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Nato jets were scrambled in response to an unidentified flying object over Lithuania on Sunday morning, with residents in the central and northern parts of the country told to seek shelter.
The order to shelter lasted about an hour, and the government later said the object was likely a drone that entered from Poland.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it “regrets” the possible diversion of its drones, which it said may have been caused by Russian electronic warfare.
Poland was also investigating the incident, but Nato jets were unable to visually identify the object due to cloudy conditions.
During the “red alert” Nato fighters were scrambled to the area and Kaunas airport, near Lithuania’s second-largest city, was temporarily closed.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that a bill of sanctions against Russia can be revived, calling on Kyiv’s allies to “voice support” for the measures.
US president Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that blocked a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause was in the “national interest”. The sanctions were due to come into force today.
Ukraine ‘regrets’ possible diversion of its drones over Lithuania, foreign ministry says
Ukraine has said it “regrets” the possible diversion of its drones into Lithuanian airspace on Sunday.
Its foreign ministry said it may have been caused by electronic warfare diverting drones during an attack on Russia.
Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi wrote on X: “We regret the incident that occurred this morning in Lithuanian airspace, which may have resulted from Russian electronic warfare diverting drones during an operation against legitimate military targets in Russia.
“We apologise for any disruption, risks, and concern this may have caused. We are committed to sharing all relevant information with our Lithuanian partners to establish the full circumstances of the incident.”
Harriette Boucher18 October 2026 14:40
Dozens killed and injured in Russian attacks over last day
Russian attacks across Ukraine have killed at least 10 people and injured 73 others, officials have said.
Overnight, Russia struck residential buildings throughout Ukrainian regions and attacked energy sites in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa regions.
Volodymyr Zelensky said tens of thousands of families were without power on Sunday.
In Donetsk Oblast, seven people were killed and 14 were injured after multiple houses were damaged.
Another person died in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and two in Sumy Oblast, authorities said.
Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast also injured 12 people.
Harriette Boucher18 October 2026 14:30
Turkey to get diesel from Russia after Trump-Putin deal
Turkey will get some of the diesel that Russia is now supplying to the global market after Donald Trump’s deal with Vladimir Putin, the country’s energy minister has announced.
Alparslan Bayraktar said on Sunday that the US-Russia diesel supply deal was important for Turkey’s energy security. Ankara relies on Russia for some of its energy needs, as well as on Iran, Azerbaijan and others.
He told a Turkish broadcaster: “Russia imposed restrictions on diesel exports in recent months when they started experiencing this problem. Now they reached a diesel deal with Trump… Through the talks we held, we will take some of that diesel to Turkey.”
Mr Bayraktar also said that Turkey plans to bring a second floating gas production platform online in the first quarter of 2028, adding that the platform would bring Turkey’s daily output in the Black Sea to 45 million cubic metres.
Harriette Boucher18 October 2026 14:00
In pictures: Russia launches air attack on oil terminal in Saint Petersburg
Harriette Boucher18 October 2026 13:30
Ukraine’s energy sector struck 76 times since Trump’s ceasefire
Ukraine’s energy, oil, and gas sectors have been attacked 76 times since Donald Trump announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Ukraine leader said tens of thousands of families are without power after strikes on substations in the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa regions last night.
“In total, over this past week, the Russians have attacked Ukraine with almost 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 66 missiles, most of them ballistic. The main targets of these strikes are energy facilities – the Russians are trying to cause a blackout.
“And America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements,” he said.
“On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting. It is because of this position of Russia’s that the war continues, not because Ukraine is rightfully defending itself. It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance.”
Harriette Boucher18 October 2026 13:00
Romania downs two drones over Black Sea
Romania’s defence ministry said on Saturday that its pilots had shot down two drones over the country’s territorial waters in the Black Sea.
Two F-16s were scrambled at 5.43pm local time after radar systems “detected a group of aerial targets moving southwest, approximately 120km east of Snake Island,” the ministry said.
The drones entered the Nato member’s airspace around 6pm and were shot down minutes later.”Both aerial targets were identified as drones and were shot down over Romania’s territorial waters,” the ministry said.
It later identified the drones as jet-powered and from the “Geran family,” which are types of drones Moscow has used in Ukraine.
The incident follows a spate of drone attacks on at least seven cargo vessels off the Black Sea coasts of Nato members Romania and Bulgaria in October.
Scores of drones have crossed into Romanian airspace over the past two years, with officials attributing many of the incursions to Russia. Romania first shot down drones this year, marking its first such action since Moscow invaded neighbouring Ukraine.
Namita Singh18 October 2026 12:30
Kyiv reports a ‘massive’ energy strike
Moscow carried out a massive strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, targeting more than 15 sites across the country, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“The sheer scale and unrelenting pace of Russia’s strikes, specifically against our energy sector, are unfortunately having severe consequences,” he said.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted all four of Russia’s cruise missiles and most of the 332 attack drones it fired overnight.
Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid ahead of winter has been an annual feature of the war, aimed at wearing down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight by denying civilians heat and running water. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for more attacks in the coming months.
Russian attacks killed three people in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, Vadym Liakh, head of the city military administration, said Saturday.
A Russian strike also killed an ambulance driver in Ukraine’s Kherson region, head of the local military administration Yaroslav Shanko said. The strike, which used guided bombs, wounded at least 33 others, he said.
Namita Singh18 October 2026 12:00
Starlink restrictions were planned, Zelensky says
Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv was investigating sudden speed restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, which is the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communication.
The restrictions, imposed without warning early on Thursday, cut the internet data connection when a communication terminal moves faster than 160 kph (100 mph). The cap forced Ukrainian drones to fly slower than usual, making it easier for Russian weapons to target or evade them.
Zelensky said that there were no similar restrictions in European Union countries and that they apply only to Ukraine. “In other words, this is a planned operation,” he said.
It was unclear who was responsible. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said this week that the US government owns and controls the system, with decisions about its use resting with the US military and, ultimately, the president.
The Pentagon has not answered questions from The Associated Press about the restrictions.
Trump told reporters Friday that he did not order restrictions on the system. He also doubted that the disruption came from Musk.
On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the White House was not behind the reduction in service to SpaceX’s Starlink.
Namita Singh18 October 2026 11:30
Nato jets scrambled as Lithuania tells residents to go to shelters over flying object
Nato jets were scrambled in response to an unidentified flying object over Lithuania on Sunday morning, with residents in the central and northern parts of the country told to seek shelter.
The order to shelter lasted about an hour, and the government later said the object was likely a drone that entered from Poland.
Poland said it was also investigating the incident, but Nato jets were unable to visually identify the object due to cloudy conditions.
During the “red alert” Nato fighters were scrambled to the area and Kaunas airport, near Lithuania’s second-largest city, was temporarily closed.
Northern neighbour Latvia briefly issued a “yellow” air warning in some regions bordering Lithuania.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly entered Nato airspace in the Baltic region in recent months, with Kyiv saying they were steered off course by Russian signal jamming. Such incidents have stoked concerns that Russia’s war on Ukraine could spill over Nato’s borders.
Adam Withnall18 October 2026 11:06
Blaze at St Petersburg oil sites as Ukraine launches more than 1,000 drones at Russia
Ukrainian attacks set an oil export terminal ablaze in St Petersburg on Sunday, as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones across Russia in one of its largest ever aerial bombardments.
The attack comes amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington, with Donald Trump criticising Kyiv for its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
One person was killed and five more were wounded in the attack, which sparked fires at both the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the city’s Ruchi oil depot, said local governor Alexander Beglov.
A logistics centre belonging to Russian retailer Ozon and a data centre for local tech giant VK were also targeted, both companies confirmed.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, as well as the illegally-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the Black Sea, overnight and on Sunday.
Adam Withnall18 October 2026 10:54
