The Guardian

Putin’s recruiters scramble to avoid second mass mobilisation as Ukraine losses mount Russia is losing 30,000 casualties a month, and the country’s regions are under pressure to feed the ‘meat-grinder’. Experts say it may not be enough

Russian plot to kill Ukrainian American thwarted in Warsaw, says Polish PM Donald Tusk says it is first time ‘someone on the order of Russia’ has sought to attack US citizen in Nato country

Ukraine ‘proposes deal with Russia to halt attacks on civilian ships in Black Sea’ Kyiv said to have suggested agreement in apparent attempt to reopen crucial grain corridor, according to Reuters

Broadcasters to be barred from Eurovision song contest if state involved in ‘armed conflict’ Organisers says new rule will ensure contest provides ‘safe and welcoming environment’ for participants

In Venice, it’s not politics as usual as film-makers aim to recapture our attention As social media shrinks and distorts the EU’s crises, the Venice film festival is delivering politically forthright epics from directors such as Sergei Loznitsa and Alex Gibney . Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here

US intelligence believes Russia was behind Leipzig airport drone bomb German government talks of a ‘new level of danger’ but declines to say who it thinks was responsible for device

Ukraine drone strike on oil refinery deep inside Russia kills at least 13 Attack hundreds of miles from border one of deadliest launched by Kyiv as it steps up campaign to weaken Moscow’s economy

Russian family denied asylum in Finland fear reprisals for pro-Ukraine activism Nikita and Olga Belov say they will be persecuted on return to Moscow but are yet to convince Finnish authorities

Lion saved as cub from Ukraine war and brought to US battles rare fungal disease Four-year-old Taras, who now resides at a Minnesota sanctuary, was diagnosed with an often fatal infection

US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill championed by Lindsey Graham Late senator spent final days of his life working to advance bill that will now head to the House after 86-11 Senate vote

Leipzig drone bomb was found near Ukrainian plane carrying ammunition German authorities investigating whether a foreign state is involved as they say a ‘ripped’ detonator stopped device going off

Nato to ‘urgently’ get air defences for Ukraine, as Zelenskyy warns of surge in Russian missile production After Ukraine failed to shoot down a single ballistic missile fired by Russia on Wednesday, the president urged allies to increase supplies of Patriot interceptors

Head of drone manufacturer critically injured in car bomb in Russia Assassination attempt demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to continue clandestine operations deep inside Russian territory

Drone found at German airport after cargo plane collides with object mid-air Investigators looking into whether incidents at Leipzig are linked after DHL plane forced to make emergency landing

Russian attack on Kyiv region kills at least 14 people, say Ukrainian authorities Air raid alerts last for more than an hour as Moscow inflicts another heavy bombardment on Ukraine’s capital

Russia blames Ukraine for deadly restaurant bombing in Moscow Foreign ministry accuses Kyiv of carrying out attack reports say may have been aimed at air force chief

Trump backtracks from promise to let Ukraine build Patriot missiles US president tells reporters during Camp David cabinet meeting technology ‘a hard thing to give away’

Friday briefing: Why attacks on hospitals from Ukraine to Lebanon now happen with impunity In today’s newsletter: The legal protections once considered foundational in conflict are now routinely bypassed, with healthcare personnel treated as legitimate targets

Russian missile destroys US firm’s Kyiv drone factory Strike on Terminal Autonomy plant appears to be first time in the war that Moscow has targeted a US company

‘Lenin was an enemy of humanity’: Why Kyiv wants to put Cossack chief statue in place of Soviet leader Removal of Soviet-era statues sped up when Russia seized Crimea in 2014, and since Putin’s 2022 invasion has moved at pace as Ukrainians question their identity