Russia has closed off a large area of the Barents Sea near NATO territory, warning ships and aircraft of potential 'missile impact' ahead of a planned space launch. The restricted zones, located north of Norway's Varanger and Bear Island, will remain in effect until April 30, marking an unusually long safety notice for the region.
The warning, issued through aviation and maritime safety systems, is understood to refer to the jettisoning of discarded rocket components, officially classified as 'missile elements'. The alert relates to a Soyuz-2.1b launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, expected around April 23, during which payload fairings will splash down in the designated areas.
The mission is expected to carry a batch of Rassvet broadband satellites, part of Vladimir Putin's push to build a low-orbit internet network to rival systems such as Elon Musk's Starlink. The Barents Sea, one of the world's richest fishing grounds, lies partly within Norwegian waters, making such extended exclusion zones notable for both shipping and fisheries.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Russian strikes hit more than half a dozen areas behind the front line on Tuesday and Wednesday. An eight-year-old boy was killed in the central Cherkasy region, and a woman was injured in southern Zaporizhzhia, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and local officials.
'Every day we need air defence missiles - every day Russia continues its strikes,' Zelensky said. With no plans announced for further US-mediated talks with Russia, Zelensky visited three European capitals in 48 hours to seek further military and financial support. Germany and Ukraine agreed on a defence package worth four billion euros, and Norway has pledged nine billion euros in assistance.
