Ukraine war briefing: New Hungary PM signals shift away from Kremlin after massive drone attack on Ukraine

Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar says his new government has summoned the Russian ambassador over a massive drone attack near Hungary’s border in a significant shift from his predecessor’s friendly relations with Moscow. “The Hungarian government strongly condemns the Russian attack on Transcarpathia,” Magyar told journalists. He said the Hungarian foreign minister will speak with the Russian ambassador Thursday morning. Under the outgoing government voted out of office this month, Hungary blocked aid for Ukraine and tried to slow its efforts to join the EU.

Magyar said his foreign minister will ask “when Russia and Vladimir Putin plan to finally end this bloody war”. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy replied on X: “Thank you for your compassion and strong position!”

Russia fired at least 800 drones in a massive daytime barrage on about 20 regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, Peter Beaumont writes. The strikes came as Kyiv and Moscow traded long-range attacks after a brief ceasefire. Ukrainian monitors detected at least eight salvoes of Russian drones, including some entering from Belarus, with the apparent target being Kyiv’s critical infrastructure. Poland scrambled fighter jets as a preventive measure due to the Russian airstrikes on Ukraine, the Polish army said.

Moscow doubled down and launched a fresh wave of attacks on Kyiv early on Thursday morning, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. He said loud explosions were being reported across the city. Ukraine’s air force said Russian missiles were targeting Ukraine’s capital in a sustained assault.

The governors of two Russian regions bordering Ukraine, both frequent targets of Ukrainian attacks, have stepped down and their replacements met with President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod Region, and Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Bryansk Region, both stepped down at their own request, the Kremlin said. Russian media said Alexander Shuvaev, a highly decorated veteran, is the new governor of Belgorod, and Yegor Kovalchuk, a banking, legal and administrative specialist, has become governor of Bryansk.

The governor of the border region of Kursk, another Russian border region, Alexei Smirnov, was dismissed after a mass incursion by Ukrainian forces in 2024 and jailed earlier this year on corruption charges. There was no word on any future duties for the two outgoing governors.

Supporters of a bill in the US to aid Ukraine and sanction Russia have reached a critical threshold that allows them to bypass Republican leadership and force a vote on the House floor in the coming weeks. The legislation seeks to cement US assistance for Ukraine by approving more than $1bn in security aid and making another $8bn available in loans. Lawmakers on Wednesday gained 218 signatures on a petition that will force a House vote. While the measure is unlikely to become law, the vote will put lawmakers on record concerning their support for Ukraine. Supporters have called on Donald Trump to act more forcefully to deter Russia and boost Ukraine.

Moscow authorities have imposed restrictions on the publication of photos and videos showing the aftermath of “terrorist attacks”, including drone strikes, the mayor’s office said. The directive was aimed at “preventing the dissemination of unreliable information”, a government website said. It prevents media, as well as individuals and emergency services, from publishing any pictures or videos of “terrorist acts, including drone attacks” until they appear on websites of the Defence Ministry or city government.

Russia’s repeated airspace violations of countries on the eastern flank of Nato underline the urgent need to consolidate the alliance’s air defences against missiles and drones, the leaders of 14 allies said on Wednesday. They also called for greater cooperation in building up defence industry capacity in a joint statement, issued after a meeting of eastern flank allies in Bucharest hosted by Romania’s president Nicusor Dan and Polish president Karol Nawrocki. Romania, Poland and Baltic states have had their airspace repeatedly breached by Russian drones. Russia has denied targeting Nato states.