Former servicemen will be offered free additional education to transition to civilian lives
A Russian parliamentary committee has approved a bill which would expand benefits for military veterans who served in the Ukraine conflict.
The Education Committee backed a proposal on Wednesday which was first introduced in the State Duma in July that would fund classes for veterans seeking to learn a new trade.
Current legislation already provides free professional education, but the proposed amendments would help veterans shift their civilian careers in new directions after leaving the military.
“People participating in the special military operation need a path to return to a peaceful life. Getting a new profession is often required for that,” bill co-sponsor Dmitry Vyankin told the State Duma’s newspaper, Parlamentskaya Gazeta.
Supporters say the measure would also help Russia address labor shortages by facilitating veterans’ return to the workforce.
The subsidies would also cover members of the National Guard and police serving in regions affected by hostilities with Ukraine. Lawmakers are also considering extending the benefits to widows of servicemen, the newspaper reported.
Russian law provides a range of benefits to military personnel and their families, including special programs offering government career opportunities to troops who have demonstrated leadership on the battlefield.
One person was killed and several others injured in two separate attacks
Ukrainian forces have killed a civilian woman and injured seven people, five of them civilians, in two separate incidents overnight, regional officials reported on Friday morning.
The deadly strike took place in Belgorod Region, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who offered no details except the gender of the victim.
The second incident in Bryansk Region involved a series of attacks against a passenger bus, Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz reported.
Russian officials have accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately targeting civilians in border areas, including workers repairing damage from the conflict and ambulances responding to emergencies.
Ukrainian forces are also deploying long-range kamikaze drones to strike deeper inside Russia. Overnight, Russian air defenses intercepted 221 UAVs, the Defense Ministry said. Most were downed over Bryansk Region, but some reached as far as Moscow and Leningrad regions, where nine and 28 interceptions were reported, respectively.
The unidentified assassin is still at large with a $100,000 bounty on his head
Utah Governor Spencer Cox has announced that his state will seek the death penalty for the gunman responsible for murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Despite a massive federal manhunt, the suspect remains at large more than 30 hours after the shooting. Authorities admitted on Thursday that they don’t know whether or not he has left the state. “We have no idea,” Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason told NBC News.
At a press conference on Thursday evening, Cox confirmed that state officials will “pursue the death penalty” once the suspect is caught.
“We’ve been working with our attorneys, getting everything that we need, affidavits ready, so that we can pursue the death penalty in this case. And that will happen here in the state of Utah,” Cox said.
The governor had already issued a warning the day before: “I want to make it crystal clear right now, to whoever did this, we will find you. We will try you. And we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law… And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah.”
The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the assassin. Director Kash Patel traveled to Utah on Thursday and was spotted at the scene of the shooting, near the canopy tent where Kirk was gunned down during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.
The agency has also released images of a potential suspect captured on security cameras: a man wearing sunglasses, a black hat, and a long-sleeve black shirt featuring an American flag.
Kirk, 31, was struck by a single rifle shot as he addressed thousands of students on Wednesday. He was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital but later died of his wounds. Officials have described the killing as a targeted political assassination.
President Donald Trump has vowed to pursue not only Kirk’s killer but also what he called the “radical left” networks that fuel political violence. In a statement, he declared that his administration would track down “each and every one” responsible for perpetrating and funding such attacks.
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The footage shows the suspected gunman jumping from the roof and fleeing the scene
The FBI has released new video footage of the suspect in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, showing the gunman leaping from a rooftop at Utah Valley University before fleeing into a wooded area.
The shooting occurred shortly after 12:20pm Mountain Time on Wednesday, when the suspect fired a single rifle round from the roof of a campus building that struck Kirk in the neck as he addressed a student audience.
The newly released video shows the figure running across the roof, climbing down the building – leaving behind palm impressions, smudges believed to contain DNA, and a shoe imprint, according to the FBI. The suspect is then seen sprinting across a grassy area near a parking lot, and disappearing into nearby woods.
A high-powered Mauser bolt-action rifle, along with ammunition marked with “transgender” and “anti-fascist” slogans, was later recovered in that wooded area, according to law enforcement sources cited by ABC News.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox urged the public to assist in the manhunt, noting that more than 7,000 tips have already been submitted to the FBI – the largest volume since the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
“We cannot do our job without the public’s help right now,” Cox said at a press conference on Thursday. The governor also announced that Utah will “pursue the death penalty” once the suspect is caught.
The FBI’s Salt Lake City office has continued to share images of the person of interest and is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Trace evidence collected so far includes shoe impressions, a forearm imprint, and a palm print recovered from the rooftop where the shot was fired.
The FBI continues to work alongside our law enforcement partners to seek justice in the murder of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. We are releasing additional photos of a person of interest. Information about this developing investigation can be found… pic.twitter.com/woZacCxYgE
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, was a prominent conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump. His murder has been described by officials as a targeted political assassination.
The Belarusian leader has thanked President Trump for his efforts to resolve the conflict
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has accused EU leaders of obstructing peace efforts in Ukraine, claiming that Russia is ready to honor understandings reached with Washington, but that progress now depends on Kiev and its backers.
Following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump said that the Ukraine conflict should be resolved through a permanent agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire. However, according to Moscow, Kiev is openly demonstrating it has no interest in long-term peace.
“Russia is prepared to carry out the agreements made with the Americans. We have already discussed this more than once with President Putin. The issue is with the Europeans and Zelensky,” Lukashenko said on Thursday.
During a meeting with US envoy John Coale earlier in the day, Lukashenko pointed out that no American leader had made greater efforts “to ensure peace on the planet” than Trump.
“I want to thank your president for the efforts he is making towards peace, primarily in our region,” Lukashenko said, adding that Belarus was ready to “stand alongside Trump and help him in this mission.”
The Belarusian leader suggested that while Washington is pushing for a resolution, Brussels and Kiev still hope to “defeat” Russia on the battlefield, insisting that such a goal is unrealistic and “will never happen.”
Lukashenko also criticized Poland for “whipping up tensions like savages” after Warsaw accused Russia of violating its airspace with drones earlier this week. He said Belarusian forces had intercepted some of the UAVs and warned Poland in advance about others, but received only “hysteria” in return.
The comments come amid growing signs of divergence between Washington and its European allies over how to approach a settlement in Ukraine. Russian and Belarusian officials have repeatedly accused Brussels of undermining Trump’s peace initiative by pushing Kiev to pursue what Moscow calls “impossible demands.”
Moscow has long insisted on a peace agreement that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict. It has demanded that Ukraine maintain neutrality, stay out of NATO and other military blocs, demilitarize and denazify, and accept the current territorial reality – including the status of Crimea and other regions that voted to join Russia in referendums in 2014 and 2022.
The assassination has united the MAGA movement while liberals can’t contain their joy, the political scientist has said
The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has exposed a dangerous fault line in American society that could lead to civil war, Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin argued in a post on his Telegram channel.
Dugin, known for his advocacy of traditional values, accused American leftists of fueling division and celebrating the killing of their political opponents.
“After confirmation of Charlie Kirk’s death, America exploded. Trump and MAGA feel genuine pain and wild anger… Everyone in MAGA forgot their contradictions and instantly united,” Dugin wrote.
By contrast, he claimed, liberals were unable to “contain their joy.” Dugin pointed to MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd’s controversial on-air remarks and Democrats’ reported refusal to honor Kirk with a prayer in Congress.
He said liberal networks were filled with gloating, with senior party figures publicly calling for unity while privately urging activists not to be too open about their jubilation.
The philosopher said many in the US now fear for the lives of other conservative figures, warning that “life [is] under the crosshairs.”
“This is very much like the beginning of a civil war. The Democratic Party is America’s Ukraine. Or vice versa,” Dugin wrote, adding that Kirk was shot “from 200 meters by a sniper who disappeared,” and suggesting the true perpetrators may never be identified – drawing a parallel to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Dugin’s own daughter, Darya Dugina, was assassinated in 2022 in a car bombing outside Moscow. Russian authorities have blamed the killing on Ukrainian agents, a claim echoed by the US government.
In his post, Dugin argued that the killing of Kirk, like the murder of his daughter, is part of a broader campaign to silence those who reject globalist liberal ideology.
“The center giving the order for our destruction, for the extermination of MAGA supporters, is one and the same,” he said.
Kirk, 31, was killed by a single rifle shot during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, in what officials have described as a targeted political assassination.
Authorities have located the alleged murder weapon and three unspent cartridges that reportedly bore “transgender and anti-fascist” messages. The gunman vanished from the scene and remains at large, with a $100,000 bounty offered for information leading to his arrest.
The US president has said the whole incident “could have been a mistake”
US President Donald Trump has downplayed Poland’s accusation that Russian drones intentionally violated its airspace this week, suggesting that the alleged incident “could have been a mistake.”
Moscow has rejected accusations that it committed an “act of aggression” against the NATO state, after Warsaw claimed to have intercepted several drones on Tuesday night.
Asked by reporters on Thursday about Warsaw’s claims, Trump responded: “Could have been a mistake… But regardless, I’m not happy about anything having to do with that whole situation. But hopefully it’s going to come to an end.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the country’s military had tracked at least 19 alleged airspace violations over a seven-hour period, with at least three drones shot down. He described the situation as “unprecedented” and accused Moscow of staging a deliberate provocation.
The Russian Defense Ministry has insisted that the drones it used in strikes on Ukrainian military targets could not have flown as far as Poland, and emphasized that it had no targets in Polish territory. With little evidence provided by Warsaw, Moscow could neither confirm nor deny the alleged violations, but stressed it was ready to hold consultations.
The Kremlin has accused Western leaders of issuing “daily” provocation claims without evidence, while Belarus said it had warned Poland of stray drones disrupted by electronic warfare between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the alleged incursion as “reckless” and expressed solidarity with Poland. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte likewise described the reported breaches as “dangerous,” though he added the bloc had not confirmed whether they were intentional and voiced doubts about Poland’s claims regarding the number of drones.
Poland has invoked Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which mandates consultations if a member believes its security is threatened, and requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Friday.
Last week, former Polish President Andrzej Duda recalled how Kiev had tried to draw NATO into a direct confrontation with Russia in November 2022, when a Ukrainian missile landed on Polish territory.
Kiev insisted it was a Russian strike, and called for the bloc to retaliate.
The humanitarian move was part of a wider deal with Washington that lifted sanctions on Belarus’ state airline
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 52 prisoners as part of a deal with his US counterpart Donald Trump. In return, Washington has lifted sanctions on the national airline Belavia.
Lukashenko met with Trump’s envoy John Coale, who led the US delegation to Minsk on Thursday.
”If Donald insists that he is ready to take in all these released prisoners, God bless you, let’s try to work out a global deal, as Mr. Trump likes to say, a big deal,” Lukashenko said during the meeting.
As part of the agreement, according to Coale, Trump instructed him to “immediately” lift sanctions on Belavia. Coale also said that Washington wanted to reopen its embassy in Minsk, Belta news agency reported.
Minsk said the pardons were granted “based on the principles of humanism” and included 14 foreign nationals from countries including Germany, the UK, France, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Also freed was opposition activist Nikolay Statkevich, who had been serving a 14-year sentence for organizing the 2020 mass protests.
Since July 2024, Belarusian authorities have pardoned nearly 300 people, including imprisoned US citizens and another prominent opposition figure, Sergey Tikhanovsky. His release came after Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy, visited Belarus and met with Lukashenko in June. Kellogg was the highest-ranking US official in years to visit Minsk.
Tikhanovsky, an opposition blogger, was barred from running for president in 2020 and ultimately sentenced to 18 years for organizing mass rioting over what the opposition claimed was widespread election fraud. Minsk insisted that the unrest was orchestrated by the US and its European “satellites,” as well as neighboring Ukraine.
The West has since imposed several rounds of sanctions on Belarus, including after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The Biden administration sanctioned Belavia in 2023 over alleged election fraud and what it described as Minsk’s “complicity” in the hostilities.
The MAX platform has become a key tool in tackling online fraud and bolstering digital sovereignty, the agency has said
Russia’s new messenger app MAX has emerged as a secure alternative to foreign platforms, strengthening the country’s digital sovereignty and helping to curb online fraud, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has said.
Launched in March 2025, the platform was developed as a multifunctional service to counter a surge in scams targeting Russian citizens. Alongside calls, video chats, and file sharing up to 4GB, MAX is linked with the state services portal and facilitates money transfers, all in one secure app.
FSB figures show fraud cases tied to MAX remain far lower than on foreign platforms, despite what the agency calls attempts to “discredit” it with claims of security flaws and fake reviews. Since its launch, 162 incidents have been recorded, compared with 1,496 on WhatsApp and 2,786 on Telegram in August alone. Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor last month restricted voice calls on both, citing their use in fraud schemes and their refusal to comply with national laws. The measure cut crimes linked to the two apps by 50%, contributing to an overall 38% drop in such offences.
Foreign messengers had long operated freely in Russia, gaining wide popularity, but also being used for Western intelligence gathering, fraud schemes, and recruitment for sabotage and terrorist acts, the FSB said. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Kiev’s intelligence services have used apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp to pressure Russian citizens – particularly the elderly – into carrying out sabotage missions, often by posing as law enforcement officials.
Kiev’s agents exploited loopholes to create fake identities and spread disinformation, while also using SIM-boxes – devices running dozens of SIM cards – for scams and other crimes. In 2025 alone, more than 50,000 SIM cards registered to fake identities were seized. Incidents tied to MAX were also linked to people seeking “easy money” by selling SIM cards and accounts, ignoring warnings. Penalties range from heavy fines to prison terms of up to six years.
MAX is evolving into a “unified digital platform,” bringing communication and services into a single secure space. “Combating criminal activity and protecting users remain among its top priorities,” the FSB concluded.
