Russian drone strike on Romania apartment building likely to inflame tensions on Nato's eastern flankRomania, a member of both Nato and the European Union, shares a 650km (400 mile) land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones breach its airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking Kyiv's ports across the Danube river, Romania's defence ministry said on Friday.Friday's incident was the first time a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania ⁠and caused injuries, and was likely to increase tensions on Nato’s ​eastern ⁠flank at a time when Ukraine's allies are worried about the war spilling over its borders.The ministry added it had recovered drone fragments that fell in Romania 47 times. Shweta Sharma29 May 2026 05:00Romania scrambled F-16 fighter jets and military helicopter after Russian drone attackThe Romanian defence ministry said it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter to monitor a drone attack on a building, adding that the pilots were authorised to shoot down any drones.It said a Russian drone crashed onto the roof of a 10-storey block of flats in the southeastern city of Galati during a Russian overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine, causing an explosion and ⁠a fire that injured two people.Firefighters work near a building, which, according to a Facebook post by Romanian radio station Pro Lider FM, was hit by a drone, close to the border with Ukraine, in Galati, Romania (Reuters)Romania's emergency response agency said on ⁠Friday a fire broke out in a 10th floor apartment after the drone struck the building's roof and exploded. ​Two ⁠people were receiving medical treatment on site, it said, ‌adding 70 people had evacuated.It said the drone's entire explosive payload detonated. The fire has since been extinguished. Shweta Sharma29 May 2026 04:30Drones strike Ukraine's Izmail port area in Odesa, local authorities sayDrones struck Ukraine's Izmail port area in the ⁠southern Odesa region overnight, local authorities said ⁠on ​the Telegram ⁠messaging app. One of ⁠the drones ​became stuck ⁠in power lines, temporarily cutting off ‌electricity to five ‌villages, the post said. Izmail, ⁠close to the Romanian border, is home to the largest Ukrainian port on ‌the Danube ​River and is ⁠a frequently ⁠targeted strategic location.Shweta Sharma29 May 2026 04:05Two injured as drone hits apartment building in Nato-member RomaniaA drone hit a residential building in Romania's city of Galati close to the ⁠border with Ukraine, with two people suffering minor injuries, the Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations said in a Facebook post on Friday.The drone struck a 10th-floor apartment ⁠, starting a fire, the inspectorate ​said. ⁠A picture showed firefighters at the site and debris scattered on the ground.Firefighters work near a building, which, according to a Facebook post by Romanian radio station Pro Lider FM, was hit by a drone, close to the border with Ukraine, in Galati, Romania (Reuters)It added ⁠that the drone's entire explosive payload detonated and around ​70 ⁠people were evacuated.In a separate incident, a drone ‌without an explosive charge was found around Basesti in Maramures county in northwestern Romania and the area was secured, ⁠TVR broadcaster said late on Thursday, citing local authorities.The authorities were investigating the origin of the drone, which the report said had a wingspan of about 3m (9.84ft), and how it happened to be in the area, TVR added.Shweta Sharma29 May 2026 03:44Ukraine's parliament ratifies €90bn loan from EuropeUkraine's parliament has ratified on Thursday a €90 billion (£77bn) loan agreement with the European Union with 298 votes, well ahead of the 226 votes required for a majority.The financial aid, intended to bolster Kyiv's defence against Russia, faced opposition from outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban before his electoral defeat last month.The EU is set to offer interest-free loans for 2026-2027, funded by its borrowing on capital markets and underpinned by the EU budget headroom.Ukraine is not expected to pay the money back from its own funds, with the capital only due for repayment once Russia pays war reparations after the conflict is over.Russia has central bank assets that are frozen in the EU which are worth around €210 billion and which could be used for the repayment.The scheme was designed to effectively make use of the frozen Russian funds to help Ukraine without confiscating the money, a step that had been rejected as legally risky.The €90 billion is to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's needs for the next two years, estimated at €135 billion in total. Of the total, Ukraine will get €45 billion in 2026 and another €45 billion in 2027.Alex Croft29 May 2026 03:00Alex Croft29 May 2026 02:00Zelensky reportedly appeals to Trump in urgent letterVolodymyr Zelensky has reportedly written an urgent letter to Donald Trump, warning of a critical shortage of Ukraine’s air defences.Here’s everything you need to know in just five bullet points:Alex Croft29 May 2026 01:00Russia claims it has seized village in Kharkiv region - state mediaRussia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday that its forces had taken control of the Ukrainian settlement of Novovasylivka in the eastern Kharkiv region, the state RIA Novosti news agency reported.The Independent could not independently verify the battlefield report.Alex Croft29 May 2026 00:01Ukraine drones target energy infrastructure in Russia's Volgograd region, Interfax quotes governorRussian defense systems were downing Ukrainian drones ⁠targeting energy and civil infrastructure ⁠in Russia's ​Volgograd ⁠region, Interfax news ⁠agency said, ​citing Governor ⁠Andrei Bocharov.An ‌apartment building was hit ‌but there ‌were no casualties, the ⁠governor said, citing preliminary data. Volgograd region is home to a large ‌refinery run ​by ‌Russian ⁠energy company ⁠Lukoil.Nicole Wootton-Cane28 May 2026 23:45US should send Ukraine more air defence missiles, congressmen sayThe US government should respond positively to President Volodymyr ​Zelensky's request for more air defence missiles to shield Ukraine's capital from a threatened escalation in Russian bombardment, two U.S. congressmen said on Thursday.President Zelensky wrote to Donald Trump and the members of the ⁠US Congress this week to request additional Patriot systems and interceptors - the only effective shield against Russia's ballistic missiles in Ukraine's arsenal.After meeting ⁠with Zelensky in Kyiv, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the United ​States ⁠had complied several times in the ‌past with Kyiv's requests for additional weapons."My hope and expectation is that America will respond positively to this request," said Blumenthal, speaking alongside US Representative ‌Jim Himes, a fellow Democrat.Both congressmen, Blumenthal said, ‌would lobby on their return to Washington for additional air defence interceptors for Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia: "What we will regard as our mission, as we go back, is to ⁠make sure that Ukraine has the means to do the job."Nicole Wootton-Cane28 May 2026 23:21