Russia reported “serious damage” in the border town of Belgorod after Ukrainian missiles pounded energy facilities, disrupting electricity, water and heating.
The attack on Belgorod, 40km from the Ukrainian border, and the surrounding district was the second in five days to cause serious damage.
“Serious damage has been caused to energy infrastructure facilities. As a result, there have been power outages, water supply disruptions, and heating failures,” governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.
The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, approved an $8.1bn, four-year loan for Ukraine, of which $1.5bn would be disbursed immediately to plug widening funding gaps.
Volodymyr Zelensky said the next round of US-brokered trilateral peace talks between Russia and Ukraine would likely take place in Abu Dhabi in early March, after the post-war reconstruction talks concluded in Geneva.
“Everything will have to be finalised. Everything that has been achieved for real security guarantees and preparing a meeting at the leaders’ level,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address, referring to the forthcoming meeting.
Kenyan court charges man with recruiting people to fight for Russia
A Kenyan court on Thursday charged a man with attempting to recruit and traffic 25 people to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to prosecutors and court documents.
Festus Arasa Omwamba, director of a recruiting company, was accused of trafficking the victims to Russia “for the purpose of exploitation by means of deception”, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said. He pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors said 22 of the 25 individuals were rescued last September from an apartment complex in Athi River, a town in Machakos County near Nairobi, before they could travel to Russia. Three others who had already travelled allegedly ended up on the front lines of the war and later returned to Kenya with injuries.
At least two South Africans have been killed while fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine, foreign minister Ronald Lamola said on Thursday.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said more than 1,700 Africans were fighting for Russia, accusing Moscow of using deception to lure recruits.
Kenya’s National Intelligence Service said in a report last week that some recruitment agencies had colluded with rogue airport, immigration and other state officials, as well as staff at the Russian Embassy in Nairobi and the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow, to facilitate travel. The report estimated that more than 1,000 Kenyans could be in Russia.
Russia’s embassy in Nairobi denied any involvement in illegal recruitment, though it said foreign citizens were permitted to voluntarily join the Russian armed forces.
The court ordered Omwamba to remain in police custody pending a bail hearing. Kenya’s foreign ministry has said 27 stranded Kenyans have been rescued, and foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi is expected to visit Russia in March for talks on the issue.
In pictures: Russia’s Belgorod town after strikes
Russia said it suffered serious damage after Ukrainian missiles struck the Belgorod town.
Russian officials reported power outages and water and electricity disruptions.
The town has been frequently targeted by Ukraine’s military during the four years of war.
Over 90,000 Ukrianians missing since war began
More than 90,000 Ukrainians have been officially registered as missing since the start of Russia’s invasion, the country’s commissioner for missing persons said.
The figure was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, citing Commissioner for Missing Persons Artur Dobroserdov, as authorities continued efforts to trace thousands of soldiers and civilians whose whereabouts were unknown amid ongoing fighting and restricted access to Russian-occupied territories.
Ukraine marked the fourth anniversary of the war this week.
IMF approves $8.1bn loan for Ukraine
The International Monetary Fund has approved an $8.1bn, four-year loan for Ukraine, with $1.5bn to be disbursed immediately to support the government as the war with Russia enters its fifth year.
The new Extended Fund Facility will anchor a broader $136.5bn international support package and replace a $15.5bn programme agreed in 2023.
Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the funding would help cover a projected $136.5 billion budget gap over four years, alongside support including a €90bn EU loan.
The IMF said the programme would stabilise Ukraine’s economy, address its balance of payments needs and support reforms aimed at boosting growth, tackling corruption and strengthening institutions.
Ukraine’s economy is forecast to grow by 1.8–2.5% in 2026, while inflation is expected to ease to around 6.1%. The IMF put the cost of rebuilding the country at $588bn over the next decade, citing a joint assessment with the World Bank, EU and UN.
The programme will be reviewed quarterly and could be adjusted if peace talks progress.
Vatican takes unusual political step with new Ukrainian stamp
The Vatican has unveiled a new postage stamp honouring Ukraine’s Catholics, featuring a striking image of Kyiv’s Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ during a blackout.
Two South Africans killed fighting for Russia as 1,700 recruited
At least two South Africans have been killed while fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine, foreign minister Ronald Lamola said on Thursday, as 15 men who were reportedly misled into joining mercenary units were repatriated.
Ukrainian foreign minister said more than 1,700 Africans are fighting for Russia in its war in Ukraine, adding that Moscow was using deception to trick them into fighting.
“We clearly see that Russia is trying to drag African citizens into a deadly war,” Andrii Sybiha told a news conference. “According to our data, there are currently over 1,780 citizens from the African continent fighting in the Russian army.”
Eleven of them returned home on Wednesday, part of a group of 17 who had sought assistance from Pretoria after being stranded for months in the heart of the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Four arrived last week, while two remain in Russia undergoing treatment for what Lamola described as “very severe” injuries.
“There are other South Africans that we have since discovered were part of the process, and we have since discovered that some have also died,” Lamola told state broadcaster SABC.
Zelensky says next trilateral talks to take place in Abu Dhabi next month
The next round of US-brokered trilateral peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is likely to take place in Abu Dhabi in early March, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
He made the remarks in an evening address following discussions in Geneva between US and Ukrainian officials on post-war reconstruction.
Zelensky said in his regular nightly address that there was “already more readiness for the next trilateral format”.
Reaffirming his call for direct talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin, he said preparations were needed for “a meeting at the leadership level”.
“This format can solve a lot,” he added.
Melania Trump will preside over a UN Security Council meeting in a first for a first lady
US first lady Melania Trump will preside over a UN Security Council meeting in what the United Nations on Thursday said would be a first.
When the wife of president Donald Trump takes her seat in the president’s chair on Monday afternoon, it “will be the first time a first lady, or first gentleman for that matter, has ever presided over a Security Council meeting,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
The United States takes over the rotating presidency of the 15-member council for the month of March, and the first lady’s office said the meeting she will preside over will “emphasize education’s role in advancing tolerance and world peace.”
Melania Trump has made children in conflict one of her signature issues, writing a letter to Russian president Vladimir Putin last year ahead of a summit with president Trump and later announcing that the effort had led to a group of children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war reuniting with their families.
It comes as President Trump has criticized the United Nations, saying repeatedly that the 193-member world body has not lived up to its potential.
Dujarric said UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo will be briefing the Security Council on behalf of the secretary-general at Monday’s meeting presided over by the first lady and officially entitled “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict.”
Russia says it downed 220 Ukrainian drones over nine hours
Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday that its air defence units had shot down 220 Ukrainian drones over a nine-hour period, including 24 that were headed towards Moscow.
In its latest statement, the ministry said 53 drones were intercepted and destroyed in the three hours leading up to 11pm (2000 GMT).
Many of the drones were downed over regions in central Russia, with the ministry adding that 12 had been targeting the capital.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, writing on Telegram, said 27 drones had been shot down while flying towards the city, starting at around 5pm.
Ukraine strikes Russia’s Belgorod
Ukrainian missiles struck the Russian town of Belgorod near the border, inflicting serious damage on energy installations and disrupting power, water and heating, the regional governor said during the early hours of Friday.
The attack on Belgorod, 40km from the Ukrainian border, and the surrounding district was the second in five days to cause serious damage.
The area has been a frequent target of Ukraine’s military in the four years since Russia invaded its smaller neighbour.
“Serious damage has occurred to energy infrastructure,” Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram. “As a result, there have been disruptions to supplies of power, water and heating.”
Gladkov said the extent of the damage would be assessed at first light.
Source: independent.co.uk