Live: Russia strikes four Ukrainian vessels in Black Sea
Moscow on Friday struck four Ukrainian cargo vessels in the Black Sea, according to Russian state media. The attacks came as polling stations in Russia opened for the country's first parliamentary election since the start of the war in Ukraine. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
Zelensky welcomes leaders from 7 countries for inaugural regional summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed leaders and representatives from seven regional countries for talks on deepening cooperation on Friday, as overnight Russian strikes in multiple regions sparked fires and caused several deaths and injuries.
The inaugural summit of the so-called “Carpathian Eight” brings together Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary, with the European Union also involved. It comes as U.S.-mediated efforts to end Russia’s 4 1/2-year full-scale invasion have stalled, with the issue of territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine among the central sticking points. Ukraine is also seeking security guarantees from partners for a deal.
The summit also comes as three days of voting began in Russia’s first wartime parliamentary election, which features virtually no opposition to President Vladimir Putin's party and is all but certain to secure the Kremlin’s political dominance.
Some of the nations attending the meeting in western Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region, such as Poland and Romania, have been staunch supporters of Ukraine. Others, such as Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia, have refused to provide Kyiv with direct military assistance.
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that the summit was a “significant beginning” of a movement intended to “further strengthen ties between our countries and create another strong element of cooperation at the EU level.” He added that the participating countries would work together on security, energy, logistics, cross-border economic ties and support for local communities.
Denmark speeds up Ukraine aid package after Russian warship fires flares at helicopter
Denmark is speeding up a donation to Ukraine in response to a recent incident in which a Russian warship fired flares towards a Danish military helicopter, narrowly missing the aircraft, the Nordic country's government said on Friday.
Denmark on Monday said a Russian frigate fired flares without warning at the helicopter as it sought to photograph the ship in international waters, while Moscow in response accused Denmark of carrying out dangerous manoeuvres near its vessel.
The new support package for Ukraine was worth an estimated 1.8 billion Danish crowns ($276 million) and will be used for air defences, the government said.
"If the Russians think they can rattle us... then our response is to ramp up our support for Ukraine faster than we had intended," Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus told reporters after a meeting with parliamentarians.
Denmark has been among Ukraine's most vocal supporters since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and is a leading provider of financial aid on a per-capita basis.
"If anyone thinks they can pressure us to hold back on our support for Ukraine, they are mistaken," Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.
Putin envoy and far-right AfD prepare talks to get Russian gas to Germany, sources say
Russian President Vladimir Putin's top economic envoy and Germany's far-right AfD leadership have begun preparations to meet next year to discuss restarting gas supplies to Europe's biggest economy, two people familiar with the plan said.
The discussions for a meeting as early as March underline the close relations between Moscow and the AfD, which, although blocked from power by a coalition of its rivals, is Germany's most popular party with voters.
The meeting would be attended by Kirill Dmitriev, who is a close adviser to Putin and who heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund, as well as AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, one of the people said. A spokesperson for the AfD and a representative for Dmitriev declined to comment.
Macron says France will convene G7 energy summit
President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that France would convene a G7 meeting dedicated to energy in the next weeks as fuel prices soar amid the US-Iran war.
"In the coming weeks, we will have a G7 meeting devoted to these energy issues, both to strengthen cooperation and to avoid unnecessary tensions between the G7 countries and our main partners," Macron said.
"It will also be an opportunity to consider options for a possible release or unlocking of strategic reserves."
France was threatened by Russian hybrid attacks in recent weeks, Macron says
France was threatened by Russian hybrid attacks in the past few weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday.
"In recent weeks, the threat — particularly the Russian hybrid threat — facing Europeans and France has intensified," Macron told reporters after meeting in Paris with political party leaders to discuss recent developments in the international situation.
Macron orders plan to protect France's critical infrastructure against 'Russian hybrid attacks'
EU slams Russia vote held under 'institutionalised repression'
The European Union slammed Russia's tightly controlled parliamentary elections on Friday, accusing the Kremlin of using repression to deprive voters of "a genuine choice about the future of their country".
"The way the State Duma elections are conducted underscores the continued and deepening erosion of democracy in Russia," European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand told reporters.
"Russian authorities have continued to increase systematic and institutionalised repression to exclude any democratic opposition forces."
In pictures: Voters cast ballots in Russian-controlled Donetsk
A voter casts her ballot at a polling station during Russia's parliamentary elections in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, September 18, 2026. Photos: Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
A voter reads his ballot at a polling station during Russia's parliamentary elections in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, September 18, 2026. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
Russia says it struck four Ukrainian cargo vessels in Black Sea
Russia's Defence Ministry said its military had struck four Ukrainian dry cargo vessels in the Black Sea using drones "to limit the logistical capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces", state news agency RIA reported.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on each other's commercial shipping in the past two months.
Hundreds of civilians and POWs subjected to sexual abuse in Ukraine war, UN reports
Hundreds of civilians and prisoners have been subjected to sexual violence and torture – overwhelmingly by Moscow's forces – since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the UN reported.
The UN Human Rights Office attributed 89 percent of the documented cases to "Russian authorities – including members of the armed forces, the prison service and the national security service".
It blamed the remaining 11 percent on "Ukrainian authorities", saying both countries should investigate promptly and bring perpetrators to justice.
"Some 1,004 cases of sexual violence were documented from February 24, 2022, when Russia's attack on Ukraine began, through to the end of July this year," the UN agency said in a report.
"Sexual violence has been used against civilians and prisoners of war (POWs) in Ukraine in a shocking pattern of torture, intimidation and coercion," it said.
The 20-page report is based on confidential interviews "with hundreds of victims and survivors of sexual violence committed by both parties", as well as court documents and official records.
Moscow demands that Japan withdraws US Typhon missiles from its territory, TASS reports
Russia demands that Japan should remove US Typhon missile systems from its territory, state news agency TASS quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.
Moscow has repeatedly protested against the deployment of Typhon during joint drills this month between Japan, Australia and the United States, complaining that it poses a threat to Russian security.
Zakharova referred to a protest note sent on September 3, saying Japan should take it very seriously.
The Typhon is a mid-range missile system that can launch SM-6 and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Russia and Japan have exchanged a series of protests in recent weeks following a rare visit by President Vladimir Putin to a disputed Russian-controlled island off northeast Japan.
'Election without meaningful competition': Russia’s results won't measure support for Putin or war
In the absence of any meaningful competition in Russia's parliamentary elections, the most revealing signals may lie elsewhere.
Grégoire Roos, director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes at Chatham House, told FRANCE 24 that the vote would still be revealing because of what the electoral process can still tell us about the political system President Vladimir Putin has constructed.
He said that studying voter turnout, the timing of voting, the performance of the remaining parties and the Kremlin’s effort to frame participation itself as evidence of national unity could tell speak volumes about the current state of Russia's political system.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Fico cancels Ukraine visit due to illness, TASR news agency reports
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico cancelled a planned trip to Ukraine due to illness, Slovak news agency TASR reported on Friday.
Fico said on Thursday he would travel to Ukraine to meet several other regional leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky at a conference which began on Friday.
Russian forces struck cargo vessel near Ukraine's Odesa, Russian defence ministry says
The Russian defence ministry said that Russia's military had struck a Ukrainian dry cargo vessel at Pivdennyi seaport near Odesa on the Black Sea, Russian news agency Interfax reported.
The ministry said the vessel had delivered what it described as a military cargo.
Nestle weighing all options after Kremlin moves to seize Russia business
Nestle said it was weighing all options to protect its rights after the Kremlin's decision to take control of the Swiss food maker's Russian business.
The maker of Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolates said it took note of the decision and was assessing the situation.
"Nestle is committed to taking all necessary steps to protect its rights and ensure continuity of business operations in the interests of all stakeholders, particularly its employees," the company said in a statement.
It declined to comment further on what action it was considering.
Nestle shares were down 2.4 percent at 1005 GMT.
Kremlin says action on Nestle and Auchan assets was taken because they're from 'unfriendly' states
The Kremlin said on Friday that one of the factors behind the decision to place the Russian assets of Nestle and Auchan under temporary administration was that the companies are from "unfriendly" countries.
"Of course, one of the factors taken into account when making this decision was that these are unfriendly countries, which are currently most actively involved in military operations against our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The measure was temporary and no other decisions had been taken regarding the assets, he added.
Russia summons UK envoy over London's weapons supplies to Ukraine
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Britain's chargé d'affaires in Moscow, Danae Dholakia, on Friday to issue a formal protest about what it called London's "further increase" in weapons supplies to Ukraine.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that by sending more arms to Kyiv, "London is placing itself in the position of an accomplice to the bloody atrocities committed by the Kyiv regime, which can only be characterised as terrorism and war crimes."
Britain says it stands "shoulder to shoulder" with Ukraine and is committed to providing Kyiv with the military equipment it needs. Russia currently has no ambassador in London and relations between the two countries are dire.
The departure of the previous Russian envoy, Andrei Kelin, in July prompted British media speculation – denied by Russia – that Moscow was downgrading its diplomatic relations with Britain because of London's role as one of Ukraine's biggest supporters.
Yesterday's key developments:
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President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Anton Kovalskyi as Ukraine's acting prosecutor general, a presidential decree has shown.
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The US House of Representatives passed a broad package of sanctions targeting Russian officials and key pillars of its economy as lawmakers look to deprive President Vladimir Putin of the financial resources needed to wage the war against Ukraine.
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A Russian barrage of missiles and drones targeting Ukraine's capital and the surrounding region injured at least 19 people overnight and into Thursday morning, authorities said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)