Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of the European Political Community summit, Yerevan, Armenia, May 3, 2026

Sunday’s Coverage: Russian Drone Strikes on Kyiv

UPDATE 0636 GMT:

The Financial Times reports that Russian authorities have stepped up security protocols for Vladimir Putin as he grows more isolated and absorbed by his invasion of Ukraine.

The FT’s sources say Putin is spending more time in underground bunkers, fearing a coup or assassination attempt involving drones.

A “person familiar with Putin“ referred to an audacious Ukrainian operation last June in which 117 drones struck warplanes on five airbases deep inside Russia: “The shock of Operation Spiderweb is still there.”

A second source said fears have been raised by the US abduction of President Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela in January.

Putin has cut back his visits and tightened security checks for anyone meeting him in person. He and his family have stopped visiting their residences in the Moscow region and in Valdai in northwest Russia. Instead, the Russian leader spends extended periods in bunkers, including in Krasnodar Krai in southwest Russia.

Federal Protective Service (agents are conducting large-scale checks with dog units and are stationed along the banks of the Moscow River to respond to potential drone attacks. Staff in Putin’s immediate circle, including cooks, photographers, and bodyguards, have been forbidden from using public transport, mobile phones, or internet-enabled devices in his presence. Surveillance systems have been installed in their homes.

The Financial Times also reports that recent Internet shutdowns in Moscow are partly linked to Putin’s security and anti-drone protection measures.

UPDATE 0625 GMT:

Nineteen Peruvian citizens lured to Russia and sent to fight in Ukraine have returned home.

Diplomats said six more will arrive in Peru on Monday. Two citizens who sought support from the Peruvian Embassy in Moscow are still awaiting repatriation under diplomatic protection.

In early May, the Peruvian prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation into human trafficking after receiving hundreds of reports from citizens about missing relatives in Russia.

Lawyers said Peruvians were lured to Russia with promises of work as security guards, engineers, cooks, and taxi drivers. The men were later forced to sign contracts in Russian, had their documents confiscated, and sent to Russia for short military training and then the frontline in Ukraine.

UPDATE 0604 GMT:

Sweden seized a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Baltic Sea.

The Swedish Coast Guard said that, with Swedish Police, it boarded the Jin Hui, a “tanker sailing under a suspected false flag”.

“A preliminary investigation is underway. The vessel is suspected of being in violation of maritime law due to a lack of seaworthiness,” the Coast Guard said.

The interception is the fifth by Sweden in recent months.

UPDATE 0559 GMT:

Ukrainian drones have struck a high-rise residential complex in Moscow.

Residents reported loud explosions in the Russian capital soon after 1 a.m. Photos showed damage to the upper floor of the Mosfilm Tower, a luxury building located west of the city center. Drone debris was seen scattered in the street below as emergency crews worked on the scene.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said there were no casualties.

The Tower. close to embassies and diplomatic residences is around 7 km (4.3 miles) west of the Kremlin and Red Square and 3 km (1.9 miles) from the Russian Defense Ministry.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending a summit of the European Political Community for the first time.

Zelensky arrived in Armenia on Sunday for today’s gathering of 48 nations, which includes 27 European Union members and other countries including Turkey and Azerbaijan. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will also attend, the first time that a non-European leader has participated.

The EPC was established soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, first convening in October 2022 in Prague.

Zelensky held preparatory meetings on Sunday with leaders of Norway, Finland, the UK, and Czechia.

The President set three objectives for today: bring “a dignified end to the war closer”; implementing the €90 billion European Union loan to Kyiv, approved last month; and strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and energy sector.