Missile strikes hit Kiev as Ukraine, Russia trade cross-border attacks

Russian overnight missile strikes hit several districts in Kiev, Ukrainian officials reported early Wednesday, as both sides confirmed cross-border attacks in the latest flare-up of the conflict.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said fires broke out after debris from destroyed air weapons fell across the capital, igniting cars and shattering windows. No casualties were reported, he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine's military said late Tuesday it had struck a chemical plant in western Russia's Bryansk region, a key site for gunpowder, explosives and rocket fuel.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday afternoon in a Telegram post that its air defenses destroyed 137 Ukrainian drones. Of these, 57 drones were downed over the Bryansk region, while no injuries or damage were reported, according to regional governor Alexander Bogomaz.

U.S. sanctions Russia's top 2 oil producers to press for ceasefire in Ukraine

U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday announced sanctions on Russia's two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, in a bid to pressure Moscow to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

"Now is the time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was cited in a statement as saying.

Bessent said U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is prepared to take further action if necessary, while urging U.S. allies to join in and adhere to U.S. sanctions on Russia.

The Louvre reopens 3 days after jewelry theft

The Louvre Museum reopened to visitors on Wednesday morning, three days after a jewelry theft that caused extensive losses.

The museum said the Apollo Gallery, where Sunday's theft occurred, remains closed.

Meanwhile, jewelry stolen from the museum is estimated to be worth nearly 90 million euros, Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Tuesday.

"The damage has been estimated by the Louvre curator at 88 million euros (about 102 million U.S. dollars), an extremely spectacular amount that has no equivalent and cannot be compared with the historical loss," Beccuau told RTL radio.

Russia conducts strategic nuclear forces drill

Russia conducted a strategic nuclear forces exercise overseen by President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

According to the official statement, the training involved all three components of Russia's nuclear triad in the land, sea and air. During the exercise, practical launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and air-launched cruise missiles were carried out.

The exercise involved the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome toward the Kura range in Kamchatka, and a Sineva ballistic missile from the strategic nuclear-powered submarine Bryansk in the Barents Sea.

Hezbollah member killed in Israeli drone strike on S. Lebanon

A Hezbollah member was killed Wednesday in an Israeli drone strike targeting southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese and Israeli sources.

According to Lebanon's official National News Agency, the strike hit the motorcycle of Issa Ahmad Karbala when he was on his way to visit his son's grave in the town of Ain Qana, Iqlim al-Tuffah district. The strike killed him and set his motorcycle on fire.

In a statement, Hezbollah confirmed Karbala's death and mourned his loss.