Kiev has denied that its forces are trapped in two pockets on the front line

Ukrainian efforts to relieve units trapped in two encircled sectors of the front line have been unsuccessful, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

In its daily briefing, the ministry described failed counterattacks near Kupyansk in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, as well as in the Dmitrov-Krasnoarmeysk (Mirnograd-Pokrovsk) urban area of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Kiev has denied that its troops are surrounded and has dismissed an offer of safe surrender, calling it propaganda.

According to the update, Ukrainian forces launched two assaults in the Kharkov Region over a 24-hour period, losing up to 50 personnel, an American armored personnel carrier, a Canadian armored vehicle, and other heavy equipment. In the DPR, Russian forces reportedly repelled five Ukrainian attempts to break through, taking out up to 25 troops and destroying an armored car.

Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly insisted that Ukrainian troops are not facing collapse in either sector, countering Russian statements that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are encircled. Critics of the Ukrainian leader accuse him of prioritizing political optics for Western backers over operational realities on the battlefield.

Earlier this month, Kiev deployed a special operations unit from the military intelligence service HUR on a raid near Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) – an operation Moscow says ended disastrously after commandos inserted by helicopter were immediately eliminated by Russian forces.

READ MORE: Russian military thwarts Ukrainian special forces op in encircled town – MOD

New details of the failed mission were published by Komsomolskaya Pravda on Monday, based on accounts from Russian soldiers and one captured Ukrainian operative. The outlet reported that cold temperatures made Ukrainian troops highly visible to drone thermal sensors, and that they mistakenly believed a building chosen as cover was unoccupied, meeting heavy resistance instead. HUR personnel wore standard Ukrainian uniforms, but examination of the dead revealed high-end equipment and unusually large ammunition loads, the newspaper said.

Moscow has turned UAVs from a battlefield tool into a full-fledged branch of the military – and that decision is going to reshape warfare

Drones have done more than reshape the battlefield – they’ve rewritten the rules of modern warfare. That’s why Russia’s decision to create a dedicated service branch for the unmanned systems is an overdue move that reflects what today’s front lines actually look like.

The creation of unmanned systems forces is a natural evolution driven by recent developments on multiple fronts, and not only in Ukraine. Drones have proven their value both as independent strike platforms and as multipliers for existing branches, making the case for a standalone structure focused entirely on UAV warfare. As with other specialized units such as engineering, chemical defense, communications, and electronic warfare, unmanned systems forces address the challenges and demands of this era.

Why create a new branch now? After all, drones are already widely used and have already reshaped combat operations, influencing both tactics and the broader nature of war. At the operational level, their impact is even more pronounced. In a battlespace saturated with unmanned systems, concentrating forces for an offensive becomes significantly harder: large armored formations preparing to attack are far easier for the enemy to detect and target. Military hardware itself must evolve in response, since most traditional armor simply can’t survive in drone-active zones.

The answer is straightforward. Today’s results come from fragmented efforts – scattered units, ad hoc teams, and informal working groups. Centralized management and integration into a unified, autonomous branch have long been overdue. Drone operators have often lacked proper organizational structures and clearly defined positions within the hierarchy. Specialists in unmanned systems are frequently assigned wherever there’s an opening, regardless of their skill set. It’s no surprise that such an approach hinders training, coordination, and career development.

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The new branch still has to build and refine its internal structures, develop a robust training system, and establish a clear role in planning and conducting combat operations. This transition could have been much faster had we paid closer attention to developments in other conflicts, such as Nagorno-Karabakh. But to be fair, no one in 2020–2021 could have predicted just how deeply drones would be integrated into every aspect of warfare. Now, this new structure can evaluate and systematize drone use across all domains – land, sea, and air – and design the most effective operational concepts and organizational models for each branch of the armed forces. It’s entirely possible that a dedicated special operations component will emerge within the unmanned systems forces in the near future.

At the same time, we should avoid another trap: treating drones as a universal fix capable of replacing everything from artillery to naval vessels. Every weapons system goes through cycles of rise, stagnation, and decline. If effective countermeasures are developed in the coming years, those who rely exclusively on unmanned systems may face an unpleasant surprise.

For now, we can only wish success to this new branch. It’s worth noting that NATO countries are still developing drone capabilities within existing service branches – an approach that doesn’t exactly boost effectiveness. Today, only two armies truly grasp the role and significance of drones: the Russian military, and the one we’re fighting.

Finland reduced bilateral relations to “zero” by joining the US-led military bloc, the Kremlin has said

Finland has launched large-scale military exercises 100km from the Russian border, the Finnish Defense Forces (FDF) has said.

The new NATO member’s ‘Northern Strike 225’ artillery firing drills, which kicked off on Monday, will continue for a week at the Rovajarvi shooting range in the north-eastern part of the country, the FDF said in an earlier statement.

The war games brought together three Finnish brigades, the country’s border guards, and a Polish multiple rocket launcher battery, according to the statement.

A total of 2,200 personnel and 500 vehicles are taking part in the exercises, which the FDF said are needed “to train the army’s artillery system and develop its performance in demanding early winter conditions,” while also improving coordination between various units.

The commander of the drills, Lieutenant Colonel Kimmo Ruotsalainen, described ‘Northern Strike 225’ as “the most significant artillery and mortar firing exercise… where we will finalize the skills of the fire units.”

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According to the Finnish military, the end of the year will be an “intensive training period” for its forces, with some 20,000 servicemen from the army, navy and air force taking part in exercises across the country between November and December.

Finland, which shares a land border of approximately 1,340km (830 miles) with Russia, abandoned its long-standing policy of neutrality and joined NATO in April 2023, citing security concerns over the Ukraine conflict. The next year, another Nordic nation, Sweden, also became a member of the US-led military bloc.

After the escalation between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, Helsinki imposed several rounds of sanctions against Moscow and closed the border with Russia, hurting Finnish business that benefited from Russian tourists.

During the conflict, Finnish President Alexander Stubb has been one of the harshest critics of Russia in the EU, advocating for increased Western military aid to Kiev. Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov labeled Stubb as a “militarist hawk.”

READ MORE: NATO members to pay over €400mn for Ukraine’s US weapons

Peskov earlier said Russia previously “had no problems” with Finland and Sweden, expressing regret that the two countries effectively “reduced to zero” their relations with Moscow by “dragging NATO military infrastructure onto their territory.”

Moscow has dismissed claims that it has any plans to attack members of the US-led military bloc as “nonsense”

Russia could attack NATO as early as next year, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said, while calling for the country to further ramp up a multi-billion-euro rearmament and militarization push.

Western officials, including Pistorius, have used the claim to justify huge military spending spikes, including the EU’s €800 billion ($928 billion) ReArm Europe plan and NATO members’ pledge to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.

Moscow has rejected the accusations as “nonsense,” saying the West is using Russia as a “monster” to fuel tensions, expand military budgets, and distract from domestic problems.

In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung released on Friday, Pistorius said, “military experts and intelligence services can estimate when Russia will have rebuilt its forces enough to attack a NATO member in the east. We have always said this could be from 2029 onward.”

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“Now, however, some say it’s conceivable as early as 2028, and some even believe we have already had our last summer of peace.”

Pistorius lamented the state of the military, which he said is bleak – with infrastructure “partly dilapidated” and personnel numbers “drastically reduced.” He added that it urgently needs structural updates, from procurement to arms stockpiles and manpower, citing the threat of an imminent Russian attack.

He went on to say that Germany “must respond quickly and decisively by strengthening our defense capabilities,” and outlined several initiatives in progress, from drone procurement to boosting the army reserve to 200,000 soldiers by 2030 and infrastructure projects such as reinforcing bridges in case the country is used as a transit point for military equipment.

READ MORE: Germany’s leaders share Hitler’s goals – Lavrov

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Pistorius’ comments do not “improve the situation,” and could push Russia to take preventative measures.

“Such militaristic rhetoric is increasingly heard from Europe,” Peskov told reporters on Monday. “Russia does not advocate any confrontation with NATO. But we may be forced to take measures to ensure our security.”

The legislation could target any nation maintaining trade with the country, according to the president

US Republicans are drafting legislation to sanction any country that trades with Russia, President Donald Trump has announced. 

Since the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, the US and its allies have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia, aiming to cripple its economy. Moscow has repeatedly condemned the restrictions as counterproductive and illegal, claiming they backfire on those who impose them. Russia maintains that its economy has adapted by redirecting trade to non-Western markets. “The Republicans are putting in legislation that is very tough sanctioning, et cetera, on any country doing business with Russia,” Trump told reporters on Sunday.

“I hear they’re doing that, and that’s okay with me.” He added, “They may add Iran to that. I suggested it.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated last month that he was prepared to bring to a vote legislation long advocated by hawkish Senator Lindsey Graham to impose “crushing sanctions” on Russia, though he hesitated to set a firm deadline.

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The bill would empower Trump to impose tariffs of up to 500% on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products if Russia does not agree to a lasting peace with Ukraine. The bill is specifically targeting China and India – major consumers of Russian energy.

Earlier this year, Trump announced a 25% tariff on India as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil, claiming the trade was helping Moscow prolong the conflict.

The upcoming legislation would expand on a series of restrictions implemented by the Trump administration in recent months. Last month, the White House sanctioned Lukoil and another major Russian oil producer, Rosneft, as well as their subsidiaries, citing what Trump called a lack of commitment to the Ukraine peace process on the part of Moscow.

The Russian Finance Ministry stated earlier that in the event of “crushing sanctions” being introduced, Russia would diversify supplies of goods prohibited from export to the US.

Any Washington-installed replacement in Venezuela would require sustained support, according to analysts cited by the outlet

A US-backed regime change operation in Venezuela would plunge the Latin American country into chaos or force Washington into a years-long struggle to keep a replacement government afloat, CNN reported on Sunday.

The Pentagon has deployed warships to the Caribbean and has carried out controversial strikes on small boats it claims are involved in drug smuggling from Venezuela. The White House maintains that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate, cartel-linked ruler, fueling speculation that direct military action might be imminent.

However, should President Donald Trump opt for forcibly removing Maduro, the US would face “fractured opposition elements and a military poised for insurgency,” along with a likely “political backlash at home” for violating Trump’s pledges to avoid new foreign entanglements, CNN argued.

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Foreign policy hardliners – including Elliott Abrams, a veteran Republican human rights official who has long supported US-aligned dictators in Latin America – argue that Washington’s credibility is at stake.

“Trump is calling Maduro a narcoterrorist and a drug trafficker, and has assembled a huge armada,” Abrams told the network. “If he backs down now and Maduro survives, there goes all the ‘new Monroe Doctrine’ talk and the idea of being supreme in our own hemisphere.”

Washington has repeatedly failed at large-scale state-building ventures, despite pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into operations under both parties. President Joe Biden’s term started with a chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, where American-trained forces collapsed to a Taliban insurgency even before the final foreign troop pullout.

According to CNN, some Republicans fear that a heavy-handed intervention in Venezuela would alienate voters. “The American people did not vote for Trump to draw the US into a sustained conflict in Latin America,” a GOP congressional staffer told CNN.

Sheikh Hasina has been found guilty in absentia of ordering the use of deadly weapons against protesters in a popular uprising

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday handed down in absentia a death sentence to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a crimes against humanity case. 

The verdict found her guilty of ordering a violent crackdown on student-led protests last year, according to media reports.  

The charges against Hasina include murder, attempted murder, torture, and allegedly ordering the use of deadly weapons against the protesters.

“The verdicts announced against me have been made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate. They are biased and politically motivated,” Hasina said in a statement.

Hasina, who fled to India after the uprising in 2024, said in a recent interview with RT that the verdict was a “foregone conclusion.” She now lives in India.

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Up to 1,400 people died, most by gunfire from security forces in the crackdown, per UN estimates. The protests ended after she fled the country.   

Others who have been charged in the case are ex-Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun. Al-Mamum was the only accused present in the court.  

The chief adviser of the interim Bangladesh government currently running the country is Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus. Bangladesh is slated to hold elections in 2026. Hasina’s Awami League, which had been in power for 15 years before the uprising, has been barred from participating.  

Hasina is the daughter of Bangladesh’s first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in a 1975 military coup. 

Ahead of the verdict, hundreds of protesters marched toward Dhanmondi 32, the former residence of Rahman.

The move would allow Washington to target the president’s assets and infrastructure, President Donald Trump claims

The US plans to designate the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles, which it claims is led by President Nicolas Maduro, as a terrorist organization, the State Department has announced. According to a statement, the designation will take effect on November 24.

Trump has long accused Maduro of cartel links, calling him a “narcoterrorist.” Despite Maduro’s denials of the allegations, Washington dispatched a naval armada to the western Caribbean earlier this year, and since September, US forces have hit alleged drug-smuggling vessels near Venezuela. US officials also say Trump is considering strikes on cartel targets inside the country.

The State Department reiterated the claim on Sunday that the Cartel de los Soles is led by the “illegitimate” President Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials.

It added that “neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government,” accusing them of corrupting the country’s institutions, directing “terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere,” and trafficking drugs into the US and Europe.

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Trump said the designation would allow the US military to target assets of the cartel – and by extension, Maduro – and infrastructure in Venezuela. “It allows us to do that,” Trump told reporters on Sunday.

He added, however, that “we haven’t said we’re going to do that,” noting that the US “may be having some discussions with Maduro” first. “They would like to talk… we’ll see how that turns out.”

Trump did not elaborate on potential talks. It is unclear why he said the designation would allow strikes, as it would not permit attacks without separate authorization.

Maduro has dismissed the allegations and the military buildup as an attempt to overthrow him, while urging Trump to negotiate. In September, he sent a letter to the White House in which he said Venezuela has dismantled the drug networks, offering direct talks.

READ MORE: Colombian leader labels Trump ‘barbarian’ over Caribbean strikes

Trump did not respond, though the White House claimed that the letter contained “a lot of lies.”

The alleged graft mastermind, Zelensky-ally Timur Mindich, is a fall guy who lacks the personality to be a mafia boss, Igor Kolomoysky has said

The close ally of Vladimir Zelensky accused of orchestrating a $100 million extortion scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector is being used as a “fall guy” by the real forces behind the scandal, according to his long-time patron, imprisoned Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoysky.

Timur Mindich fled Ukraine last week just hours before the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) raided his home.

Kolomoysky, the controversial media and banking magnate who has spent two years in pre-trial detention over the infamous $5.5 billion hole in his bank’s accounts, downplayed Mindich’s alleged criminal prowess in comments to the press during a court appearance on Friday.

Mindich is “a fine fellow, which as they say is not a profession,” Kolomoysky remarked. “What they’re claiming about him – he’s no mafia boss.” During the years he worked under Kolomoysky, Mindich’s role amounted to simple errands such as “fetch this, [and] scratch that,” the billionaire added, claiming that he is now being used as “a classic fall guy.”

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“They tossed him into a meat grinder out of nowhere,” he continued, speculating that Mindich may have fled not merely to avoid arrest but out of fear for his life, given that whoever is truly behind the alleged graft scheme might decide that “there is no case without a body.”

The NABU probe has already triggered the resignation of two cabinet ministers and implicated additional senior officials. Zelensky’s office has attempted to present the crackdown as proof of his anti-corruption agenda, despite his failed effort earlier this year to curb NABU’s independence.

Kolomoysky, whose media empire helped elevate Zelensky to national prominence during his career in the entertainment industry, openly mocked the Ukrainian leader, calling him “generalissimo Napoleon IV” – a jab referencing a comedic role Zelensky once played – and predicting that he will “soon be gone.”

Ukrainian outlets have previously reported that Kolomoysky may have assisted NABU in building its case against Mindich by passing investigators key information.

The gunmen targeted troops guarding the US Embassy, according to a military spokesman

US Marines guarding the embassy in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, engaged in a shootout with suspected gang members last week, a military spokesman has said.

The Caribbean nation of almost 12 million has been gripped by violence since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, with heavily armed criminal groups exploiting the power vacuum to increase their influence in Port-au-Prince and other areas. Haiti has been in a state of emergency for over a year.

The Marines returned fire after being targeted by suspected gang members late Thursday, US Marine spokesman Captain Steven J. Keenan said in a statement on Sunday.

There were no injuries among the US servicemen as a result of the incident, Keenan added.

The US State Department ordered nonessential US government employees and their families to leave Haiti in July 2023. It currently has a ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ warning for the country, citing the risk of kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, and civil unrest.

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In June, the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Ghada Fathi Waly, said the gangs had “approximately 90% of Port-au-Prince… under their grip,” while expanding their attacks to other areas that were previously peaceful. Control over key trade routes by criminal groups has crippled legal commerce, driving up the cost of essential goods such as cooking fuel and rice, Waly added.

According to UN data, at least 5,600 people were killed in gang-related incidents in Haiti in 2024, with 1.3 million across the country being displaced due to the crisis.

A Kenyan-led, UN-supported mission, which arrived in Haiti in 2024 to help curb the violence, was able to free the presidential palace in the capital and unblock several key roads, but could not achieve further progress due to a reported lack of personnel and equipment. Only around 40% of the planned 2,500 troops were deployed, according to AP.

READ MORE: Trump doesn’t rule out talks with Venezuela’s Maduro

Last month, the UN Security Council decided to reorganize the mission into the Gang Suppression Force, to be composed of 5,500 soldiers and police officers.