Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's flight from Moldova to Norway was delayed after it was almost hit by a Russian drone, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said.Officials in Moldova said they had to shut down the country’s airspace because of a drone incursion as Russian forces targeted the border between that country and Ukraine this week.“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in,” Store said yesterday. The drone exploded around 160km from Moldova’s main Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were eventually lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.At least two people were killed yesterday when a swarm of Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa.The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.Another Russian drone had crashed in a sunflower field on Tuesday causing four fires to break out, Moldovan police said.Four killed as Russia hits Ukraine's Black Sea port facilitiesRussia's defence ministry claims it hit facilities “used for military purposes” in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, two vessels near Odesa and a drone warehouse in Mykolaiv overnight.The ministry made the comments ‌on ​the ‌Telegram ⁠messaging app.The air strikes on Ukraine's port of Mykolaiv hit civilian and industrial infrastructure there on Wednesday and overnight, killing four and injuring 19, acting regional governor Heorhii Reshetilov said.Arpan Rai10 September 2026 06:30Trump says Putin wants to make a deal in Ukraine but says two sides 'hate each other'Donald Trump said he had a "great" ‌conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier in the week and that the Russian leader wanted to make a deal to end the war ​in Ukraine.“He is wanting to make a deal, ​and if (Ukrainian president Volodymyr) Zelensky is wanting to make ⁠a deal, that'd be very nice," Trump told reporters ​before boarding Air Force One en route to Dallas for ​the Republican National Convention.Trump spoke over the phone with Putin on Tuesday, shortly after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared ​Kushner, returned from a diplomatic swing through Moscow and ​Kyiv.“The holdup is two people who hate each other," Trump told reporters, ⁠referring ​to Putin and Zelensky.“I think more ​than anything else, it's two people that hate each other." Arpan Rai10 September 2026 06:15North Korea's Kim celebrates troops involved in supporting Putin's invasion of UkraineNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a message of gratitude to his country's troops who supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, state media KCNA said.Kim referred to the troops during a speech at Pyongyang's assembly hall on Wednesday, amid celebrations marking the 78th anniversary of the country's founding.He thanks workers and soldiers for ⁠their contributions to ​the state, ⁠and extended what KCNA called special gratitude and respect to ⁠commanders and soldiers "participating in overseas military operations", ​likely ⁠referring to North ‌Korean troops deployed for Russia's war in Ukraine.In return for sending ⁠troops and munitions to join Russia's war effort, Pyongyang has received economic and ‌military technology ​assistance from Moscow, according ‌to South Korean ​intelligence assessments.North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces since late 2024, according to Western and South Korean officials.Pyongyang was continuing preparations for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but there were ‌no signs that such a deployment ​was imminent, according to South ‌Korea's defence ministry in ⁠late August.(Reuters)Arpan Rai10 September 2026 06:02CIA chief Ratcliffe preparing for bigger role in Russia and Ukraine talks – reportCIA director John Ratcliffe is preparing to take a bigger ⁠role in ​Washington's ⁠negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, US ⁠officials told their ​European counterparts, ⁠the Financial ‌Times reported on Wednesday.CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons denied the report, calling it "false" in a post on X.The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said the White House is considering ‌scaling back the involvement ​of US ‌envoys Steve ⁠Witkoff and Jared ⁠Kushner in the Ukraine peace ‌effort. Arpan Rai10 September 2026 05:48Five killed and 24 injured in Russian attack on SumyAt least five people have been killed and 24 injured in a Russian air strike on Ukraine’s Sumy, police officials said this morning.Regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said earlier that a Russian drone had struck a shopping centre in Sumy on Wednesday and put the toll at two killed and 20 injured.Emergency personnel work at the site of a shopping mall hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy (Reuters)Arpan Rai10 September 2026 05:29Arpan Rai10 September 2026 05:00Russian drones kill two at Ukraine-Moldova border crossingRussian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa, killing two people, Ukrainian and Moldovan officials said, as Moscow targets trade and logistics routes to cause economic damage.Two civilians were killed and three wounded in the attack on the Starokozache border crossing in southwest Ukraine, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.The ⁠checkpoint, about a kilometre (half a mile) from Moldovan territory, ‌is used daily by thousands of people and hundreds of cars. Moldovan officials said passenger and vehicle traffic was halted by the attack.Russia ‌has struck five border crossings in recent weeks, the Ukrainian border guards said — ‌four on the border with Moldova and one on its border with Romania, a Nato member. Arpan Rai10 September 2026 04:12Flight carrying Zelensky to Norway ​delayed in Moldova because of drone incursionA flight scheduled to carry Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky from Moldova to Norway was ​delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace because of a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.Moldovan police said a Russian drone crashed on Tuesday in a sunflower field on the outskirts of a village in Riscani district, which caused four fires to break out but no injuries.Moldovan authorities confirmed the drone came down and exploded 160km (100 miles) from Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.Arpan Rai10 September 2026 03:52Turkey to start drilling challenging Black Sea wellTurkey is set to start drilling a challenging oil-targeted well in the western Black Sea, Ankara announced on Wednesday."We will soon begin drilling an oil-targeted well in the western Black Sea,” energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.“It will be a difficult drilling operation and will take some time," he told broadcaster CNBC-e.Turkey has previously said it plans six exploration wells across the western, central and eastern Black Sea in 2026 as it seeks new oil and natural gas discoveries.Alex Croft10 September 2026 03:00Zelensky says Kyiv hitting Russia 'across its entire map' including Black Sea port attackWe’ve heard earlier from Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken out on Kyiv’s attack on the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.The Ukrainian president said targets in the Krasnodar region, including a naval base and a oil-loading terminal, were attacked.Warships carrying missiles and military port facilities were also hit, he said.“We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X alongside footage of the attacks.“I thank everyone developing our long-range sanctions capabilities, so that Russia’s war is increasingly felt where it came from.”Alex Croft10 September 2026 01:29