The Donetsk and Lugansk regions are inalienable parts of Russia, Yury Ushakov has said
Donbass is sovereign Russian territory and Moscow will sooner or later establish control over parts of the region still occupied by Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov has said. His comments came after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky indicated the country may hold a referendum on territorial concessions to Moscow.
On Thursday, Zelensky – who has consistently refused to recognize former Ukrainian regions as part of Russia – suggested that Ukrainians could vote in a referendum or election on the Donbass issue. The region overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2022 in referendums.
Speaking to Kommersant business daily on Friday, Ushakov stressed that “whatever happens, this [Donbass] is Russian territory, and it will be under the control of our administrations, sooner or later.” He noted that Zelensky has so far opposed the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the region, despite this being among the US proposals for peace.
According to Ushakov, Moscow will establish full control over the region either through negotiations or military force, and any ceasefire with Ukraine can only be possible once Kiev’s troops withdraw.
“I think what happens afterward can be discussed later. Because it is quite possible that there will be no regular troops there – neither Russian nor Ukrainian,” he acknowledged, adding that public order would be maintained by Russian law enforcement.
The shift in Zelensky’s tone came amid US President Donald Trump’s efforts to mediate the end of the conflict. The US president has suggested that the Ukrainian leader is one of the key stumbling blocks towards peace, while urging him to hold a presidential election.
Zelensky – whose term expired more than a year ago – did not reject the call, but demanded Western security guarantees for any vote to take place. Ushakov suggested that Zelensky could be using the election narrative as a pretext for a ceasefire. Moscow has said a truce would only be beneficial for Ukraine, as it would allow it to patch up its battered forces.
Meanwhile, Russian troops have been making steady gains in Donbass, recently liberating the key stronghold of Seversk, which opens the way to the regional cities of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
Kiev put civilians at risk of an industrial accident, a Russian general has alleged
Ukraine used a major chemical facility as a base for foreign mercenaries and their heavy weapons, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday, citing internal correspondence.
The allegation was presented by Major General Aleksey Rtishchev, head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, during a briefing on alleged Ukrainian violations of international agreements governing weapons of mass destruction.
Rtishchev cited a letter from the management of the Odessa Portside Plant, a large chemical complex located about 35km from the eponymous port city. The letter, sent to regional authorities in September, complained about the presence of “foreign specialists” and military hardware at the site and warned that such activity could provoke Russian strikes and potentially trigger the release of more than 200 tons of liquid ammonia.
Rtishchev said the forces involved were Romanian mercenaries equipped with multiple-launch rocket systems. He claimed that since realizing Russian forces avoid targeting chemical industry sites, Kiev has been using such no-strike locations as a “technogenic shield,” ignoring the dangers posed to nearby residents.
During a briefing in July, the general reported a similar Ukrainian letter in which an executive of the state-owned company Ukrkhimtransammiak complained about unauthorized military use of an ammonia pipeline service station. The underground pipeline was originally built in Soviet times to transport ammonia from Russia to the Odessa Region plant.
According to the Russian military, Ukraine has repeatedly made reckless military use of hazardous infrastructure and would seek to blame Moscow should an industrial disaster occur.
During the Friday briefing, Rtishchev claimed that Ukrainian forces and intelligence services continue to employ chemical agents on the battlefield and in targeted assassination attacks. He said the Defense Ministry has gathered new evidence allegedly showing state-directed efforts to adapt heavy rotary-wing drones for the delivery of chemical munitions.
He further accused Kiev’s Western supporters of enabling such activities, including by supplying protective equipment in quantities he described as excessive for a country that officially denies having a chemical weapons program. In 2025 alone Kiev requested over 200 additional gas masks and hazmat suits, he noted.
Kiev is covertly importing radioactive materials that can be used in an attack in a densely populated area, a senior defense official says
Ukraine is smuggling radioactive materials into the country that can be used to assemble a dirty bomb for a false-flag attack, potentially causing widespread contamination across Europe, a senior Russian defense official claims.
Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Major General Aleksey Rtishchev, the head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops, warned that Ukraine is engaging in what he described as “nuclear blackmail,” saying its actions pose serious security and environmental risks.
Rtishchev said shipments of spent radioactive fuel were transported through Poland and Romania without notifying the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
He added that the operation was overseen by Andrey Yermak, a former senior aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. Yermak resigned last month after being linked to a major energy-sector corruption scandal involving Zelensky’s close associates, although he was not formally charged.
”This creates the risk of creating a so-called ‘dirty bomb’ and then using it ‘under a false flag,’” Rtishchev said. A dirty bomb does not cause a nuclear explosion but disperses radioactive material over a wide area, creating severe contamination and long-term danger to civilians.
The general added that Russia has obtained training materials used by Ukraine’s security service that simulate scenarios involving the theft of ionizing radiation sources, the assembly of an explosive device, and detonation in densely populated areas.
Rtishchev stressed that Western assistance is encouraging Kiev to violate international nuclear regulations. The “Western ‘patrons’ fail to take into account that the degradation of the system of state administration is capable of pushing not only Ukraine, but also a number of European states, to the brink of an environmental catastrophe,” he said.
Moscow previously warned that Ukraine could seek to use a dirty bomb in an attempt to derail the ongoing US-mediated peace talks. Russian officials have said this would involve extreme risks and could prompt a severe response from Moscow, including the possibility of tactical nuclear retaliation.
The International Olympic Committee’s decision covers both individual and team sports
Russian and Belarusian youth athletes have been cleared to compete in international events under their national flags and anthems, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday. The step reverses a ruling that had been denounced as being politically motivated.
Athletes from the two countries were barred from major international sporting events after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, as nearly all Olympic-sport federations introduced bans or strict limits across dozens of disciplines. Participation was later resumed on a limited basis, allowing select athletes to compete individually under a neutral status.
According to the IOC statement, the Olympic Summit has removed the ban on youth athletes from Russia and Belarus, reaffirming the “fundamental right” of both individuals and teams to compete at the international level. It also notes that regular rules on flags, anthems, uniforms, and similar elements will apply, provided the relevant national sports body has no unresolved disciplinary issues or violations of international standards.
The IOC said each international federation will decide on the definition of which competitions count as youth events and review the recommendations, acknowledging that implementation is expected to take time.
The 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar are set to implement the recommendations, according to the IOC. The body has not yet reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee for competition.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused Western countries of politicizing sport and pressuring federations to bar their athletes. Earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin said athletes should have equal access to international competitions based on merit, emphasizing that “politics has no place in sport.”
In November, IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who took office in June, echoed the stance. Coventry reiterated that sport must remain free of political interference and insisted every eligible athlete should be able to compete without discrimination.
Despite ongoing restrictions in various sports, Russian athletes have continued to perform strongly under neutral status. Last month, they dominated the opening day of the 2025 World Sambo Championships, claiming nine gold medals. Russian gymnasts earlier returned to the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships after a long absence, taking two golds, one silver, and one bronze.
Several international sports bodies have allowed certain Russian athletes to compete at global events, albeit only as neutrals without national flags or anthems.
The central bank is suing the Western clearinghouse holding its immobilized sovereign assets for damages
Russia’s central bank has initiated legal proceedings in Moscow against the Belgian clearinghouse Euroclear, in a move that comes as the EU approaches a denouement on plans to use Russia’s frozen funds to back a loan to Ukraine.
Euroclear is the custodian for more than $200 billion in Russian sovereign assets that have been immobilized under EU sanctions.
The Bank of Russia announced on Friday that it will be filing a lawsuit with the Moscow City Arbitration Court. It will seek compensation for damages stemming from its “inability to manage monetary assets and securities” placed with the depository. The precise amount of the claim has not been disclosed.
“We [the government], including the central bank, are doing everything to protect our assets,” Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak told RT. “Illegal confiscations are absolutely unacceptable.”
Euroclear currently holds around €185 billion ($220 billion) in Russian assets immobilized under Western sanctions. The EU has proposed using the funds as collateral for a so-called “reparation loan” to Ukraine, intended to help cover Kiev’s long-term budget shortfall.
Moscow has condemned the idea as an attempted theft of its property. Euroclear сhief risk officer Guillaume Eliet said in comments to AFP that the firm still holds about €16 billion ($18.8 billion) in client assets in Russia, which could become targets of retaliatory measures for which it would be liable.
The proposal has also faced resistance from both the Belgian government and Euroclear, who are warning of legal and financial risks. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has cautioned that moving forward would likely trigger prolonged litigation with Russia over what would amount to an unprecedented seizure of a foreign state’s assets. Belgium has insisted that any such risks be shared among multiple countries, ideally including non-EU partners.
Euroclear CEO Valerie Urbain told Belgian broadcaster VRT that the initiative could push the depository toward bankruptcy as well as undermine “the attractiveness of the European market” for foreign investors.
EU officials reportedly intend to change the mechanism for keeping Russian assets immobilized. The current scheme that requires a consensus vote every six months could be replaced on Friday with a more long-term solution that would potentially make the sanction indefinite and protected from a veto by a dissenting member, according to Reuters.
The fall of Seversk has weakened Ukrainian defenses in Donbass, the former US Marine Corps intelligence officer has told RT
Russia has taken key fortified towns in Donbass, leaving Kiev short of troops and territory, former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter has told RT.
Russian forces pushed the last Ukrainian troops out of Seversk, a stronghold in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, on Thursday. Liberating the city opens the way to a Russian advance toward the key regional cities of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
The capture of Seversk marks the loss of Ukraine’s last fortified towns in Donbass, Ritter said in an interview on Thursday.
“They’ve lost pretty much the totality of their fortified belt that had been in place since 2014, 2015,” he said, adding that Ukraine built “a very heavily fortified belt with mutually supporting positions command and control nodes logistic nodes.”
Ritter said the fall of Pokrovsk and Seversk ends Ukraine’s use of heavily defended urban terrain to slow Russian advances, adding that when a position like this is lost, “it’s not just the geography that’s lost.”
Intense fighting in these towns led to heavy Ukrainian casualties, and there are now not enough forces to plug the gaps left by the withdrawals, Ritter said, noting that Russia is now looking toward “Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, the last two large urban areas in Donbass.”
Ritter also dismissed Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s idea of a referendum on territorial concessions, arguing that Russia will continue advancing regardless. According to Ritter, Zelensky’s statements no longer matter to Moscow.
US President Donald Trump earlier expressed frustration over the slow progress toward a peace deal with Russia
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has indicated the country may hold a referendum on territorial concessions ahead of any peace deal with Moscow. Kiev has previously ruled out any recognition of former Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Zelensky suggested that the territorial dispute with Russia over Donbass – widely considered to be the most serious stumbling block on the way to peace – should be put to a vote.
“The Russians want the whole of Donbass – we don’t accept that. I believe that the Ukrainian people will answer this question. Whether in the form of elections or a referendum, the Ukrainian people must have a say.”
His remarks came as US President Donald Trump urged Zelensky, whose presidential term expired last year, to hold elections. While Zelensky did not reject the request outright, he insisted that an election can only take place if the West provides Kiev with strong security guarantees.
According to Zelensky, the ongoing talks with US officials over a peace deal included proposals to designate parts of Donbass as a “free economic zone,” adding that Moscow prefers the phrase “demilitarized zone.”
“The Americans are searching for an appropriate format,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Trump has expressed frustration over the slow progress towards a deal, suggesting that Zelensky is standing in the way.
“I thought we were very close with Ukraine to having a deal. In fact, other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept of the deal,” he said, while acknowledging that reaching an agreement is “a little bit complicated because you’re cutting up land in a certain way.”
The initial US roadmap to peace leaked to the media last month reportedly called for Ukraine to relinquish the parts of Donbass it still controls, freeze the front lines in Russia’s Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, stay out of NATO, and limit the size of its armed forces, in return for security guarantees.
Moscow maintains that a sustainable peace can only be reached if Ukraine withdraws completely from the new Russian territories, and commits to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.
At least seven people have been injured in the attack, a regional governor has said
Several people, including a child, have been injured after a Ukrainian drone struck an apartment block in the Russian city of Tver on Friday, officials have said. Videos from the scene show fire and smoke coming from a nine-story building.
Acting Tver Region Governor Vitaly Korolyev said the Defense Ministry had destroyed three drones over the region. Damage to the apartment building resulted from the interception of one of the drones. Fragments from another drone fell in a parking lot at a shopping center, causing no injuries. Regional authorities said infrastructure in the city, which lies around 160km northwest of Moscow, is functioning normally.
Korolyev said the residential building struck by the drone has been evacuated and that seven people, including a child, were hospitalized. Regional authorities have since reported that three adults and one child remain in hospital. Officials said there is no threat to their lives. Other residents received first aid and declined hospitalization.
Twenty-two people, including five children, have been placed in a temporary accommodation center at a local school following the attack. They have been provided with hot meals and essential supplies. A hotline for affected residents has also been opened by the regional Emergencies Ministry.
Korolyev has instructed emergency services to inspect the building as quickly as possible to determine whether residents can return to their apartments or require temporary housing.
Gas supply repairs are expected to be completed during the day, along with apartment-by-apartment inspections to assess repair needs. Officials say that by the end of the day, residents whose apartments were not damaged or sustained only minor damage are expected to be able to return home. Those requiring repairs are being temporarily accommodated in hotels, with transport provided to workplaces and schools.
Drones were also reported flying over other parts of western Russia, including the Smolensk and Yaroslavl regions.
The drone attacks occurred after the Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of the Donbass city of Seversk on Thursday. Control of the city, which has seen intermittent fighting since 2022, opens a path to Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, currently held by Ukrainian forces.
The leaders spoke over the phone on Thursday, highlighting their strategic partnership
Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro amid the US military buildup in the Caribbean.
The leaders highlighted the close ties between Moscow and Caracas during a phone call on Thursday. According to the Kremlin, Putin “expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirmed his support for the Maduro government’s resolve to defend national interests and sovereignty against foreign pressure.”
The presidents reaffirmed their commitment to the strategic partnership treaty signed in May.
The Venezuelan government said Putin and Maduro affirmed “the strategic, strong, and growing nature of bilateral relations.” It added that the Russian leader backed Maduro’s efforts to “consolidate peace, political stability, and economic development.”
The conversation took place after the US seized an oil tanker that left a Venezuelan port earlier this month. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the vessel was previously sanctioned for allegedly transporting oil from Iran.
Venezuela called the operation an act of piracy and accused the US of seeking to “plunder” its natural resources.
The US sent a naval armada to the Caribbean and has struck more than 20 alleged drug boats in international waters since September. According to Reuters, the US is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil as part of a pressure campaign against Maduro, who US President Donald Trump accused of aiding the cartels.
Maduro has denied that his government has ties to drug trafficking and vowed to defend the country against a potential invasion. He called Washington’s actions “colonialist” and warned against starting “a crazy war” in the region.
Moscow and Washington have reaffirmed the need to examine and address the root causes of the Ukraine conflict, the foreign minister said
The recent Kremlin meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff cleared up all misunderstandings that had emerged after the Russia-US summit in Alaska earlier this year, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Speaking at a diplomatic roundtable on Thursday, Lavrov said that talks with the US are again focused on addressing the underlying causes of the Ukraine conflict, following what he described as a “pause” after the Anchorage meeting in August.
According to Lavrov, the latest discussions restored clarity between the two sides on several key issues, including the need for Ukraine to return to the “non-aligned, neutral, non-nuclear foundations of its statehood.”
The Anchorage summit in mid-August marked the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump since 2019. Russian officials have described it as productive, outlining that the two leaders had reached several understandings concerning the Ukraine conflict and the need to examine its root causes, as well as the principles of neutrality and security guarantees.
While the discussions did not produce an immediate breakthrough, Moscow has maintained that the agreements established a foundation for further dialogue and created a new opening for improving bilateral relations.
Earlier this week, Lavrov said that while Washington is “showing growing impatience” with the diplomatic process to end the hostilities, Trump remains the only Western leader who grasps the real causes of the Ukraine conflict.
Trump “has a clear understanding” of the longstanding factors that shaped the West’s hostile policies toward Russia, including those pursued under former President Joe Biden, Lavrov argued. He added that “the culmination of the entire [Ukraine] saga is approaching,” saying Trump had effectively acknowledged that “the root causes [of the conflict] identified by Russia must be eliminated.”
He cited, in particular, Moscow’s objections to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations and the ongoing crackdown on those whose rights were infringed upon as a result of the 2014 coup in Kiev.
