It is day 596 of the war in Ukraine. Russia launched at least 33 drones against Ukraine overnight; the Ukrainian Air Force managed to down 28 of them.
Debris from a drone shot down over Russia’s western Belgorod region killed three people and injured two others.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree forcing exporters to convert their foreign profits into rubles in an attempt to stabilise the currency.
The Dutch authorities are looking into whether Yango, a ride-hailing app run by Russian tech giant Yandex, has been providing its user data to the FSB.
Novaya-Europe’s news roundup will brief you on the main developments overnight.
Three killed in drone attack on Belgorod region, 28 drones downed in Ukraine
The debris from a drone that was shot down over Russia’s western Belgorod region overnight left three people dead and two others in a critical condition, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Thursday.
The shot down drone reportedly hit two residential buildings near the city of Belgorod. Three dead bodies, including one of a child, were pulled from the rubble, while several more houses and vehicles were also damaged.
The Russian military launched 33 Shahed drones at Ukrainian targets from the Belgorod region and annexed Crimea against Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on Thursday.
Air defence systems in at least six Ukrainian regions downed 28 drones, the Ukrainian Air Force reported, including 10 over the southwestern Odesa region, according to Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper, who added that one person had been injured in the attack. The drone reportedly damaged local seaport infrastructure and housing, causing fires.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of the southern Kherson region, reported that a local senior had been killed in shelling of the village of Chornobaivka, while two more were injured in the settlement of Bilozerka.
Putin signs decree forcing exporters to sell foreign currency profits
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree compelling Russian exporters to convert their foreign currency profits into rubles, the Russian government reported on Thursday.
The new regulation will apply to 43 companies in the fuel and energy sector, as well as in the metallurgy, chemical, timber and agriculture industries.
The companies will be forced to convert their foreign currency profits into rubles and report doing so to the Bank of Russia in an attempt to increase demand for the ruble and thus stabilise it.
Dutch authorities probe Yandex passing on user data to Russia’s FSB
The Dutch Data Protection Authority has confirmed it has opened an investigation into whether Yango, a ride-hailing app run by Russian tech giant Yandex, has been providing its user data to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
A new law granting the domestic security agency access to taxi app databases has been in force since 1 September.
Independent media outlet Meduza reported in August that all data on taxi journeys provided by Yandex in other countries was being stored in Russia. This prompted the Finnish authorities to open an investigation that revealed Yango’s European activities would not be subject to Russia’s recent legislation, although the Finnish authorities concluded the FSB would still be able to access user data.