https://www.scmp.com/rss/522346/feed Russia’s Defense Ministry, a governmental body headquartered primarily in Moscow, serves as the governing authority of the Russian Armed Forces. Its core mission involves safeguarding Russia’s military security, preventing and neutralising threats, and managing all defence affairs. Key activities include strategic deterrence, developing military policy, overseeing arms procurement, and coordinating military-technical cooperation. The Ministry plays a significant role in Russia’s national... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agencies Agencies Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on ⁠Monday that he ⁠stood by a ⁠proposal made to Russia for a ceasefire contingent on Moscow halting all attacks on energy infrastructure. Zelensky said in his nightly video address that the proposal had ‌been conveyed to Moscow through the US. He also said work was continuing with US negotiators on security guarantees, which he called the key to lasting peace. Ukraine has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion for more than four years. Due to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349194/3-dead-15-injured-russia-hits-ukraines-port-city-odesa-major-drone-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349194/3-dead-15-injured-russia-hits-ukraines-port-city-odesa-major-drone-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:13:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A major Russian drone and missile attack on civilian areas of Ukraine killed six people and injured at least 46, officials said on Tuesday, while Moscow’s army stepped up efforts to break through Ukrainian frontline defences in what could be the start of an anticipated spring ground offensive. Russia fired almost 400 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, in its biggest attack in weeks. The onslaught continued into Tuesday as dozens of drones targeted the capital Kyiv... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347764/4-dead-russia-fires-nearly-400-drones-ukraine-signs-spring-offensive-has-begun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347764/4-dead-russia-fires-nearly-400-drones-ukraine-signs-spring-offensive-has-begun?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:48:16 +0000 Chris Fitzgerald Chris Fitzgerald The fragile ceasefire between the Taliban and Pakistan has broken, and there is now open war in South Asia. This week has seen a dangerous escalation between the former allies, starting when Pakistan carried out a series of air strikes on what it says were terror “camps and hideouts” in Afghanistan’s border provinces. Pakistan claims it killed 80 militants, whereas the Taliban says villages were hit and 17 civilians were killed. The two have since engaged in a deadly tit-for-tat of ground and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3345086/why-talibans-only-hope-peace-pakistan-renouncing-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3345086/why-talibans-only-hope-peace-pakistan-renouncing-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 09:30:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia ⁠accused Ukraine on Tuesday of trying ⁠to obtain a nuclear weapon with help from Britain and France, an allegation Kyiv called an absurd lie. A French foreign ministry spokesman said the allegation was “blatant disinformation”. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “There’s no truth ‌to this.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously criticised Kyiv’s decision to give up its former Soviet nuclear arsenal in the 1990s without obtaining proper, binding... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344516/russia-accuses-ukraine-seeking-acquire-nuclear-weapon-help-uk-and-france?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344516/russia-accuses-ukraine-seeking-acquire-nuclear-weapon-help-uk-and-france?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:14:44 +0000 Reuters,Associated Press Reuters,Associated Press Russia is demanding that European countries who accused Moscow of poisoning Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a dart frog toxin provide concrete data to support their allegation, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday that analyses of samples from Navalny’s body had confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia. They said Moscow... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343935/russia-demands-concrete-proof-it-poisoned-navalny-dart-frog-toxin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343935/russia-demands-concrete-proof-it-poisoned-navalny-dart-frog-toxin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:38:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile at Ukraine near the EU border overnight, in what ‌Kyiv called a new threat to European security that demanded a global response. Moscow said it had fired the Oreshnik missile in response ‍to what it has described as an attempted drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences last month, which Ukraine has denied and the United States has said did not happen. It was only the second time Russia has fired the Oreshnik at Ukraine, and came amid... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339327/russia-says-it-fired-new-oreshnik-hypersonic-missile-strike-against-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339327/russia-says-it-fired-new-oreshnik-hypersonic-missile-strike-against-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:34:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend. Zelensky told journalists the two leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday’s talks, and that the 20-point plan under discussion “is about 90 per cent ready”. An “economic agreement” also will be discussed, Zelensky said, but he was unable to confirm “whether anything will be finalised by the end”. The Ukrainian side will also raise “territorial... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337849/zelensky-meet-trump-florida-discuss-90-ready-russia-peace-plan-ukraine-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337849/zelensky-meet-trump-florida-discuss-90-ready-russia-peace-plan-ukraine-security?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 14:21:22 +0000 dpa dpa Russian air attacks caused death and destruction across Ukraine, authorities in different regions reported on Thursday, with Russian authorities reporting similar Ukrainian attacks on their territory. A Russian drone attack in the southwestern Odesa region on the Black Sea left one person dead and two injured. Damage was caused to port and energy infrastructure, the regional authorities said. In the Kharkiv region bordering Russia in Ukraine’s northeast, one person died and 15 were injured. And... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3337736/christmas-under-fire-ukraine-russia-report-fatal-air-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3337736/christmas-under-fire-ukraine-russia-report-fatal-air-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 13:07:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse North Korea sent troops to clear mines in Russia’s Kursk region earlier this year, leader Kim Jong-un said in a speech carried on Saturday by state media, in a rare acknowledgement of the deadly tasks assigned to its soldiers there. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to fight for Moscow as it presses ahead with its nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies. Analysts say Russia is giving North Korea financial aid, military technology,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336306/north-koreas-kim-reveals-soldiers-cleared-mines-russia-rare-public-statement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336306/north-koreas-kim-reveals-soldiers-cleared-mines-russia-rare-public-statement?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 03:22:40 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem Russia’s accusation that the United States and Germany are recruiting Filipino mercenaries to fight in Ukraine is almost certainly disinformation, analysts say. Yet the claim exposes how easily Southeast Asian nations can be drawn into the information crossfire of global conflicts – becoming unwitting pawns in great-power narratives that shape opinions far beyond the battlefield. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged that “US representatives” had enlisted Filipinos to join... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334731/russia-claims-filipino-troops-are-fighting-ukraine-manila-calls-it-fake-news?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334731/russia-claims-filipino-troops-are-fighting-ukraine-manila-calls-it-fake-news?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia said on Wednesday that its forces were advancing north inside the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and clearing out Kyiv’s troops in a drive to take full control of what has been an important transport and logistics hub for the Ukrainian army. Ukraine has acknowledged its troops face a difficult position in the strategic eastern city, which Russia has been trying to capture for more than a year, but denies they are surrounded and says reinforcements are on their way. Russia sees the city as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331667/russia-pushes-pokrovsk-clearing-out-ukraine-troops-fighting-rages-logistics-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331667/russia-pushes-pokrovsk-clearing-out-ukraine-troops-fighting-rages-logistics-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 12:12:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russia targeted Ukraine’s capital with drones, killing three people in their homes, authorities said early on Sunday. At least 29 people were wounded, seven of them children, in the second consecutive nighttime attack on Kyiv to claim civilian lives. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said a 19-year-old woman and her 46-year-old mother were among the dead. Russian drones caused fires in two residential buildings in the capital’s Desniansky district. Emergency crews evacuated civilians... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3330401/3-dead-29-wounded-russia-targets-kyiv-drone-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3330401/3-dead-29-wounded-russia-targets-kyiv-drone-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 17:15:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters US forces hit another vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday evening, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday, adding that the US would also start looking at drug trafficking occurring on land. Trump made the comment during a speech at Naval Station Norfolk, next to the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. It was not immediately clear if he was referencing a strike announced on Friday by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. That strike, at least the fourth... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327935/hegseth-says-he-has-every-authorisation-needed-caribbean-boat-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327935/hegseth-says-he-has-every-authorisation-needed-caribbean-boat-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 17:54:17 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Newly published video has offered a rare glimpse into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stay in China last week, after a Russian state media journalist posted the footage to his Telegram channel. Contrary to his tough-guy public image, the Russian leader’s residence in Beijing was decorated with colourful Chinese figurines. Footage posted by Pavel Zarubin on Monday showed dolls dressed in Chinese opera costumes, Chinese dancing lion statues and panda figurines in the style of Russian nesting... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324912/peek-behind-hotel-door-shows-china-giving-putin-colourful-welcome-during-state-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324912/peek-behind-hotel-door-shows-china-giving-putin-colourful-welcome-during-state-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 10:19:36 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russia fired a record 728 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, as well as 13 missiles, the Ukrainian air force said on Wednesday, in the latest escalation amid mounting Russian aerial and ground attacks in the more than three-year war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the city of Lutsk, which lies in Ukraine’s northwest along the border with Poland and Belarus, was the hardest hit, though 10 other regions were also struck. Lutsk is home to airfields used by the Ukrainian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3317535/ukraine-says-russia-fired-record-728-drones-13-missiles-overnight-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3317535/ukraine-says-russia-fired-record-728-drones-13-missiles-overnight-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:09:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than three-year-old war. Ukraine’s military General Staff said that Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk air base in Russia’s Voronezh region, describing it as the home base of Russia’s Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter aircraft. Writing on social media,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3317112/ukraine-says-it-struck-russian-base-containing-fighter-jets-and-glide-bombs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3317112/ukraine-says-it-struck-russian-base-containing-fighter-jets-and-glide-bombs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 17:07:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight, killing two people and injuring at least 17, Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday. A drone slammed into a residential tower block in the city, causing damage to three floors and trapping residents, emergency services said. The two killed in the attack were a married couple, according to regional Gov. Oleh Kiper, who added that three children were among the injured. There was no immediate comment from Moscow. According... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3316225/russian-drone-strike-kills-married-couple-injures-17-odesa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3316225/russian-drone-strike-kills-married-couple-injures-17-odesa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jun 2025 11:50:23 +0000