Russian Strikes Kill Six Across Ukraine

Smoke rises in the city after a Russian drone and missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the city after a Russian drone and missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
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Russian Strikes Kill Six Across Ukraine

Smoke rises in the city after a Russian drone and missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the city after a Russian drone and missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine April 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least six people, officials said Saturday, most of them in an attack on a residential building in the eastern city of Dnipro. 

"The Russians' tactics remain unchanged: attack drones, cruise missiles and a significant amount of ballistic missiles," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. 

"Most of the targets are ordinary infrastructure in cities. Residential buildings, energy facilities and businesses have been damaged," he said. 

Four people were killed and 27 wounded in one overnight strike on an apartment block in Dnipro, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of Drinpropetrovsk regional military administration said on Telegram. 

A later strike on another apartment building in the city, killed one person and wounded seven, he said. 

"The Russians hit the same residential neighborhood as the one targeted overnight," Ganzha said. 

In the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, one person was killed and four wounded by a Russian drone hit on a civilian minibus, the head of the region's administration, Ivan Fedorov, said on Telegram. 

Zelensky said the incessant Russian strikes on civilian targets required a strong response from Ukraine's allies, especially in Europe. 

"Every such strike should serve as a reminder to our partners that the situation requires immediate and firm action, and the rapid strengthening of our air defense," he said. 

- EU sanctions - 

He urged the European Union to impose even more sanctions on Russia. 

The plea came two days after EU leaders approved a long-stalled 20th sanctions round against Russia that target the banking sector and add new restrictions on exports of Russian oil. 

That package had been blocked for months by Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, who was voted from power two weeks ago. The EU also approved a 90-billion-euro ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine intended to strengthen its defenses and cover state expenditures for the 2026-2027 period. 

Almost every day since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, civilians have been killed in Ukraine in Russian bombardments. 

Ukrainian drone attacks over the past 24 hours injured one person in Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, Governor Alexander Khinshtein announced Saturday on Max. 

The governor for Russia's neighboring Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said a woman was killed and a man seriously wounded in a drone attack on a car, and a man driving a tractor was wounded in another strike. 

Diplomatic efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II are at a standstill with US mediation efforts diverted by the outbreak of the Middle East war in February. 



Trump Envoys to Visit Russia and Ukraine at Weekend, TASS Reports

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (AFP)
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (AFP)
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Trump Envoys to Visit Russia and Ukraine at Weekend, TASS Reports

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (AFP)
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (AFP)

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have spearheaded efforts to broker a Ukraine peace agreement, will visit Russia and Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday, Russian news agency TASS reported, citing a source.

There was no immediate confirmation.

Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow in January, ‌when they held ‌four hours of late-night ‌talks ⁠with President Vladimir Putin in ⁠the Kremlin, Reuters said.

Discussions on US. negotiators going to Ukraine were still ongoing, and the teams have spoken about September 6 as a possible date, a source familiar with the ⁠matter said.

If they come, it ‌would be ‌their first visit to Kyiv.

"The Russians don't ‌want them to visit Kyiv ‌and are trying to make them change the plan," the source added.

A vast gulf remains between Russia and Ukraine on ‌how to end the 4-1/2-year war, the deadliest in Europe ⁠since ⁠World War Two.

Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine give up more territory, while Ukraine rejects terms that it considers tantamount to surrender.

The last US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in February, shortly before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.


Denmark Aims to Send Rejected Migrants to ‘Return Hubs’ by 2027

Denmark's then Defense Minister Morten Bodskov speaks ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2022. (Reuters)
Denmark's then Defense Minister Morten Bodskov speaks ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2022. (Reuters)
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Denmark Aims to Send Rejected Migrants to ‘Return Hubs’ by 2027

Denmark's then Defense Minister Morten Bodskov speaks ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2022. (Reuters)
Denmark's then Defense Minister Morten Bodskov speaks ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2022. (Reuters)

Denmark said Friday it was ready to send rejected asylum seekers to 'return hubs' as of 2027, as it hosted talks with four EU countries on the creation of migrant detention centers outside Europe.

"On the Danish side, we expect to be ready to send the first foreigners to a partner country by the end of next year," Danish Migrations Minister Morten Bodskov said in a statement.

He was meeting with his German, Dutch, Austrian and Greek counterparts on Friday in Copenhagen on the creation of deportation centers outside the European Union.

"This is an important step towards a more efficient asylum and migration system," Bodskov said.

"We do not accept that foreigners staying illegally in Denmark should be rewarded because of our difficulties in returning them."

In June, the European Parliament approved tougher migration rules granting authorities much broader detention powers, and allowing for the creation of 'return hubs'.

The idea has been severely criticized by human rights groups.

The partner country or countries have not been disclosed, but Uganda and Rwanda in particular are seen as possibilities.

Britain abandoned a scheme to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italian-run facilities to process migrants in Albania have faced legal challenges and a slow uptake.


Cyprus Ferry Toll Rises to 12 as Two More Bodies Found

Motor boats take part in a search operation for people missing two days after a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus, near the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
Motor boats take part in a search operation for people missing two days after a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus, near the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
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Cyprus Ferry Toll Rises to 12 as Two More Bodies Found

Motor boats take part in a search operation for people missing two days after a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus, near the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
Motor boats take part in a search operation for people missing two days after a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus, near the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)

The death toll from a ferry accident off northern Cyprus rose to 12 on Friday after rescuers found the bodies of two women, with another 16 people still missing, officials said.

The FiloJet ferry was carrying 267 people when it capsized shortly after departing from Kyrenia port on the northern shore of the divided island around midday on Sunday.

Rescuers managed to pull 239 people to safety, giving an initial count of eight dead and 20 missing with officials saying they believed they had gone down with the ship.

Round-the-clock rescue efforts have since recovered the bodies of four more victims, the latest two on Friday morning, raising the toll to 12, according to authorities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is only recognized by Ankara.

"The bodies of two more people have been recovered," TRNC prime minister Unal Ustel wrote on X, indicating both were women.

"Search operations are continuing 24/7 in order to reach our 16 missing people," he said as a team of specialist divers and naval drones probed the wreckage which is lying at a depth of 514 meters (1,686 feet).

Since Wednesday morning, two specialist Turkish naval vessels equipped with underwater drones have been working to find the remaining victims.

Before the latest bodies were found, officials said the eight dead were all Turkish nationals, indicating that 18 of the 20 missing were also Turkish while the last two were from northern Cyprus.

They have not given any further details about the nationalities of the two four bodies recovered since Wednesday night.

So far, investigators have been unable to retrieve the ferry's voyage data recorder (VDR) -- its "black box" -- which should give a clearer indication of what led to the ferry capsizing.

The ferry's captain and eight others were remanded in custody on Monday on charges of negligent homicide, and returned to the court in Kyrenia -- Girne in Turkish -- for a second hearing on Thursday.

At that hearing, police investigators said the catastrophe could have been avoided had the captain reduced speed and carefully turned back to port when the ferry started taking on water, media reports said.