The contenders in the Ukraine war focus their attacks on the eastern front of the country, where daily combat occurs in a fierce struggle to gain every inch of ground. However, Russia has not forgotten about the Ukrainian capital, where it also concentrates its efforts. This Wednesday, multiple explosions from a Russian attack using ballistic missiles have been heard in Kiev.
Russian missiles have killed at least one person and injured four others in one of the city's districts, where the fall of presumably intercepted missile fragments has caused a fire in a multi-story office building in the Obolón district. In the Golosivski and Solómianski districts, two other fires have occurred in buildings.
This new attack on Kiev comes in the week when Ukraine expects to receive a high-level delegation visit from the administration of US President, Donald Trump, to discuss the prospects of a ceasefire to negotiate peace with Russia.
US Secretary of Defense considers it "unrealistic" for Ukraine to return to pre-2014 borders
A return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an "unrealistic" goal, as stated by US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, at a NATO meeting in Brussels. He also mentioned that the US does not see Ukraine's accession to NATO as part of a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine.
"We, like you, want a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine, but we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic goal. Pursuing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," were Pete Hegseth's words.
NATO Secretary-General states that allies provided Ukraine with more military support in 2024 than committed
NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, stated on Wednesday that allies collectively provided Ukraine with over 50,000 million euros in military support in 2024, exceeding the committed 40,000 million euros.
During a press conference before the NATO Defense Ministers meeting held on Thursday in Brussels, Rutte recalled that at the transatlantic organization's leaders' summit held in Washington last year, allies committed to providing Kiev "40,000 million euros in security assistance in 2024."
"Allies have not only fulfilled their commitments but have exceeded them by far. They have provided over 50,000 million euros, with more than half coming from European allies and Canada," he said.
"This sends a clear signal of our unwavering commitment to Ukraine. It is also a significant step in the direction of what President (Donald) Trump has requested. I agree with him that we must match security assistance to Ukraine," he added. However, he stated that to "truly" change the trajectory of the conflict in Ukraine, "even more" must be done.
Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of disrupting personnel rotation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Russia has accused Ukraine of participating in "provocations" to disrupt the rotation of a mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
Initially, Russia claimed that Ukraine had launched a drone attack on the city near the plant, located in Russian-controlled territory, and that the drone remnants had landed less than 300 meters from one of the plant's reactors.
Kiev had previously denounced, earlier on Wednesday, that Moscow was responsible for the disruption.
The Kremlin announces the release of a Russian citizen in exchange for American Marc Fogel
The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday that a Russian citizen was released in the United States in exchange for the release of American Marc Fogel by Moscow, but refused to identify the individual until they arrive in Russia.
Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, informed journalists that the unidentified person would return to Russia "in the coming days," and that once on Russian soil, their name will be revealed -- unlike previous prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Washington, where Russians and Americans were released simultaneously, and their identities were immediately disclosed.
"Work has recently intensified through the relevant agencies, there have been contacts," Peskov said in a phone conference with journalists. "And these contacts have led to the release of Fogel, as well as one of the citizens of the Russian Federation, who is currently detained in the United States. This Russian citizen will also be returned to Russia in the coming days."
Russia initiates a judicial investigation into the 2022 Crimea bridge attack
The military court of Rostov-on-Don has launched an investigation into the 2022 Crimea bridge attack, as reported by the Interfax agency today.
Prior to this, the Russian prosecution had accused several individuals of terrorism and illegal trafficking of weapons and explosives in connection with the attack.
According to the prosecution's report, the deputy director of the Ukrainian Secret Services, Vasili Maliuk, established an operation in 2022 with the aim of carrying out the attack on the land crossing over the Kerch Strait.
The Kremlin rejects the exchange of Kursk for Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia
The Kremlin rejected on Wednesday a possible exchange of the border districts occupied by Ukraine in the Kursk region for territories under Russian army control in Ukraine, as reported by Efe.
"This is impossible. Russia has never addressed nor will address the issue of exchanging our territory," said Dmitry Peskov, presidential spokesperson, during his daily phone press conference.
Peskov emphasized that "of course, Ukrainian units will be expelled from this territory, all of them. Those who are not expelled will be eliminated."
The spokesperson referred to statements made by Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenski, about a "direct exchange" of territories as part of future peace negotiations with Russia.
Ukrainian Security Service detains head of anti-terrorism unit working for Russia
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained the head of its counterterrorism department on charges of working for Russia, as reported by the Ukrainian spy agency in a statement, according to Efe.
According to SBU chief Vasil Maliuk, the alleged spy was involved in "fourteen episodes of non-regulatory activity" documented by the SBU itself.
Maliuk explained that the operation against the alleged traitor involved various forms of surveillance through video, audio, and by infiltrating his mobile phones and computers, proving how the former head of the SBU's anti-terrorist unit was passing information to the enemy.
Russia opens a criminal case against EL MUNDO journalist Alberto Rojas for illegally entering Kursk
The Russian Investigative Committee (CIR) announced on Wednesday a criminal case against Spanish journalist Alberto Rojas, who works for the newspaper El Mundo, for illegally entering the territory of the Russian region of Kursk, partially occupied by Ukrainian troops, as reported by Efe.
"The investigation established that in February 2025, Rojas illegally crossed the state border with Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers without the documents allowing him to enter Russian Federation territory," the official note posted on Telegram stated.
Since August 2024, Russian authorities have opened numerous criminal cases against Western journalists who have entered Kursk, although they have never been detained.
According to the CIR, Rojas traveled to the Sudzha district of Kursk, the main Ukrainian operations base, and measures are currently being taken to "establish his whereabouts and proceed with his arrest."
Switzerland approves nearly 1.6 billion euros aid plan for Ukraine until 2028
The Swiss Government approved on Wednesday an aid program for Ukraine worth 1.5 billion Swiss francs (1.587 billion euros) to collaborate in the reconstruction and development of the country between 2025 and 2028, as reported by Efe.