Ukraine Strikes Ballistic Missile Producer Deep Inside Russia, Kyiv Says

Ukrainian firefighters work at the scene of a recent multiple Russian drone strike on a gas station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, 09 February 2026. (EPA)
Ukrainian firefighters work at the scene of a recent multiple Russian drone strike on a gas station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, 09 February 2026. (EPA)
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Ukraine Strikes Ballistic Missile Producer Deep Inside Russia, Kyiv Says

Ukrainian firefighters work at the scene of a recent multiple Russian drone strike on a gas station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, 09 February 2026. (EPA)
Ukrainian firefighters work at the scene of a recent multiple Russian drone strike on a gas station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, 09 February 2026. (EPA)

Ukraine hit a Russian plant manufacturing ballistic missiles in a missile strike in the remote Udmurtia region, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Saturday.

Ukraine said its forces attacked the plant manufacturing Russian missiles, including the short-range Iskander and intercontinental Topol-M, in Votkinsk, east of Moscow and about 1,400 km (800 miles) from Ukraine.

It said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that the Ukrainian forces used ‌domestically produced ground-launched ‌Flamingo cruise missiles. The attack caused ‌a fire ⁠on the site, ⁠the Ukrainian military said.

Alexander Brechalov, the governor of the Udmurtia region in Russia, had earlier said a site there had been attacked overnight with drones.

"There has been damage and injuries as a result," Brechalov said in a video posted on the Telegram ⁠app. He provided no other details.

The airport ‌in Udmurtia's main city, ‌Izhevsk, and those in cities in nearby regions suspended ‌operations, the civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said.

The unofficial Russian ‌Telegram channel SHOT, which often quotes contacts in the security services, said residents in Votkinsk reported hearing at least three explosions and the humming of drones.

Russia uses its ballistic ‌missiles to reinforce its drone attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, knocking out electricity ⁠and heating ⁠supplies for millions across Ukraine during the cold winter months.

Ukraine is increasingly targeting military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia. Kyiv says that hitting the weapons producers and the energy system that fuels Russia's military is the best way to gain leverage over its bigger enemy as the war enters its fifth year next week.

The Ukrainian military said it also hit a gas processing plant in the Russian Samara region. Russian officials in the Samara region issued no report of such an attack.



Sweden Jails Syrian Man for Life over 2012-2013 War Crimes

Police patrol at the scene of a shooting at an office of Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems in Gothenburg on October 10, 2024.  Photo by Adam Ihse/TT / various sources / AFP) / Sweden OUT
Police patrol at the scene of a shooting at an office of Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems in Gothenburg on October 10, 2024. Photo by Adam Ihse/TT / various sources / AFP) / Sweden OUT
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Sweden Jails Syrian Man for Life over 2012-2013 War Crimes

Police patrol at the scene of a shooting at an office of Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems in Gothenburg on October 10, 2024.  Photo by Adam Ihse/TT / various sources / AFP) / Sweden OUT
Police patrol at the scene of a shooting at an office of Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems in Gothenburg on October 10, 2024. Photo by Adam Ihse/TT / various sources / AFP) / Sweden OUT

A Swedish court on Monday sentenced a 55-year-old man to life in jail for his role in war crimes during the Syrian civil war in 2012 and 2013.

The court found that the man was guilty of participating in a shooting against a peaceful protest in July 2012 in the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk, where several demonstrators were killed, it said in a statement.

It also found that he had served at a roadblock set up by the Syrian government in the same area from December 2012 to July 2013, where "a very large number of civilians" had been arrested and taken away to be tortured and in some cases killed.

According to the court, both offences happened as part of the Syrian civil war, triggered by popular discontent with the rule of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad.

"The district court has found the offences to be aggravated because they were directed at a large number of civilians and several people have died and been injured," judge Hampus Lilja said, explaining this had warranted the life sentence.

The man, who denied the charges, was born in Yarmouk, left Syria in 2013 and was granted asylum in Sweden, according to court documents viewed by AFP. He then gained Swedish citizenship in 2017.

The court noted that the trial had taken 54 days and that a large number of people had been called as both plaintiffs and witnesses.

Sweden has adopted a principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows it to try cases of serious crimes against international law regardless of where the offences took place.


Rights Group Says Gaza Flotilla Activists Facing Abuse in Israel Jail

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila gestures upon his arrival at a court in Ashkelon on May 3, 2026.(Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila gestures upon his arrival at a court in Ashkelon on May 3, 2026.(Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)
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Rights Group Says Gaza Flotilla Activists Facing Abuse in Israel Jail

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila gestures upon his arrival at a court in Ashkelon on May 3, 2026.(Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila gestures upon his arrival at a court in Ashkelon on May 3, 2026.(Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)

Two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla who have been detained in Israeli prison are facing psychological abuse, death threats and poor detention conditions, a rights group representing them said Monday.

"Thiago Avila (one of the activists) reported being subjected to repeated interrogations lasting up to eight hours. Interrogators have explicitly threatened him, stating he would either be 'killed' or 'spend 100 years in jail'," rights group Adalah, whose attorneys visited both activists in their detention Monday, said in statement.

Adalah added that a court would decide Tuesday whether to further extend Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Avila's detention.


US Denies Iran Struck a Military Vessel during New Effort to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 4, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 4, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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US Denies Iran Struck a Military Vessel during New Effort to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 4, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 4, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

The US military on Monday denied claims that Iran struck a Navy vessel as US forces now offer to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began. Tehran over the past two months has attacked some vessels and blocked others that don’t receive its authorization.

The US military’s Central Command also said two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz" and that that Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Arabian Gulf are helping to restore commercial shipping traffic.

The statement on X said the destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz “in support of Project Freedom” and that the merchant ships are "safely headed on their journey." It did not say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.

Meanwhile, Iranian news agencies had earlier claimed that Iran struck a US vessel near an Iranian port southeast of the strait, accusing it of “violating maritime security and navigation norms.” The reports said the vessel was forced to turn back.

Also, Iran's state television reported that the Iranian navy fired cruise missiles, rockets and combat drones near US destroyers crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Monday,

It said the navy had identified US destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz and fired multiple warning shots, adding, "following the Zionist American destroyers' disregard for the initial warning, the Navy issued a warning shot by firing cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drones around the aggressor enemy vessels".