Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s forces launch 280-drone assault as Zelensky hits out at ‘Easter escalation’newsline24

Russia has issued a stark travel warning to its citizens, advising them to avoid countries with extradition treaties with the United States, citing an increase in “Washington’s punitive justice” since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In a travel advisory, the Foreign Ministry cautioned that Russians risk lengthy prison sentences if handed over to the US.

Kenya has opened an investigation into the illegal recruitment of its nationals to fight the war in Ukraine.

Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya Musalia Mudavadi told a Senate committee meeting that about 250 Kenyans have participated in the conflict in Ukraine.

He said 16 Kenyans are missing in Russia after joining its army and 47 have returned home from the front lines, the BBC reported. While 38 are in different Russian hospitals under restricted access.

Five people were killed and 19 others ⁠wounded by a Russian drone strike on ⁠a ​market in Ukrainian city Nikopol on ​Saturday ⁠morning.

“This is yet ‌another war ‌crime committed by the Russian Federation,” Ukraine’s prosecutor ‌general’s office said on Telegram.

Students across Russia are reportedly being offered significant financial incentives to join drone units fighting in Ukraine, serving as both operators and engineers.

This recruitment drive is further evidenced by documents indicating that companies in Russia’s central Ryazan region have been given quotas to enlist workers for the army.

Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 286 drones on Friday night after Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of an “Easter escalation”.

Ukrainian air defence forces destroyed or jammed 260 drones in the country’s north, south, east and centre, Ukrainska Pravda reported.

The Ukrainian president had proposed a ‌halt in strikes for Easter, telling Russia it would reciprocate if it stopped attacks on the energy sector.

In a post on social media, Zelensky said: “Not a single hour of peace for our people, and this is Russia’s response to our proposal for an Easter ceasefire. Essentially, the Russians have only intensified their strikes, turning what should have been silence in the skies into an Easter escalation.”

A ​Ukrainian drone and missile attack on southern Russia killed at least one person, injured four ⁠others, Russian officials said on Saturday.

Yuri Slyusar, ⁠governor of ​the Rostov ⁠region, said the attack sparked a blaze aboard a foreign-flagged commercial vessel.

He also said a fire ‌broke out in the warehouse premises of a logistics company.

Sixteen Kenyans are missing in Russia after joining its army, Kenya’s foreign affairs minister Musalia Mudavadi told a Senate committee, adding that the number had risen from 10 to 16 within 24 hours. It remains unclear whether they are dead or alive.

Thirty-eight others are in Russian hospitals under restricted access, 47 have returned home and two are being held by Ukraine as prisoners of war. Mudavadi estimated 165 Kenyans are actively involved in military operations, bringing the total who have participated in the conflict to more than 250.

The minister said recruits had been lured by promises of salaries of up to $2,700 (£2,040) a month, signing bonuses of up to $23,000 (£17,400) and the possibility of Russian citizenship. “Contrary to prevailing reports, the majority of Kenyans enlisted with full knowledge and willingly,” he said.

Kenya and Russia agreed to halt the recruitment following talks between Mudavadi and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow last month. Ukrainian intelligence has estimated more than 1,700 people from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia.

A Ukrainian drone and missile attack on southern Russia killed at least one person and injured four others on Saturday, Rostov region governor Yuri Slyusar said. Commercial infrastructure was damaged in the city of Taganrog, where a fire broke out at a logistics company warehouse.

A foreign-flagged vessel was also struck and caught fire in the Sea of Azov. The city of Togliatti was separately attacked by Ukrainian drones, though it was not immediately clear what was hit. Ukraine has previously targeted the TogliattiAzot chemical fertiliser plant there.