Live: At least five injured in Russian drone strikes in Kyiv region
· France 2418/09/2026 - 07:52
Polish air traffic authority says airports in Lublin and Rzeszow halt operations
The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said on Friday that airports in Lublin and Rzeszow in southeastern Poland suspended air operations due to military aviation activity.
18/09/2026 - 07:12
Russia says destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones as polling stations open
Russia destroyed a wave of Ukrainian drones bound for Moscow, the city's mayor said Friday, as polling stations opened for the country's first parliamentary election since the start of the war.
While few doubt President Vladimir Putin's party will sail to victory again, the vote will serve as a barometer for feelings on the war that has killed hundreds of thousands and undermined the daily lives of Russians.
"More than 350 UAVs flew towards the Moscow region between 8pm (17:00 GMT) on 17 September and 7am on 18 September," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.
"Most were reportedly destroyed at the outer defensive perimeter, including 64 UAVs intercepted while approaching Moscow."
Putin has ruled Russia since New Year's Eve 1999 and his United Russia party has dominated Russian politics since the early 2000s.
Moscow has banned criticism of its Ukraine campaign and the Russian elections, tightly controlled by the Kremlin, are bringing few surprises.
The vote to renew the 450 seats in the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, will run until 18:00 GMT on Sunday.
18/09/2026 - 07:10
Russia strikes Nova Poshta facilities near Ukraine's Odesa, defence ministry says
Russian drones have hit Nova Poshta's logistics hub near the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa as well as a cargo vessel in the nearby port of Chornomorsk, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram, citing the use of both for military purposes.
18/09/2026 - 06:48
Russian drone strike injures five in Ukraine's Kyiv region, official says
A morning Russian drone attack has injured five people, including three children, in the Kyiv region around the Ukrainian capital, regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said on the Telegram messaging app.
18/09/2026 - 06:46
🎥 US Midterms: Russian disinformation campaign targets Democrats
With US midterm elections now less than two months away, a series of videos have surfaced online, featuring celebrities seemingly denouncing the Democrats.
However, the clips are false and were created using artificial intelligence, as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains.
18/09/2026 - 05:18
Trump says 'major progress' towards US base in Poland
US President Donald Trump said that Washington and Warsaw were making 'major progress' toward establishing a US military base in Poland, potentially giving the United States a permanent military foothold on NATO's eastern flank even as his administration reviews its broader troop presence in Europe.
18/09/2026 - 05:18
Russians begin voting in controlled election as war drags
Polling stations opened early Friday in Russia's Far East, kicking off a three-day election that President Vladimir Putin's party is all but guaranteed to win in the fifth year of war with Ukraine.
It will be Russia's first parliamentary election since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has since killed hundreds of thousands.
Only parties that support Putin and the Kremlin's dragging military campaign have been registered to run. Moscow has also organised voting in occupied Ukraine.
Yesterday's key developments:
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Anton Kovalskyi as Ukraine's acting prosecutor general, a presidential decree has shown.
- The US House of Representatives passed a broad package of sanctions targeting Russian officials and key pillars of its economy as lawmakers look to deprive President Vladimir Putin of the financial resources needed to wage the war against Ukraine.
- A Russian barrage of missiles and drones targeting Ukraine's capital and the surrounding region injured at least 19 people overnight and into Thursday morning, authorities said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)