Thousands of protesters in the Slovak capital held banners and chanted slogans on Friday accusing Prime Minister Robert Fico of dragging the country towards Russia after he met President Vladimir Putin last month amid a gas dispute with Ukraine.

Thousands of Slovaks have taken to the streets as protests against the pro-Russia policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico spread from Slovakia's capital to towns and cities across the country

Protesters gathered in Bratislava and other Slovak cities on Friday to rally against the government's drive to seek closer ties with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones "overloaded" Russian air defenses, with a Neptune missile hitting the site shortly after, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent.

The operation involved Ukraine’s SBU Security Service and the Ukrainian Navy. Initially, SBU drones "overloaded" the Russian air defense systems, followed by a Neptune missile strike on the target. Read also: Ukraine scales up Neptune missile production — Defense Minister Throughout the night,

The Japanese government introduced on Friday a new set of sanctions against Russia and other foreign entities in response to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Foreign