Russia fired its biggest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine early Sunday, killing two people and setting the seat of the Ukrainian government in Kyiv ablaze in an attack President Volodymyr Zelensky warned would prolong the war.

An AFP reporter saw the roof of Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers in flames and smoke billowing over the capital.

Drone strikes also damaged several high-rise buildings in Kyiv, according to emergency services.

Russia has shown no sign of halting its three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine, pushing hardline demands for ending the war despite efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal.

Residents in Kyiv spoke of their frustration following the strikes.

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“This is already routine for us, unfortunately,” Olga, a 30-year-old resident of a damaged building, told AFP.

The Russians first “grab they Shaheds (Iranian-designed drones), then the rockets come,” she said.

The attack on Sunday was the first to hit Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers, a sprawling government complex at the heart of Kyiv.

An AFP reporter saw helicopters dropping what appeared to be buckets of water over its roof, as emergency services rushed to the scene.

“Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and transport infrastructure” in the attack, without mentioning the government building.

Police cordoned off the area surrounding the building, the roof and upper floors of which sustained damage.

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“We will restore the buildings. But we cannot bring back lost lives. The enemy terrorises and kills our people every day throughout the country,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

Russia fired at least 810 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine between late Saturday and early Sunday, in a new record, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Zelensky said emergency services were working across the country.

“Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war,” he said on Facebook.

The attack drew condemnation from European leaders, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

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“Once again, the Kremlin is mocking diplomacy,” von der Leyen wrote on X.

Strike kills six

AFP reporters heard explosions over the capital early Sunday.

A strike on a nine-story residential building in the west of Kyiv killed at least two people, a mother and her two-month-old son, prosecutors said.

More than a dozen others were wounded in Kyiv, according to the emergency service.

Among them was a 24-year-old pregnant woman, who delivered a premature baby shortly after the attack, and doctors were fighting for her life and that of her baby, state TV Suspilne reported.

Four more died, and dozens of others were wounded in overnight strikes across the country’s east and southeast, authorities said.

The attack also killed seven horses at an equestrian club in Kyiv’s suburbs, according to Ukraine’s foreign ministry.

READ ALSO:Russian Politicians Mock European Leaders After White House, Ukraine Talks

“The world cannot stand aside while a terrorist state takes lives—human or animal—every single day,” it wrote on X.

The barrage came after more than two dozen European countries pledged to patrol any agreement to end the war, some of whom said they were willing to deploy troops on the ground.

Kyiv insists on Western-backed security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks, but President Vladimir Putin warns that any Western troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable and legitimate targets.

Efforts in recent weeks by US President Donald Trump to end the war have so far yielded little progress.

Meantime, on the front line in the east, Moscow continued to claim territory in costly grinding battles, capturing another village in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia occupies around 20 per cent of the country in total.

Tens of thousands have been killed in three-and-a-half years of fighting, which has forced millions from their homes and destroyed much of eastern and southern Ukraine in Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

AFP

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled an international drug cartel operating between Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, arresting three kingpins and intercepting narcotics worth over ₦6.4 billion.

The NDLEA, in a statement signed by its Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and released on Sunday in Abuja, disclosed that the operation began on August 26, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, when its officers intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney, Australia.

“Concealed within were 16 blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9kg, hidden alongside local charms allegedly intended to shield traffickers from detection,” the statement noted.

A freight agent, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was arrested in connection with the consignment, which NDLEA said carried a street value of over AU$5.3 million (₦5.3bn).

READ ALSO:NDLEA Nabs Wanted Drug Kingpin With 11.6kg Cocaine, Meth After Seven Years

Subsequent investigations led to the arrests of Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, identified as the syndicate’s Nigerian coordinator, and Shola Adegoke, another senior member.

Ogunbiyi was picked up in Ikeja GRA on September 3, with officers later recovering 21 parcels of Canadian Loud cannabis, a pump-action rifle and cartridges from his Lekki residence.

Adegoke was arrested at a packaging house in Ikeja GRA, where officers also recovered 9.6kg of Loud from a Range Rover SUV.

NDLEA disclosed that Adegoke had previously served a jail term in the UK for methamphetamine trafficking, while Ogunbiyi had completed a 14-year sentence in Britain for murder.

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The agency further identified Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, alias Mr Bee, currently based in Dubai, as the cartel’s overall leader managing overseas operations.

The statement further stated that the NDLEA operatives intercepted other shipments across the country.

“At Onne Port, Rivers State, a joint NDLEA–Customs operation uncovered 160,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup hidden in ceramic sanitary wares, with an estimated street value of ₦1.1bn.

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“In separate raids, officers seized hundreds of kilogrammes of cannabis, Colorado and Loud in Lagos, Abuja, Kogi, Edo, Kaduna, Anambra, Niger and Taraba. Notably, 625kg of cannabis was recovered in Surulere, Lagos, while 18.7 tonnes of skunk were destroyed on two plantations in Taraba.

“Also at Lagos airport, Milan-based Nigerian Gabriel Michael was arrested attempting to smuggle 24,480 tramadol tablets to Italy. He told investigators the pills were meant to fetch €19,520”.

The NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd) commended the operatives involved and urged continued vigilance under the agency’s “balanced approach” of enforcement and its War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaigns.

The Nigeria Customs Service Board has approved a formal de-minimis threshold of $300 for low-value consignments imported via express shipments and passenger baggage.

The board said the move is intended to simplify clearance, boost e-commerce and reduce delays at ports and entry points.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the National Public Relations Officer for Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, seen on its website, the decision was reached at the board’s 63rd regular meeting held on September 2 and takes effect on Monday, September 8, 2025.

Under the new rule, goods valued at $300 or less, provided they are not prohibited or restricted items, will be exempt from customs duties and related taxes.

READ ALSO:Customs Seize N905m Rolls Royce, Other Contrabands In Ogun

The exemption will apply to low-value imports, e-commerce consignments and passenger baggage but is limited to four importations per person per year.

“De Minimis threshold is the value below which imported goods are exempted from payment of customs duties and related taxes established by the national legislation,” Customs said.

“After a comprehensive review of similar practices across continents, the Board approved $300 as Nigeria’s official De Minimis threshold. This exemption will apply to low-value imports, e-commerce consignments, and passenger baggage.

“The threshold, which is restricted to four importations per annum, aligns with Section 5(c & d), Section 158 subsections (5 & 6), and other relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, as well as international instruments, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Revised Kyoto Convention.”

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To guard against abuse, the Service said strict enforcement measures will apply to anyone who manipulates invoices or seeks to evade duties.

Penalties may include forfeiture, arrest and other sanctions under the NCS Act, 2023.

The Service also pledged to set up multi-channel helpdesk platforms to guide stakeholders, address inquiries and resolve complaints during implementation.

“This initiative is expected to stimulate cross-border e-commerce, minimise clearance delays, and further consolidate Nigeria’s position as a regional leader in trade facilitation,” the statement added.

READ ALSO:Customs Intercepts N1.7bn Falsely Declared Goods Across South-West Zone

Demotion of two officers

In another development, the board said it has reviewed recent disciplinary cases of some officers accused of misconduct in viral social-media videos.

“After careful review, the Board approved the demotion of two officers to the next lower rank, while also granting reinstatement to two officers whose cases were favourably reconsidered.

“In addition to their demotion, the two sanctioned officers must undergo a mandatory medical re-evaluation by a medical board to determine their fitness to remain in the service and serve as a deterrent to other officers,” Customs declared.

It warned all personnel against the abuse of banned substances and other unethical behaviour, reiterating the Service’s commitment to accountability and integrity.