Russia has closed off a vast area of the Barents Sea close to NATO territory, warning ships and aircraft to avoid the zone due to 'missile impact' from an upcoming space launch. The restricted areas, north of Norway's Varanger and Bear Island, will remain in place until April 30, an unusually long safety notice for the region.
The warning relates to a Soyuz-2.1b rocket launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, expected around April 23. While the term 'missiles' is used, it is standard Russian terminology for rocket launches, where discarded components are classified as falling 'missile elements'. Two payload fairings are expected to splash down in the designated zones.
The mission is believed to carry a batch of Rassvet broadband satellites, part of President Vladimir Putin's push to build a low-orbit internet network to rival systems like Elon Musk's Starlink. The Barents Sea, a rich fishing ground partly within Norwegian waters, is affected by the extended exclusion zones.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Russian strikes hit multiple areas behind the front line, killing an eight-year-old boy in the Cherkasy region and injuring a woman in Zaporizhzhia. President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for more air defence missiles, stating: 'Every day we need air defence missiles - every day Russia continues its strikes.'
Zelensky visited three European capitals in 48 hours to seek further support. Germany and Ukraine agreed on a defence package worth €4 billion, and Norway pledged €9 billion in assistance. Ukraine has developed advanced drone interceptor technology but lacks funding to scale production.
