Ukraine-Russia war latest: Blow to Zelensky as chief of staff resigns over corruption scandal ahead of peace talks

Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, injuring at least six people, including a child, officials said

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, reported hits at six locations, with apartment blocks and other buildings damaged across the city of 3 million.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a strike ignited a fire on the lower floors of a high-rise west of the city centre, while another blaze in a central district was swiftly contained.

Tkachenko added that a further fire had broken out in an apartment building on the east bank of the Dnipro River.

Air defence systems were active during the assault, and images shared online showed emergency crews working amid burning structures and streets strewn with debris.

Russian authorities on Friday outlawed Human Rights Watch as an “undesirable organisation,” a label making involvement with such organisations a criminal offence.

The designation means the international human rights group must stop all work in Russia, and opens those who work with or support the organisation to prosecution.

The decision by the Russian prosecutor general’s office is the latest move in an unrelenting crackdown on Kremlin critics, journalists and activists, which has intensified to unprecedented levels since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Blasts rocked two tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea near Turkey’s Bosphorus strait on Friday, causing fires on the vessels, and rescue operations were launched for those on board, Turkish authorities and sources said.

The 274-meter-long tanker Kairos suffered an explosion and caught fire in the Black Sea while en route from Egypt to Russia, Turkey’s Transport Ministry said.

It said two fast rescue boats, a tugboat, and an emergency response vessel were immediately dispatched to the scene and the 25 crew members on board were safely rescued.

Kairos was heading to Russia’s Novorossiysk port when it reported “an external impact” causing a fire 28 nautical miles off the Turkish shore, Turkey’s Maritime Affairs Directorate said.

Russia has refused to budge on its maximalist demands for a deal to end their war in Ukraine. On Thursday, Putin said his forces would fight on “until the last Ukrainian dies”, in chilling comments that underlined Moscow’s reluctance to engage with the peace process.

Meanwhile, Europe has been making the case to Washington that Kyiv must have territorial sovereignty and security guarantees in any agreement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow on Friday on a rare visit by an EU and NATO leader

Putin said at the meeting that he would still be happy for Budapest to host a Russia-U.S. summit with President Donald Trump.

Orban said he wanted detailed talks on Russian oil and gas supplies, calling them vital for Hungary’s energy security.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after the summit that Russia would deliver the agreed crude and gas supplies to Hungary according to the existing contract.

Orban went to the White House earlier this month to request special treatment on Trump’s sanctions on Russian oil

Russia’s state communications watchdog threatened on Friday to block WhatsApp entirely if it fails to comply with Russian law, news agencies reported.

In August, Russia began limiting some calls on WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, and on Telegram, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of refusing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.

On Friday, the Roskomnadzor watchdog again accused WhatsApp of failing to comply with Russian requirements designed to prevent and combat crime.

“If the messaging service continues to fail to meet the demands of Russian legislation, it will be completely blocked,” Interfax news agency quoted it as saying.

Zelensky’s lost his chief of staff amid a €100 million corruption scandal that the Kremlin will exploit – this is a disaster to Kyiv but also a sign that its system works, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley:

Zelensky made an impassioned speech for Ukrainians to come together and remain united following the resignation of his chief of staff.

“Russia is eager for Ukraine to make mistakes. We won’t make any. Our work goes on. Our struggle goes on,” he said in a message to citizens.

In the wake of the resignation of Andriy Yermak, Zelensky said in an accompanying video that he was “resetting” his presidential office.

He praised and thanked Yermak for his work and said he would appoint a successor following consultations tomorrow.