Ukraine's military

In a dramatic revelation, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has disclosed the thwarting of a sinister plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with other high-ranking officials of the country.

Ukraine's military announced the destruction of a Russian Tu-22 strategic bomber, allegedly involved in nighttime airstrikes targeting Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed into law a controversial mobilisation bill aimed at boosting troop numbers, parliament said Tuesday.

The parliament's website said the bill had been "returned with the signature of the President" on April 16, after receiving final approval from lawmakers last week.

Turkish defense company Baykar has started building a factory near Kyiv that will employ around 500 people and where it will manufacture either its TB2 or TB3 drone models, the company's chief executive told Reuters.

Ukraine's military raised air alerts nationwide on Tuesday, warning there was a threat of missile strikes from Russian bombers.

"Missile danger in areas where the air alert is on! Threat of launching cruise missiles from Tu-95MS aircraft. A total of 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air," the air force said on Telegram.

Russia launched a massive air attack over Ukraine on Friday, killing at least 30 people and wounding scores across the country in the fiercest assault since the first days of the war nearly two years ago.

Schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades and blocks of flats were among the buildings hit in the barrage, said Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine's military said it has shot down three Russian fighter-bombers in the south of the country.

Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said the Su-34 jets were downed around noon on Friday.

In his nightly address on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the soldiers who shot down the Russian fighters in the Kherson region.

Day 580 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

At a long-closed crossing point from Ukraine to Belarus, Oleg, a camouflage-clad guard carrying a Kalashnikov, says he has seen no sign of Wagner mercenaries across the border, some 150 metres away.

Kuwait has concluded a contract worth $367 million with Turkish defence firm Baykar to buy its TB2 drones through direct negotiations between the two governments, the Kuwaiti army said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement did not reveal how many drones would be delivered to Kuwait or when.