Russia likely used shadow ships to launch drones over Europe that repeatedly disrupted civilian aviation, as it monitored military sites and tested the air defenses of NATO nations, according to a report published Thursday by the International Institute of Strategic Studies think tank.

Ukraine’s U.N. ambassador called Russia a “pariah state" after Moscow launched one of its heaviest overnight attacks on Kyiv, killing at least 18 people and wounding more than 90 people.

Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine's capital overnight into Thursday that killed at least eight people and injured dozens as loud explosions shook Kyiv for hours.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, writing on Telegram, said the hotel roof was on fire.

Afghanistan’s Taliban said they launched airstrikes into Pakistani territory, while Islamabad said its forces had intercepted and shot down four rudimentary drones in the southern resource-rich province of Balochistan.

Iran has said it will meet with Qatari mediators today to discuss negotiations with the United States, after Tehran and Washington agreed to a memorandum of understanding to halt the Middle East war.