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.

Russia accused Ukraine on Friday of carrying out a missile strike on a supermarket in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Denis Pushilin, who heads the parts of Donetsk region controlled by Russia,

Russia accused Ukraine of conducting a deadly missile strike Friday on a supermarket in the Moscow-controlled city of Donetsk, while Kyiv reported a massive wave of Russian drone attacks on several regions and fierce fighting near the strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.

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