Kyiv extends a helping hand to Poland. Ukraine has offered Warsaw the necessary assistance in countering Russian drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.

The attack occurred just as Western leaders, including the US, continue working on security guarantees for Ukraine, aimed at protecting the country from Russian strikes, including drone attacks.

Ukraine without modern aviation — but with results

Ukraine does not possess modern fighter jets, yet during the same time frame, it managed to shoot down 380 out of 415 drones launched by Russia.

The question remains: how to force Russia to end the war against Ukraine and stop attacking NATO countries?

“No one can guarantee that there won’t be hundreds of drones if there are already dozens. Only joint European forces can provide real protection. We are ready to help with technology, crew training, and the necessary intelligence,” Zelenskyy stressed.

Dangerous “Zapad-2025” drills

According to Zelenskyy, joint Russian-Belarusian exercises “Zapad-2025” have begun on Belarusian territory, and the attack on Poland may be part of this training scenario.

The program of the drills reportedly includes a rehearsal of an attack on Poland and even the simulation of a nuclear strike.

Despite the attack on a NATO member state, US President Donald Trump did not announce any new sanctions against Moscow or present a clear plan to counter Russia.

“Unfortunately, as of now, Russia has not received a tough response from global leaders to what it is doing,” Zelenskyy said.

According to him, with this attack, Russia is testing the limits of what is possible and probing the West’s reaction.

“They are recording how NATO armed forces act, what they can do and what they cannot do yet,” the Ukrainian president added.

Riga has tightened rules for Russian citizens inside Latvia. Under amendments to the migration law, hundreds must leave the country if they cannot pass a language test, Deutsche Welle reports. 

To legally reside in Latvia, Russian citizens must also apply for permanent residence status and undergo a security check.

Authorities announce specific deadlines

Head of the Citizenship and Migration Affairs Office, Maija Roze, has stated that 841 Russian citizens must leave Latvia by 13 October. The legislative changes were introduced in 2022 in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Impact on the Russian-speaking community

The new rules affect about 25,000 people, of whom roughly 16,000 have already received permanent residence permits, and 1,000 have temporary permits. Individuals without permits are required to leave the country. Authorities report that 2,600 people left voluntarily, and in ten cases, forced deportation was applied.

Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Head Sergey Naryshkin warned that Poland and the Baltic states would be the first to suffer in the event of a war between Moscow and the Alliance. 

He claimed that Poland and the Baltic countries are displaying particular aggressiveness toward Russia. As an example, he cited Warsaw’s plan to deploy around anti-tank mines along its borders with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the EU has no reason to worry about potential Moscow aggression. He denies that the Kremlin is preparing for an attack and says that under US President Donald Trump, America began to “listen to Russia,” reports the pro-Kremlin outlet RIA Novosti.

Putin made these statements during a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China. 

On 31 August, he arrived in China, Russia’s main economic partner, which provides the Kremlin with unprecendent support during its war against Ukraine, on a four-day visit. It came just as US President Donald Trump’s deadline for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop the war has expired.

Trump’s deadline and Russia’s new attacks

Putin claims that any talk about Moscow planning to attack the EU is “Western fiction.”

“They are specialists in fairy tales and horror movies. Any rational person perfectly understands that Russia is not going to attack anyone,” he said.

Before the beginning of Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine in 2022, Putin also repeatedly denied any plans for an attack or invasion in his official statements. Russian officials consistently rejected accusations of preparing military actions against Ukraine, calling the buildup of troops near the border “unfounded tension-mongering.”

It was only on 22 February 2022, that Putin announced the start of the so-called “special military operation” on Ukrainian territory, effectively acknowledging the military actions that had already begun.

The war in Ukraine – “protection of its own interests”

The Russian ruler also justified aggression in Ukraine, claiming that Moscow is allegedly “forced to protect people who tie their fate to Russia.”

“Russia’s only goal in Ukraine is the protection of its own interests,” Putin added.

He also shifted responsibility for attacks on Ukraine on its authorities: “Moscow endured Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy for a long time and then began to respond seriously.”

Lies about EU integration and the Zaporizhzhia NPP

Putin assured that Russia has “never opposed Ukraine’s EU membership” but called Ukraine’s accession to NATO unacceptable. He also allowed for the possibility of a tripartite cooperation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant involving the US and Ukraine.

Experts emphasize that such statements are part of a Kremlin information operation aimed at the West and the Global South, intended to justify three years of aggression and attacks on civilians.

In addition, Putin praised the administration of US President Donald Trump, which refused to provide free aid to Ukraine and introduced no new sanctions against Russia. According to him, under Trump, America began to “listen to Russia,” a claim he said was confirmed by the Alaska summit.