Russian soldier Dmitry Kurashov, accused of executing a Ukrainian prisoner of war, at his court hearing in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, November 6, 2025 (Reuters)

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UPDATE 1143 GMT:

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says repeated drone sightings in Belgian airspace are “likely connected with the fight over the use of Russian frozen assets held by Belgium”.

European leaders are considering a €140 billion “reparations loan”, supported by the frozen assets, for Ukraine. Agreement has been held up by Belgium, which holds €183 billion of the Russian Central Bank assets at Euroclear – 86% of all Russian State assets in the EU and almost 70% of the worldwide total.

Brussels and Liège airports in Belgium were disrupted again overnight once again over the suspected drone sightings, hours after the Belgian Government’s National Security Council discussed its response to the threat.

Pistorius warned that Russia continues to seek to “sow doubt, divide us, and influence elections”. He said “these are no longer abstract scenarios” as Russia “will not relent in its attempt to forcibly redraw borders”.

UPDATE 1135 GMT:

The European Commission has adopted stricter rules for issuing visas to Russian nationals amid “increased security risks stemming from Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine”.

“Russian nationals will no longer be able to receive multiple-entry visas,” the Commission said. They will have to apply individually every time they plan to travel to the European Union.

All applications made by Russian nationals will also be subject to “enhanced verification procedures and elevated levels of scrutiny”.

The goal is to mitigate threats to public policy and internal security while allowing exceptions for limited and justified cases such as independent journalists and human rights defenders, ensuring uniform application across Member States and preventing circumvention.

UPDATE 0625 GMT:

Swiss commodity trader Gunvor has withdrawn its proposal to buy the foreign assets of Russian energy company Lukoil after the US Treasury opposed the deal.

The Treasury said the Swiss firm was Moscow’s “puppet”.

Last month the US sanctioned Lukoil and Russian State energy giant Rosneft, with secondary sanctions on any entity transacting with them.

UPDATE 0616 GMT:

Sweden and Ukraine have signed a letter of intent to establish a hub in Ukrainian territory for the development of new weapons technologies.

Last month the two countries signed a letter of intent on aviation cooperation, which could lead to Ukraine obtaining up to 150 of Sweden’s Gripen E fighter jets.

Swedish Foreign Minister Pål Jonson posted Thursday:

ORIGINAL ENTRY: For the first time, a Ukrainian court has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for the killing of a prisoner of war.

Dmitry Kurashov, 27, was accused of the summary execution of Vitaly Hodniuk, 41, a Ukrainian soldier who had laid down his weapons and was surrendering.

Testimony was given by members of Kurashov’s unit. The commander said they were instructed during training, not to take Ukrainian soldiers prisoner./p>

Hodniuk served in the Ukraine Armed Forces from 2015 to 2020 in the Donbas in the east. He enlisted in the Territorial Defense after Russia’s full-scale invasion but had only arrived at the frontline position, in the Zaporizhzhia region, the day before his position was attacked in the early morning of January 6, 2024.

Ukrainian forces found Hodniuk’s body, face down and unarmed, when they regained the area. They took Kurashov and took at least three others from the Russian assault unit prisoner.

Kurashov initially admitted the charges but then told journalists that he did so to get a quick conviction so he could be part of a prisoner exchange. He claimed that another Russian soldier, who was subsequently slain, killed Hodniuk; however, this was denied by another member of his unit.

The Ukraine Prosecutor General’s office says criminal investigations are underway into the murder of 322 Ukrainian military personnel who had unconditionally laid down their arms and/or surrendered during the Russian invasion.