A drone attack has caused a fire in the ⁠port area of Ust-Luga by the Baltic Sea in Russia’s northwest, regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko ⁠said this morning, ⁠citing preliminary data.

He said that a power ⁠station was also cut ​off ⁠as a result ‌of the attack, during which 146 drones were shot down ‌over the Leningrad region ‌, which is also home to a major oil refinery and the ⁠city of St. Petersburg, the hometown of president Vladimir Putin.

The airstrike comes as Russian and Ukrainian ‌officials are meeting in Abu ⁠Dhabi today in a new US push ⁠to end the war in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump has said the war was close ‌to being settled and ​that ending it might involve ‌all of Europe.

Renewed Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries since late October have reduced Russia’s oil refining capacity by about 30 per cent, Reuters reported, citing two industry sources.

Ukraine’s attacks ​on Russian oil refineries add to Moscow’s difficulties in addressing domestic fuel shortages as ‌it ships diesel to international markets under an export deal with US president Donald Trump.

Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian refineries since the end of October.

Ukrainian ​attacks disrupted operations and caused emergency situations at nine of Russia’s ⁠35 major refineries over the past week, sources said.

The combined daily nameplate capacity of Russian refineries affected by ​drone attacks since late October, including three major plants in central Russia, stands at around 300,000 metric tons, or 2.2 million barrels, compared with Russia’s total primary refining capacity of about 930,000 ​tons per day.

At the end of October, Russian refineries were processing about 700,000 tons, ​or 5 million barrels, of crude per day, according to the sources.

Latvia and Lithuania warned people to seek shelter today ⁠across several regions against threats from unidentified drones entering their airspace via neighbouring Russia or Belarus.

It added that Nato air defence fighter jets were activated.

There were no reports of injuries, while Lithuania’s crisis management authorities said their warning covered ⁠the second most populous city of Kaunas, ​home ⁠to about 300,000.

Russia has accused Ukraine of using Nato airspace as cover for attacks, while Kyiv says some of its drones have been steered off course ‌by Russian signal jamming.

Finland has adopted temporary airspace and maritime curbs in the eastern Gulf of Finland for today, ⁠its defence forces said on X.

“This is a precautionary measure aimed ​at ⁠ensuring the safety of bystanders ‌and enabling the authorities to counter potential drones,” it added.

The step came as Ukrainian drones were attacking Russia’s northwest, home to major Baltic ‌Sea export facilities and a big oil refinery.

Russia shot down 92 ​drones during today’s early hours in an attack over the Leningrad region northwest of Moscow, governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said.

The region is home to the ports of Ust-Luga, Primorsk and Vysotsk, key for Russia’s oil and grain exports on ⁠the Baltic Sea, as ​well as ⁠the Kirishi oil refinery, Russia’s second-largest.

On Monday, a drone struck the Kirishi ​refinery, ⁠run by Surgutneftegaz, setting ‌the plant on fire, and killing a woman in the region where St. Petersburg, ‌the hometown of president Vladimir ‌Putin, is located.

A drone attack ⁠has caused fire ⁠in ​the port ⁠area ⁠of Ust-Luga ​by ⁠the ‌Baltic Sea in ‌Russia’s northwest, regional ‌governor ⁠Aleksandr Drozdenko said this morning.

The Royal Navy will deploy a fleet autonomous drone boats to intercept Russian warships and spy vessels around British shores for the first time, the head of its fleet has confirmed.

The squadron of autonomous Kraken 3 boats, which are unmanned and remotely controlled, will be used to help the Ryoal Navy’s fleet of vessels to tackle Russian interference in UK waters.

Vice-Admiral Steve Moorhouse told The Times the boats will begin operations “as soon as possible”, meaning they could be deployed before the end of the year.

Britain would like more channels for talking to Russia, Defence Minister Wes Streeting has said, with military-to-military contact singled out as a way to lower the “risk of miscalculation”.

“We have our embassy in Moscow. That is an important channel … I would much prefer there to be additional channels too, particularly military-to-military level,” Mr Streeting told the FT.

“There is always a risk of miscalculation and that’s why having that direct communication is important,” he said.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged the EU to prioritise discussions on closing Ukraine’s €70bn budget shortfall for 2027, warning that around €45bn of the funding burden will fall on European member states.

In a letter to European Council president Antonio Costa, Merz called for the issue to be discussed at the EU’s informal meeting on 13 November.

Merz said supporting Ukraine was a shared responsibility, arguing that financial assistance was currently unevenly distributed among EU countries.

The letter says “we must then find a solution supported by all Member States that ensures a sound and multiannual financing perspective for Ukraine from 2028 onwards, including the interest liabilities that have already accrued”.

His push comes as the bloc prepares to discuss its long-term budget for 2028-2034.

“Providing this support is an indivisible responsibility shared by us all,” Merz said. But “bilateral assistance to Ukraine is distributed unevenly and carried mostly by only a few Member States”, he added.

Nine Zimbabwean nationals have been arrested in South Africa for allegedly attempting to travel abroad to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to police.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 26, were detained on Sunday evening in Johannesburg while they were “preparing to board flights out of the country”.

Five were arrested at OR Tambo international airport and another four at a hotel in Bruma, east of Johannesburg, during an operation involving Interpol.

They have been charged under South Africa’s regulation of foreign military assistance act, which prohibits mercenary activity without government authorisation.

Authorities have not disclosed whether the group intended to fight for Russia or Ukraine, or identified the organisations allegedly arranging their travel.

The arrests come amid growing concerns about the recruitment of African nationals into the conflict. A Ukrainian intelligence assessment earlier this year estimated that more than 1,700 people from 36 African countries had been recruited to fight for Russia.

Zimbabwe said in March that 15 of its citizens had been killed after being recruited to fight for Russia, while more than 60 others remained trapped on the front lines. South Africa also secured the return of 17 citizens who were allegedly tricked into joining the war.