Russian diplomat and information chief
A Russian-installed official says a Ukrainian drone strike hit a student dormitory in Starobilsk, killing multiple people and injuring dozens. Ukraine has not commented; Russia says it targeted a civilian facility where students and teachers were sleeping. Rescue efforts are continuing as investigations begin.
Bishop Hilarion (Grigory Alfeyev) has been detained in Karlovy Vary after four containers of a white substance were found in his car. Czech authorities have not charged him, but forensic tests are underway. Russia claims a provocation, while Hilarion’s team says he is being framed.
Armenia faces a sharp confrontation with Moscow over EU ties as Russia ramps up political, economic and energy pressure ahead of Armenia’s June elections. Armenia maintains a path toward EU accession while Moscow warns of consequences for closer integration with Brussels.
NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission has been operating with rotating fighter jets to safeguard Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Interceptions have increased, with French detachments and Russian aircraft involved in missions around the Baltic Sea. The incidents follow drones entering Baltic airspace and a Serbian-Russia dynamic tied to wider security concerns.
The IOC has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, enabling athletes to compete internationally as various federations reinstate Russian participation. Ukraine challenges the move at CAS, arguing it violates the Olympic Charter and territorial integrity. Multiple sports have begun readmitting Russian and Belarusian athletes with flags and symbols permitted in some events.
A drone has crashed into a busy Gelendzhik beach on the Russian Black Sea coast, injuring around 40 people. Russian officials say the incident was a deliberate attack by Kyiv, while Kyiv denies civilian targeting. A specialist medical team is at the scene; several victims are in serious condition. The event follows Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and related incidents in Ukraine.
Ukraine has targeted long-range facilities in Russia, including the Progress Center in Samara and an air base in Savasleika, using domestically produced Flamingo missiles. Kyiv says the strikes aim to reduce Russia’s war capacity and bring the conflict closer to Moscow, with reports of fires and damage at multiple sites.
North Korea has fired ballistic missiles toward the eastern sea, prompting an emergency security meeting in Seoul. South Korea and the US have coordinated responses and warned Pyongyang against further launches as tensions rise amid scaled-down Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises.