Russia

Power has been restored to more than 800,000 residents in Kyiv after Russian missile and drone strikes targeted Ukraine’s power grid on Friday, causing widespread blackouts and injuring at least 20 people. The strikes marked one of the largest concentrated assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the war began more than three years ago.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in North Korea Thursday to join dictator Kim Jong-un for a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the country’s communist “Workers’ Party of Korea.” The visit underscores China’s attempt to maintain its strategic position in Pyongyang amid North Korea’s deepening alliance with Russia.

Russia deepened its alliances with communist Cuba and socialist Venezuela this week, formalizing military and strategic agreements that strengthen Moscow’s foothold in the Western Hemisphere and directly challenge U.S. influence.

At least five civilians were killed and several others injured after Russia unleashed a large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, striking civilian infrastructure across nine regions. Ukrainian officials said the barrage included more than 50 ballistic missiles and roughly 500 drones — one of the largest single assaults in recent weeks.

Russia is once again proving its brutality in Ukraine, this time through a Soviet-era torture method grotesquely called a “call to Putin.”

Russia launched a massive overnight air assault on Ukraine early Sunday, killing at least four people and injuring 70 others, with Kyiv suffering its worst bombardment in over a month. Among the dead was a 12-year-old girl, according to city officials.

President Donald Trump used his Thursday White House meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to push Turkey to halt purchases of Russian oil, warning that continued energy imports undermine global efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be ready to leave his office should a ceasefire be reached with Russia.

Germany and France are quietly preparing for the grim demands of a large‑scale war with Russia—structuring medical systems for the wounded.

Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel expressed support for former President Donald Trump’s position on Russian energy during a Tuesday interview with CNN International, acknowledging that continued reliance on Russian fossil fuels indirectly finances the war in Ukraine. Van Weel emphasized the need for both the United States and Europe to accelerate their transition away from Russian oil and gas.