The war in Ukraine, which broke out in February 2022 with Russia's invasion of its neighbor, shows no sign of ending as both sides intensify attacks to gain control of contested regions.
Read our latest updates here. For all our coverage, visit our Ukraine war page .
Finland hopes China will help end Russia's invasion of Ukraine
U.S. should support both Israel and Ukraine: Army secretary
China's Belt and Road Forum to illuminate scope of Russia ties
Russia-North Korea nuclear cooperation danger to all: Estonian president
From drones to cyberattacks, technology is shaping Ukraine conflict
Russia's war bloggers hold potential spark of further unrest
Special report: Russia buying civilian drones from China for war effort
Note: Nikkei Asia decided in March 2022 to suspend its reporting from Russia until further information becomes available regarding the scope of the revised criminal code. Entries include material from wire services and other sources.
Here are the latest developments:
Thursday, Oct. 19 (Tokyo time)
8:00 p.m. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, Russia's Foreign Ministry says. Lavrov's two-day trip to North Korea comes about a month after President Vladimir Putin received Kim on a rare visit to Russia and marks the latest sign of closer ties between the two countries.
The ministry does not say what Lavrov and Kim discussed. Some see Lavrov's trip as paving the way for Putin to visit North Korea.
Relations between Russia and North Korea have reached "a new, strategic level," Tass quotes Lavrov as saying before his talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.
The ministry says the two sides emphasized their determination to resist the hegemonic aspirations of the U.S., which they say are aggravating the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
1:15 a.m. Russia shot down a missile over Sevastopol, home of its Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, regional Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev says on Telegram. The missile exploded in a field, and that there are no injuries or damage to infrastructure. The Defence Ministry follows up, saying two missiles had been shot down over Crimea, both converted S-200 anti-aircraft defense missiles.
12:45 a.m. Russia's parliament passes the second and third readings of a bill that revokes Russia's ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Both are passed unanimously by 415 votes to zero. Russian President Vladimir Putin had called on parliament on Oct. 5 to make the change to "mirror" the U.S., which has signed but never ratified the 1996 treaty.
Russia says it will not resume nuclear testing unless Washington does, but arms control experts are concerned it may be inching towards a test that the West would perceive as a threatening escalation in the context of the war.
Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma's international affairs committee, and other deputies react following the vote on a law to revoke Russia's ratification of the global nuclear test ban treaty. © Reuters Wednesday, Oct. 18
2:00 a.m. U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin shares rose 2% after reporting better-than-expected third-quarter revenue and profit on Tuesday, as geopolitical tensions fueled sustained demand for its military equipment. During pre-market trading, Lockheed shares were down as much as 2.1% due to weak sales in the unit that makes the F-35 fighter jet, but reversed in early trading in New York to $450.52 per share, up 2%. Lockheed posted a net income of $6.73 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 24, beating estimates of $6.67 per share.
Tuesday, Oct. 17
11:00 p.m. Top U.S., Japanese and South Korean officials for North Korean affairs share their assessments on the state of arms cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un met in the Russian Far East in September. (Photo by Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via Reuters) Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, South Korean counterpart Kim Gunn and Japan's Hiroyuki Namazu "discussed arms transfers between the DPRK and Russia which violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, threaten stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and around the world, and undermine the global non-proliferation regime," the U.S. State Department says.
The meeting follows a U.S. assessment that North Korea, which calls itself the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
7:20 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin is in China for one of his first trips abroad since an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes was issued against him earlier this year.
Putin is greeted by Chinese officials and an honor guard as he disembarks his jet, which was painted in a white, blue and red Russian flag livery. He waves to cameras before climbing into a black limousine to take him into the city, where the Chinese government is hosting leaders at a Belt and Road Forum.
During his stay, Putin is due to meet with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the forum. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson says the two leaders would exchange views on "bilateral relations and issues of common interest." Read more .
Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Belt and Road Forum on Oct. 17. © Reuters 2:45 a.m. In a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Moscow's help in achieving a political solution to the Gaza crisis , the Kremlin says.
Putin "expressed sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased Israelis, emphasizing his strong rejection and condemnation of any actions that victimize the civilian population, including women and children," according to a Kremlin readout of the call.
Putin also informed Netanyahu of "key points" of his recent discussions with leaders of the Palestinians, Egypt, Iran and Syria, the Kremlin says.
1:22 a.m. Global wheat prices have sunk to their lowest level in about three years as Russia pushes exports of a bumper crop, easing food inflation while driving up concerns about an overreliance on Russian grain.
Russian wheat is taking the place of falling exports from Ukraine and an expected weak harvest in Australia. Read more .
Monday, Oct. 16
11:54 p.m. Russia's drones are mostly sourced from China, so Moscow will spend more than 60 billion rubles ($614 million) to develop drone manufacturing, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov tells lawmakers.
"The task is that 41% of all drones by 2025 should have the label 'Made in Russia,'" he says. "Today, drones are mainly from the People's Republic of China." Drones have played a major part in the Ukraine war, both for attacks but also for reconnaissance amid fierce artillery battles.
1:40 p.m. China's Belt and Road Initiative is key to promoting cooperation in the Eurasia region, Russian state news agencies cite Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying. "We consider this movement, this project, as an important part of promoting cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit throughout the Eurasian continent," Lavrov said after meeting his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing. Lavrov added that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is to visit Beijing this week , will discuss all aspects of bilateral cooperation with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calls the Belt and Road Initiative "an important part of promoting cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit throughout the Eurasian continent." © Reuters 7:00 a.m. A Russian governor was accused by critics on Sunday of "discrediting Russia's armed forces" after telling residents in her region that the country had "no need" for its war in Ukraine. Natalya Komarova, governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk region and a member of President Vladimir Putin's governing United Russia party, made the remarks during a meeting with residents in the Siberian city of Nizhnevartovsk on Saturday. Critics have called for authorities to launch an investigation into her remarks, but Komarova has not been detained or faced any charges so far.
Gov. Natalya Komarova of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area-Yugra at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia in June 2022. © Reuters Sunday, Oct. 15
3:30 p.m. Two civilians were killed in Russian attacks on the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on Saturday, the Donetsk region administration says. In one of its few offensives in months, Russia's military pressed on for a fifth day with assaults on Avdiivka, with shelling so fierce that emergency crews were unable to recover the dead from wrecked buildings. The administration of the Donetsk region said on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app that one more person was injured elsewhere in the region.
Saturday, Oct. 14
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet in Beijing on Oct. 13. © Reuters 2:30 p.m. Visiting European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Saturday he has urged China not to support Russia in its war against Ukraine by providing weapons or helping Moscow circumvent Western sanctions. Borrell, who is on a three-day China visit, also told a press conference he has asked Beijing to use its influence to make Russia go back to a grain deal initiative to allow the resumption of Ukraine grain exports via the Black Sea. "Otherwise, we will face another food crisis," he said, noting the war has sent "shock waves around the world." Moscow has pulled out of the grain deal mediated by Turkey and the United Nations.
11:30 a.m. Russian forces pounded the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka for the fourth day in a row on Friday. In Avdiivka, known for its large coking plant in Ukraine's Donbas industrial heartland, officials said the Russian assaults had left the already-gutted city in flames. "The fighting has been going on for four consecutive days," Vitaliy Barabash, head of the city's military administration, told Ukrainian national television. "They have substantial reserves of personnel and equipment. Avdiivka is completely ablaze. They shoot, using everything they have. The hospital is again under fire, as are administrative buildings and our volunteer center."
12:30 a.m. The Netherlands will deliver more Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mark Rutte says, according to Reuters.
"This winter, Russia will try to hurt Ukraine as much as possible. So the Netherlands will supply extra Patriot missiles so that Ukraine can defend itself against Russia's barbaric airstrikes," Rutte says, following a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Odesa, Ukraine.
Rutte says the Netherlands would also help Ukraine acquire patrol boats to help keep the shipping route for grain exports safe.
For earlier updates, click here .