Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin using shadow fleet to launch drones to attack Europe, says Zelensky

Russian officials in Crimea are checking the phones of school students for content and settings that might give away a pro-Ukrainian stance, officials said.

Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation said the occupying authorities are doing this to build ideological pressure on students.

“Activists of Ukrainian movements in the temporarily occupied territories report that in schools in Crimea, representatives of the occupation administration together with Russian military personnel are checking children’s mobile phones – searching for banned apps, VPN services, and even the Ukrainian language in the settings,” the centre said on their Telegram channel.

The act of checking schoolchildren’s phones is not “concern for security” but a systematic attempt to intimidate children and impose loyalty to the Russian regime, the centre said.

It added: “Such ‘raids’ are another tool of total control and ideological pressure. The occupiers seek to eradicate any manifestations of Ukrainian identity.

Britain’s shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge has accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of “blaming Nato for provoking Putin”.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference, Mr Cartlidge said: “There are those who claim that Nigel Farage’s party are the true conservatives, but let us remind ourselves what happened when Putin launched his all-out invasion.

“On that day, what did Farage do? Whose side was he on as our continent was suddenly threatened with war for the first time since 1945? That day, he chose to blame Nato for provoking Putin.”

Farage has previously faced criticism for suggesting that the eastwards expansion of Nato was responsible for Russia’s invasion, rather than Putin’s imperialist ambitions.

The 63rd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Army posted a video on Telegram showing a man calling himself Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein in its custody. The man claims to be a 22-year-old from Morbi in the western state of Gujarat.

In the one minute and 45 second-video, Mr Hussein – wearing a red T-shirt and speaking in Russian – claims he was sent to fight in Ukraine after being convicted on drug charges in Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia is using tankers from its “shadow fleet” to “conduct sabotage and destabilising operations in Europe” citing intelligence reports.

But what is this shadow fleet?

The shadow fleet is made up of ageing tankers bought second-hand, often by nontransparent entities with addresses in non-sanctioning countries such as the United Arab Emirates or the Marshall Islands, and flagged in places like Gabon or the Cook Islands. It is claimed that some of the vessels are owned by the Russian state-run Sovcomflot shipping company, which is denied by the company.

Estimates vary, but S&P Global and the Kyiv School of Economics Institute have put the number at over 400 ships that can transport oil, or products made from crude such as diesel fuel and gasoline.

Last week, French president Emmanuel Macron accused an oil tanker off the nation’s coast of “very serious wrongdoings,” linking it to Russia’s “shadow fleet” circumventing Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.

The vessel, whose current status remains unclear, was previously sighted off the Danish coast last week, where European naval experts suggested its potential involvement in drone flights.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine’s partners should respond to Russia’s use of its shadow fleet to destabilise Europe.

“The Head of Foreign Intelligence reported in detail on how the Russians are utilising tankers of their “shadow fleet” – not only to finance the war, but also for sabotage and various destabilisation attempts in Europe.

Recent launches of drones from tankers are one such example,” he said.

Zelensky added: “We share the information we have with our partners, and it is crucial that they take tangible steps in response to Russia. We are working toward this at all levels, and there will be further meetings and negotiations with partners, both public and behind closed doors.”

Ukraine is convincing its allies to “not to hold back on determination”, he said.

“The Russians must know that none of their destructive actions – all the vile things they do – will go unanswered by the world,” he said.

Russia’s air defence units destroyed 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, its defence ministry said this morning.

Nearly half of these were downed in the regions on the border between Russia and Ukraine, the defence ministry said.

The drones did not appear to target Moscow, according to the preliminary reports from the Russian defence ministry.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin and said diplomatic initiatives need to gain momentum to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Ukraine-Russia war, Erdogan’s office said.

The statement cited Erdogan as saying Turkey will continue to work for peace.

It said bilateral relations and regional and global issues, including Turkey’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, were also discussed on the call yesterday.

Vladimir Putin has claimed Ukrainian forces are retreating and that Russia holds the initiative in its invasion of its European neighbour.

Describing seizing Ukrainian territory as “liberation”, he boasted of Russia’s military successes this year at a meeting in St Petersburg.

According to a Kremlin transcript, he said: “At this time, the Russian armed forces fully hold the strategic initiative.

“This year, we have liberated nearly 5,000 square km of territory – 4,900 – and 212 localities.

“Ukrainian forces, he said, “are retreating throughout the line of combat contact, despite attempts at fierce resistance.”

His comments were echoed by General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, who told the meeting of top commanders that his troops were “advancing in practically all directions.”

Ukrainian forces, he said, were focused on slowing the Russian advance.

Gerasimov, overall commander of Russia’s war effort, said the heaviest fighting was gripping Pokrovsk and areas towards Dnipropetrovsk.