The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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A drone struck a cooling tower at Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant while a reactor unit was operating, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
The UN nuclear watchdog said the reactor’s operating mode did not change and no fire was reported following the strike.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi called for “maximum military restraint” to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident. The agency did not say who was responsible for the drone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for signing legislation expanding sanctions against Russia and praised members of Congress for securing its passage.
Zelenskyy called for the law to be implemented “fully and as quickly as possible”.
“The best way to honour Lindsey’s memory would be to implement the provisions of this law fully and as quickly as possible,” he said, referring to the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who championed the legislation.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation expanding sanctions against Russia on Friday, the White House said, targeting Moscow and actors supporting its war in Ukraine.
The law authorises primary and secondary sanctions against Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and financial institutions, and allows tariffs on goods from countries that purchase large amounts of Russian oil or gas or facilitate sanctions evasion.
The legislation, named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, passed the House on Wednesday after receiving strong bipartisan support in the Senate last month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine’s leadership of prolonging the war to remain in power without holding elections, describing the government in Kyiv as a “dictatorship”.
Putin claimed Ukrainian leaders were using the conflict to avoid elections and accused them of corruption and misusing Western financial support.
He also accused European leaders of escalating tensions with Russia and using Ukrainians as “cannon fodder”.
Ukraine’s efforts to secure additional Patriot air defence interceptors could face delays as U.S. weapons stocks have been depleted by the war with Iran, Bloomberg reported.
Kyiv has sought additional interceptors ahead of winter, but Washington has warned allies that deliveries of some key weapons could be delayed by up to five years as it works to replenish its inventories.
European officials are expected to press U.S. President Donald Trump for additional Patriot support for Ukraine during meetings at the UN in New York next week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia needs to expand and modernise its aircraft fleet and airport infrastructure, describing the development of domestic aviation as a priority.
Speaking as Aeroflot and state-owned Rostec signed an agreement for 90 MC-21 aircraft, Putin called the deal a “very significant step” and said deliveries must proceed without delays.
The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered between 2029 and 2032, according to Rostec.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for increased U.S. pressure on Russia after a Russian glide bomb struck a residential building in Sumy, killing two people.
Zelenskyy said Washington now had a chance to send Moscow a clear signal that “the war must come to an end” and voiced hope that Senator Lindsey Graham’s sanctions bill would become law.
He said four people, including a child, had been rescued from the Sumy rubble, while others could still be trapped.
A Russian glide bomb struck an apartment building in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Friday, killing two people and injuring seven, regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said.
Three of the injured were in serious condition, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said people could still be trapped under the rubble.
Zelenskyy also said Russian forces struck a clinic in Pavlohrad and a logistics centre outside Kyiv. No casualty figures were immediately provided for those attacks.
An Egyptian ship captain was killed after the M/Noran was struck near a port in southwestern Russia on September 13, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Eight Egyptian sailors from the vessel have since been repatriated, while efforts to recover the captain’s body will proceed once security conditions in the area allow.
Egypt did not identify who carried out the strike. Russian media reported that the vessel was attacked by Ukrainian drones after leaving the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, but Ukraine has not commented on the claim.
Switzerland has adopted a new national security strategy aimed at strengthening the country’s resilience and defence capabilities amid what the government described as an “increasingly unstable” international environment.
The strategy outlines 46 measures covering critical infrastructure, civilian protection and defence, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine as well as growing cyberattacks, influence operations and other hybrid threats.
The government said Switzerland must also be prepared to counter an armed attack and strengthen cooperation with partner countries.
Ukraine's capital Kyiv came under a Russian missile attack on Friday, with air defence systems activated across the city. Explosions were heard in the capital, though there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Authorities later lifted the air raid alert after around 40 minutes.
In the southern port city of Odesa, regional officials said Russian forces carried out two strikes on the city centre, with the second attack occurring while emergency crews were responding to the first.
Governor Oleh Kiper said at least 10 people were injured, while an administrative building and several vehicles were damaged.
Emergency services were deployed to tackle a fire at the scene.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland has joined a regional anti-ballistic missile coalition alongside Ukraine and other European partners.
Speaking after a summit of Carpathian countries in western Ukraine, Tusk said Poland had agreed on the framework for participating in the initiative, which is aimed at strengthening air and missile defence capabilities.
The coalition was launched earlier this year as part of a broader effort to develop a joint anti-ballistic missile system as a lower-cost alternative to the U.S. Patriot system.
Tusk also revealed that Poland has prepared a new aid package for Ukraine, describing it as “significant” but providing no further details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the announcement, thanking Warsaw for its continued support and describing Poland as a key partner in confronting Russian aggression.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels and one tanker operating in Ukrainian ports and the Black Sea on Friday.
According to the ministry, one cargo ship was hit in the port of Pivdennyi, another in the Black Sea, while a tanker was struck in the port of Odesa.
Russia claimed the vessels were being used to support Ukrainian military supply operations.
The claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.
UN report documents over 1,000 cases of wartime sexual violence in Ukraine
A UN human rights report said it verified 1,004 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine between February 2022 and July 2026.
According to the report, 89 per cent of documented cases were attributed to Russian forces and authorities, while 11 per cent were linked to Ukrainian personnel.
The UN said the true number of cases is likely higher due to under-reporting and limited access to occupied territories and detainees.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was deeply alarmed by the findings and warned such abuses may still be ongoing.
The Swiss government said on Friday it was concerned after the Kremlin said it was seizing control of the Nestlé business in Russia for “political reasons”, adding it was working to overturn the decision.
The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said in a statement it was “concerned about the forced administration of Nestlé's Russian operations, which was ordered by decree on September 17."
SECO and the Swiss Foreign Ministry have been working closely with Nestlé on the issue for several weeks, and have been providing support through diplomatic channels.
“The goal of Switzerland’s support is to enable Nestlé to present its position to the Russian authorities and to work toward having the forced administration revoked,” SECO added.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been denied access to Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russian detention for two years, it said on Friday.
Thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war are believed to be held in Russian detention centres, where UN investigators have gathered evidence of systematic torture.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions, intended to limit the barbarity of war, provide for Swiss-based ICRC to visit prisoners of war to monitor their conditions, treatment, food and medical care.
Russia denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of POWs. The Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We can confirm the lack of access to POWs in Russia since 2024,” an ICRC spokesperson said, adding that ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric raised the issue on a trip to Russia last month.
Russia seized the assets of food giant Nestlé and supermarket chain Auchan because they are from "unfriendly" states, the Kremlin has said.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin Spokesperson, said the measure was temporary and no other decisions had been taken regarding the assets.
Nestlé is Swiss and Auchan is French.
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," Russian state news agency RIA has reported.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on each other's commercial shipping in the past two months, in an escalation of their four and a half year war.
France was threatened by Russian hybrid attacks in the past few weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.
“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.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it had struck a dry cargo vessel at the Pivdennyi seaport near Odesa on Ukraine's Black Sea coast, according to Russia's Interfax news agency.
The ministry claimed the vessel was carrying what it described as a military cargo. Reuters said it could not independently verify the Russian assertion or the nature of the cargo aboard the ship.
Nestle has said it is weighing all options to protect its rights after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree seizing control of the Swiss food giant's business in Russia.
The maker of Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolates said it took note of the decision, announced in a presidential decree on Thursday, and was assessing the situation.
“Nestlé 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.
Nestlé shares were down 1.5 per cent in early trading in Zurich.
Multiple international firms were affected by the latest asset seizure announced by the Russian government, including French supermarket chain Auchan.
Russia has seized the assets of several international companies operating in the country, including food and drink brand Nestlé and French supermarket chain Auchan, news agency Bloomberg has reported.
Nestlé and Auchan didn't leave the Russian market after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree which temporarily confiscated their assets on Thursday.
Russian drones have hit Nova Poshta's logistics hub near the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa as well as a cargo vessel in the nearby port of Chornomorsk, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.
A morning Russian drone attack has injured five people, including three children, in the Kyiv region around the Ukrainian capital, regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said on the Telegram messaging app.
President Donald Trump said that progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland, crediting “the bold leadership” of Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
“If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great U.S.-Polish Alliance,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Nawrocki later thanked Trump on X, saying that Poland was “ready to continue our efforts to strengthen our defence cooperation,” and adding: “I can assure you that the Polish government will do its utmost to provide the best possible location for the U.S. Army base.”
“Tomorrow, we will disburse another €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine,” von der Leyen said in an official readout of a phone call with Ukraine's Zelenskyy.
She said the payment comes as Russian strikes continue to hit the Ukrainian capital.
“Russia is relentlessly targeting Kyiv, trying to make daily life impossible for its inhabitants,” she said. “We stand with them. And with all Ukrainians.”
The funds are part of the €28.3 billion ($32.5 billion) set aside for Ukraine’s defence this year under the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan.
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