Russia-Ukraine war live: Drone strike hits Odesa as Putin denies plan to attack Nato

Vladimir Putin has decided he will run as an independent candidate in next year’s heavily stage-managed presidential election, a faux-democratic process that will see him maintain his grip as Russia’s leader.

The 71-year-old politician has twice had the constitution amended so he could theoretically stay in power until he’s in his mid-80s.

Mr Putin’s decision to run as an “independent” is likely to be an effort to present himself as a unifying force at a time when his full-scale invasion of Ukraine has isolated Russia from the world and put unprecedented strain on the country’s economy.

The drones were intercepted or destroyed before they reached their targets over the Lipetsk, Rostov and Volgograd regions, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, but further details were not provided.

Air defence systems destroyed nine Iran-made attack drones over Odesa, Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app, calling it the third Russian air assault on the region in the past week.

“However, one of the downed drones fell into a residential area in Odesa district and exploded,” Kiper said, adding that several houses were damaged and one person was found dead in one of them afterwards.

The air force said its defence systems destroyed a cruise missile in addition to the drones. It said, without providing details, that Russia also launched an Iskander ballistic missile that “did not reach” its target.

The Russian air weapons were destroyed over Odesa, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Khmelnitskyi regions, the air force said.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. It was not clear how many drones Russia launched in total.

Ukraine‘s air defence systems destroyed the cruise missile and 20 attack drones, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Iskander missile “did not reach its target,” it said but did not provide additional details.

It was not clear how many drones Russia launched in total or whether the attack caused any damage or casualties.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

He added that Russia had no interest in fighting with the Nato military alliance.

Hundreds of protesters angered by what they view as wasteful spending by municipal officials gathered outside Kyiv City Hall on Thursday and demanded that the money should go to Ukraine’s war against Russia instead of local projects.

The Money for the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) civic group, which organized the protest, was formed in September by people concerned by what they term “unnecessary” and “poorly timed” spending by the Kyiv City Council.

The appearance of an AI-generated Vladimir Putin in conversation with the real one wasn’t even the most surprising moment in the Russian leader’s state-of-the-nation address, writes Chris Stevenson.

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has claimed that Ukrainians in the eastern part of the country do not mind Russian occupation.

The biotech CEO told a CNN town hall in Iowa that he would give Russia some concessions to end its unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

Ukraine got a green light Thursday to start sped-up talks on joining the European Union. That’s a big boost for war-ravaged Ukraine and a loud message to Vladimir Putin — but it could be years before the country actually becomes a member of the EU.

Here’s a look at what Thursday’s decision means, and why joining the EU is especially important, and especially hard, for Ukraine.

The White House has been increasingly pressuring Congress to pass stalled legislation to support Ukraine‘s war against Russia, saying that funding has run out.

On Tuesday, however, President Joe Biden touted a new military aid package worth $200 million for Ukraine.