Russian air defenses destroyed 73 Ukrainian drones overnight, including three heading for Moscow, Russia's defence ministry said on Friday.

In the last two months, dozens of Russian regions have been hit by cellphone connectivity outages. Officials say such disruptions are needed to foil Ukrainian drone attacks.

The European Union on Friday agreed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, including measures aimed at dealing further blows to the Russian oil and energy industry. The EU will set a moving price cap on Russian crude at 15% below its average market price,

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused "neocolonial" Western powers of modern "robbery and looting" in the pursuit of rare earth metals to gain an advantage in the artificial intelligence race.

The European Union is targeting Russia with more sanctions over its war on Ukraine. The aim is to deprive Moscow of energy revenue through a lower oil price cap and a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Crude oil futures held steady on Friday as mixed U.S. economic news offset worries the European Union's latest sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine could reduce oil supplies.

The 27-nation E.U. also approved a plan to lower the price cap on Russian crude oil and ban transactions with 22 more Russian banks.

Former Russian President Medvedev calls for preemptive strikes while Trump gives Putin a 50-day ultimatum to reach peace with Ukraine or face sanctions.

US President Donald Trump’s 50-day pause ahead of possible secondary sanctions on Russia gifts the Kremlin a window to exploit the incremental gains of recent weeks in Ukraine’s east.

President Trump’s plan to impose a 100 percent tariff on Russian goods could raise the cost of urea, a key fertilizer in corn and other row crops.

The Russian customs agency said it detained a dual U.S.-Russian citizen at an airport in Moscow after she was found with a gun and a bank check for $138,000.