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       Thousands gathered in central Bratislava over the weekend to protest the overhaul of the nation's public broadcaster RTVS. Protesters fear that the reform will put the channel under governmental control.

       The reform plan is to rename RTVS into STaR ("Slovak Television and Radio") and to dismiss most of its top management, including the head of the channel. A new boss is to be appointed by a council, elected partially by the Ministry of Culture and partially by the parliament, where the ruling coalition has the majority.

       People gather to take part in a protest against the government in Bratislava Jaroslav Novak/Tlacova agentura SR

       600 workers of RTVS signed a declaration against the reform.

       According to protesters, this is a direct violation of EU law, namely the European Media Freedom Act of 2022, which demands the transparent and impartial appointment of public broadcasters' management and clearly prohibits to fire already appointed functioneers before the end of their term.

       Michal ？ime？ka, leader of Progressive Slovakia (one of the parties who initiated the protests) claimed that this is exactly the way "all autocrats follow" and if Slovakia goes down this route, it will end up like Hungary, or even Belarus.

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       Estonian Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet resigned Saturday over a corruption allegation.

       The member of the ruling Reform party had allegedly been renting a Tallinn apartment from his stepson's company during his time in office and had the expenses reimbursed by the state. Since 2021, the total amount was about €12,000, according to local media.

       "To ensure legal clarity and the peaceful functioning of government, I decided today that I will not be continuing in office as the minister of justice," Laanet said.

       Laanet denies the allegations. He says he decided to resign to "protect his relatives from public attacks."

       Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has accepted Laanet's resignation and expressed gratitude for the minister's service. Laanet is expected to remain in office until President Alar Karis appoints a replacement.

       Laanet was Estonia's defence minster for a year until 2022. He became justice minister last April.

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       Ukraine launches far-ranging drone attacks on the final day of Russia's presidential vote.

       Ukraine launched a new massive wave of drone attacks Sunday as Russians cast ballots on the final day of a presidential vote set to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule for another six years.

       The Russian Defence Ministry reported downing 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, including four in the Moscow region.

       Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said a fifth drone, close to the capital’s Domodedovo airport, was later downed on Sunday morning. No casualties or damage were reported.

       According to the Defence Ministry, another two drones were shot over the Kaluga region just south of the Russian capital and the Yaroslavl region northeast of Moscow.

       The attacks on the Yaroslavl region, which is located about 800 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, were some of the farthest launched by Ukraine so far.

       More Ukrainian drones were downed over the Belgorod, Kursk and Rostov regions that border Ukraine and the southern Krasnodar region, the Defence Ministry said.

       Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the Ukrainian shelling killed a 16-year-old girl Sunday and injured her father.

       A drone fell on a refinery in the Krasnodar region, sparking a blaze that was extinguished a few hours later, according to regional authorities. A worker at the refinery died of a heart attack, officials said.

       Refineries and oil terminals have been key targets of Ukrainian drone attacks.

       The attacks followed a series of other Ukrainian drone raids and other attacks over the past few days that Putin described as an attempt by Ukraine to frighten residents and derail Russia's presidential election.

       “Those enemy strikes haven’t been and won’t be left unpunished,” he vowed during Friday's meeting of his Security Council. “I’m sure that our people, the people of Russia, will respond to that with even greater cohesion."

       Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said that 14 Russian drones had been shot down over the Odesa region Sunday. The attack follows a Russian ballistic missile assault on the southern port city Friday, blasting homes and killing at least 21 people. A second missile then targeted first responders who arrived at the scene, officials said.

       Russian forces also launched five S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles at Ukrainian-controlled areas in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, as well as two X-59 guided missiles in the Chernihiv region, the Ukrainian airforce said.

       As the war drags into a third year, Russian forces have made some slow and incremental gains along the front line, relying on their edge in firepower, while Ukraine has fought back with more drone attacks deep inside Russia and cross-border raids.

       On Saturday, two people were killed and three others were wounded in the Ukrainian shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod which has faced regular attacks.

       The Russian military also claimed it thwarted another attempted cross-border incursion by Ukrainian “sabotage and reconnaissance groups” on Saturday.

       The Russian Volunteer Corps — which includes Russians fighting alongside Ukrainian forces — released a video on social media Saturday alleging to have captured 25 Russian soldiers. The claim couldn't be independently verified.

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       Cross-border attacks in the area have taken place sporadically since the war began and have been the subject of claims and counterclaims, as well as disinformation and propaganda.