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Moscow claims Nato already fighting Russia by backing Kyiv
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British fighter jets will fly air defence missions over Poland as part of Nato’s defence mission, after Russian drones were flown over Nato members Romania and Poland.
The RAF Typhoons are expected to start flying the missions in the coming days, the government announced.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said: “Russia’s reckless behaviour is a direct threat to European security and a violation of international law.”
Earlier, the Kremlin claimed Nato was already fighting Russia through its direct and indirect support for Ukraine.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Nato is providing direct and indirect support to the Kyiv regime. It can be said with absolute certainty that Nato is fighting against Russia.”
When Russia breached the airspace of Romania with a drone in the early hours of Sunday, the country’s defence ministry scrambled two F-16s to down it. Days earlier, Poland said it shot down at least 19 Russian drones.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian drone travelled about 10km into Romanian territory and operated in Nato airspace for around 50 minutes before it left towards Ukraine.
Poland’s foreign minister has called for a no-fly zone to be imposed in the skies in Ukraine to deter Russia from attacking Europe.
Radoslaw Sikorski told the German news outlet Frankfurter Allgemeiner said: “We as Nato and the EU could be capable of doing this, but it is not a decision that Poland can make alone; it can only be made with its allies.
“Protection for our population — for example, from falling debris — would naturally be greater if we could combat drones and other flying objects beyond our national territory.”
“If Ukraine were to ask us to shoot them down over its territory, that would be advantageous for us. If you ask me personally, we should consider it,” he added.
Indian soldiers have joined Russian-led military drills in Belarus, the country’s defence minister has said.
Around 30,000 Russian and Belarusian soldiers are taking part in the Zapad military drills – just days after Russian drones breached Romanian and Polish airspace.
In a statement, Delhi said it had dispatched 65 personnel to the drills.
The statement added that India wished to “further strengthen defence co-operation and foster camaraderie between India and Russia, thereby reinforcing the spirit of collaboration and mutual trust”.
Two Belarusian people were arrested in Poland after authorities “neutralised” a drone over government buildings, the country’s prime minister Donald Tusk has revealed.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated that Washington is ready to impose harsh sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine.
While the exact measures have not been outlined, sanctions so far have targeted Moscow’s energy and financial sectors to limit its ability to fund the war in Ukraine.
Sanctions like the EU’s oil price cap, or US tariffs against India, are designed to limit Moscow’s crude revenues, the cornerstone of its war coffers and economy.
Capital Economics estimate that Russia exported just over $200bn (£148bn) in energy products last year. A 50 per cent cut in Russia’s crude and petroleum exports could reduce export revenues by around $75bn.
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At least three Russian soldiers have died after Ukrainian special forces blew up a railway line and caused two trains to derail in separate attacks deep behind enemy lines.
Authorities said a diesel locomotive derailed close to St Petersburg, shortly after a freight train carrying empty fuel tanks came off its tracks in a similar area.
It followed an explosion on railway lines in Oryol, some 120 miles from the Ukrainian border, which killed three members of the Russian guard who were deployed to de-mine a bomb. The unidentified mines, found along the Maloarkhangelsk-Glazunovka section, exploded during the de-mining process.
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After provocative incursions over Poland and Romania by Russian drones, Nato’s response – to deploy military equipment along its eastern flank – might actually suit Vladimir Putin, says Mark Almond.
Read our full piece below.
Cluster munitions have caused more than 1,200 civilian casualties in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, a campaign group said on Monday.
Cluster munitions, which can cause severe injuries, have continued to be used by both sides during the conflict, particularly Russia, causing civilian deaths and injuries, the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor said in a new report.
“There continue to be attacks impacting civilian areas and residential buildings. Individual attacks…have killed dozens of civilians and left hundreds injured,” said Michael Hart, Cluster Munition Monitor Research Specialist.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine is party to the 2008 convention which bans cluster munitions, which currently has 112 member countries.
Cluster munitions, fired from the ground or by aircraft, explode mid-air, spraying smaller bomblets over a wide area.
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