
Russian drone fragments set Kyiv apartment building ablaze, official says
May 25 (Reuters) - Fragments from a Russian drone triggered a fire and caused damage to an apartment building in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official said.
Timur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said the incident occurred in the Holosiivskyi district, just outside the city centre.
"The building has been partly destroyed and there is a fire. Rescue teams are at the site," Tkachenko said.
Tkachenko earlier said there were 10 drones above the city and more coming.
Reuters witnesses heard anti-aircraft units in operation around the city.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Channel 4
24 minutes ago
- Channel 4
Trump ally wins Polish presidential election
Poland has a new conservative-leaning, pro-Trump president after a nail-biting election. The first exit poll last night suggested that liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski was on course for victory, but after the final count, conservative candidate, Karol Nawrocki, was declared the winner with 50.9 percent of the vote. Karol Nawrocki, a previously little-known historian, won the backing of the conservative opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), and support from Donald Trump in the White House. Great meeting with @POTUS . It was an honour to discuss the bright future of Poland-U.S. relations. — Karol Nawrocki (@NawrockiKn) May 2, 2025 Nawrocki – a keen sportsman and amateur boxer – said that the election campaign had been 'an unequal fight' and presented himself as the underdog. In reality the race was close throughout the campaign. The presidential role is largely ceremonial in Poland, but the president does have the power to wave through, or hold up, new laws. Standing for assertive nationalism and what the right euphemistically refers to as traditional family values, Nawrocki is expected to block Prime Minister Donald Tusk's attempts to liberalise Poland's strict abortion rules put in place by the previous PiS government. Tusk's promises of allowing same-sex civil partnerships also now looks unachievable. Nawrocki's win ends a string of surprise defeats for Trumpian candidates in recent elections, including in Canada , Romania and Australia . At home, Nawrocki's success is a huge boost to PiS ahead of parliamentary elections in two years' time and it is unnerving for Tusk's coalition. Rafał Trzaskowski is a well known and well liked frequent visitor to Brussels and there is no doubt that he was the preferred choice of many in EU circles. 'This result reminds us that you cannot determine the future of Europe in Brussels without listening to its peoples,' said PiS MEP, Patryk Jaki, who is also leader of the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament. 'This election shows that citizens want real choices, not pre-approved candidates and predetermined policies. Democracy in Europe needs conviction, not conformity.' In Brussels, there's a sense that Nawrocki's victory does not pose a direct threat to the European Union – he is fairly pro-EU and pro-Ukraine – so he is not expected to join Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán , and Slovakia's PM, Robert Fico, in the naughty corner. However, he could come into conflict with the European Union if he stands in the way of Tusk's reforms. 'I'm confident that the EU will continue its very good cooperation with Poland.' – Ursula von der Leyen Since coming to office in 2023, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been trying to deconstruct state apparatus put in place by the previous PiS administration. That included control of state media and, what the EU saw as an alarming politicisation of the judicial system. Tusk's efforts have been largely stymied by the outgoing PiS president and Nawrocki has hinted that he will be yet more assertive than his predecessor. In her congratulatory message, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, struck a conciliatory tone. 'I'm confident that the EU will continue its very good cooperation with Poland. We are all stronger together in our community of peace, democracy, and values. So let us work to ensure the security and prosperity of our common home,' she wrote on social media. East vs west? Romania's biggest vote since the fall of communism Orbán: Is MAGA hero and EU's longest serving leader in trouble? Poland accused of pushing migrants back to Belarus


BBC News
39 minutes ago
- BBC News
Headlines: Houseboat fire and Frome trees vandalised
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media on Monday 2 June. Our pick of local website stories A dramatic picture has been released of the residential houseboat which caught fire while cruising along the river in Lechlade.A young otter cub has made a "remarkable recovery" after being rushed to the RSPCA's West Hatch centre in Somerset with a respiratory Police and Crime Commissioner has supported calls to make cannabis a Class A drug. Recategorizing it would align it with other illicit substances like heroin and cocaine.A key road in Bridgwater town centre will be shut for two months as the delivery of the town's 'Celebration Mile' continues. Our top three from yesterday What to watch on social media A 'Welcome to Margate' sign has appeared on the road to nowhere in Yate, suggesting the deserted stretch is possibly being used as a filming and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service have issued a reminder that most vapes contain hidden lithium batteries, which can spark fires if crushed.'Mindless' vandals have chopped down two young trees in Victoria Park in Frome and littered the grass with charred book pages.


The Independent
39 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin launches airstrikes killing five people just hours before peace talks in Istanbul
Five people have been killed and six others injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight, ahead of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul later today. Russian shelling and air attacks killed five people outside the south-east Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, while a drone attack on the northeast region of Sumy injured at least six early on Monday, including two children, regional officials said. Ivan Fedorov said three women died in a series of Russian shelling incidents targeting the village of Ternuvate. A man died in a nearby district in a Russian strike by a guided aerial bomb, Fedorov said. The strikes came just before Ukrainian and Russian delegations arrived in Istanbul for the second round of direct peace talks since 2022. The two sides are still far apart on how to end the war and the fighting is stepping up, despite calls from US president Donald Trump and European allies to call a ceasefire. The first round of talks on 16 May yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war but no sign of peace – or even a ceasefire as both sides merely set out their opening negotiating positions. Danish PM says Ukraine seems successful in defending itself Ukraine's attack against several Russian air bases on Sunday shows that Kyiv is successful in defending itself, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said. "I think they (Ukraine) have the right to defend themselves and sometimes it includes pushing back so it seems that it has been successful," Ms Frederiksen said when asked to comment on Ukraine's attack. Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web," planned for more than a year and a half. At a meeting of Nordic, Baltic and Eastern European leaders in the capital of Lithuania, Ms Frederiksen also said it was crucial to focus on rearming Europe. "Russia is a threat to all of us and therefore we need to strengthen our Eastern flank... We have to push for a ceasefire still but at the same time we have to do what is needed at the battlefield in Ukraine so they can actually win this war," she said. Jabed Ahmed2 June 2025 10:49 Number of people injured in Russian bridge collapse rises – reports The number of people who have been injured during one of two bridge collapses on Saturday has risen, according to Russian media reports. Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported the number of those injured in the bridge collapse in the Bryansk Region has risen to 104. In total, seven people were killed. The first bridge, in the Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine, collapsed on top of a passenger train on Saturday, causing casualties. The train's driver was among those killed, state-run Russian Railways said. Hours later, officials said a second train derailed when the bridge beneath it collapsed in the nearby Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine. Russia's Investigative Committee, the country's top criminal investigation agency, said explosions had caused the two bridges to collapse without giving more detail. Several hours later, it edited the statement to remove the words "explosions", but did not explain why. Jabed Ahmed2 June 2025 10:31 Listen: Keir Starmer refuses to rule out war with Russia Listen: Keir Starmer refuses to rule out war with Russia Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out sending British troops to Russia, stating that the UK cannot 'ignore the threat' Vladimir Putin poses. Asked on the BBC's Radio 4's Today programme whether the UK might have to send forces to Nato's eastern border to 'possibly die', the prime minister replied: 'I hope not.'. On Sunday (1 June), German's chief of Defence, General Carsten Breuer, told the broadcaster that Russia would attack again within the next four years, highlighting Lithuania and Poland as particularly vulnerable. On Monday (2 June), Sir Keir told BBC's Nick Robinson that in order to make sure British troops aren't sent to the frontline, the UK 'has to prepare'. Jabed Ahmed2 June 2025 09:59 Zelensky in Lithuania while peace talks take place in Istanbul Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Lithuania with leaders from Nato's eastern flank for a meeting ahead of the Hague Nato summit later in June. This includes the Bucharest Nine – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – and the Nordics – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte is also in attendance. There will be a joint press conference later today. We will bring you the latest lines. Jabed Ahmed2 June 2025 09:44 Pictured | Russian strike on Kharkiv Jabed Ahmed2 June 2025 09:38 Watch | Zelensky praises Ukraine's security service for 'brilliant operation' in Russian territory Jabed Ahmed2 June 2025 09:25 Who will be present at the second round of peace talks? After keeping the world guessing on whether Ukraine would even turn up for the second round, president Volodymyr Zelensky said his Defence Minister Rustem Umerov would meet with Russian officials in Istanbul. The Russian delegation will be headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who after the first round invoked French general and statesman Napoleon Bonaparte to assert that war and negotiations should always be conducted at the same time. According to Trump envoy Keith Kellogg, the two sides will in Turkey present their respective documents outlining their ideas for peace terms, though it is clear that after three years of war, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart. Mr Medinsky said on Sunday that Moscow had received Ukraine's draft memorandum and told Russia's RIA news agency the Kremlin would react to it on Monday. Mr Kellogg has indicated that the US will be involved in the talks and that even representatives from Britain, France and Germany will be too, though it was not clear at what level the United States would be represented. Ukraine's delegation will also include its deputy foreign minister, as well as several military and intelligence officials, according to an executive order by Mr Zelensky on Sunday. Jabed Ahmed2 June 2025 09:08 What happened at the last peace talks between Russia and Ukraine? The last round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this month in Turkey. Both countries agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each in their first talks for more than three years. However, the two sides fell short of negotiating a ceasefire as Kyiv said Moscow had presented conditions that were 'non-starters'. The negotiations were held in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace and mediated by a Turkish team. It took place after a turbulent two days cast doubt over whether the meeting would take place at all. The talks lasted under two hours. Ukraine said its next goal is for Vladimir Putin to meet directly with Volodymyr Zelensky; Russia said it had "taken note" of the request. Neither Mr Zelensky nor Mr Putin are attending the second round of peace talks starting today. Below is a video of the prisoner swap that was agreed by both sides: Jabed Ahmed2 June 2025 08:49 Starmer: 'We cannot ignore the threat of Russia' Sir Keir Starmer has warned that Britain 'cannot ignore the threat Russia poses'. The prime minister said the UK has to prepare itself to fight a war to deter Russian aggression and avoid a conflict with Vladimir Putin. He said the world is facing the greatest instability it has for years, and kept the door open to Britain going to war with Russia if it invades a European Nato member such as Lithuania. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'In order to make sure that that isn't the case, we need to prepare. But we cannot ignore the threat that Russia poses.' For context, The UK government will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines and invest £15 billion in its warhead programme, Sir Keir will announce today as the government unveils its strategic defence review. 2 June 2025 08:34 Ukraine destroyed 13 planes in Russian air bases, official says Ukraine destroyed at least 13 planes during an attack on Russian air bases, Ukraine's national security and defence council official said. Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation, said some other planes were also damaged in the attack, in a post on the Telegram messaging app.