Russia drone barrage sparks fire in western Ukraine

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, a Russian serviceman prepares a "Orlan-10" drone in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
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Updated 23 October 2025
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Russia drone barrage sparks fire in western Ukraine

KYIV: A barrage of more than 100 Russian drones sparked a fire at an industrial facility in western Ukraine and damaged residential buildings in other regions, Ukrainian officials said Monday.
The Ukrainian airforce said Moscow had dispatched 104 drones, including attack drones, and that 57 of the unmanned aerial vehicles had been shot down.
Emergency services in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region said the strikes had resulted in two fires at an industrial facility, and that firefighters were working to extinguish one.
They did not specify the type of facility hit but said there were no casualties.
The airforce said there was damage in four Ukrainian regions including Kyiv, where AFP journalists heard drones flying overhead and air defense systems countering the attack.


King Charles’ brother Andrew leaves Windsor home after latest Epstein revelations

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King Charles’ brother Andrew leaves Windsor home after latest Epstein revelations

  • Former prince will now live on king’s Norfolk estate
  • Sun newspaper says ‘humiliating’ move took place at night
LONDON: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles, has moved out of his mansion on the royal estate in Windsor, a royal source confirmed on Wednesday, following new damaging revelations about his links to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
His exit from Royal Lodge, his home for decades, marks a new low for the former prince, following years of scrutiny over his connections to Epstein, a scandal that has cast a shadow over Britain’s royal family.
Mountbatten-Windsor, 65, had hoped to stay at the 30-room Georgian mansion for longer, the Sun newspaper said, but he moved under the cover of darkness on Monday and was driven ‌to a cottage ‌in Sandringham, the king’s estate in Norfolk, in eastern England.
No more ‌Windsor ⁠horse rides
The royal, ‌who had in recent days been pictured riding his horse in Windsor, just west of London, has always denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
But in light of the latest release of files by the US Justice Department, Thames Valley Police on Tuesday said they were reviewing a new allegation against Andrew.
The former prince’s move to Norfolk was confirmed by a royal source, who said Andrew might occasionally return to Windsor in the coming weeks while a transitionary phase was completed.
“With the latest batch ⁠of Epstein files it was made clear to him that it was time to go,” the Sun quoted an unnamed friend ‌as saying. “Leaving was so humiliating for him that he chose ‍to do it under the cover of darkness.”
Mountbatten-Windsor, ‍the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, was removed from public life when he ‍was forced to quit all official royal duties in 2019.
Three years later, he settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre which accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager and, while he has always denied her account, it gained prominence again last year with the release of her posthumous memoir.
Further releases of Epstein files in the US last year forced Charles to act and, seeking a clean break for the monarchy in October, he stripped Andrew of his title ⁠of prince and said he would be removed from Royal Lodge, in one of the most dramatic moves against a member of the royal family in modern British history.
The king said his sympathy was with the victims of abuse.
Police investigate latest Epstein files
Amid the fallout from the release of the latest trove of millions of files related to Epstein, British police on Tuesday also launched an investigation into Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, over alleged misconduct in public office, following allegations that he leaked market-sensitive information to Epstein.
The files included emails suggesting that Mountbatten-Windsor had maintained regular contact with Epstein for more than two years after he was found guilty of child sex crimes.
He had previously denied maintaining ties with the financier after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, apart from a 2010 visit to New York ‌to end their relationship.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday that the former prince should testify before a US congressional committee, following the new revelations.