Russia’s Shoigu Accuses West of Seeking to Expand Ukraine War to Asia-Pacific 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)
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Russia’s Shoigu Accuses West of Seeking to Expand Ukraine War to Asia-Pacific 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the West wants to expand the conflict in the Ukraine to the Asia-Pacific region, Russian state media reported, citing comments made at a Beijing defense forum on Monday.

Speaking at the Xiangshan Forum, China's biggest military diplomacy event, Shoigu said NATO is covering up a build-up of forces in the Asia-Pacific region with an "ostentatious desire for dialogue", Russia's TASS news agency reported.

Shoigu said NATO countries were promoting an arms race in the region, increasing their military presence and the frequency and scale of military drills there.

US forces will use information exchanges with Tokyo and Seoul on missile launches to deter Russia and China, Shoigu said. He also accused Washington of trying to use climate change and natural disasters as an excuse for "humanitarian interventions".

Shoigu said the emergence of new security blocs such as the Quad and AUKUS undermined the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and nuclear non-proliferation efforts in the region.

At the same time, he said, Russia's move to revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty did not mean the end of the agreement, and Russia was not lowering its threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

"We are only seeking to restore parity with the United States, who have not ratified this treaty," Russia's RIA news agency quoted Shoigu as saying. "We are not talking about its destruction."

Shoigu said that Moscow was ready for talks on the post-conflict settlement of the Ukraine crisis on further 'co-existence' with the West, but that Western countries needed to stop seeking Russia's strategic defeat.

Making clear the conditions for such talks were not in place yet, Shoigu said: "It is also important to ensure equal relations between all the nuclear powers and permanent United Nations Security Council members who carry special responsibility for upholding peace and global stability."



Russian Overnight Attack on Ukraine Kills One, Damages Energy Facilities, Ukraine Says 

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian attack in Sumy, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian attack in Sumy, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
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Russian Overnight Attack on Ukraine Kills One, Damages Energy Facilities, Ukraine Says 

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian attack in Sumy, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian attack in Sumy, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

At least one person was killed and 10 injured, including three children, in overnight drone attacks by Russia on Ukraine, officials said on Wednesday.

Various attacks also damaged energy facilities in two regions, according to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The attacks came as both sides accuse each other of not abiding by a US-proposed moratorium on strikes on each other's energy facilities.

"This systematic and constant nature of Russian strikes clearly indicates that Moscow despises the diplomatic efforts of partners," Zelenskiy said. "What's needed is new and tangible pressure on Russia to put this war on a path toward ending."

A drone hit a substation in the northeastern Sumy region and artillery fire damaged a power line in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, cutting electricity to nearly 4,000 consumers, he said on X.

A 45-year-old civilian was killed and two people were injured in a strike on a settlement near the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region, the governor of the southeastern region said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Fifteen drone strikes were carried out on Kharkiv, which is Ukraine's second largest city and lies close to the Russian border, city Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a post on Telegram.

Oleh Sinehubov, the region's governor, said that a 9-month infant, a 7-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were among the eight injured in Kharkiv.

Russia has recently intensified its strikes on the city, with its attacks killing at least two people over the weekend and injuring tens more.

The Ukrainian air force shot down 41 drones out of 74 launched by Russia, it said in a statement on Telegram.

Another 20 drones did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures, it added, without saying what happened to the remaining 13 drones.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022, saying their attacks are aimed at destroying each other's infrastructure crucial to war efforts.