In a video address released on the anniversary of Russia's controversial announcement it was annexing 4 parts of Ukraine, Putin said the choice to join Russia was reinforced by local elections.
Russia launched six Iranian-made Shahed drones and 10 cruise missiles, with Ukraine's forces destroying six drones and six missiles before they hit their target, the Air Force said.
Russia and Ukraine have conducted regular exchanges of prisoners of war, as well as the bodies of dead soldiers, since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ahead of Rosh Hashanah Israelis take trains from Poland to reach Uman in Ukraine.
During the operation there was a clash between Ukrainian special forces on boats and a Russian fighter jet, which was damaged and forced to retreat.
The founder and director of Jerusalem’s Israel Psychotrauma Center shares experiences of civilian and military trauma during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The bishops' statement said they told the pope that certain statements and gestures of "the Holy See and Your Holiness are painful and difficult for the Ukrainian people."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, saying it killed at least 16 people, including a child, and wounded many more.
The tank, one of 14 supplied to Ukraine by the British in January, was seen in videos online burning by the side of a road in the recently liberated town of Robotyne.