Russia

Sources told the WSJ that if Belarus were used for a Russian attack, it could be aimed at testing NATO defenses or more attempts at undermining support for Ukraine.

The airline will reassess the situation next week and decide whether to resume operations, with passengers to be informed and offered alternatives in accordance with the law.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were busy with other issues, but that it expected contacts with them over Ukraine would resume once they became available.

A new Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap could take place in the near future, Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said, according to TASS.

Erdogan’s NATO spotlight comes as opposition figures face prosecution, economic turmoil grows, and democracy erodes in Turkey.

There were casualties among the nine crew members who are nationals of Egypt, Turkey and India, it said, adding that everyone was rescued.

Videos from social media show fiery explosions at a port in the Kerch Strait late at night, with thick smoke surrounding what appear to be oil tanks. 

TV Time: The history of the magazine, which began publishing a year before the establishment of the state, is the subject of an engaging new documentary, 'LAISHA – The Story of a Women’s Magazine'.

CYBER AFFAIRS: One cybersecurity company, KELA Group, referred to the World Cup, which is ongoing in the US, Mexico, and Canada, as the “largest digital battlefield in history.”

Flights out of all major Moscow airports have been grounded as a result of Ukrainian drone strikes. Authorities said 180 Ukrainian drones had been shot down over Moscow.