Ukraine-Russia war latest: UK issues defiant message to Putin after ‘dangerous’ Black Sea flyby
The UK has accused Russia of conducting dangerous flybys after a Royal Air Force surveillance plan was intercepted over the Black Sea, warning against the risk of potential escalation between Nato and Russia.
"Let me be very clear: This incident will not deter the UK's commitment to defend Nato, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression,” defence secretary John Healey said.
Healey called the incident “another example of dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots, towards an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace”.
It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a possible fresh ground offensive from Russia against the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the war-hit country’s northern front.
Such an operation would likely be made possible by deeper involvement from Belarus, Zelensky said.
"Together with our military leadership, intelligence services, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we discussed in detail the latest developments along the Belarus-Bryansk region direction," he said.
Kyiv is ramping up defences in the region and will look to persuade international partners to increase diplomatic pressure on Belarus, he added.
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Russia kickstarts major nuclear wargames with Belarus today: What to expect
Russia has delivered nuclear munitions to field storage facilities in Belarus as part of major nuclear drills as the two allies start a three-day nuclear exercise.
The military drills will be taking place across Russia and Belarus.
“As part of the nuclear forces exercise, nuclear munitions were delivered to the field storage facilities of the missile brigade's position area in the Republic of Belarus," the ministry said.
Russia said the missile unit in Belarus was carrying out training to receive special munitions for the mobile Iskander-M tactical missile system, including loading munitions onto launch vehicles and secretly moving to a designated area for launch preparation.
Footage released by Russia’s defence ministry showed a truck driving through a forest amid lightning and unloading an item. It was not immediately clear what they were unloading.
The Iskander-M, a mobile guided missile system code-named "SS-26 Stone" by Nato, replaced the Soviet "Scud". Its guided missiles have a range of up to 500km (300 miles) and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.
Zelensky indicates movement on peace talks with US
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says there has recently been productive contact with the US regarding talks to end the war.
"If, in the coming weeks, we manage to return to meaningful trilateral communication and involve the Europeans, this would be the right outcome," Zelensky said in his overnight video message.
“For our part, we are ready for such steps. I count on our partners to be ready as well – and that the Russians will not hide,” he said.
EU members are discussing whether former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, or former German chancellor Angela Merkel, could represent the bloc in talks for potential negotiations with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Russia delivers nuclear munitions to Belarus as part of drills
Russia delivered nuclear munitions to field storage facilities in Belarus as part of major nuclear drills, the Russian defence ministry said this morning.
“As part of the nuclear forces exercise, nuclear munitions were delivered to the field storage facilities of the missile brigade's position area in the Republic of Belarus," the ministry said.
Russia said the missile unit in Belarus was carrying out training to receive special munitions for the mobile Iskander-M tactical missile system, including loading munitions onto launch vehicles and secretly moving to a designated area for launch preparation.
From Putin's guest of honour to hosting nuclear weapons: How Belarus has become a closer ally to Putin
The Russian defence ministry said this morning that more of its nuclear munitions have been delivered to field storage facilities in Belarus as part of nuclear drills.
This came just hours after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv has bolstered its defences and will send reinforcements to its northern regions in bid to step up diplomatic pressure on Belarus to counter what Kyiv believes are Russian plans to launch a new offensive north of the capital.
Minsk has remained one of Moscow's staunchest supporters in the war, which was initially launched in part by Russian forces passing through Belarus. Russian drones have frequently crossed Belarus while attacking Ukraine, and Minsk said it deployed the Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile system.
"As of now, we haven’t detected any movement of equipment or personnel directly at our border, but of course, we can see the pressure Russia is putting on Belarus," Ukraine's border guards spokesperson, Andriy Demchenko, told Ukrinform news agency.
On Monday, Belarus said it launched joint drills with Russia to practice the use of nuclear weapons that Moscow has deployed on the territory of its neighbour and ally.
The two countries have ramped up their cooperation in recent months, with the inclusion of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko as Vladimir Putin's guest of honour in his Victory Day parade earlier this month.
Two killed in drone attack on Syzran in Russia's Samara
At least two people were killed in a drone attack on the town of Syzran in Russia's Samara region on the Volga river, said Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, governor of the Samara region.
The independent Telegram channel Exilenova Plus reported that a refining unit at Rosneft's Syzran oil refiner was struck in the drone attack.
Arpan Rai21 May 2026 06:24Ukrainian MP says lifting sanctions on Russian oil puts ‘question mark’ over friendship with UK
A Ukrainian politician has condemned the British government for loosening sanctions on Russian oil, saying it “puts a question mark” on the UK’s friendship with Ukraine.
The government has faced widespread criticism after a trade licence that allows for the import of Russian jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries came into effect on Wednesday. Some sanctions on the transport of Russian liquefied natural gas were also lifted.
Experts have described the policy as a “carve-out”, which creates an exemption from tighter restrictions on processed oil products derived from Russian crude.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian MP, said he was “deeply disappointed” by the government’s decision.
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Ukrainian MP: Easing Russian sanctions puts ‘question mark’ over friendship with UK
The Ukrainian MP said the decision told Russia that ‘everything can be bought and everything is for sale’Arpan Rai21 May 2026 06:03This is why easing Russia’s oil sanctions is a gut punch to Ukraine
After a week in which Xi Jinping bestrode global politics by hosting the two most powerful leaders in the world, China’s president looks like a Colossus. Keir Starmer, meanwhile, has revealed himself as a minnow among men.
His capitulation to short-term, local British politics, by quietly easing restrictions on the importation of refined Russian fuel to the UK, shows he has no capacity for strategic thought, or leadership: he has run up a white flag in an act of battlefield cowardice he doesn’t even comprehend.
After hosting Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Xi continued his efforts to show China as a force for stability in a world in which international law is ignored by both Russia and the US, by calling for respect for global legal practices.
Starmer’s smalltime decision to allow Russian diesel and jet fuel into the UK, so that Britons can enjoy cheap flights over the summer, is a blow to Ukrainians fighting to protect their democracy. It is also a violation of his agreements with allies to choke off the Kremlin’s money pipe, and a violation of the UK’s written commitments.
This is why easing Russia’s oil sanctions is a gut punch to Ukraine
The PM’s decision to ease oil sanctions on Russia will kill Ukrainians and enfeeble Britain, and is a stain on the national reputation, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley, who has spent more than 11 years covering the regionArpan Rai21 May 2026 05:46UK warns Moscow against 'dangerous' warplane flybys: 'Won't deter us'
Two Russian jets last month intercepted a Royal Air Force surveillance plane over the Black Sea, in what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday was a dangerous incident that raised the risk of potential escalation between Nato and Russia.
The Rivet Joint aircraft was unarmed and carrying out routine surveillance in international airspace over the Black Sea, the ministry said in a statement.
“A @RoyalAirForce Rivet Joint aircraft operating in international airspace over the Black Sea was dangerously intercepted by Russian military jets – flying as close as six metres and triggering onboard emergency systems,” the MoD said yesterday in a post on X, sharing a video of the interception.
It said the incident reflected “ongoing Russian aggression and heightened military activity across Eastern Europe and the High North", adding: "The UK will continue to stand firm with its allies, united in the defence of Nato.”
The incident was the most dangerous Russian action against a UK surveillance plane since 2022 when a nearby Russian plane released a missile over the Black Sea, in what Moscow later called a technical malfunction.
Arpan Rai21 May 2026 05:19Watch: Zelensky warns Moscow planning possible northern offensive targeting Kyiv
Ukraine drone attacks force shutdown of central Russia's oil refineries
Virtually all major oil refineries in central Russia have been forced to halt or scale back fuel output following Ukrainian drone attacks in recent days, according to official data and sources.
Moscow had already introduced a gasoline exports ban from April until the end of July.
One of Russia’s largest facilities, the Kirishi oil refinery, has been shut since 5 May, sources said.
The combined capacity of refineries that have fully or partially halted operations exceeds 83 million metric tonnes per year, or around 238,000 tonnes per day.
That accounts for around one quarter of Russia's total refining capacity, according to data and sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, doubling the number of oil refineries targeted since the start of the year, according to various posts on social media by Russian officials.
The strikes, which have also hit pipelines and storage facilities, have reduced Russia's oil output – the world's third-largest after the US and Saudi Arabia – adding pressure to Moscow's federal budget, where oil and gas taxes account for roughly a quarter of revenue.
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