The UAV was flying towards the Russian border without an active transponder, in clear violation of international norms, stressing that the drone went down after stalling and never came into contact with another aircraft.

Russia's defense minister visits the country’s troops in a rare visit at the front line in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has dismissed media speculations about a possible deployment of nuclear or chemical weapons in Ukraine, saying Moscow has “no need” to use its nuclear arsenal to achieve its goals in the conflict.