Russia's war on Ukraine latest news: Kyiv hit by drones as Putin heads to Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to head to Belarus on Monday, fuelling Ukrainian fears he intended to pressure his ally to join a new offensive, as Russian drones attacked Kyiv in the latest assault targeting key infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said. BELARUS - NEW FRONT?

Russian President Vladimir

Putin was due to head to Belarus on Monday, fuelling Ukrainian fears he intended to pressure his ally to join a new offensive, as Russian drones attacked Kyiv in the latest assault targeting key infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.

BELARUS - NEW FRONT? * Russian troops that were moved to Belarus in October to become part of a regional formation will conduct battalion tactical exercises, the Russian Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing the Russian defence ministry.

* Putin's visit to Belarus comes after the recent major battlefield setbacks for Moscow, stoking speculation that the former Soviet ally could reopen a new front against Ukraine. ECONOMY/DIPLOMACY

* Zelenskiy said on Sunday the world still had heard his call for a global peace summit, despite soccer governing body FIFA's decision to decline to allow a video message to be broadcast ahead of the soccer World Cup final in Qatar. * Veteran U.S. diplomat Henry Kissinger said the time was approaching for a negotiated peace in Ukraine to reduce the risk of another devastating world war, but Kyiv dismissed his comments as amounting to "appeasing the aggressor."

CONFLICT * Russia's latest attacks hit "critical infrastructure" in and around Kyiv early on Monday, Ukrainian authorities said.

* That followed Friday's 70 missile strikes in one of Russia's biggest assaults against Ukraine since the start of the war, Ukrainian officials said. * Reuters was not able to independently verify battlefield reports.

POWER Zelenskiy said

power had been restored to three million more Ukrainians after the latest Russian attacks on infrastructure, bringing the total to nine million after two days. PUSSY RIOT

* Members of Russia's Pussy Riot band were detained on Sunday after trying to storm the pitch at the World Cup final in Qatar to protest the war in Ukraine, the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the oppression of women in Iran, activists said.