Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin troops leave the Donetsk front line

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it has lodged a formal protest with the Finnish ambassador in Moscow against the closure of four busy border crossings between Russia and Finland.

On Saturday, Finland closed border crossings on their shared border to stop an influx of asylum seekers allegedly instigated by Moscow.

Only four border crossings remain open, affecting tens of thousands of people in both countries, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Russian drones targeted Kiev on Sunday as Britain’s Defense Ministry said there were “few immediate prospects” of major changes along Ukraine’s front line as the war enters its second winter.

Russia launched 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, targeting the Ukrainian capital and the Cherkasy and Poltava regions, according to a military statement. Ukrainian air defense systems shot down 15 of the drones.

The overnight attack on Kiev was the second attack on the Ukrainian capital in 48 hours, said spokesman for the city’s military administration, Serhii Popko.

NATO supports Bosnia’s territorial integrity and is concerned about “malign foreign interference,” including by Russia, in the restive Balkan region that saw a devastating war in the 1990s, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.

Sarajevo is the first stop on Stoltenberg’s tour of the countries of the Western Balkans, which also includes Kosovo, Serbia and North Macedonia.

“The Allies strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Stoltenberg told reporters. “We are concerned about secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as malign foreign interference, including Russia.”

According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia is holding at least 11,000 Ukrainian children in 43 “re-education camps.”

“At least 11,000 Ukrainian children are reportedly being held in 43 re-education camps across Russia, thousands of kilometers from home. Your simple right to life and liberty will be compromised,” the ministry said on X.

Russia denied entry to several Moldovan officials on Monday, complaining about its pro-European government’s moves to block Russian media ahead of local elections earlier this month.

The moves were the latest in a series of heated clashes between the two sides amid Moldova’s accusations that Russia was putting pressure on the former Soviet state’s affairs and President Maia Sandu’s desire to join the European Union.

A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moldovan Ambassador Lilian Darie had been summoned to be informed of the decision.

“A firm protest has been presented to the Moldovan side in connection with the ongoing politically motivated persecution of Russian media in Moldova, including blocking access to their websites,” the ministry said in a statement.

The US has pledged an additional $100 million in defense assistance to Ukraine, including interceptors and anti-tank weapons.

No further details were disclosed, but it came on the same day that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the country remains behind Ukraine as it continues its war with Russia. This comes after the announcement of another $100 million defense aid package.

“The message I bring to you today is that the United States of America is with you. We will be with you for the long haul,” Mr. Austin said.

He added: “I think they are prepared to fight in the winter. They did a great job last year. We expect that this year, based solely on President Zelensky’s statements, they will act even more aggressively.”

A Ukrainian sniper claims to have broken the world record by killing a Russian soldier nearly 2.5 miles away with a special rifle called the “Lord of the Horizon.” Holly Evans Reports.

The previous record was held by a Canadian special sniper at a distance of 2.2 miles in Iraq in 2017.

In a press statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said: “The SBU sniper set a world record for a successful shot.”

“He hit a Russian soldier from an incredible distance.

“SBU snipers are changing the rules of global sniper shooting and demonstrating their ability to work effectively at fantastic ranges.”

Russia has added a Ukrainian singer who won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest to its wanted list, state news agencies reported on Monday.

The independent news site Mediazona said singer Susana Jamaladinova was charged under a Russian law passed last year that bans the spread of so-called fake information about the war in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky met with Fox Corp Chief Executive Lachlan Murdoch in the Ukrainian capital, in what Kiev called a “very important signal” of support at a time when global media attention has shifted from the war in Ukraine.

“The head of state thanked Lachlan Murdoch for his visit and emphasized that this is a very important signal of support at a time when the world’s attention is clouded by other events,” the Ukrainian president’s office said.

Mr Zelensky was quoted by his office as saying it was crucial to focus the world’s attention on the war in Ukraine, adding: “For us, for our warriors, this is not a movie. These are our lives. This is hard work every day. And it won’t be over as quickly as we would like, but we have no right to give up and we won’t.”

Fox News journalist Benjamin Hall, who was seriously wounded while covering the war in Ukraine last year, and Sun Journalist Jerome Starkey was also invited to the meeting with Rupert Murdoch’s eldest son, who was appointed sole chairman of News Corp in September.