Russia

Russian forces have advanced to the outskirts of Kostiantynivka, a fortified Ukrainian stronghold in the east, which faces its most severe test since the conflict began.

The entire jury of the Venice Biennale resigns just nine days before the prestigious art exhibition opens, amid controversy over Russia’s return for the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin has announced that the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow will be scaled back due to a ’terrorist threat’ from Ukraine, with military vehicles and military school cadets excluded — the first time armored columns have been absent since the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accuses Israel of allowing grain stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories to enter its ports, triggering a major diplomatic dispute between the two nations.

Ukraine’s military confirms a third drone strike on the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, with over 160 firefighters deployed. The Kremlin accuses Ukraine of exacerbating global energy market shortages.

Iran’s foreign minister travels to Moscow to meet with President Putin as US-Iran nuclear negotiations stall, with Trump expressing dissatisfaction with Iran’s latest proposal, reshaping Middle Eastern geopolitical dynamics.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Moscow for talks with President Putin on the Iran war, with the Kremlin saying Russia is ready to offer mediation services in future US-Iran negotiations.

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert Brovdi tells BBC in a rare interview that his unit accounts for a third of all targets destroyed on the battlefield.

Russia launched a major drone attack on Ukraine on the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, wounding 14 in Odesa and killing 2 in the Russian-held Kherson region.

Russia’s Africa Corps confirms withdrawal from the northern Malian city of Kidal as Tuareg and Islamist fighters seize control, exposing the limits of Russian influence in the Sahel region.