Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow car bomb kills Putin’s general overseeing ammunition supplies (original) (raw)
Aftermath of Russian strike on postal terminal in Kharkiv's district
A general in charge of ammunition supplies for the Russian army has been killed in an attack in the Moscow region, officials said.
Damir Davydov, the head of the Russian defence ministry’s missile and artillery wing, was reportedly killed in a car explosion in Balashikha.
The explosion took place around 5.30am on Tuesday, when a BMW X3 exploded near Koldunova Street in Balashikha’s Aviatorov neighbourhood, with reports saying the driver was pulling out of a parking space.
Ukraine has not issued a comment on his death so far, though Kyiv has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Russian generals since the start of Vladimir Putin’s war.
It comes after a Russian minister warned Moscow could deploy nuclear weapons "to ensure security" if threatened by Nato.
And the EU has proposed a 21st package of sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine, heavily targeting the country's banks and crypto networks as well as drone production, oil traders and refiners.
Russia's Lavrov says quick resolution needed on whether Armenia remains in CSTO military alliance
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that the question of whether Armenia remains a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a military alliance of six former Soviet states, must be resolved swiftly.
Armenia is in arrears with its membership fees, Lavrov told a press conference after a meeting of CSTO foreign ministers that Armenia did not attend.
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 12:48
Sweden charges man with attempted espionage for Russia
Swedish prosecutors have charged a 34-year-old man with attempted espionage for Russia, the Nordic country's prosecution authority said on Wednesday.
It said in a statement that the man previously worked in the armed forces where he had access to highly classified information.
"The suspect attempted to disclose (the information) by travelling to Moscow in November 2025 and meeting with representatives of the Russian intelligence and security service there," Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in the statement.
The Russian embassy in Stockholm did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The charged man has been in detention since January and will stand trial in Stockholm from 15 June.
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 12:30
Russia says it is discussing 'reformatting' of military facilities in Syria
Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that cooperation with Syria was developing very actively and that Moscow was discussing with Damascus a "possible reformatting" of its military facilities in Syria.
The December 2024 ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a close Russian ally, raised questions about the future of Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and its naval facility at Tartous. But Moscow has since built relations with Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel commander who is now Syria's president.
"Russian-Syrian cooperation is developing very actively," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said when asked about reported plans for the creation of a logistics hub in Tartous to distribute goods imported from Russia across Syria.
"Within the framework of contacts with Syrian partners, the issue of Russia's military presence in Syria is also being discussed, including in the context of a possible reformatting of the functionality of Russian military facilities."
The bases in Syria are an integral part of Russia's global military presence: the Tartous naval base is Russia's only Mediterranean repair and resupply hub, while Hmeimim is a major staging post for military and mercenary activity in Africa.
Russia intervened militarily in Syria in 2015 to back Assad in a civil war. Reuters reported in 2024 that Russia was pulling back forces from front lines in northern Syria and from posts in mountains dominated by Assad's Alawite community, but was not leaving its Mediterranean bases in Hmeimim and Tartous.
Moscow has backed Syria since early in the Cold War, and had recognised its independence in 1944 as Damascus sought to throw off French colonial rule. The West long regarded Syria as a Soviet satellite.
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 12:00
In pictures: Law enforcement at the scene of a car bomb in Moscow believed to have killed a Russian general
(AFP/Getty)
(AFP/Getty)
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 11:30
More than 500 drones launched across 11 regions in less than three days, Ukraine reports
Russia has used more than 500 drones and launched two guided missiles against Ukraine in less than three days, president Volodymyr Zelensky has reported as he urged global partners to help protect his country.
He said on social media: “Since the beginning of the week, 11 of our regions have come under attack – in less than three days, the Russians used nearly 530 drones and two air-launched guided missiles against Ukraine.
“Russia added to the list of its new victories a Panama-flagged container ship, agricultural enterprises, railway and energy facilities, and, most of all, ordinary residential buildings. Dozens of people were wounded.
“Every day, Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts must be aimed at strengthening the protection of our sky. There have been many international meetings and negotiations on air defense recently, and it is important to ensure that all agreements are implemented, above all regarding PURL.
“Even more can be decided at the G7 and NATO summits. Ukraine needs protection – this is a prerequisite for diplomacy to work. I thank all partners who are helping.”
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 11:00
Watch: Russian ammunition chief killed in Moscow car bomb attack
Russian ammunition chief killed in Moscow car bomb attack
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 10:30
Moscow to retaliate to latest EU sanctions on shadow fleet
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that a new round of European Union sanctions would not achieve its aims, and Moscow would retaliate.
The EU decided it would authorise military vessels in the Mediterranean to stop and inspect foreign ships suspected of being part of a "shadow fleet" transporting Russian oil, and said it would take all necessary legal and other measures to protect them.
This is part of its expanded Operation IRINI mandate, a naval mission in the Mediterranean that was originally set up to enforce a UN arms embargo on Libya.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this posed a threat to maritime security and accused the EU of intimidating civilian vessels.
She said there was no such thing in international law as a "shadow fleet", and this term was a "political fabrication" by the EU.
"The European Union's deployment of ships from the IRINI naval operation deployed in the Mediterranean to inspect or seize, as they now say, vessels carrying oil products would constitute a flagrant violation of international law," Zakharova told a press briefing.
"We reserve the right to use the full arsenal of political, legal, and other instruments at our disposal to protect maritime security and the legitimate interests of shippers and shipowners."
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 10:07
Recap: Zelensky warns guarantors needed in ceasefire
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that any ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine would need guarantors and monitoring or else Putin’s forces may push further into Ukraine.
"If there are no guarantors and no monitoring of the ceasefire, Russia may take advantage of this and push forward by 20 kilometres in some parts of Ukraine. This is a major risk. That is why we say: a ceasefire must be unconditional.
“For a ceasefire to be achieved, it would be better to have a leaders' meeting – Ukraine, Russia, certainly Europe, and the United States. Ukraine has the will for all of this. We'll see whether Russia has such will as well. So far, they have not demonstrated it."
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 09:30
Ukrainan troops 'use hexacopter drone' to fly five kittens from frontlines
Soldiers from the 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade usually use large 'hexocopters' to move equipment around the front or to attack Russian troops.
However, on Monday they reported the epic pet rescue, which they called 'Special operation "MEOW-MEOW", which took the kittens back to the Ukrainian army's rear positions.
"When various crews demonstrate the operation of heavy hexocopters, it's usually night skids, destroying armor equipment, burning blinders or delivering products," they said. "But our story is quite different - it's about rescue.
"Pilots of the Motor Infantry Battalion 118 separate mechanized brigade conducted a unique humanitarian mission under the codename "Meow-Meow". They successfully evacuated a cat with five kittens from one of the leading positions with the help of a large drone."
Video footage of the kittens being placed in a bag and attached to the drone was also shared with Ukrainian broadcaster ICTV.
Speaking about the rescue, the soldiers added: "This rescue mission is another proof that Ukrainian warriors in this most brutal war remain Humans and are willing to risk even for the smallest living creature."
Animals have provided a much-needed diversion for Ukrainians coping with Russia's full-scale invasion, with troops having adopted cats found abandoned near the frontlines, and Patron, a tiny dog trained to sniff out mines, becoming a national hero.
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 09:00
Ukrainian military destroys key facilities in Russian-occupied Mariupol
Ukraine’s military has claimed to destroy several key facilities at the Russian-occupied Mariupol port.
In a statement, Kyiv's drone forces said the port was left without power after strikes on energy, repair and management infrastructure, and that the attack had "significantly limited" Mariupol's use as a military logistics hub.
Russia claimed Mariupol, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, early on after launching its full-scale invasion.
Bryony Gooch10 June 2026 08:45