Car bomb kills Russian ammunition chief as fuel shortages spark panic buying and EU expands sanctions

A car bomb detonated in Balashikha, a suburb of Moscow, killing the driver and Damir Davydov, who headed the Russian defence ministry’s missile and artillery department responsible for heavy ammunition supplies. Authorities later defused a second car bomb in south-west Moscow. Russian officials have linked such attacks to Ukrainian security services, though responsibility has not been confirmed.

Fuel supplies in Russia’s Krasnodar region have been disrupted by recent Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure, leading the regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, to report a surge in gasoline purchases. "Against the backdrop of a difficult situation in neighbouring regions, many people decided to stock up on gasoline, which caused artificial panic buying," he said.

A Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fuel tank in the Millerovsky district of Rostov region, while a gas pipeline explosion in Dagestan’s Kizilyurt damaged a gas distribution station. Emergency services extinguished a fire at an oil depot in Ust-Labinsk after a drone strike earlier in the week.

In Brussels, the European Commission outlined additional sanctions that would ban Russian soldiers from entering EU member states, extend a price cap on Russian oil, add more tankers to a blacklist, and target banks, cryptocurrency firms and oil traders linked to Russia. The proposals also include restrictions on Russian fish, metals, ores and automotive parts, as well as export controls on aerospace-related metals and alloys.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that negotiations for Ukraine’s EU accession will begin with chapters on the rule of law and democratic standards. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a visit to Estonia, pledged to provide low-cost drone defence systems, citing previous success in the Middle East.

Separately, Bulgaria’s new defence minister, Dimitar Stoyanov, announced that the country will cease arms deliveries to Ukraine and called for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv to end the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied any plans for a call between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin, and said the EU is not prepared to mediate peace efforts.