Ukraine Drones Kill Two in Russian Border Regions, Say Local Authorities

Rescuers work at the site of a logistics hub of a private delivery company hit by Russian missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 13, 2026. (Reuters)
Rescuers work at the site of a logistics hub of a private delivery company hit by Russian missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 13, 2026. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Drones Kill Two in Russian Border Regions, Say Local Authorities

Rescuers work at the site of a logistics hub of a private delivery company hit by Russian missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 13, 2026. (Reuters)
Rescuers work at the site of a logistics hub of a private delivery company hit by Russian missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 13, 2026. (Reuters)

Two people were killed and several wounded as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian border regions, local authorities said Wednesday.

In the city of Rostov-on-Don, a drone attack sparked a fire in a residential building and the body of a man was found in the charred remains of one of the apartments, the local governor, Yuri Slyusar, wrote on Telegram.

The Rostov region is a key military hub for Russia's four-year-long campaign on Ukraine.
Four other people, including a four-year-old child, were wounded in strikes elsewhere in the Rostov region, which sparked fires in several industrial areas.

In the border region of Belgorod, a woman was killed and a man wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

The region is regularly hit with retaliatory drone strikes and was this week plunged into a massive power outage.

Russia has pummeled Ukraine nightly with hundreds of drones and missiles for most of its four-year-long offensive.

On Wednesday, Kyiv's air force said Russia fired 113 drones and three ballistic missiles at the country.

Ukraine also launches dozens of drones at Russia every night, targeting Russian military sites and energy facilities.

It sees cutting off the Kremlin's vital oil revenues, which are used to fund the army, as a legitimate response to Russia's offensive, which has killed tens of thousands of people since February 2022.



Mojtaba Khamenei Says Closure of Strait of Hormuz Should be Used as 'Leverage'

(FILES) In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks along a street in Tehran on May 31, 2019. (Photo by Hamid FOROUTAN / ISNA / AFP)
(FILES) In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks along a street in Tehran on May 31, 2019. (Photo by Hamid FOROUTAN / ISNA / AFP)
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Mojtaba Khamenei Says Closure of Strait of Hormuz Should be Used as 'Leverage'

(FILES) In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks along a street in Tehran on May 31, 2019. (Photo by Hamid FOROUTAN / ISNA / AFP)
(FILES) In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks along a street in Tehran on May 31, 2019. (Photo by Hamid FOROUTAN / ISNA / AFP)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war on Thursday, saying that the leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used.

Khamenei called on people in Gulf countries to “shut down” US bases, saying promised US protection is “nothing more than a lie.”

Khamenei did not appear on camera. Israeli intelligence assessed that he was likely wounded in the war’s opening salvo, which he said also killed his wife, one of his sisters, his niece and his father, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

US President Donald Trump has promised to “finish the job,” even as Iran is “virtually destroyed.” The first week of the war cost the United States $11.3 billion, according to the Pentagon.

“One point I must emphasize is that, in any case, we will obtain compensation from the enemy,” Khamenei said.

“If it refuses, we will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate, and if that is not possible, we will destroy its assets to the same extent.”

 

 

 

 


Russia Condemns Trump Comments on 'Takeover' of Cuba

US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
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Russia Condemns Trump Comments on 'Takeover' of Cuba

US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Russia condemned on Thursday what it called blackmail and threats by US President Donald Trump to initiate a "takeover" of Cuba, a traditional ally of Moscow.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would provide all possible political and diplomatic support to Cuba and called for a diplomatic solution to the tensions with Washington, Reuters reported.

Trump said on Monday that Cuba was in "deep trouble" and that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was dealing with the issue, which may or may not be a "friendly takeover."


Trump Says Stopping a Nuclear Iran More Important than Oil Prices

US President Donald Trump talks to the media upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, March 11, 2026.  REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US President Donald Trump talks to the media upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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Trump Says Stopping a Nuclear Iran More Important than Oil Prices

US President Donald Trump talks to the media upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, March 11, 2026.  REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US President Donald Trump talks to the media upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons was more important to him than controlling oil prices, Reuters reported.

"The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stopping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World," said Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform.