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Russia's parliamentary election is for the first time including residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed since launching its full-scale invasion more than 4 1/2 years ago, in a move aimed at strengthening its control over the areas. Ukraine strongly condemned the voting as illegal, while a human rights activist said residents in Russian-held areas were being pressured to take part. Voting across Russia began Friday and will continue through Sunday in an effort to boost turnout. However, balloting in the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and some Russian border areas began at the end of last month. Russian officials said the extended voting period was necessary for security reasons. Russian authorities say more than 3.5 million voters live in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which Moscow calls the "new regions." Russia declared the territories annexed in September 2022, although it did not fully control them. The annexations have not been internationally recognized. At a polling station in the Russian-held part of Donetsk, voters cast ballots while an armed Russian soldier stood nearby. Putin highlights importance of vote Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that voting in the regions was important, as residents would elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, for the first time since what he called their "reunification with Russia." Russian soldiers fighting in the war also will be allowed to vote, Putin said. Voting is also taking place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. The election is the first wartime parliamentary vote in Russia and is intended to reinforce the Kremlin's political control and demonstrate public support for the war. "Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters," Putin said, adding that Russians were united by shared values, historical memory and love for their homeland. Ukraine calls for rejection of vote Ukrainian authorities described the voting in the occupied territories as illegal and urged foreign governments and international organizations not to recognize the election or its results. Kyiv also warned Ukrainians that helping organize the vote could result in criminal charges. A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights organizations urged residents in Russian-held territories to avoid the polls, saying the election was an attempt to legitimize Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory. European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said holding the vote in the occupied regions was "another blatant violation of international law." "The European Union does not, and will never recognize" the elections or their results, Wigand said. Activists allege pressure on residents Violeta Artemchuk, coordinator of the Donbas SOS human rights group and one of the signatories of the statement, said local election officials were visiting homes with Russian soldiers and security agents to pressure people into voting. She said Moscow-backed authorities were also threatening public-sector workers with dismissal if they did not vote and making pensions and other social benefits conditional on participation. People receiving social assistance, including pensioners and people with disabilities, could be placed on lists of those considered "disloyal" and risk losing benefits or humanitarian aid if they refused to vote, Artemchuk said. Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst at the Kyiv-based Penta Center, said elections held under such conditions could not be considered genuine. "The very fact that voting takes place amid endless shelling and bombing reflects the Kremlin's attitude toward the people and the electoral process in the occupied territories," Fesenko told The Associated Press. He said electoral procedures conducted by Russian occupation authorities "have nothing to do with democracy."Make the wire copy more conciseImprove the lead’s clarity and flow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that talks with U.S. envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were "very substantive." The two sides discussed resuming negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, security and economic guarantees for Ukraine, and a winter support package, Zelensky told reporters at a briefing following the talks. "We are very much counting on both air defense and energy support, and we are counting on a serious volume and possibilities of using American LNG," Zelensky said. Representatives from European countries including Britain, France and Germany joined their discussions at the third round, Zelensky said, adding the three sides had agreed to meet in the future to continue negotiations. He also stressed that efforts were underway to revive trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia aimed at ending the conflict. For his part, Witkoff told reporters that the two U.S. peace envoys had made "significant progress" in Moscow and hoped that trilateral talks would be announced soon. Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Kiev earlier Sunday for their first visit to Ukraine after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Delegations from Ukraine, the United States and Russia previously held two rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23-24 and Feb. 4-5, followed by another round in Geneva on Feb. 17-18, in an effort to find a path toward ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The trilateral negotiations subsequently stalled and have remained suspended.     

Russian drone and missile attacks hit residential and other civilian areas in Ukraine's Kyiv and Odesa regions overnight and Wednesday morning, wounding at least eight people, local officials said. The latest attacks came as Russia and Ukraine traded fresh threats, raising concerns that the nearly five-year war could escalate further. Ukraine's air force said the Kyiv and Odesa regions were among the main targets of the overnight Russian assault. Russia launched 174 attack drones, including around half described as jet-powered drones that are harder to intercept, along with two ballistic missiles and two air-launched missiles, the Ukrainian air force said. In the southern city of Odesa, an attack damaged a 24-story residential building, destroying apartments on several floors. Eight people, including a child, were injured, officials said. Office buildings and two educational institutions were also damaged, while power outages temporarily disrupted electric public transport. In the Kyiv region, a man and a woman were wounded by shrapnel during morning attacks, officials said. It was the seventh consecutive day of attacks on Kyiv, although Wednesday's assault was less intense than in previous days. The attacks also caused a fire at a warehouse, while an educational facility and a medical practice were damaged. The air war has intensified as the conflict continues, while the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine remain largely deadlocked and efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal have yet to produce a breakthrough. Late Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned foreign airlines that Russian airspace was becoming increasingly unsafe because of Ukraine's long-range drone attacks. He said continued military pressure was aimed at pushing Moscow toward peace negotiations. Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, accused Zelenskyy of “state terrorism” and rejected the possibility of negotiating with what he described as terrorists. Speaking on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin was also asked whether Russia could target British military facilities if the United Kingdom continued supplying weapons to Ukraine. He did not rule out such action, saying the matter was a “military secret.” Meanwhile, Russia said its air defenses shot down 130 Ukrainian drones overnight over 11 Russian regions, as well as Crimea and the Black Sea. In Russia's Belgorod border region, Ukrainian drone attacks killed two people and injured 16 others, acting regional governor Alexander Shuvayev said. Ukraine has increasingly used domestically developed long-range drones to target Russian oil facilities and other infrastructure, seeking to put pressure on Russia's economy and bring the effects of the war closer to the Russian public. Western analysts say Russia's attempts to make major gains on the battlefield have recently slowed. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia's territorial gains in August were only a fraction of those made during the same month last year. It said Moscow's spring and summer offensive had failed to break through Ukraine's front-line defenses, with Russian advances remaining slow and limited.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday awarded Elon Musk the country's Order of Freedom, one of Ukraine's highest state honors, for his "outstanding personal merits" in protecting human life and freedom and strengthening ties with the United States. Musk, founder of aerospace company SpaceX, has become one of the most influential and controversial private-sector figures in Ukraine's war effort. His decision to provide Ukraine with access to Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service, was crucial after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and remains important to the country. Starlink is now deeply integrated into Ukraine's military operations, with troops relying on the satellite network to communicate and coordinate missions. Musk's decisions could also affect Ukraine's future military capabilities. While Starlink is available to Ukrainian forces in their own territory, including Russian-occupied areas, its use inside Russia has been restricted. Zelenskyy wants Musk to reconsider the restriction, saying it would help Ukrainian forces keep satellite links during longer-range drone attacks on Russian military and economic targets. Musk made no immediate comment on the award, which was announced through a presidential decree. Musk restricts Starlink use in Russia Starlink has been incorporated into Ukraine's drone operations, allowing operators to maintain connections with drones and guide them over longer distances. Ukraine's access to the service has been a key factor behind the early success of its medium-range drone campaign, which surprised Russian forces and disrupted their logistics earlier this year. The attacks have increased pressure on Russian supply routes in Crimea and helped give Ukrainian forces some battlefield momentum that they had not seen since their successful counteroffensives around Kherson and Kharkiv in late 2022. Earlier this year, SpaceX blocked unauthorized Starlink terminals used by Russian forces in occupied Ukrainian territory, further strengthening Ukraine's position. Musk's growing influence over Ukraine Musk is both an important partner for Kyiv and a potential source of vulnerability. As Starlink has become a key part of Ukraine's wartime communications, Musk and SpaceX have considerable influence over how the technology can be used. Zelenskyy has sought US assistance in persuading Musk to allow Ukraine to expand its use of Starlink beyond its borders. Zelenskyy said last week that Musk considers such a move a major and dangerous escalation. Musk's influence spills into politics A reported misunderstanding over whether SpaceX had approved Ukraine's use of Starlink for operations inside Russia contributed to tensions between Zelenskyy and then-Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was the government's main contact with Musk. Fedorov was dismissed in July as part of a wider government reshuffle. Zelenskyy said incorrect information from the Defense Ministry that SpaceX had approved the request contributed to an awkward exchange with US President Donald Trump, who accused the Ukrainian leader of misleading him. Zelenskyy did not say when the incident took place. He said last week that the incident contributed to "some of the steps" taken against Fedorov, without directly accusing him of deliberately giving false information. Fedorov's dismissal also underscored the growing political importance of Musk's role in Ukraine's war effort.  

A series of Russian missile strikes hit Kyiv overnight Thursday, killing at least six people and leaving 33 others injured, Ukrainian officials said. The attacks struck 12 sites in the capital’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging apartment buildings, a medical center and an educational facility. Rescue teams worked through the rubble to locate and free people who were trapped. In Solomianskyi district, the upper two floors of a nine-story residential building were destroyed, while fires erupted on several lower floors. Residents were also trapped inside two other apartment buildings and a school shelter. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said the air raid warning remained in place into the early hours of Thursday. The latest strikes come as Russia has increased its use of ballistic missiles against Kyiv, seeking to put further pressure on Ukraine’s already stretched air defense capabilities. Kyiv has only a limited number of systems able to intercept ballistic missiles, while supplies of ammunition for its U.S.-supplied Patriot systems remain tight. U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier approved Ukraine’s plans to secure licenses to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, but subsequently withdrew the authorization. Ukraine has responded by expanding its own long-range attacks on targets inside Russia, including weapons depots, military sites and other strategic facilities, in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s capacity to sustain its strikes on Ukrainian cities.

Russian forces launched a fresh wave of missile, drone and glide-bomb attacks on Ukrainian cities overnight, killing at least nine civilians, officials said Tuesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meanwhile warned that Russia is receiving additional military support from North Korea as Moscow continues its more than four-year invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Russian forces used North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles in an overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine. Local officials said six people were killed and 19 others injured in the attack. Three more people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed in Russian drone and artillery strikes in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, according to local authorities. Zelenskyy said late Monday that Russia had received more ballistic missiles from North Korea and was preparing to deploy additional North Korean troops. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement more than two years ago, pledging mutual assistance if either country comes under attack. North Korea has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of weapons to support Russia's war in Ukraine. Analysts say its cooperation with Moscow is also helping strengthen North Korea's military capabilities. Zelenskyy warned that the combat experience gained by North Korean forces in the war could later pose a threat to other countries in the region. Ukraine has also accused Russia of increasing ballistic missile production to take advantage of Kyiv's shortage of Patriot air defence interceptors, which are among the few systems capable of intercepting such missiles. Kyiv also says Moscow is preparing to increase recruitment for a new offensive along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line stretching across eastern and southern Ukraine. "Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation," Zelenskyy said in a social media post. US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war have made little progress, while Washington has become increasingly frustrated with the lack of movement toward a settlement and has shifted attention to the war in Iran. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said the Kremlin is unlikely to engage in serious negotiations or make significant concessions as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin believes his military can still achieve his objectives. The think tank also warned that Ukraine's shortage of Patriot interceptors could allow Russia to inflict serious damage over the coming winter, potentially prolonging the war and delaying meaningful negotiations. Children's hospital hit in Kyiv Russian forces also attacked parts of Kyiv overnight, Ukrainian officials said. One strike hit the grounds of a children's hospital, leaving two craters and breaking windows, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service. Children and medical staff were sheltering in bomb shelters at the time, and no one was injured. Another Russian strike caused a fire at a warehouse in the capital that spread over about 1,200 square metres, emergency officials said. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had targeted "military industrial facilities and transport and logistics centers" in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia using ground-based precision weapons. It said drone storage facilities in Kyiv and a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia were among the targets. Ukraine's air force said Russia attacked Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv with Zircon anti-ship missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles, while launching 120 long-range drones of various types across Ukraine. Wildberries facilities attacked The Russian Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted nearly 400 Ukrainian drones overnight over 14 Russian regions and occupied Crimea. Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, said its logistics facilities in the Voronezh region near the Ukrainian border were attacked and caught fire. The company said the fire had been extinguished and most of the goods stored there were not damaged. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Wildberries warehouses as part of its campaign against Russian economic infrastructure. Kyiv has also carried out strikes on Russian oil facilities, saying the attacks are aimed at pressuring Putin to negotiate an end to the war. Russian independent outlet Astra reported that an oil refinery in Orsk, about 1,300 kilometres from Ukraine's border, was hit and published images showing smoke rising from the facility. There was no official confirmation of an attack on the Orsk refinery, which has been targeted in previous attacks.

 A Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk killed 12 people and injured 39 others on Monday, authorities in Russia’s Tatarstan region said. Tatarstan’s head Rustam Minnikhanov’s press service said the city was hit by a “massive” drone attack in the morning, targeting both industrial and civilian facilities. Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil facilities with long-range drones in recent months. The strikes have disrupted fuel supplies, reduced Russia’s refining capacity and increased public concern over the impact of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the campaign is aimed at pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter negotiations and end the more than four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Nizhnekamsk, located about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) east of the Ukrainian border, has a population of around 240,000. It is a major oil-refining and petrochemical center, hosting two refineries and a petrochemical plant. “We do deliver entirely justified responses, and every Russian strike will be met with our response,” Zelenskyy said on social media late Sunday. “Russia’s war will be felt more and more at their own home – in Russia,” he said, adding that the conflict continues because of “Russia’s unwillingness to end this war.”

Ukrainian drone attacks killed at least five people in different parts of Russia and set fire to another warehouse belonging to Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, Russian officials said on Sunday, as both countries continued exchanging long-range drone strikes. Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone hit a Wildberries warehouse in the Samara region, about 800 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, causing a fire. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said there were no casualties. Wildberries, often compared to Amazon in Russia, has come under repeated Ukrainian attacks in recent weeks. Since mid-July, Ukrainian drones have struck more than a dozen of the company's warehouses as Kyiv seeks to disrupt Russia's economy and logistics during the ongoing war. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defence systems shot down 635 Ukrainian drones overnight, including some over Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. The ministry did not say how many drones Ukraine had launched or how many reached their targets. Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 133 drones overnight, with 24 reaching their intended targets. In Russia's Saratov region, Governor Roman Busargin said two people were killed after a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building. The attack also damaged civilian infrastructure in the cities of Engels and Saratov. Engels is home to a major Russian military airbase, while Saratov has one of the country's large oil refineries. Both cities have been frequent targets of Ukrainian drone attacks. In Russia's Bashkortostan region, Governor Radiy Khabirov said air defences repelled a large-scale drone attack on industrial facilities in the city of Ufa. He said a fire broke out but did not specify which facility had been hit. In the Udmurt Republic, acting regional head Olga Abramova said three civilians were killed and two others injured in a Ukrainian drone strike. She said Russian air defences shot down two drones but a civilian vehicle was damaged during the attack. Meanwhile, Russian strikes also caused casualties in Ukraine. Authorities in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia said a Russian guided bomb hit a residential building, killing one person. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, another Russian attack killed one person and set a postal terminal on fire, according to regional officials. The latest attacks came as both Russia and Ukraine continued to intensify long-range drone and missile strikes deep inside each other's territory.

More than four years after Russian forces launched their attack on Kyiv through Belarus, Ukraine is continuing to reinforce its border with its northern neighbor, keeping the area heavily fortified against any potential threat. What was once a busy border crossing has become a restricted zone filled with landmines and closed to civilians. Along the 1,084-kilometre border, roads are covered with anti-drone netting, while razor wire and rows of concrete anti-tank barriers, known as "dragon's teeth," line large sections of the frontier. An Associated Press team visited parts of the northern border earlier this month after tensions rose between the two countries. Ukraine had asked Belarus to remove Russian communications relay stations installed to extend the range of drones used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. According to Ukrainian officials, Belarus complied with the request, helping ease tensions between the two countries. Although Ukraine says it has seen no signs of a Russian troop buildup inside Belarus, officials insist that strengthening the border remains a key security priority. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly said his country's forces will not join the war unless Belarus itself is attacked. However, residents living near the border say they remain concerned that Belarus could become more directly involved in Russia's war against Ukraine. For many local people, the extensive fortifications serve as a reminder of the early days of the war while also providing reassurance that Ukraine is preparing for any future threat. Ukrainian border guards continue to patrol the area around the clock using armored vehicles, drones and advanced surveillance systems. Officials say work to reinforce the border will continue, describing Belarus—Russia's closest military ally—as a long-term security concern.

Ukraine pressed ahead with its war effort against Russia on Wednesday under a new military leadership after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy overhauled the country’s top defence command following days of political turmoil. The changes came after Zelenskyy dismissed Commander-in-Chief Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, responding to mounting public pressure and criticism over the military leadership. The reshuffle also saw Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov leave office, marking a significant overhaul of Ukraine’s defence establishment. The leadership changes, announced late Tuesday, followed a week of political tensions that drew attention both at home and abroad, with Russian officials publicly welcoming the developments. Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, was appointed as the new commander-in-chief. Considered part of a younger generation of Ukrainian military leaders, Drapatyi first gained prominence in 2014 during Russia’s annexation of Crimea and has since built a reputation for his leadership on the battlefield. Zelenskyy said the new military leadership has been tasked with presenting an updated defence strategy that includes continued reform of the army’s corps structure, faster delivery of weapons and drones, stronger air defence capabilities, and a clearer mobilisation plan. The future role of former defence minister Fedorov remains uncertain. The 35-year-old, widely credited with advancing Ukraine’s drone technology, had reportedly been at odds with Syrskyi over military reforms. His dismissal prompted protests in Kyiv and several other cities, where demonstrators demanded his reinstatement and called for Syrskyi’s removal. Following the reshuffle, Zelenskyy said he had offered Fedorov a senior government position aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s technology sector, though it remains unclear whether the former minister has accepted the proposal. Fedorov had earlier indicated that he had received job offers from several international defence technology companies after leaving office. He welcomed Drapatyi’s appointment, describing it as a symbol of change and expressing hope that the new commander would strengthen Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression. Before his dismissal, Fedorov had publicly criticised Syrskyi, accusing him of obstructing military reforms and arguing that changes in the army’s leadership were necessary to sustain Ukraine’s resistance against Russia.