Russia is trying to blame Ukraine for the attacks on NATO. Recently, a video appeared in Lithuania showing “drone debris with Ukrainian writing,” which Russian Telegram channels have been actively spreading, Spravdi reports.
In early July, Polish investigators revealed that wreckage from Russian drones shot down in Ukraine contained 4G modems equipped with SIM cards from Polish mobile operators, as reported by Polish journalist Marek Budzisz. Later, a SIM card from a Lithuanian operator was also discovered in another drone. Analysts say the findings directly point to Russia’s preparation for drone incursions into NATO airspace, as Moscow tested mobile network connections in advance.
Fact-checkers at Ukrinform confirmed that the clip was professionally edited, with rapid scene changes, unlike amateur footage, indicating it was staged.
The original video came from the TikTok account katelynltu, created specifically for this post. The account’s avatar is also used by other fake profiles, confirming its bot status.
In reality, the video is a Russian propaganda fabrication aimed at distracting from Russia’s real attacks on NATO countries.
Russian propagandist RT correspondent Oleksii Stefanov, previously expelled from Latvia for propaganda, appears in the clip, confirming the action was planned.
Since late July, Russia has regularly carried out drone attacks on the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. Lithuania confirmed that drones deliberately violated its airspace, while Poland and Romania were also targeted by Russian drones.
Similar fakes are actively spreading in Poland and Romania, undermining trust in information about actual strikes.
On 10 September, Russian drones violated Polish airspace. The incident prompted Polish aviation to scramble and temporarily shut down airports in Warsaw, Lublin, and Rzeszów amid fears of a wider attack. NATO advanced fighter jets shot down at least four of the reportedly 19 drones that crossed into Poland.
As the war grinds on, Ukraine needs hundreds of billions of dollars. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that if the war continues into 2026, the country will lack $120 billion annually to finance defense and recovery.
The Kremlin continues to reject all US proposals to end the war in Ukraine that do not concede to Russia’s full demands, which are regime change and significant territorial concessions and russification, while reiterating calls to eliminate the so-called “root causes” of the war. Meanwhile, the US President Donald Trump administration has not approved any aid package for Ukraine or imposed sanctions on Moscow.
Half of this sum—$60 billion—comes from Ukraine’s budget, while another $60 billion must be secured from other sources, primarily Western partners.
“During the war, the cost of this conflict for one year amounts to $120 billion,” Zelenskyy stressed during a joint briefing with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Kyiv.
He added that Plan A is to end the war, while Plan B is to secure $120 billion in funding.
Earlier, Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov noted that Ukraine spends about $172 million per day fighting Russia.
The country cannot sustain such costs with its own resources alone, making Western financial support critical, Novini.Live reports.
Despite phone calls from US President Donald Trump to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his invitation to a summit in Alaska, Russia shows no intention of halting its aggression.
This underscores the need for Ukraine to secure stable and predictable funding for the coming year.
Previously, Reuters reported that Poland, under an EU program, will receive €43.7 billion to strengthen its defense capabilities within the Security Action for Europe initiative. At the same time, Ukraine is sometimes attacked by up to 700 drones in a single night.
Children living under constant threat are finally safe. Ukraine’s humanitarian program, Bring Kids Back UA, has evacuated 16 children from Russian-occupied territories.
Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian children during the war has been brutal. Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022 through the end of 2024, at least 654 children have been killed and over 2,158 injured, not including Mariupol, where, reportedly, more than 100,000 civilians were killed.
They are now in Ukraine, receiving psychological support, restoring documents, and taking their first steps toward a peaceful life, according to Andrii Yermak, Head of the Presidential Office.
The program, initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2023, aims to return all Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. To date, 19,546 children have been stolen.
Among the rescued is a 15-year-old girl who escaped occupation with her aunt after her parents and older brother were sentenced on fabricated charges. Two sisters, aged 14 and 7, lost their home and belongings in a fire that completely destroyed their house.
Another 15-year-old girl stayed indoors for nearly three years, living in fear of the occupiers taking her children. A 10-year-old boy was targeted by the occupation’s “care service,” which tried to seize him from his parents.
“All of them are now safe in Ukraine. Due to the Save Ukraine team and partners for helping rescue these children. We are fulfilling the President’s mission to bring all Ukrainian children home,” said Yermak.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation reported that in Russian-occupied Donetsk, schools have been holding so-called “patriotism lessons” since autumn.
According to Denis Pushilin, the head of the occupation administration, Russian soldiers teach children about their “combat path,” instilling a war cult, erasing Ukrainian identity, and preparing them for future Kremlin military campaigns.
Ukraine wants to buy vital weapons and systems from the US and sustain its fight against Russia's invasion
© Associated Press
The Ukrainian partisan movement “ATESH” dealt a major blow to the Russian army’s rear lines. The underground group has carried out sabotage on a railway near Yekaterinburg, roughly 2,087 km from Ukraine, completely paralyzing the movement of trains along Russia’s strategic routes.
The “ATESH” movement operates in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and also Russia. It was founded in 2022 in response to Russia’s all-out war. Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians, and even Russians who were mobilized into the Russian army but now work for Ukraine are involved in the group, providing intelligence on enemy positions, depots, equipment, and personnel.
This hub supplied ammunition, armored vehicles, fuel, and personnel to the frontlines, factories, and depots in the north and east.
“Now, military depots are idle, dealing a blow to the Russian rear logistics,” says the group.
“Our agent sabotaged the railway near Yekaterinburg by damaging relay equipment. This disrupted train traffic across all strategic directions,” the movement reports.
At the same time, Russia’s war against Ukraine has damaged or destroyed nearly 11,000 km of railway tracks and over 43 stations.
As of 2025, the direct infrastructure losses in Ukraine are estimated at around $170 billion, with transportation alone accounting for roughly $38.5 billion.
© AP
Russia has suffered catastrophic losses and can no longer launch major offensives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that after the summer offensive campaign, Russian forces no longer have the resources for large-scale attacks, UNIAN reports.
There were fears that Russian troops could rapidly capture Sumy after Ukrainian forces retreated from the Kursk Oblast. But that did not happen. At the same time, Russia has concentrated 100,000 troops in the Pokrovsk direction, larger than some NATO states’ entire troops. Ukrainian forces are suffering the heaviest losses there, but they continue to hold the line, even with no military aid from US President Donald Trump’s administration.
“Russia selected four main directions according to all documents and intelligence data. We only didn’t know the sequence, but it happened:
Russian forces were defeated in the Sumy direction and had to redeploy to other fronts.
“They suffered heavy losses, primarily personnel. Today, they have abandoned this direction and shifted their resources and troops elsewhere. I believe they incurred even more losses there,” Zelenskyy says.
Thanks to the successful actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian troops have lost enough personnel to prevent them from conducting major offensives.
“At this point, they do not have sufficient forces for mass operations,” Zelenskyy stresses, noting that details of the losses will be published in the coming days.
Poland’s foreign minister has called for military protection of its airspace following Russian drone incursions, Maira Butt reports
© AFP/Getty
Ukrainian Nemesis operators destroyed three high-value Russian air defense systems in a month. The fighters, part of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), reported on the successful operation via social media, emphasizing that innovative technologies were used to strike the targets.
“We burned three enemy air defense installations worth $80–90 million,” the statement reads.
In August, the 412th Nemesis Regiment’s soldiers took down two Tor-M2 SAM systems, a Buk-M3 launcher, and the radar of a Buk-M2 system, which is known as “chupa-chups.”
Tor-M2 is a Russian short-range surface-to-air missile system designed to protect military and strategic targets from aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise, and ballistic missiles.
Its engagement range is 12–15 km, altitude up to 10 km, and targets moving at speeds up to 1,000 m/s. The system carries 16 9M338K missiles and can simultaneously engage four targets out of over 40 detected.
The Buk is also a Russian medium-range SAM system capable of destroying aerodynamic aerial targets, tactical ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.
“The enemy changes tactics, tries to stop us, hides but in vain. Our retaliation always reaches its target,” the defenders noted.
They added that the strike footage remains unpublished to protect their innovative solutions, but promised to release it in the future.
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The provocative video has divided the internet
© YouTube/DaBaby
A Kenyan athlete ended up in Ukrainian captivity after fighting on behalf of Russia. Ukrainian soldiers from the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade captured Evans on the frontlines, where he had been serving with Russian occupiers in Kharkiv Oblast.
There are numerous reports from captured Africans indicating that Russia deceptively recruits Africans to participate in the war against Ukraine. Migrants from African countries are offered work or study in Russia, but upon arrival, they are coerced into signing contracts to serve in the Russian armed forces. Many are sent to the frontlines, often to the most dangerous areas, where they frequently become “expendable” due to high casualties.
The athlete ended up in a Russian military camp under the guise of a “tourist trip” organized by his agent and funded by Russia, after which he was forced to sign documents in Russian and join the military.
When he realized what was happening, he tried to refuse but was threatened with execution. Nevertheless, Evans escaped and surrendered to Ukrainian forces.
“Evans is a track and field athlete from Kenya. His sports agent offered him and three other Kenyans a tourist trip to Saint Petersburg, funded by Russia,” reports the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Kostyantyn Hordiyenko.
At the end of the trip, the person accompanying the group suggested that the foreigners stay in Russia and take up work.
“By signing papers in Russian, without understanding them, he unwittingly became a Russian soldier,” adds the brigade.
“Training lasted a week, during which the Kenyan was taught how to handle an automatic rifle. His commanders and instructors did not speak English, so they would often pull or push him to make him follow orders,” Ukrainian troops said.
Evans tried to refuse service but was told he would be executed if he did not comply.
“On the way to his first combat mission, Evans escaped. He spent two days wandering through forests near Vovchansk, searching for Ukrainian soldiers to surrender to,” said the 57th Brigade.
This is how the athlete ended up safe in Ukrainian hands, becoming a direct witness to the realities on the frontline.
However, the brigade remains cautious.
“Keep in mind, this is a person who fought on the side of the enemy, so whether to trust his words and tears is left to your discretion,” the brigade states.
Ukraine confronts one of the world’s most severe demographic crises as its fertility rate plummets to 0.8 children per woman—among the lowest globally—while deaths exceed births by nearly three to one, according to government statistics and demographic experts.
Ukraine’s demographic collapse carries strategic implications far beyond its borders, offering a preview of challenges facing European democracies.
As Ukraine fights for survival, it simultaneously grapples with a shrinking population that undermines long-term military capacity, economic reconstruction, and social stability.
The crisis reflects broader European demographic trends accelerated by war, poverty, and uncertainty—factors increasingly relevant to Western nations facing population decline.
Ukraine just raised baby bonuses from 41,280 hryvnias ($1,001) to 50,000 hryvnias ($1,220), paid as a lump sum rather than monthly installments. Additional measures include 7,000 ($170) hryvnia monthly payments for unemployed pregnant women and expanded childcare support.
Nonetheless, demographic experts express deep skepticism about the need for financial incentives to solve Ukraine’s population crisis.
“One should not count on a significant increase in birth rates due to increased social payments for children,” says Iryna Ippolitova, senior researcher at the Center for Economic Strategy, noting that increased payments in 2005 and the “Baby Package” program in 2018 did not cause significant changes in birth rates.
The current payment also has much less purchasing power than the previously tried support mechanisms had. According to the media outlet Hromadske, in 2008, Ukraine paid $2,520 for the first child, $5,155 for the second, and $10,310 for the third and subsequent children.
Today’s 50,000 hryvnia payment equals only $1,220, regardless of birth order.
Ukraine’s population has contracted from 52 million at independence in 1991 to approximately 30-35 million today. But that’s not the scary part.
As Hromadske points out, current demographic projections suggest further decline to 25 million by 2050, with pessimistic scenarios reaching as low as 15 million by 2100.
The fertility crisis compounds multiple demographic pressures. Euromaidan Press report from February 2025 shows 495,000 deaths versus 176,600 births in 2024, with some frontline oblasts experiencing death-to-birth ratios exceeding 10-to-1.
Meanwhile, 5.7 million Ukrainians live abroad as refugees, according to UN estimates, with up to 800,000 being women of childbearing age. Only 40% of emigrants express certainty about returning, the UN reports.
The demographic crisis creates cascading strategic vulnerabilities that threaten Ukraine’s long-term viability:
What makes Ukraine’s crisis terrifying isn’t just its severity—it’s how familiar the pattern looks to European demographers.
Every European nation except Monaco falls below the 2.1 fertility rate needed for population replacement, but Ukraine shows what happens when a manageable decline accelerates into collapse.
Consider Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse. Its fertility rate dropped to 1.35 in 2024—the lowest since reunification. The country’s Federal Statistical Office now bluntly states that immigration is “the sole cause of population growth,” as more Germans die than are born.
Italy presents an even starker picture. With a birth rate of just 1.18, the country sees six births per 1,000 people versus 11 deaths. Even France, traditionally Europe’s fertility success story, recorded its lowest birth rate since World War I at 1.62.
But Eastern Europe shows the steepest declines. Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland reported 10-12% drops in births between 2024 and 2025—numbers that would have seemed catastrophic before Ukraine demonstrated what real demographic doom looks like.
Here lies the crucial difference:
European nations use immigration to mask their fertility crisis, while Ukraine hemorrhages population through emigration.
War, economic misery, and housing costs create conditions that could affect other nations during future crises.
Ask a young couple in Kyiv about having children, and they’ll show you their rent receipt. A cashier spends 83% of their income on rent alone. A cook uses 57% of earnings just for housing. A barista dedicates 78% of their salary to keeping a roof overhead.
And if young people “don’t understand what tomorrow will bring, then what kind of children can we talk about?” asks Vasyl Voskoboynik, head of Ukraine’s Office of Migration Policy.
Recent surveys show 86% of Ukrainians consider their income insufficient, while 68% feel unsafe, hardly conditions conducive to family planning.
The housing crisis creates impossible mathematics. When working full-time barely covers rent, saving for a larger apartment to accommodate children becomes a fantasy. This explains why 21% of potential parents plan to have children only after the war ends—not because of physical danger but because of economic impossibility.
Beyond economics, Ukraine experiences the same cultural shifts affecting all developed nations.
Having children increasingly becomes a lifestyle choice among many rather than a social expectation. Life offers alternatives—career advancement, travel, personal fulfillment—that compete with parenthood in ways previous generations never experienced.
War adds another layer of uncertainty. Even couples who planned children before February 2022 now delay decisions indefinitely. The stress, family separation, and unpredictable future create psychological barriers that 50,000 hryvnia cannot overcome.
Ukraine’s trajectory offers uncomfortable lessons for Western democracies managing their own fertility decline.
Despite decades of family-friendly policies—generous parental leave in Nordic countries, comprehensive childcare in France—no European country has restored replacement-level fertility through government programs alone.
Population Europe’s research confirms that there is “no realistic prospect within the foreseeable future of the EU returning to total fertility rates of around 2 from today’s 1.5.”
The war reveals how quickly a manageable demographic decline transforms into an existential crisis. External shocks—economic collapse, social instability, military conflict—can accelerate trends that typically unfold over generations. Under the right combination of pressures, today’s gradual decline in the European population can lead to tomorrow’s rapid collapse.
This creates strategic vulnerabilities that neighbors with ill intent notice. Aging populations struggle to field large militaries, support innovation economies, or maintain social cohesion during crises. Russia itself faces severe demographic challenges, but Ukraine’s crisis demonstrates how quickly declining nations can become targets.
Europe found a simple solution to demographic decline: import young people. Ukraine reveals why that strategy has an expiration date.
But the population numbers tell only half the story. As Ukraine fights for survival on military and demographic fronts simultaneously, Western democracies must consider whether their aging societies can withstand similar pressures while confronting expanding authoritarian threats facing comparable demographic stress.
On 17 September, Kyiv ratified the century-long partnership agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The document was approved by 295 out of 397 Ukrainian deputies.
This agreement is crucial for Ukraine, as its allies still do not know how to end the war of attrition with Russia, despite statements by US President Donald Trump that he could end the war within 24 hours. Currently, partners also cannot provide security guarantees to Kyiv because no one wants to fight against Russia. Support from allies remains Kyiv’s only way to counter Moscow’s aggression, which has already extended beyond Ukraine into Poland.
The agreement establishes a new long-term framework for bilateral cooperation in security, defense, economy, science, technology, and culture, opening new opportunities to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
The document provides for annual military assistance from the UK to Ukraine of at least £3.6 billion until the 2030/31 financial year, and thereafter as needed.
This includes training Ukrainian troops, supporting pilots, supplying military aviation, developing joint defense production, and participating in joint expeditionary formats such as the Joint Expeditionary Force.
“Despite its grand title and good intentions, this agreement, unfortunately, does not provide security guarantees and is of a framework nature. Nevertheless, it is an important document aimed at strengthening strategic partnership with the UK,” said MP Iryna Herashchenko of the European Solidarity party.
Beyond the military sphere, the agreement opens prospects for scientific and technological projects, economic partnership, and cultural exchange, cementing Ukraine and the UK as strategic allies for decades to come.
The Pentagon confirmed on 16 September that American military officials observed the “Zapad-2025” joint exercises between Russia and Belarus, marking the first such attendance since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Two US defense attachés attended the “Zapad-2025” drills on 15 September as part of a distinguished visitor program, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated, Reuters reports. The last time this happened in 2021 before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The US embassy in Minsk had received an invitation to the exercises, which the American side accepted following what Parnell described as “recent productive bilateral engagements between our countries.”
“Attending exercise DV days is a common practice between militaries, and the US Defense Attache is part of a larger group of international military attendees,” Parnell said.
The military engagement represents part of broader diplomatic developments between Washington and Minsk under the Trump administration. Last week, Trump lifted sanctions on Belarus national airline Belavia after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko agreed to release 52 prisoners, including journalists and political opponents.
Western analysts view the warming ties as either an attempt to distance Belarus from Russia or to leverage Minsk’s close relationship with Moscow in potential Ukraine war negotiations, though such strategies are considered unlikely to succeed.
Reuters identified one of the American officers as Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Shoupe. Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin personally greeted the US officials, with the officers speaking Russian and thanking him for the invitation.
According to Reuters, Khrenin called the American visit a “surprise” and told the officers: “We will show you everything that interests you. Whatever you want. You can go there and look, talk to people.”
Previously, Belarus reported that its forces trained with Russia’s Oreshnik nuclear ballistic missile system during the Zapad 2025 exercises, marking the first known training with the weapon outside Russia. This hypersonic missile system was first used by Russia against Ukraine in November 2024.
The military exercises also triggered security measures across the region. Poland closed its border with Belarus entirely on 11 September, with officials indicating the closure would not automatically end with the exercises’ conclusion.
Last week, Russian drones violated Poland’s airspace from Belarus territory, prompting the Polish forces to shoot them down.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia and Belarus are conducting six “Zapad-2025” military exercises this fall that simulate attacks on Poland rather than defensive operations.
Latvia’s parliament also voted to seal borders with both Russia and Belarus during the maneuvers, while Finland warned that Russia’s military activities could take “unexpected turns.”
The Brave1-developed drones can target forward bases, supply lines, and infrastructure deep behind enemy lines, forcing adversaries to reconsider defensive strategies and highlighting the growing importance of locally developed, rapidly deployable UAV technology.
This signals a potential shift in modern conflict dynamics: NATO and allied forces may need to account for cost-effective drones capable of precision strikes far beyond front lines, influencing procurement decisions and future air-defense planning worldwide. The deployment of scalable, resistant drones in Ukraine demonstrates how conflict zones can accelerate innovation that could reshape future military doctrines globally.
Brave1, a Ukrainian defense cluster, coordinated the trials with military units and manufacturers to ensure the drones are effective and ready for operational use. The cluster also supports financing, logistics, and technical assistance, and plans grants to expand domestic production of explosive components to secure supply chains.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation reported that the final trials tested drones with warheads and countermeasures against electronic warfare. Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said:
Thanks to Brave1’s support and military feedback, manufacturers achieved the technological maturity needed to begin combat trials.
While 40–50 km strike drones also exist elsewhere, Ukraine’s combination of rapid development, mass production potential, and electronic warfare resilience makes these UAVs particularly relevant in ongoing and future conflicts.
The deep strike drones are now being prepared for combat testing. These field trials will determine operational deployment, marking the next stage in integrating locally produced UAVs into frontline tactics.
© PA Wire/PA Images
The Trump administration has approved weapons aid packages for Ukraine worth up to $1 billion, with NATO allies paying for American arms shipments to Kyiv rather than the United States funding the assistance directly.
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby approved up to two $500 million shipments under a mechanism called the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.
The renewed transatlantic cooperation aims to provide Ukraine with up to $10 billion worth of weapons.
The sources declined to provide a complete inventory of approved items but confirmed the packages include air defense systems. Ukraine requires these systems urgently given a huge increase in Russian drone and missile attacks.
“It’s the stuff they’ve been asking for. A lot of stuff,” one source told the news agency, adding that the flow has allowed Ukraine to “stabilize the lines thus far.”
Trump announced the initiative on 14 July, confirming the United States would provide Ukraine with weapons worth “billions of dollars” that European NATO allies would purchase and distribute. The president specifically mentioned preparing up to 17 Patriot air defense systems for shipment to Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described Trump’s decision as “quite logical” and said Trump called him on 10 July to explain that Ukraine should receive “everything necessary for self-defense,” but that Europeans should finance the assistance.
By 31 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that seven countries had supported the PURL initiative, with total commitments reaching $2 billion. Defense experts indicate Ukraine’s requirements remain consistent with previous months, focusing on air defenses, interceptors, missile systems, rockets, and artillery.
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