Moldovans face stark choice between EU and Russia in critical electionMoldovans will head to the polls Sunday for a parliamentary election fraught with claims of Russian interference.The vote could decide the country’s geopolitical future: a stark choice between East and West.Landlocked between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, Moldova has pursued a westward path toward the EU in recent years, but Sunday’s ballot to elect a new 101-seat parliament will determine whether that continues or if the country of about 2.5 million people is pulled back into Moscow’s orbit.The race pits the ruling pro-Western Party of Action and Solidarity, which has held a strong parliamentary majority since 2021, against several key Russia-friendly opponents.If PAS fails to win a majority on Sunday, “It would mean an end to EU integration,” Igor Grosu said, the PAS leader and speaker of parliament. “It would mean dependence, halting all justice reforms, infrastructure projects, everything … there is no middle option.”(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)Athena Stavrou27 September 2025 11:17Denmark lies more than 1,000 miles from Russia – so why would it be the target of a ‘hybrid attack’?Athena Stavrou27 September 2025 10:55Russia says it has taken three more east Ukrainian villagesRussia’s Defence Ministry said on Saturday that its forces had taken three more villages in eastern Ukraine, amid a grinding Russian advance in the area.In a statement posted on Telegram, the ministry named the captured villages as Derylove and Maiske in Donetsk region, and Stepove in neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region.Athena Stavrou27 September 2025 10:19Ukrainian drones hit oil pumping station in Russia’s Chuvashia, governor saysA Russian oil pumping station has been hit by Ukrainian drones, an official has said.Work at the station in the Russian Volga riverside region of Chuvashia was halted after the strike on Saturday, regional governor Oleg Nikolaev said.Nikolaev said that the attack took place near the village of Konar, around 1200km from Ukrainian territory. He said there had been no casualties and only “minor damage” inflicted.Athena Stavrou27 September 2025 10:01Ex-Reform UK leader in Wales pleads guilty to Russian bribery chargesReform UK’s former leader in Wales has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to eight bribery charges while an elected member of the European parliament.The charges stated that Nathan Gill, as an elected member of the European parliament for the constituency of Wales in the UK, “agreed to receive financial advantage, namely money”, which constituted “the improper performance” as the holder of an elected office.Ex-Reform UK leader in Wales Nathan Gill arrives at the Old Bailey (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)At his last court appearance, it was alleged that the 52-year-old made statements in the European parliament and in opinion pieces to news outlets, such as 112 Ukraine, which were “supportive of a particular narrative” that would “benefit Russia regarding events in Ukraine”.Shahana Yasmin27 September 2025 09:30King key influence on Trump’s U-turn on UkraineThe King is said to have been a vital influence on Donald Trump’s dramatic U-turn on the war in Ukraine.This week, Trump went from urging Kyiv to make territorial concessions to insisting it can win back all of the territory captured by Russia since 2022. President Zelensky’s chief of staff revealed the US President’s state visit to the UK played a huge role in his change of position.Asked whether the Ukrainian delegation had changed Mr Trump’s mind, Andriy Yermak, said: “I’d like to mention that it was a great visit of President Trump to the United Kingdom, and I know the position of His Majesty, the position of Prime Minister Starmer and the people whom President Trump met… it was very important.”(PA)The King mentioned the war in Ukraine as he addressed the state dinner held in Mr Trump’s honour at Windsor Castle.“Our countries have the closest defence, security and intelligence relationship ever known,” Charles said.“In two world wars, we fought together to defeat the forces of tyranny. Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”Athena Stavrou27 September 2025 09:12Can Ukraine actually win the war? How Trump’s comments have rattled RussiaDonald Trump has made a unique and sudden intellectual contribution to the future of Ukraine and European defence, shifting the debate away from an assumption that Kyiv must negotiate or die, to a belief that it could destroy the Kremlin’s army.This remarkable volte-face is being seized upon in Europe with as much vigour as was evident in the effort to look away when Trump backed Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, or when he threatened to invade Denmark and Canada.Shahana Yasmin27 September 2025 08:30Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant faces record power outage, raising safety concernsExternal power to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been cut for over three days, a record outage that has prompted major safety fears.The plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, is running on emergency generators to power critical cooling systems after its last power line was severed on Tuesday.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called the situation “deeply concerning,” with experts warning of increased risks of a nuclear accident.While Russian operators claim they have enough diesel to power backup generators for 20 days, the IAEA has warned that the loss of external power heightens the risk of a nuclear accident. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (REUTERS)Shahana Yasmin27 September 2025 08:10Zelensky hints at targeting Russian power centers in retaliation for attacksVolodymyr Zelensky warned that if Russia won’t end the war, Kremlin officials “have to know where the bomb shelters are”.Zelensky told Axios that Ukraine “would not bomb civilians” but insisted Moscow’s centers of power could be targeted if attacks continue.“They have to know where the bomb shelters are. They need it. If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case,” he said.“They have to know that we in Ukraine, each day, we will answer. If they attack us, we will answer them.”Speaking after a meeting with Donald Trump, Zelensky said he requested a new weapons system, later confirmed by sources as the Tomahawk long‑range missile, that would push Vladimir Putin toward talks. Shahana Yasmin27 September 2025 07:50Can Ukraine regain all the land lost to Russia? Maps show huge scale of task despite Trump’s call to ‘fight and win’Donald Trump has claimed that Ukraine could win back all of the land captured by Russia since the beginning of its invasion in February 2022, in a major shift in his position on the war.The US president said in a Truth Social post that Kyiv’s military could win “all of Ukraine back in its original form”, adding that Putin and Russia are in “BIG economic trouble”.Military experts say Ukraine could push Russia back towards the border as it stood in 2022, and force Vladimir Putin to seek a peace deal – but only in the presence of a strict, and unlikely, set of conditions.The Independent asked three experts with knowledge of Russia’s military, its economy, and the front line in Ukraine whether Trump’s claim could be realised.Shahana Yasmin27 September 2025 07:30
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: King Charles ‘was key influence’ in Trump changing stance on Putin
