Russian strikes killed at least six people across Ukraine early on Saturday, triggering a nationwide air alert. The bodies of five people were found in the rubble of an attack on an apartment block in the Kharkiv region, while one person was killed in the Dnipro region. Ten people were wounded, including two boys aged six and 11, and a 17-year-old girl, according to regional military chief Oleg Synegubov. Rescuers were searching for up to 10 others feared trapped under the rubble of the five-storey building, which was "practically destroyed".
In response, Poland, a Nato member, scrambled military planes. "Due to missile attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, military aviation has begun operating in our airspace," the Operational Command of the Armed Forces posted on X.
The Trump administration is considering lifting sanctions on more Russian oil, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. On Thursday, Washington temporarily eased sanctions to allow India to buy from Moscow amid a surge in global oil prices. Bessent insisted the measures were not aimed at easing sanctions imposed over Russia's conduct in Ukraine negotiations, but only affect supplies already in transit.
An anti-drone system developed by an American company, known as Merops, which has proven effective in Ukraine, will soon head to the Middle East to defend against Iranian drones, two US officials told the Associated Press. This comes amid reports that Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships and other assets in the region.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the US and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine's expertise in countering Iran's Shahed drones. Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, stated: "Ukraine knows how to defend against Shahed drone attacks because our cities have faced them almost every night."
The European Commission joined far-right leaders in criticising Zelenskyy over what sounded like a physical threat to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over his veto of a €90bn loan to Ukraine. Zelenskyy warned: "We hope that one person in the European Union will not block the 90bn. Otherwise we will give this person's address to our armed forces." Hungary's foreign minister accused Ukraine of seeking to interfere in upcoming Hungarian elections.
