of readiness to launch extensive offensive operations against anyone who attempts to harm Israeli civilians".

In Gaza, a year after a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect, the Israeli army now controls more than 60 percent of the devastated Palestinian territory and its strikes are ongoing.

In Lebanon, violence has decreased in the south since a framework agreement between the government and Israel, which includes the disarmament of Hezbollah. But the implementation of that deal has stalled.

Israel has also faced incoming fire from Iran during the Middle East war, which began in February with US-Israeli strikes on the country.