Exclusives

From battlefield to oilfields: Ukraine’s drones squeeze Russia’s war economy. Ukrainian strikes hit 16 of Russia’s 38 refineries, disrupting 1M+ barrels daily as diesel exports approach 2020 lows.

The Register: Putin’s trolls return with AI-powered media fakes — and a Florida ex-cop at the helm. Insikt Group researchers link Llama 3-based models to a Kremlin-driven disinformation wave.

“When prevention fails, we use law enforcement”—Ukraine’s new BEB director on fighting the $ 24 bn shadow economy. In his first interview since taking office, Tsyvinskyi explains how the Bureau of Economic Security will use neural networks to track laundered money from economic crimes.

Military

Russia’s backup Black Sea Fleet base used for strikes on Ukraine came under drone strike. Kalibr-equipped vessels that Moscow relocated there after Sevastopol became unprotected are stationed there.

Russian commander orders his troops to kill civilians in frontline villages. Soldiers execute parents and take their daughter captive as human shield. Russian troops are still holding a young girl to prevent Ukrainian forces from firing on their positions.

Russian forces capture two villages in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts – Deep State. The Russian army also advanced near three settlements in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and one in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Russia publicly acknowledges intent to advance into Kharkiv Oblast should it seize Kupiansk. Moscow has publicly acknowledged that seizing Kupiansk would serve as the launching point for simultaneous advances toward Chuhuiv, Izium, and Vovchansk

Ukrainian drones reach major war-funding oil refinery 1300+km deep inside Russia second time in a week. The Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat facility in Bashkortostan generates billions of rubbles yearly helping Moscow to sustain military operations in Ukraine.

Intelligence and technology

Swedish JAS 39 Gripen jets producer’s stocks jump 5% after Trump’s statements on Ukraine. Markets interpreted Trump’s territorial recovery stance as a positive signal for European defense companies.

Military aircraft with Spanish defense minister undergoes GPS attack over Kaliningrad. A Spanish military aircraft carrying Defense Minister Margarita Robles became the third high-profile European government plane to suffer GPS interference this year, with the incident occurring over the Baltic Sea near Russia’s heavily militarized Kaliningrad Oblast.

International

Russia plans to supply Belarus with looted goods from occupied Ukraine’s lands, while US intends to establish good relations with Minsk. Each handshake with Russian collaborator deepens Minsk’s isolation, legitimizes Russian aggression, and risks new sanctions from the West.

Canada goes big: $2.6B Ukraine aid in just one month. Canada committed $92 million for Ukraine’s cybersecurity on 24 September, completing a $2.6 billion aid surge.

Zelenskyy: UN is losing global influence as Russia exploits its veto power to hold peace “hostage”

. Each failed vote, each blocked resolution makes the UN look less like a guardian of peace and more like a prisoner of its own rules.

Russia claims Ukraine’s negotiating position “deteriorating daily” while blocking all meeting locations. Moscow portrayed Ukraine as deliberately avoiding peace negotiations despite Ukraine offering multiple meeting venues, all of which the Kremlin has deemed unsuitable for hosting presidential talks.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russia-occupied Crimea faces empty pumps and shuttered stations as its roads falling silent under weight of war. With gas stations closing and businesses suffocating, Moscow proves it will drain its citizens dry before giving up Ukraine.

“I didn’t think at my age I’d face this”: 82-year-old man describes Russian bombing of his home. Yuriy Babak from Zaporizhzhia shared that Russian bomb attack felt as if his roof was lifted up and down, while another civilian described how a chandelier fell right in front of her as she was going to rest.

New developments

35,000 Hasidic pilgrims mark Jewish New Year in Uman with prayer and symbolic rituals.

Read our earlier daily review here

Exclusive

Performance marketing explained. Performance marketing shifts the focus from potential reach to tangible outcomes, ensuring accountability and maximizing return on investment (ROI)

Thymalin peptide: Research potential across biological systems. This article examines the properties of Thymalin, its hypothesized mechanisms of action, and the diverse areas of research it may support, spanning from immunology to gerontology and regenerative science

“When prevention fails, we use law enforcement”—Ukraine’s new BEB director on fighting the $ 24 bn shadow economy. In his first interview since taking office, Tsyvinskyi explains how the Bureau of Economic Security will use neural networks to track laundered money from economic crimes.

The EU’s “drone wall” needs Ukraine’s know-how, EU cash — and integration no one owns.

Moldova elections: Russia’s spy agency pushes conspiracy of planned NATO “occupation”. Kremlin intelligence targets Moldova’s elections with claims of anti-Western plots.

Vacancies: Deputy editor-in-chief, fundraising communications manager. Euromaidan Press is expanding and searching for professional soulmates who believe in independent journalism.

Military

Balloons with explosives reported taking part in Ukrainian drone strike on Russia for first time. Ukraine’s overnight drone strike on Russia may have contained balloons armed with explosives, according to Russian reports — Ukraine uses balloons to augment its drone warfare strategy

Ukraine hits aircraft in occupied Crimea and oil refining facilities in Russia. Ukrainian forces struck the pipeline complex supplying Russian military operations and hit two aircraft at a Crimean airfield during overnight raids that extended deep into Russian territory

Russia claims 44 drones shot down near Moscow in one night — and the attack isn’t over yet. From 19:30 on 22 September to 12:25 on 23 September, Moscow mayor Sobyanin has posted ongoing interception reports and claimed the attack was still ongoing.

Intelligence and technology

How Russia compensates for lost surveillance after Ukraine destroyed Be-12 anti-submarine amphibious aircraft in Crimea. The Black Sea Fleet’s “eyes” may never fully recover from September’s surgical strike.

Copenhagen’s main airport halts flights due to drones, but Kremlin dismisses it as “unworthy of attention”. Large drones hover over critical European infrastructure while Peskov calls accusations “groundless.”

Lithuanian military granted new powers against drones — law revised after border airspace intrusions. The Aviation Law and statute on military force were changed to reflect evolving aerial threats from Russia.

From Baltic to Black Sea: EU plans a “drone wall” across NATO’s eastern edge. On 26 September, seven EU countries and Ukraine are going to discuss the so-called “drone wall” to protect Europe’s eastern frontier, following Russia’s unprecedented violation of Estonian, Polish, and Romanian airspace.

Latvia wants to restore marshes on border with Russia to strengthen defense

. Latvia’s Ministry of Defense plans to use European Union funds to restore marshes and water bodies on degraded peat sites, positioning the wetlands as components of the Baltic Defense Line project.

International

Trump says Ukraine can reclaim its territory from Russia “with time” — but Kyiv urgently needs 60 billions to fight in 2026. As Trump says patience will lead Ukraine to the success, Moscow is arming itself with lifelines from China and North Korea each day.

Russia claims French, British troops arrived in Odesa to target Transnistria as Sandu warns of Moldova-based assault on Ukraine. The unsubstantiated allegations mirror tactics used before Russia’s 2014 Crimea annexation, creating manufactured pretexts for potential invasion from Moldova’s region occupied by Russian forces.

ISW: Russia dangles nuclear talks to extract Trump concessions on war in Ukraine. Russia’s push for arms control dialogue masks an ultimatum that could fracture Western unity if Trump prioritizes nuclear negotiations over Ukrainian sovereignty and NATO commitments.

Sanctions withheld, while Ukrainian cities bombed — but Rubio calls it US “broker” strategy. While Trump’s peace initiatives falter, attacks hit Ukraine, Poland, and even Norway, Denmark, and Moldova.

Trump threatens tariffs if Europe continues Russian oil and gas imports. While Hungary’s FM recently rejected US pressure to abandon Russian energy supplies, Trump told the UN that European nations are “financing a war against themselves” and demanded they immediately cease all energy imports from Moscow.

Ukraine refuses to abandon EU aspirations despite 11 years of Russian war, new Transparency International poll shows. Ukrainians primarily associate EU membership with peace (60%) and better futures for children (65%).

Three African juntas quit ICC while their ally Putin faces arrest warrant. The timing of the announcement draws attention given all three countries maintain close ties with Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant issued in 2023

Russia lobbies UN aviation agency to end air sanctions, claims violations of human rights

. Russia is pressing the UN’s aviation body to lift sanctions on spare parts and overflights, claiming they violate “human rights,” even as its airlines scramble for Western components and its Belarusian ally faces fresh scrutiny over backdoor transfers.

Norway reports first Russian airspace violations in 10 years. Russia violated Norwegian airspace three times between April and August 2025, the Norwegian government announced

Family loses contact with Indian man reportedly drafted into Russia-Ukraine war. At least 21 Indians have now claimed they were tricked into traveling to Russia for education or work only to face forced military conscription.

Political and legal developments

Anti-corruption cops nail railway executives after beating Zelenskyy. Despite the attempt to strip their independence, NABU and SAPO completed the Ukrzaliznytsia investigation.

Vacancy: deputy editor-in-chief.

New developments

Former Florida cop turned Kremlin operative, spreading Russian propaganda through over 200 fake news websites. John Mark Dougan fled to Moscow in 2016 after facing charges in Florida, then received political asylum and now coordinates GRU-funded servers running AI models.

Russian propaganda media claimed half the world watched Moscow’s Eurovision rival. The number was just combined population figures. Russian state media initially declared that over 4 billion people tuned in to the Intervision song contest, then hours later changed “watched by” to “available to” after revealing the figure simply represented the combined population of all participating countries.

Reuters: Russia’s fuel crisis spreads to central and southern oblasts as Ukraine’s refinery attacks cut supply. Independent fuel stations report outages of popular gasoline grades after Ukraine steps up strikes on energy targets.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Euromaidan Press, an independent English-language online publication about Ukraine, is starting a search for the position of Deputy Editor-in-Chief, who will polish texts to perfection and ensure that the publication’s pages cover all the important and relevant topics that interest our global audience, as well as ensure the team’s consistent top-notch performance and smooth operations.

Main responsibilities:
1. Edit and publish English-language texts
2. Participate in media management
3. Ensure high-quality standards of materials and their cross-platform adaptation
4. Identify topics that will interest our broad international audience
5. Collaborate with the team to cover topics and write your own materials
6. Regularly monitor and analyze the effectiveness of publications, prepare reports, and provide feedback to the team
7. Constantly analyze and adjust the media strategy for systematic improvement of results
8. Propose vectors for media and team development

Candidate requirements:
1. Experience as an editor (media management experience will be an advantage)
2. Well-versed in the socio-political situation in Ukraine and the world
3. Preferably experience working in the English-language/international media sphere
4. Fluent in English and Ukrainian, Ukrainian residency
5. Ability to quickly and efficiently write, adapt, translate, and edit texts
6. Ability and love for conveying meanings to other cultures
7. Confidently use social networks, have a general understanding of digital trends and search engine operation
8. Quick reaction to events, and a reflex of fact-checking and critical thinking
9. To want to lead the team and develop the media outlet.

Working conditions:
* Full-time employment
* Remote work and flexible schedule
* 24 calendar days of vacation and 10 calendar days of sick leave
* Competitive salary
* Value-driven and supportive team
* Opportunity to directly influence the development of independent media and promote Ukraine’s brand in the world

The selection process includes a small test task and an interview with the editor-in-chief. Please submit your CV, motivation letter, and examples of prior work to euromaidanpress (a) gmail.com with the subject: Vacancy: Deputy editor-in-chief

Exclusives

Russia’s D-30SN built with Irish, Swiss, US components destroys 15,000-m² Ukrainian civilian facility in single strike. Foreign parts flow from factories to battlefields, powering strikes that ordinary people cannot outrun.

Ukraine built weapons, bureaucracy blocked exports. Zelenskyy’s export announcement highlights the urgent need to fix the system blocking Western partnerships.

Military

Frontline report: Ukraine systematically dismantles Russian air defenses in coordinated campaign spanning hundreds of kilometers

. Ukrainian forces are executing a methodical campaign to destroy Russian air defense systems from Donetsk to Crimea, achieving air superiority through system demolition rather than fighter dominance.

ISW: Ukraine war enters critical new phase as Russia builds strategic reserves. Russia is forming a strategic reserve and has signed contracts with nearly 292,000 new recruits, increasing pressure on eastern Ukraine.

Drones hit FSB-linked resort complex in occupied Crimea that allegedly housed high-ranking Russian officials — three died. The main restaurant of the resort was closed for “special service” on the day of the attack. Anonymous sources claim “very important guests” were present and the FSB maintains operations there.

Ukrainian special forces report destruction of Russian S-400 launcher in Russia’s Kaluga Oblast. Ukrainian attack drones struck an S-400 Triumph air defense system in Russia’s Kaluga Region, destroying a missile launcher and its attendant radar unit, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) reported on 22 September.

Ukrainian drones struck railway substation critical for military supply in Russia’s remote Krasnodar Krai. Russian Telegram channels published video footage showing the overnight attack on the “Kanevska” traction substation that serves as a central hub for electrified railway sections.

First time in combat history: Ukraine destroys rare Soviet-era amphibious planes in occupied Crimea. The Be-12 “Chaika” amphibious planes targeted by Ukrainian special forces serve as Russia’s primary tool for detecting submarine movements in Black Sea waters.

“Deliberate terror against peaceful city:” Russian bombs kill three civilians and destroy homes and schools in Ukraine

. Three civilians died in Zaporizhzhia on 22 September when aerial bombs struck residential neighborhoods during the 40-minute bombardment.

Intelligence and Technology

Kremlin agents used EU territory as covert highway to arm kamikaze drones for attacks on Ukrainians. The SBU raids Kyiv and surrounding regions, seizing evidence of a sophisticated operation to improve drone strikes.

Russia controls 1 in 5 “shadow fleet” oil tankers worldwide to dodge sanctions and fund war. The deceptive practices emerged after Europe banned Russian seaborne imports in late 2022 in response to its aggression in Ukraine, forcing Moscow to redirect sales to India and China via longer, more expensive shipping routes requiring additional vessels.

International

Russian-backed networks target pro-European trajectory of Moldova amid upcoming elections. Nearly 12% of the country remains under Russian-backed authority, a staging ground for destabilization operations.

Moldova detains 74 over alleged Russian-backed election unrest plot

. Authorities say the suspects trained in Serbia on firearms and crowd-control tactics and were allegedly instructed by Russian operatives ahead of parliamentary elections.

Zelenskyy to meet with over 20 world leaders during UN General Assembly. Ukraine will host a global summit on returning kidnapped children during the UN General Assembly.

Ukraine insists on tender to buy 20 Korean electric trains – Deputy PM. Deputy PM Kuleba announced Ukraine would use open tenders to select Korean electric train suppliers during his Seoul working visit, as the country seeks to expand its high-speed rail capacity despite recent Russian attacks on existing rolling stock.

Humanitarian and Social Impact

“Intention to kill”: UN confirms Russia’s systematic drone attacks on civilians amount to crimes against humanity. A UN inquiry has documented systematic Russian drone attacks over 300 kilometers of front-line territory, striking civilians, homes, and first responders.

Summit on returning abducted Ukrainian children to take place during UN General Assembly. Zelenskyy will meet with world leaders during a week of high-level diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, the president said during his evening address.

Read our previous daily review here.

Exclusives

Not just deported: Moscow turns Ukrainian children into soldiers, laborers, and Russians, studies show. From grenade drills to drone assembly, many kids are pressed into the Russian war machine, according to two recent studies.

Military

Frontline report: Ukrainian drones devastate Russian ammunition depots across Pokrovsk direction
Ukrainian forces have launched a systematic campaign targeting Russian ammunition depots from Donetsk city to the front lines at Pokrovsk, creating critical shortages that are allowing Ukrainian units to exploit weaknesses and seize tactical initiative across the direction.

PURL weapons program is showing success, expanding in October – Zelenskyy
Speaking in his evening address, President Zelenskyy highlighted new NATO-funded weapons deliveries and Ukraine’s progress on exporting naval drones to allied partners.

Russian forces trying to infiltrate Kupiansk disguised as civilians – military officials
Ukrainian officials say Russian forces are using small sabotage teams to evade detection.

ISW: Ukraine gains ground in Sumy and Donetsk. Russia pushes in Donetsk and Kharkiv. No axis breaks through
New geolocated footage shows fresh movements on multiple fronts, but without strategic impact.

A drone, a moving Russian tank-bulldozer, and one perfect hit: Nemesis shares footage of a rare IMR-3M kill (video)
Ukraine’s Nemesis drone operators struck a moving IMR-3M assault vehicle — one of the rarest of its kind in use.

Ukraine strikes three Russian helicopters and a radar in occupied Crimea — satellite confirms at least one Mi-8 destroyed (video)
The Nebo-U radar system was among the targets in Crimea, HUR reports.

Frontline report: In Sumy sector, Ukraine isolates Oleksiivka with a single road in, drone strikes out—and the Russians can’t get out alive
Kyiv’s encirclement strategy is strangling Russian forces one pocket at a time in the Sumy direction.

Intelligence and Technology

132,000 foreign-made parts found in Russian missiles and drones launched this week — Zelenskyy demands full tech blockade
Ukraine says the world’s electronics are helping fuel Russia’s daily strikes on civilians.

Ukraine can build 100,000 drone engines monthly—if officials stop favoring China
Realgold firm says it could scale up tenfold with zero extra investment—if the laws weren’t working against it.

Amid Russian spy allegations, Austrian energy firm fires executive
The fired executive reportedly met with a Russian diplomat suspected of being an FSB agent and had access to sensitive information on OMV and Adnoc.

International

Summit on returning abducted Ukrainian children to take place during UN General Assembly
Zelenskyy will meet with world leaders during a week of high-level diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, the president said during his evening address.

UN Security Council to discuss Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace on Monday
Estonia has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting after Russian MiG-31 jets entered its airspace on Friday, with Ukraine backing the call for a strong response.

Russian military plane spotted over Baltic Sea: NATO jets scrambled
Two German Eurofighters were scrambled over the Baltic Sea after a Russian reconnaissance plane flew without a flight plan or radio contact, according to the German Air Force.

Mushroom pickers found three crashed drones today in two Polish regions
Police reported drone-like wreckage found in three voivodeships, all in remote wooded areas.

Russian warplanes fly into NATO airspace — Czech President says maybe it’s time to shoot them down
Petr Pavel warns that allowing intrusions like the recent MiG-31 fighter jet flyovers only invites more.

Humanitarian and Social Impact

Russian shelling kills civilian in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast
Local officials said the victim died in their home after sustaining fatal injuries during Russian artillery fire on the city.

Second Russian double-tap strike in Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast leaves firefighters hospitalized mid-rescue
Russian drones returned to hit the exact site first responders had just arrived to contain.

Read our previous daily review here.

Exclusives

Italy sends Ukraine an APC “on steroids” to evacuate soldiers under drone fire. The VCC-1’s extra steel stops what aluminum cannot.

Ukraine builds fire sac kill zones—Russian bikers keep riding to their death anyway. Ukraine studied ‘The Russian Way of War.’ Russia apparently didn’t.

Ukraine could make the EU’s drone wall actually work—if politics allows. Europe’s weapons cost millions; Ukraine’s solutions cost hundreds.

As Russia clamps down, Ukraine sells assets in wartime reform gamble. Record $216 million in transparent auctions sends crucial signal to Western allies.

Military

Ukraine creates new assault troops branch as separate military force, Zelenskyy announces. The decision to legally establish assault troops as a distinct military branch came after Russian forces began copying Ukraine’s assault unit system, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters.

Ukraine scales up drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, Zelenskyy says. Russian fuel shortages and gas station queues signal the growing impact of Ukraine’s expanded drone campaign, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters

Ukraine hits Russian refineries with 15.8 million-ton annual capacity in Saratov, Samara strikes. Ukraine’s military confirmed “strategic” strikes on Russian refineries processing 2.54% of Russia’s total refining capacity and 8.8 million tons annually at a second facility.

NATO avoids Turkiye’s 2015 response after Russian jets violate skies over Poland’s only Baltic Sea oil platform. From Petrobaltic to Estonian airspace, Moscow executes small moves with outsized risk.

Estonia maps Russian MiG-31 route after Moscow claims neutral waters flight. Three Russian MiG-31 interceptors spent 12 minutes inside Estonian airspace with their transponders switched off, prompting Tallinn to release flight path evidence after the Kremlin denied any border violation occurred.

Intelligence and technology

Lviv hosts world’s biggest defense tech summit, and funnels $100 million into Ukraine’s tight military budget

. Defense innovators from 50+ countries converge on Ukraine, turning the battlefield into a hub for global investment.

British M16 launches “Silent Courier” darknet platform to recruit Russian spies. The initiative coincides with MI6 Chief Richard Moore’s assessment that Putin shows “no interest in negotiations” beyond Ukraine’s capitulation.

Turkish defense giant Baykar expands Ukraine operations as innovations “explode”. Ukraine’s drone companies have grown from ‘few’ to ‘hundreds’ during war, says Baykar’s CEO.

International

Ukrainian civilians pay price after Trump’s Alaska summit with Putin, while US offers no aid to Kyiv. Nearly 3,500 drones and nearly 200 missiles in a single month show escalation is the Russian strategy.

Ceasefire must trigger “real” security guarantees from allies as Russia-Ukraine peace treaty may never be signed, says Zelenskyy. Zelensky acknowledges Ukraine’s situation “definitely differs from Korea,” while accepting that no final war-ending document may emerge.

What’s inside new International nuclear agency’s resolution on Ukraine’s occupied Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russia defies?. The world demands Zaporizhzhia’s plant return, but Moscow refuses to budge, leaving Europe on edge.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian missile strike ignites ATB warehouse fire in Dnipro during massive overnight assault. ATB Corporation confirmed one of its Dnipro warehouses suffered a direct rocket hit during Russia’s 20 Sept. assault, causing a fire and damaging several company trucks while all staff escaped injury.

Russia fires 619 missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities, killing civilians. A Russian cluster munition directly struck a multi-story residential building in Dnipro during a massive barrage involving 580 drones and 40 missiles, leaving one dead and 26 injured in the oblast

Political and legal developments

Intel: Russia’s economy transforms into military dependency, while oil revenues drop 17%. Russia has trapped itself in a “military rent” scenario where continuing the war becomes financially impossible, yet stopping it triggers mass unemployment and economic restructuring.

Russia’s business empire crumbles — yet its military still marches. Small businesses fail, innovation dies, but Moscow’s energy profits keep its economi alive.

Ukraine allocates record 955 billion hryvnias for weapons in 2026 budget. One-third of Ukraine’s 2.8 trillion hryvnia defense budget will fund weapons procurement in 2026, as the country prepares its fifth consecutive wartime budget amid mounting debt concerns

New developments

Kharkyova wins gold medal at World Military Championships. A 28-year-old Ukrainian fencer outclassed European bronze medalist Angeline Favre in today’s final, securing Ukraine’s 2nd gold medal at the world military championships in Spain.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusives

Ukraine could make the EU’s drone wall actually work—if politics allows. Europe’s weapons cost millions; Ukraine’s solutions cost hundreds.

As Russia clamps down, Ukraine sells assets in wartime reform gamble. Record $216 million in transparent auctions sends crucial signal to Western allies.

Ukraine’s AI drones have 18 months to outpace Russia in existential “ruthless swarm” race. They can’t hit moving trucks yet—but they have 18 months to become “ruthless swarms” in a race that could decide the war

PepsiCo still making money in Russia—and helping fund war. PepsiCo must exit Russia immediately or be held accountable.

The Bulat tanks are tired. But Ukraine can’t afford to ditch them.. They used to be Ukraine’s best tanks. But they’re worn out and they’re too heavy, so the Bulats are fading away.

The battlefield around Pokrovsk is “a total mess.” And it’s about to get worse.. How many Russians are left in their salient northeast of Pokrovsk, and where are they? No outsiders know for sure.

Military

Frontline report: Ukraine Targets Russia’s Logistical Backbone in Coordinated Rail Sabotage Campaign
Ukrainians have unleashed a devastating rail campaign that systematically targeted Russia’s core supply arteries across multiple regions, disrupting the flow of troops, fuel and equipment that keep the Russian war effort alive.

Zelenskyy announces plans for controlled arms exports to fund Ukrainian weapons production
While priority remains supplying frontline units and national stockpiles, Zelenskyy announced that controlled exports of surplus weapons will help finance expanded domestic arms production.

Ukraine’s WWI-era weapon downs advanced Russian Kh-69 cruise missile over Kyiv with $11 worth of ammo

Ukraine’s SOF strike in Kursk Oblast destroys hub for Russia’s 810th Marine Brigade
According to the military report, the attack wiped out depots, equipment stores, and hidden weapons supporting Russian operations near Kharkiv and Sumy.

Ukraine to outmatch Russia’s drone attacks with 1,000 interceptors a day, Ukrainian PM assures
Shmyhal claims Ukraine’s ability to intercept drones will soon surpass the intensity of Russia’s nightly drone use.

Frontline report: Ukrainian Army’s Brazilians quietly encircle Russian troops near Pokrovsk — and eliminate them one by one
In the forests and villages outside Pokrovsk, foreign fighters ambushed infiltration groups and raised Ukrainian flags in secured areas.

Intelligence and Technology

Russia, Iran recruiting Middle Eastern mercenaries for war in Ukraine – media
Intelligence sources describe large-scale deception operation targeting conflict zone populations.

Kremlin still believes they can win war of attrition against Ukraine — yet ISW says Russia’s victory “not inevitable”
Putin and Gerasimov continue to promote the idea that Russia’s slow advances will ultimately force Ukraine’s collapse.

Ukrainian drone engineers suggest dropping nets on Russia’s roadside ambush drones (video)
The nets tangle the enemy drones’ propellers, trapping them in waiting positions, unable to launch an attack on passing vehicles.

Ukraine’s drone forces aim to reach 5% of total military — for full front coverage
August statistics show the Unmanned Systems Forces is responsible for over 21,000 out of 60,000 verified targets.

Russia might have transferred nuclear submarine reactors to North Korea for US strike capability
Kim Jong Un inspected submarine construction in March while persistently requesting advanced fighter jets alongside nuclear technology.

International

Russian warplanes violated Polish oil rig zone on same day as Estonia airspace breach. Defense services were alerted after the planes breached the safety perimeter of Poland’s offshore energy site.

Eight EU countries continue to buy Russian gas – EU spokesperson

The European Commission announced a full ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports on Friday, marking a major step to end the EU’s reliance on Moscow.

Russian warplanes violated NATO member Estonia’s airspace – Tallinn
Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace on Friday amid heightened tensions with NATO, the Estonian Foreign Ministry reported.

Russian crypto, banks, and oil trade hit in EU’s proposed 19th sanctions package
The proposal bans Russian LNG, hits 118 vessels, and still needs approval from all member states to take effect.

ExxonMobil, largest US-based oil company, says it doesn’t plan to engage in Russia’s Arctic project after Trump-Putin summit
CEO Darren Woods confirms the company seeks only asset recovery through arbitration rather than renewed investment.

Humanitarian and Social Impact

Zaporizhzhia building anti-drone tunnels over roads to protect civilians and logistics
Netting tunnels protect civilians and logistics routes against increasingly sophisticated fibre-optic drone attacks.

Another 86 Russian drones launched overnight—most intercepted, some hit Kyiv and Pavlohrad, injuring a man
Air Force confirms 71 drones downed, 15 struck targets in six locations, another landed unexploded in Kyiv.

Read our previous daily review here.

Exclusive

The Bulat tanks are tired. But Ukraine can’t afford to ditch them.. They used to be Ukraine’s best tanks. But they’re worn out and they’re too heavy, so the Bulats are fading away.

The battlefield around Pokrovsk is “a total mess.” And it’s about to get worse.. How many Russians are left in their salient northeast of Pokrovsk, and where are they? No outsiders know for sure.

Ukraine’s construction defies war as apartment building surges 45%. Ukraine issued permits for nearly 49,000 new apartments in six months.

Putin needs Pokrovsk to unlock the Donbas—but it’s costing him everything. With 602 tanks lost, the Donbas fortress city is becoming this war’s Stalingrad

Military

Frontline report: Ukrainian forces decimate Russian offensive capabilities in Pokrovsk direction. Ukrainian forces have launched a comprehensive strike campaign across the Donbas front, targeting Russian bases, training camps, and troop concentrations to systematically degrade Moscow’s offensive capacity.

Kyiv exploits blind spot in Moscow’s air defense strategy as Russia prioritizes power over profits

. Kyiv proves Moscow can’t guard all of its facilities, hitting targets that power its war machine.

Ukraine liberated 160 square km in Donetsk Oblast counteroffensive – Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces have liberated seven settlements and inflicted over 2,500 Russian losses in the past few weeks.

Russia’s “squeeze-out” strategy targets 2 key Ukrainian cities. Russian troops are attempting to complete encirclement and have created a “kill zone” around the Pokrovsk city, where any movement or resupply by Ukrainian troops is targeted by drones and artillery

1,300 km deep into Russia, Ukraine’s drone hits Gazprom’s Salavat refinery, setting it ablaze (video). The attack targeted the ELOU-AVT-4 unit, vital for crude oil processing.

Intelligence and technology

Ukrainian intel: Nearly 20,000 Cuban mercenaries fighting on Russia’s side against Ukraine. Florida lawmakers and Ukrainian officials highlighted the threat to US and regional security.

First American weapons arrive in Ukraine under PURL agreement – media. The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) allows NATO allies to fund US weapons stockpiles, which are then shipped directly to Ukraine under a coordinated support program.

Ukraine and Poland to sign battlefield drone agreement — and it could redefine NATO’s strategy. Warsaw’s forces will gain hands-on experience from Ukraine’s drone crews, who fight daily.

Leader of Russia’s most elite drone unit identified – RFE/RL. An investigation by RFE/RL reveals the leadership and structure of Rubicon, Russia’s elite drone formation, whose advanced tactics have outmatched other unmanned forces and severely disrupted Ukrainian operations.

Ukraine and Poland to create a joint drone unit to counter “common enemy”- Shmyhal

. Defense chiefs from Ukraine and Poland signed agreements on drone operation training and joint industrial projects during a ministerial meeting in Kyiv

International

Ireland sends 34-vehicle non-lethal military aid package to Ukraine: ambulances, pickups, and demining tech. The two Irish convoys also included three Reacher Robots for the demining coalition.

Russian Gerbera drone wreckage washes onto Latvian beach after drifting from sea. The tail section was discovered in Ventspils district and secured for inspection.

Russia, Belarus again tried to attack Poland while border remains closed. Interior Minister Kamiński describes the border situation as “very tense.”

Poland plans to triple defense budget to record $55 billion, while learning drone defense from Ukraine. Warsaw also urges NATO allies to reach 5% GDP defense spending by 2030.

Australia slashes Russian oil price cap 21% while sanctioning 95 shadow fleet tankers. The coordinated Western assault on Putin’s energy revenues intensifies as Australia joins allies in targeting the maritime network.

WSJ: EU sees a trap in Trump’s Russia demands for Europe — and some fear it’s meant to fail on purpose. Diplomats believe the US President is creating impossible conditions to avoid action on Moscow.

UK arrests three suspected Russian agents — police say foreign spies now recruit British “proxies”. Counter-terror police swooped on two addresses, detaining suspects accused of aiding a foreign intelligence service.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russia struck Kostiantynivka with guided FAB-250 bomb – 5 civilians killed. Kostiantynivka, a city in Donetsk Oblast close to the front line, has been a frequent target for Russian aerial strikes since the start of the full-scale invasion.

1,000 bodies of fallen soldiers repatriated to Ukraine. Authorities are set to conduct examinations and identify the remains in the coming days.

Political and legal developments

Europe prepares war reparations for Ukraine — but Russia doesn’t want to stop war. The mechanism emerges after 18 months of Hague negotiations.

ISW: Putin removes top Kremlin aide Kozak who allegedly warned him to end the war in Ukraine. Dmitry Kozak lost his role after advising Putin to hold peace talks and reduce the power of the security services.

New developments

New front opens for unexpected category of Ukrainians — yet joining remains choice, not command. Volunteers can sign one-year contracts after health checks.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusive

Putin needs Pokrovsk to unlock the Donbas—but it’s costing him everything. With 602 tanks lost, the Donbas fortress city is becoming this war’s Stalingrad

Brussels completes Ukraine screening as farm politics threatens EU unity. Ukraine completes final EU agricultural screening while farmers battle war, misconceptions, and rising grain prices.

Deaths outpace births 3-to-1 as Ukraine raises baby bonuses. Ukraine’s fertility hits 0.8 as experts doubt financial fixes.

Military

Ukrainian partisans near Yekaterinburg cut all Russia’s strategic supply lines 2,087 km from frontlines. ATESH saboteurs disrupt ammunition, fuel, and troop movements.

Four-pronged Russian attack fails to crush Ukraine this summer — Zelenskyy reveals staggering losses

. Even in one of the war’s fiercest fronts, Moscow’s overextended army hits wall after wall of Ukrainian resistance.

Kenyan athlete says he was lured to Russian army, but Ukrainian fighters who captured him aren’t so sure about that. Signed papers he couldn’t read, trained under threats, and vanished into forests to survive.

US military officers attend Zapad-2025 exercises in Belarus for first time since full-scale invasion. Two American defense attachés accepted an invitation to the Russian-Belarusian military drills.

Intelligence and technology

Ukrainian forces burn three Russian air defense systems worth $80–90 million with “innovations”

. Tor-M2 and Buk systems worth tens of millions burned, but Ukraine’s Nemesis promises the full story will come later.

Russian propaganda seeks to shift blame for NATO drone strikes to unexpected country. Staged videos and fake debris appear online as Moscow masks its own incursions into Western skies.

International

Ukraine’s Plan A: peace, but Russia doesn’t want it. Plan B: $60 billion for 2026 from allies — Zelenskyy. With Russia demanding surrender and Washington withholding aid, Ukraine braces for an unsustainable financial cliff.

Kyiv ratifies century-long pact with UK, while security guarantees hang in balance. The majority of Ukrainian deputies vote for the historic agreement between the two states.

Humanitarian and social impact

“Stayed indoors for nearly three years”: Ukraine brings kids home from jaws of occupation — yet 19,546 remain abducted by Russia. Zelenskyy’s humanitarian program reunites the most vulnerable, while Russia continues to steal children for its war machine.

Exclusives

Bloomberg thinks Putin finally went too far (he didn’t). Bloomberg asks if Putin finally went too far—we examine why it’s likely more of the same.

BBC: Ukrainian civilian freed after years in Russian captivity — his story is one of beatings, starvation, and survival. Journalist Dmytro Khyliuk spent three and a half years in captivity without charges before finally returning home in a rare swap.

Ukraine asks West to fund half its government as defense spending hits record 27% of GDP. $10 billion gap tests whether Western taxpayers can sustain Ukraine’s unprecedented military mobilization through 2026.

Ukrainian troops are on the attack in Sumy—and advancing. Moscow stripped troops from Sumy to double down on its attack in Donetsk. For Kyiv, that was an opportunity.

Exclusive

Ukrainian troops are on the attack in Sumy—and advancing. Moscow stripped troops from Sumy to double down on its attack in Donetsk. For Kyiv, that was an opportunity.

Moscow touts new tank production in Omsk—analysts cry hype. Russia may have fired up a second production line for new tanks. But how many new T-80s is Uralvagonzavod actually producing?

AI sees, diesel drives, armor protects—Ukraine’s 4-ton ground drone Bufalo is designed to endure war. Unlike earlier robotic systems, Bufalo is built to go the distance and stay useful even when hit.

War reshapes Ukraine’s economy, turning taxes into tanks and groceries into survival math. Latest household and budget data expose Ukraine’s triple economic burden as the country spends 31% of GDP on defence.

Military

Frontline report: Russia tried to break through Sumy — now Ukraine threatens its troops from behind

. The frontline has blurred into one battlespace where state lines no longer matter.

Ukraine liberates Pankivka village while as Russia deploys 4 brigades to Dobropillia direction. Russian forces lost control of Pankivka settlement to Ukrainian defense units operating under the 1st NGU “Azov” Corps

Ukraine downs Russia’s rare cruise missile-capable heavy drone Orion in Kursk Oblast using interceptor UAV (video). The 414th drone brigade confirmed it as their biggest drone kill since the start of the full-scale war. The Orion has a wingspan of 16 meters.

HUR drone strikes Russian Buk-M3 air defense system 50km behind front lines. The Main Intelligence Directorate has added another Russian air defense system to its target list, striking a Buk-M3 complex in occupied Zaporizhzhia

Ukrainian strike destroys key Russian radar station in Rostov Oblast. Russia has lost a key air traffic control radar system in its southern region after Ukrainian forces struck the RLK-1 Navigatsiya Yuga complex on 4 Sept.

ISW: Ukraine strikes pipeline after Russians use underground route for third infiltration mission of war. The Russian military is transferring specialized infiltration tactics across different front sectors, with forces near Kupiansk replicating underground pipeline advances previously used in Avdiivka and Sudzha

Intelligence and Technology

Ukraine offers allies to learn how to fight modern skies as hundreds of Russian drones destroyed nightly. Ukraine’s Air Force commanders coordinate small units, interceptor drones, and electronic warfare systems.

Ukraine uses Estonian launchers for its long-range drone strikes on Russia

. Ukraine has conducted long-range drone strikes using Estonian CATA launcher systems since 2022, enabling attacks on Russian territory

Frontline without internet – Ukrainian troops hit by Starlink outage. On the morning 15 September, a major outage affected the Starlink satellite internet network along the entire frontline, disrupting connectivity used by Ukrainian forces

International

Trump’s push to warm relations with Belarus may save Russia’s dying aviation fleet. The lifting of sanctions could let Minsk feed components straight into Moscow’s grounded aircraft.

“No-fly, no-AAA” corridor could allow Warsaw stop Russian drones in Ukraine before they hit Poland. Mobile fire groups, AWACS, and fighter jets could intercept hundreds of incoming targets.

Experts uncover US “shopping list” that feeds Russia’s war machine with $2.50 billion in 2025. Energy, metals, and resources — every crate and container keeps the Kremlin’s missiles flying while civilians suffer.

“I don’t see anyone willing to fight with Russia”: Sikorski explains why security guarantees for Ukraine may fail like Budapest Memorandum. He recalled Budapest’s failed guarantees and warned the new ones may collapse the same way.

Norway opens large training camp for Ukrainian military in Poland. A 23-year-old Ukrainian brigade instructor who survived battles in Bakhmut’s “meat grinder” now helps Norwegian forces design realistic combat training at a secret military camp in Poland

Belarus opens doors to US officers at Russian-Belarusian war games in Belarus

. Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin rolled out the red carpet for visiting US officers at the West-2025 exercise, telling them they could “go there and see, talk to people” in what officials called a surprise development.

Poland permits NATO deployment on its soil following Russian drone incursion. This comes as a part of the alliance’s new “Eastern Sentinel” initiative with contributions from Denmark, France, Britain, Germany and other allies.

Sikorski: Putin’s Polish drone incursion was calculated probe of NATO resolve. Russia’s use of unarmed but weapons-capable drones against Poland represents a new escalation tactic designed to test NATO boundaries without triggering full-scale war.

Humanitarian and Social Impact

City in Ukraine’s only region bordering both Russia and Belarus suffers its most devastating attack since war began. Nizhyn endured 16 hours of drone strikes that set an oil depot ablaze, wounded rescuers, and left entire districts without power.

Three Russian bombs hit Kramatorsk center, injuring 15 civilians.

Russia hits Zaporizhzhia suburbs: Houses burn, power cut in night attack. Russian forces launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, firing three S-300 missiles and 84 drones from six directions

Political and Legal Developments

Nielsen slammed for counting occupied Ukrainian lands as new Russian regions. Global analytics giant NielsenIQ has found itself at the center of controversy after its Russian subsidiary began publicly treating Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories as “new regions of Russia” in its FMCG market research

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusive

Ukraine celebrates Tank Troops Day! Here are eight stories of Ukrainian tankers you won’t see in movies. From T-64s holding off entire Russian columns to crews rising from near-death like a Phoenix, Ukrainian tank operators have turned armored steel into instruments of courage and survival.

Sabotage on the rails? 15 fuel cars off track, train driver dead near St Petersburg—Rosgvardia blown up by rail bomb in Oryol Oblast (video). Russian authorities confirm a fatal explosion hit Rosgvardiya forces one day before twin train incidents in Leningrad Oblast.

Military

Single act of sabotage 500 kilometers inside Russia rippled into ammunition shortages at front. Partisans disrupted the North Caucasus rail lifeline, leaving artillery units waiting for munitions that never came.

Underground inferno in Kharkiv Oblast — anti-mines turn Russian shelters into death traps. Beneath shattered streets and layers of concrete, Russian troops hoped to hide in tunnels and basements.

Ukraine hits Forbes-ranked Russian chemical giant 1,600-km away. It produces explosives for military. The Metafrax Chemicals facility produces urea, a key component for ammonium-nitrate explosives used in artillery shells and mines.

Ukraine intelligence confirms attack on Russian railway supplying military forces [updated]. Explosive devices discovered during a routine track inspection detonated in Russia’s Oryol Oblast and killed three National Guard officers.

Ukraine’s drones hit deep—St Petersburg’s main fuel plant engulfed in flames (video)

. Satellite data and geolocated videos confirmed a major fire erupted inside the Kirishi refinery.

Ukrainian navy hits Russian Black Sea fleet communications hub in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian Naval Forces targeted the 184th Research Experimental Base that “provided command and control for Black Sea Fleet units,” according to official military sources.

Frontline report: Ukrainian forces spring trap on Russian breakthrough near Pokrovsk. Systematic clearing operations conclude months-long Russian offensive with Ukraine controlling key supply routes to Kramatorsk.

Intelligence and technology

Russia wants back its S-400s from Turkiye, which it used not only for air defense in Ukraine’s war. Battlefield losses and Ukrainian drone strikes have left Moscow scrambling.

Russian developers on edge as war funds take precedence, intelligence says

. Falling sales and mounting debts push developers deeper into crisis, while buyers struggle to secure loans.

International

Russian drones crash into Poland — but real target is Western support for Kyiv. Fear and propaganda hit harder than drones as the Kremlin tests NATO’s willingness to defend Kyiv.

Russia might sent 20-ton message to Poland during Zapad-2025 drills. The armored vehicle appeared on the streets of Grodno, just miles from Poland, in what analysts call a show of force wrapped in outdated steel.

Trump’s Poland drones response alarms NATO allies. They question US defense commitments —Reuters. Multiple diplomatic sources across Europe described reactions ranging from dismay to confusion following Trump’s suggestion that the Russian drone incursion into Poland “could have been a mistake.”

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusives

Ukraine rolled back Crimea’s air defenses—then hit a ship in home waters. The Black Sea has become Ukraine’s hunting ground.

Russia’s war games on NATO’s doorstep: “unstoppable” missile, nukes—and SIM-card drones. This year’s Zapad drills feature the testing of the new Oreshnik missile, nuclear decision-making scenarios, and evidence of Russian drones using Polish and Lithuanian SIM cards to probe NATO’s defenses.

IMF finds Ukraine needs $20bn more than estimated as US support dwindles. Ukraine’s funding needs through 2027 may be $20 billion higher than Kyiv estimates.

Latest News

Sat Sep 13 2025

“Ukraine controls the front,” but the situation is not that simple – Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said that Russia’s main advantage is manpower, and insists that Russia is not making major gains in eastern Ukraine despite heavy assaults and large troop deployments.

“I don’t see anyone wanting to fight Russia” – Polish FM casts doubt on Western “security guarantees” for Ukraine. Sikorski warned Saturday that proposed security guarantees for Ukraine are unlikely to deter Russian aggression, suggesting the term “guarantees” itself may be misleading, and calling for a focus on military and financial support instead.

“A deliberate expansion of the war by Russia”: Romania scrambles jets after Russian drone enters NATO airspace for the 2nd time this week. Russian drones have entered NATO airspace for the second time this month, following a wave of incursions into Poland on 10 September that prompted heightened defenses along NATO’s eastern borders.

Poland scrambles jets and closes Lublin airport in reaction to new Russian drone threat. Poland has heightened defenses along its eastern border following a wave of Russian drones that entered its airspace on 10 September.

Trump doubts his ability to influence Putin, so he shifts responsibility onto Europe

. “Major sanctions” on Russia will come only if other NATO nations do the same and Europe stops purchasing Russian oil, Trump said.

Drone strike reported at Russian oil refinery 1400 km from Ukraine. Eyewitness videos posted online show flames and a drone over Ufa, but officials have not confirmed any strike on the Novo-Ufa refinery.

Ukrainian drones shutdown of Russia’s key Baltic oil terminal for first time. Ukrainian Security Service drones struck Russia’s Primorsk oil port on 12 Sept, damaging two shadow fleet tankers and forcing the first-ever suspension of operations at the Baltic Sea terminal that exports $100 million worth of oil products daily.

Poland announces the start of NATO’s Eastern Sentry mission. French military transport aircraft have begun delivering armaments for Rafale fighters to Poland as NATO’s “Eastern Sentry” mission becomes operational

Estonia сloses eastern border airspace after drone attacks hit St. Petersburg. Finland, Latvia and Estonia have now all restricted civilian flights near their Russian borders as Ukrainian drone operations targeting facilities in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region

From Catherine II to Putin: How a Swedish flag became symbol of resistance in occupied Ukraine. A Swedish flag gifted by King Carl XVI Gustaf to a Ukrainian village in 2008 survived 8.5 months hidden from Russian occupation forces

EU’s Kallas: “Territorial concessions to Russia would bring more war, not less”

. The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas identified a deliberate Russian pattern of demanding non-existent rights, issuing threats, then mobilizing Western voices to offer Moscow exactly what it never possessed

Russia launches military satellite and student-built spacecraft from Arctic base. The Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from Plesetsk Cosmodrome carrying the Mozhaets-6 satellite to test astronavigation systems alongside an undisclosed military spacecraft.

Russian Forces use gas pipeline network for third infiltration operation into Kupiansk – Deep State. Russian infiltrators are using electric scooters and wheeled stretchers to navigate underground pipeline systems to prevent significant casualties

Prince Harry receives Ukrainian borsch during Kyiv visit, honoring Princess Diana’s favorite dish. Prince Harry’s 12 Sept visit to support wounded Ukrainian veterans included an unexpected culinary connection to his late mother, as local chef Yevhen Klopotenko served dishes based on Princess Diana’s documented preference for Ukrainian borsch.

Polish parliament adopts new law on aid to Ukrainians after Nawrocki’s veto. President Karol Nawrotcki’s August veto prompted Parliament to pass alternative legislation requiring Ukrainian refugees to earn at least 50% of minimum wage or attend school for 800+ family benefits

NATO’s Eastern Guardian Operation won’t cover Ukrainian airspace, Commander confirms. NATO launched Operation Eastern Guardian in direct response to Russian drone breaches of Polish territory on 10 Sept., but ruled out extending the air defense operation over Ukraine

Zelenskyy: Ukraine offers to intercept Russian targets together with NATO. President Zelenskyy called for accelerated security guarantee negotiations with NATO allies, proposing joint air defense operations

Read our previous daily report here.

Exclusives

Russia’s war games on NATO’s doorstep: “unstoppable” missile, nukes—and SIM-card drones. This year’s Zapad drills feature the testing of the new Oreshnik missile, nuclear decision-making scenarios, and evidence of Russian drones using Polish and Lithuanian SIM cards to probe NATO’s defenses.

IMF finds Ukraine needs $20bn more than estimated as US support dwindles. Ukraine’s funding needs through 2027 may be $20 billion higher than Kyiv estimates.

Mystery in Donetsk: did Ukraine just launch a secret cruise missile?. Ukraine launched a barrage of drones and missiles to slow Russian reinforcements massing in Donetsk. Did the raid reveal a new missile?

Thousands more drones: UK and Germany bankroll Kyiv blitz on Putin’s oil. Thanks to allied financing, Ukraine may soon have enough long-range missiles and drones to match Russia’s own bombardment campaign.

Latest News

Fri Sep 12 2025

Ukraine’s General Staff considers turning off mobile network during alarm – media. Ukraine’s military leadership is evaluating emergency mobile network shutdowns during air attacks as Russian forces potentially exploit telecommunications infrastructure for drone guidance systems

“Eastern Sentry” – NATOs new plan to defend from Russian drones. NATO Secretary General and SACEUR announced a new defensive operation combining air, ground, and counter-drone capabilities, in response to recent Russian drone incursions into NATO territory.

After 19 drones cross border, Poland’s Foreign Minister says diplomacy channels stay open. Russia’s escalating attacks on Ukraine prove Moscow is not ready for peace, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorsky said

Ukraine quietly hits key Russian fuel node—twice in one week (video). New footage confirms a repeat strike on the fuel pumping station linking Russia’s Ryazan and Moscow.

Ukraine stops Russia’s offensive in Sumy Oblast – Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian troops have lost their ability to advance in Sumy oblast after repeated Ukrainian defensive operations.

Claims of Ukrainian provocation over drone attacks echo Russian propaganda – Polish FM Sikorski

. Calling the drone intrusion “a moment of truth,” Sikorski insisted Poland is certain the attack was a Russian operation, not an accident.

Frontline Report: Domestic missiles give Ukraine the edge – Russian generals eliminated before major assault begins. Ukrainian intelligence tracked Russian reinforcement convoys through hacked traffic cameras and partisan networks before launching precision strikes that eliminated dozens of high-ranking officers.

Preparing for another brutal Ukrainian winter, EU allocates €40 million to protect civilians. In previous winters, Ukraine has faced increased Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, leaving millions across the country without light and heating during the cold months.

Russian gas stations are shutting down across 10 regions—but Moscow blames vacation season, not Ukrainian drones. Russian officials deflect from strike campaign impact as fuel union reveals weeks-long delivery failures, ISW says.

Israel sends cops and medics into wartime Ukraine — to protect pilgrims at a rabbi’s grave. Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews will arrive in Uman despite Russian missile threats.

Ukraine slashes red tape, saves citizens $12 billion with genius app. According to government calculations, citizens using Diia pay six times less for services than offline procedures.

SIM cards in downed drones expose Russia’s months-long plan to target Poland and Lithuania. Russia prepared drone strikes on Poland and Lithuania for months, using local SIM cards to test network connectivity.

Rheinmetall to build shell factory in Ukraine after finalizing joint production procedures

. German defense giant moves forward with major manufacturing investment as cooperation deepens across multiple defense sectors.

UK responds to Russian aggression with Ukraine aid, not military escalation. British Foreign Secretary used her first official visit to Kyiv to send Moscow an unmistakable message.

Bundestag defense chief wants drone factories in Russia destroyed and NATO to shoot down Moscow’s drones. Chair of the German Bundestag Defense Committee Thomas Röwekamp stated that NATO should shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine and increase support to Kyiv to target their production facilities

Ukraine’s long arm: 1000 km deep, a drone ignites Russia’s Baltic Sea oil terminal near Finland. A ship caught fire and airports shut down as explosions echoed from Smolensk to Leningrad Oblast.

ISW: The Kremlin’s Europe distraction playbook just opened to the Balkans chapter. From airspace threats in Poland to Dodik’s referendum push, Russia’s divide-and-distract game expands.

A Shahed found its victim in Sumy—Russia’s second strike erased any chance of rescue from the rubble. Emergency crews in Sumy couldn’t reach the trapped man before Russia sent a follow-up drone to block recovery.

Moscow’s oil income squeezed as market surplus overwhelms war premium. Russian oil revenues hit wartime low as oversupply overwhelms geopolitics.

Russia’s Krasnodar reopens airport closed since start of full-scale war in Ukraine. Russian airline Aeroflot resumes flights to the city of Krasnodar, 200km from Russian-occupied Crimea, for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war.

Read our previous report here.

Exclusives

Thousands more drones: UK and Germany bankroll Kyiv blitz on Putin’s oil. Thanks to allied financing, Ukraine may soon have enough long-range missiles and drones to match Russia’s own bombardment campaign.

Romania is quietly becoming Europe’s defense powerhouse. Romania is reviving its defense industry with US and German partners, building drone and gunpowder plants in Brașov while expanding production of tanks and vehicles.

NATO’s boiled frog moment: 19 drones, zero consequences. Poland has everything needed to stop Russian drones. NATO has the world’s most advanced air defenses. Neither matters when the alliance refuses to use them.

Russia saved armor all year for this moment—150,000 troops close in on Pokrovsk. Russian reinforcements are surging toward Pokrovsk. But so are Ukrainian reinforcements. A big fight looms.

Military

Poland will send troops to Ukraine to learn how to shoot down Russian drones

. Ukraine’s experience defending against drone strikes will help Poland train its military to counter Russian drone incursions.

Russia may have struck Poland to discourage air defense support for Ukraine – Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy warned that modern drone warfare replaces traditional invasions, with strike drones carrying out attacks across borders.

Spasatel Ilyin was the Russian ship hit near Novorossiysk by aerial drone—captain injured, ship disabled. The vessel’s electronics and communications were reportedly taken offline after the bridge was struck.

“Swedish-Ukrainian surprises” to come on the battlefield: Sweden announces $836 million military aid package for Ukraine. The package includes new artillery, upgraded combat boats, radar systems, and secret equipment to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses.

Ukraine’s Su-27 pilot killed in combat sortie—Air Force says cause of crash still unknown. Major Borovyk’s jet was operating in Zaporizhzhia Oblast when it suddenly went down. It’s Ukraine’s second such loss this year.

Frontline report: Ukraine flipped the Sumy front upside down—Russia’s elite brigade lost its HQ, general, and last hope. Ukrainian strike aircraft and drones tore through Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod, adjacent to Sumy, with surgical waves of Western bombs.

Russian drone fell on a Polish military base near Warsaw—one of 16 found on 10 September. Authorities say the base is part of the Territorial Defense Forces in Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą.

Ukraine offers joint air defense plan after Russian drones test NATO’s limits through Poland. President Zelenskyy says the Kremlin is studying allied responses—and acting on what it learns. Ukraine is ready to share tech and train Polish crews to defend against Russian drones.

Sweden delivers air defense systems and fighter jets to Poland after Russian drones breach NATO airspace

. Defense officials point to a wave of concrete pledges from across Europe in the wake of the drone incident.

Intelligence and technology

UK signs deal to mass produce Ukraine’s interceptor drones as war tech alliance deepens. The move comes after Kyiv and London expanded their joint defense cooperation this summer.

Ukraine struck a rare Russian spy ship 600 km away—now it’s crippled and useless (video). The drone hit destroyed the vessel’s recon gear and command bridge, HUR confirmed.

Kyiv turns wartime digital playbook into AI city services with Google. Tech giant expands three-year $45M commitment beyond emergency aid.

Political and legal developments

Zelenskyy pushes US for weapons co-production, tougher sanctions on Russia. The Kyiv meeting comes as Russia escalates attacks and Ukraine seeks stronger backing from its international allies.

US lifts sanctions on Belarusian airline in exchange for prisoner releases, wants to “normalize relations”. The move marks a rare diplomatic breakthrough with Russian-allied Belarus, which has long faced Western sanctions over human rights abuses.

Putin’s NATO probe exposes Washington’s strategic paralysis

. Russia just escalated from testing Ukrainian resolve to probing NATO boundaries directly.

Russian empire nostalgia covers occupied Mariupol as authorities paint imperial quotes on apartment walls. All Ukrainian symbols in Mariupol were replaced with Soviet military propaganda, imperial Russian quotes, and re-written history that presents Russia’s invasion as “liberation.”

Humanitarian and social impact

Firefighters targeted by second Russian drone while fighting blaze from earlier attack in Kramatorsk. Authorities reported 15 strikes across Kramatorsk on 11 September, leaving six civilians wounded.

International

Russia’s Krasnodar reopens airport closed since start of full-scale war in Ukraine. Russian airline Aeroflot resumes flights to the city of Krasnodar, 200km from Russian-occupied Crimea, for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war.

India warns citizens: Don’t fall for Russian Army job offers. Moscow is accused of tricking Indian men with promises of construction work, then forcing them into combat in Ukraine.

Read our previous report here.

Exclusive

NATO’s boiled frog moment: 19 drones, zero consequences. Poland has everything needed to stop Russian drones. NATO has the world’s most advanced air defenses. Neither matters when the alliance refuses to use them.

Russia saved armor all year for this moment—150,000 troops close in on Pokrovsk. Russian reinforcements are surging toward Pokrovsk. But so are Ukrainian reinforcements. A big fight looms.

Ukraine built mobile branches and redundant comms, keeping mail running under fire. Crisis breeds efficiency that comfort cannot match.

Military

Poland shoots down Russian drones, closes 4 airports in “unprecedented” border violation

. For the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion, a NATO member country came under direct attack when Polish forces intercepted Russian drones violating national airspace

NATO jets shoot down Russian drones in Poland—but NATO believes it’s not an attack. Despite its own involvement, the Alliance refuses to define it as an act of war.

Moscow programmes drone flight using same corridor as earlier airspace violations – Polish military analyst says. Russian drones followed an 8-kilometer corridor east of Chelm toward Zamosc, which military analysts view as deliberate NATO defense testing rather than Ukrainian electronic warfare disruption.

Intelligence and technology

While West discusses security guarantees for Ukraine, Kyiv offers NATO state training against Russian drones after fist mass attack. Western capitals continue drafting security guarantee frameworks for Ukraine even as Kyiv demonstrates superior defensive capabilities.

New mega-deal on horizon: Germany to invest €300 million in Ukraine’s “deep strike” drones. Berlin bets on Ukrainian drones. The €300 million “deep strike” initiative to scale UAV production and reshape Europe’s security landscape

Ukrainian intelligence may have prevented even bigger destruction on Polish territory amid Russian attack. Ukraine warned Poland of attack before 19 Russian drones breached the NATO member airspace.

NATO state admits it is defenseless against Russian attacks, and cannot respond like Poland

. President Pellegrini warns his country lacks modern air defenses, leaving civilians exposed if drones or missiles cross Slovak skies, while Poland scrambled jets after Moscow’s recent strike.

International

Zelenskyy warns no one is safe in Europe, as Poland invokes NATO’s Article 4 after Russian UAVs breach airspace. Hundreds of drones rained down on Ukraine, but the shock came when Moscow’s UAVs crossed into Polish skies.

EU unlocks $ 7 bn from frozen Russian assets to form drone alliance against Russian mass production. The European Union will provide Ukraine with $7 bn in advance funding for drone manufacturing as Ukrainian unmanned systems account for over two-thirds of Russian equipment losses

Ursula von der Leyen announces summit on return of Ukrainian children. “Every kidnapped Ukrainian child must be returned,” European Commission President declared while announcing an international summit to address tens of thousands of missing Ukrainian minors.

Czech PM calls Russian drone incursion “systematic test” of NATO defenses. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron joined Czech and EU officials in condemning Russia’s “reckless” and “deliberate” drone attack on Poland

Sybiha tells Hungarian counterpart Ukraine ready for “mutually respectful” talks. Ukrainian FM reached out to his Hungarian counterpart, pushing for support on EU accession talks days after the two ministries clashed over pipeline strikes and membership prospects.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian drone crashes into residential building in Poland. A Russian drone crashed into a residential building near Poland’s border with Belarus overnight, damaging the roof and a parked car as Polish forces shot down over a dozen unmanned aircraft

Russia launches 415 drones, 43 missiles in massive overnight assault on Ukraine. A garment factory worker died and nine people were wounded when Russia launched its most extensive drone and missile barrage in recent months

Political and legal developments

Antidepressant sales jump 36% in Russia. Putin’s electronic conscription system has inadvertently created a pharmaceutical boom, with Russian citizens spending over $100 million on anxiety medications

Moscow denies responsibility for Russian strike on Poland, Belarus insists drones “just lost their way”. Some 19 drones enter Polish airspace for six hours, forcing NATO Article 4 consultations while the Kremlin denies responsibility.

Prime Minister: Ukraine receives another $1.2 bn loan from the EU at the expense of frozen Russian assets. The funds represent the latest tranche under the ERA Loans program, which converts Russian asset revenues into financial support for Ukraine’s defense efforts.

New developments

London Opera House ignores calls to cancel Putin-linked Netrebko as protesters rally outside. Ukraine’s Ambassador Valeriy Zaluzhnyi condemned the Royal Opera House’s decision to host Russian singer Anna Netrebko, writing that her voice on stage “drowns out the real cries – the cries from destroyed maternity hospitals in Mariupol.”

Read our earlier daily review here

Exclusive

Ukraine just built a European-gauge railway during the war. Ukraine builds European railway cheaper and faster than peacetime EU projects—despite the war.

Military

Ukrainian forces hit Russian command centers in Donetsk — and weaken Moscow’s fall offensive before it begins. The attacks undermine Moscow’s planning and prevent consolidation of forces ahead of fall operations.

Main oil pipeline reportedly blown up in Russia’s Saratov Oblast. An oil pipeline with capacity of 82 mn tons per year that supplied petroleum products to Russian military was reportedly damaged in an explosion

Explosion rocks Russian National Guard base linked to Ukraine war crimes. A new strike deep inside Russian territory hits Khabarovsk, as Ukraine’s intelligence targets forces responsible for atrocities against civilians in 2022

Frontline report: Ukrainian hackers turn Russian security cameras into targeting systems for missile strikes

. Ukrainian forces discovered massive Russian troop concentrations by infiltrating security camera networks near key bases, then launched preemptive strikes that destroyed entire convoys before they reached the battlefield.

Russia buried its 41st Army command in a Donetsk research lab—Ukraine blew it up with domestic cruise missiles (video). Three separate command centers were reportedly hit in one night late on 8 September, including one hidden deep inside civilian infrastructure in occupied DOnetsk.

ISW: Russia’s playbook for invading Ukraine now aimed at Finland — same lies, same threats, new target. The Kremlin begins repeating old propaganda lines, but this time against a NATO country.

Intelligence and technology

Kallas: EU aims to deliver 2 million shells to Ukraine by October. The EU has achieved 80% of its commitment to supply Ukraine with 2 million artillery shells, with member states working to deliver the final 400,000 rounds by October

Rheinmetall to manufacture Skyranger mobile anti-drone systems for Ukraine. Ukraine will receive Skyranger mobile air defense systems capable of creating four-kilometer “drone-free zones”

Russian Iskander missile that hit Ukraine’s Cabinet days ago may contain US, UK, Japanese parts. A presidential adviser says the weapon had over 30 foreign components despite sanctions.

International

German politicians visit Kyiv — and vote against delivering more air defenses to Kyiv

. Despite a €4.5 billion proposal to compensate for suspended US aid, CDU and SPD factions blocked the allocation in the budget committee.

Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska was never about peace — its real purpose was to strengthen Moscow’s power globally. Levada Center polls show 79% of Russians viewed the summit as a personal success for Putin, boosting domestic confidence.

CNN: Trump’s repeated calls to Putin failed to slow Russia in Ukraine. During the last eight months, Russia has consolidated gains, from Chinese and North Korean support to unchecked advances in Donetsk and Kharkiv.

Poland finds what appears to be a Russian drone near Belarus border—officials won’t say if it was tracked on radar. Authorities found styrofoam fragments scattered across the field 300 meters from a Polish border checkpoint. The drone had Cyrillic tags.

“Kremlin’s soft power”: London Royal Opera refuses to cancel concerts of Putin-linked soprano despite protests. Anna Netrebko is set to perform in London on 11 September, as Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK writes that “her voice on stage drowns out the real cries – the cries from destroyed maternity hospitals in Mariupol, schools in Kharkiv, kindergartens in Kramatorsk.”

EUROJUST dismantles Belarus spy network across Europe, Moldovan ex-diplomat to Ukraine among suspects. Authorities in Romania captured the 47-year-old after secret meetings with Belarusian KGB officers in Budapest

Ukraine faces $7 billion defense crisis despite aid surplus. Billions in civilian aid sit unused while Ukrainian army faces funding crisis.

Concert of Russian pianist and Putin ally cancelled in Athens after online outcry. Ukrainian diaspora groups and their local supporters are increasingly using online campaigns to block performances by Russian artists tied to the Kremlin.

Polish president calls discussions about Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO “premature”

. “Simply impossible:” Polish President Karol Nawrocki described Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations while the war continues, marking a shift in Warsaw’s stance on Kyiv’s Euro-Atlantic integration.

Trump administration ends Biden-era anti-disinformation pact with European allies. The Trump administration has pulled the US out of agreements with 22 European and African countries designed to combat disinformation from Russia, China and Iran

Xi pledges deeper China-North Korea ties after Beijing parade. China will deepen cooperation with North Korea through enhanced communications and exchanges, President Xi Jinping announced

Trump links Charlotte Ukrainian refugee murder to national security crisis. President Trump expressed condolences Monday to the family of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on Charlotte’s light rail system, while announcing a new Justice Department task force targeting anti-Christian bias

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian airstrike targets civilians in Yarova, Donetsk Oblast – 24 killed. Civilians targeted while standing in line to receive pensions, with most victims reportedly of retirement age, in what Ukrainian officials describe as a deliberate act of terror.

66-year-old woman injured as Russian forces launch dual drone strike on Zaporizhzhia. Russia continues its pattern of drone attacks on Zaporizhzhia, with the latest overnight assault, striking civilian areas and causing both property damage and human casualties

Political and legal developments

Russia rehearses caution in demobilization from war in Ukraine—but 1989 Afghan lesson haunts Kremlin. Veterans with combat experience, prison records, and psychological trauma could spark unrest reminiscent of the 1990s.

Moscow cuts another lifeline to Europe’s human rights system as Putin moves to exit anti-torture convention. The step shields Russian prisons from international inspectors, raising fears for Ukrainian POWs and abducted civilians.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusive

Smart payment solutions for small business owners: Streamline your personal and business finances with ease. With these solutions, entrepreneurs can simplify their financial processes, reduce stress, and focus more on growing their ventures

Ukraine could get a lot more French Mirage 2000 fighters. More ex-French Mirage 2000s means more critical aerial jamming capability for the outnumbered Ukrainian air force.

Military

Frontline report: Ukraine takes out Russia’s radars one by one in Crimea—now Bayraktars are free to fly and kill again

. With S-400 surface-to-air missile systems blinded and boats exposed, drone strikes have returned to the skies over Crimea.

Intelligence and technology

Moscow boasts of domestic drone production—but without China’s parts, Shaheds would never fly. Russia’s long-range drone program is propped up by Beijing, which provides critical components for assembly plants in Tatarstan and beyond.

This sleepy British town will soon make and test Ukrainian military drones built for war with Russia. Ukrspecsystems is moving in with plans to manufacture its unmanned aerial vehicles in the UK and train drone pilots.

International

Even as West tries to choke Russian oil exports with sanctions, new ships are quietly ensuring steady sales. With disguised routes, offshore registrations, and lax insurance, Moscow dodges global restrictions to maintain military spending.

Hungarian PM Orbán claims US already accepted Russia won the war. He predicts formal Ukraine division into three zones

. Viktor Orbán said that future security negotiations will formally divide Ukrainian territory between Russian control, a demilitarized buffer zone, and Western influence.

Latvia forces 841 Russians to leave by October—language test was their pass to stay. Thousands of Russian speakers now must prove residency or depart, with authorities already reporting voluntary and forced exits.

Slovak deputy compares Ukraine to Hamas, justifying Russian aggression as “provoked”. His debate opponent immediately questioned whether the deputy believed “Ukrainians broke [first] into Russia and killed a thousand civilians” as happened on 7 October.

Kremlin says it will continue killing Ukrainians despite sanctions, while Kyiv calls for real security. From Crimea to Kyiv, sanctions pile up, yet Russia’s military potential remains intact, keeping the conflict grinding forward in attrition.

Russia-China trade crashes as Moscow’s frustration with Beijing grows. August decline crowns nine months of deteriorating partnership that once sustained Putin’s war economy.

Trump plans to speak with Putin within days amid escalating attacks on Ukraine. The latest strike killed 2-month-old baby. The US president stated he is “not thrilled” with Russia’s massive attacks on Ukraine but maintains confidence in settling the conflict.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russia plans to tap Europe’s largest nuclear plant to power its secret military object. Documents show step-by-step reconstruction of power lines connecting the plant to a military facility hidden beneath Mariupol’s ruined metallurgical complex.

Rescuers recover third body from Kyiv apartment rubble as Russian strike killed mom and her infant son. Meanwhile, the 24-year-old woman underwent emergency surgery to save her infant following severe burns from debris that destroyed her apartment building.

Energy, not harvest: why Ukraine’s bread may soon cost a quarter more. Bakeries struggle with soaring electricity costs as Russia targets the power grid.

Russian drones target Ukraine’s energy sites to leave civilians without heat and light. The strike on 8 September also resulted in fires at industrial facilities and residential buildings in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusives

Decade-long campaign of assassinations: six outspoken Ukrainian voices eliminated for anti-Russian position. From a Crimean Tatar activist to an elite intelligence officer and former parliament speaker, each killing bears Russian fingerprints that demonstrate Moscow’s deadly reach inside Ukraine.

To make a Flamingo missile, pack in old bombs & add a tiny engine. The Flamingo missile’s best features are under its skin. Powerful and affordable, the missile could change the deep-strike math for Ukraine.

Canada’s pension cash is moving Putin’s $ 4 billion gas cargoes—end it now. Backed by Canadian pension money and Chinese firms, Arctic tankers carried billions of Putin’s gas across NATO waters last year.

Military

Ukraine’s special forces evacuate soldiers who survived three years hidden from Russian forces on occupied territory. The soldiers concealed their military identities with help from hospital staff who hid them from Russian forces throughout the occupation.

Ukrainian forces down 68 of 91 Russian drones in overnight assault. Russia launched 91 drones overnight, prompting Ukrainian forces to shoot down the majority while 18 drones struck targets in 8 different areas.

International

Zelenskyy: Ukraine secures backing from 26 nations for post-war peacekeeping force. The commitment includes both troop deployments and long-term military financing.

Hungary’s FM hits back at Zelenskyy: “We don’t care what Moscow thinks about Ukraine”. A diplomatic spat erupted between Kyiv and Budapest after Zelenskyy questioned Hungary’s stance on EU expansion, prompting Szijjarto to declare that Hungary “is not interested in what they think in Moscow about Ukraine’s EU membership.”

Polish protesters end 2.5-hour blockade of Ukraine truck crossing at Medyka-Shehyni

. Polish protesters lifted their blockade of Ukrainian truck traffic at the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing after holding up freight vehicles for 2.5 hours, with 681 trucks waiting in electronic queues during the disruption.

Intelligence and technology

Russia can produce up to 2700 Shaheds per month – intelligence official. Ukraine faces “truly massive attacks” from hundreds of Russian drones as Moscow’s monthly Shahed production hits 2,700 units, creating what intelligence officials call a “serious challenge” for air defense systems.

50,000 Ukrainian children forced through Russian “patriotic education” programs, British Intelligence reports. Ukrainian children from occupied regions are being transported to Russian universities for “patriotic education” aimed at instilling anti-Ukrainian views and glorifying Russian military actions

Humanitarian and social impact

Civilian woman thrown from her house by blast wave in Russian attack on southern Ukraine. The late evening drone attack on Zaporizhzhia also destroyed 80% of the kindergarten building, while damaging multiple homes.

Ukrainian-Polish teams re-bury 42 remains found in Ternopil village

. Eight years after imposing a moratorium on exhumations of Polish citizens in Ukraine, officials from both countries held a memorial ceremony in Puzhnyky

Russian drone scatters fake 100-hryvnia notes offering payment for military intelligence in Chernihiv. A Russian drone operation targeted a Chernihiv neighborhood with fake currency leaflets on 6 Sept., offering monetary rewards to residents willing to provide coordinates of Ukrainian military positions

Political and legal developments

Ukraine retrieves former politician hiding in UAE. He is charged with high treason for spying for Russia. The suspect, identified by Ukrainian news agencies as Fedor Khrystenko, is also accused of having ties in Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency.

Trump: Europe should play leading role in security guarantees for Ukraine. The United States will assist Ukraine but European countries should take the primary role in providing security guarantees, President Trump announced during a White House briefing

Other developments

“Find a new job”: Trump’s retort to Polish reporter’s Ukraine war query. Polish journalist Marek Wałkuski questioned US President why no concrete actions had been taken to end the Ukraine war despite repeated promises, prompting Trump to suggest he “find a new job.”

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusive

7 million tonnes of Putin’s gas sailed from a Glasgow office. Shut it down. Seapeak Maritime ran the fleet carrying $4 billion of Russian gas—revenue now helping to fund Putin’s war.

33 Russian guards, medics, commanders: InformNapalm links POW abuse in Mordovia to named Russian staff. The OSINT publication exposes those allegedly complicit in systematic violence against Ukrainian captives at IK-10 colony.

Military

Russia, Belarus to rehearse attack on Poland and nuclear strike during Zapad-2025 drills. Fall maneuvers include air counter-operations, reservist mobilization, and border provocations near Ukraine.

Putin declares Western troops in Ukraine “legitimate targets,” after Russian missile kills unarmed Danish mission. Even as Europe plans deployment, the Russian dictator insists any peace must protect Moscow, not just Ukraine.

Ukraine confirms strikes on oil refinery in Ryazan and oil depot in Luhansk

. Ukrainian forces confirmed striking one of Russia’s four largest oil refineries and a fuel depot supplying Russian troops, marking the latest in a systematic campaign against energy infrastructure that has intensified throughout 2024

Dnipro enterprise hit as Russia launches 164-projectile barrage on Ukraine. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 121 of 157 Russian drones during a massive overnight attack on 5 Sept., but seven missiles and 35 drones still reached their targets across 10 locations

Intelligence and technology

Russia’s oil fields 96% depleted, while investors flee and Ukraine strikes refineries, intelligence says. Ukrainian intelligence revealed Russia’s finite 25-year oil timeline, as Ukraine simultaneously destroys 17% of refining capacity.

Lithuania introduces drone alert system with sirens and phone warnings. A two-color alert system featuring sirens and mobile notifications will warn Lithuanians when Russian drones cross into their territory, with red alerts for explosive-carrying aircraft and yellow for non-threatening UAVs

Ukraine completes first phase of power grid armor. Milestone reached as country builds physical barriers around critical substations.

From trenches to dugouts, Ukraine’s advanced UGVs execute missions that once required soldiers under fire. Fully autonomous systems carry out assaults, relay communications, and bypass Russian jammers.

Azerbaijani MiG-29s enter Ukrainian service as regional alliance shifts. New images suggest Ukraine has quietly integrated Azerbaijani MiG-29 fighters into combat operations, potentially expanding Kyiv’s air capabilities just as Baku distances itself from Moscow.

Frontline report: Russian drone factories now staffed by teenagers as adult workforce collapses

. Students recruited from technical schools now live in guarded dormitories at the Alabuga complex, working under surveillance with punishments for errors and reports of forced overtime.

International

India defies US, keeps buying Russian oil, while sanctions bite Moscow. New Delhi rejects Trump’s demands, however, forcing Russia to negotiate in rupees and steep discounts.

Putin says Ukraine can join EU while Russia’s ally Hungary blocks membership. The Russian president’s acknowledgment directly contradicts his 2014 annexation of Crimea and Donbas war launch

America plans to draw peace line in Ukraine—but Putin may ignore it entirely. A demilitarized buffer zone monitored by US drones and satellites faces Moscow’s tendency to violate any agreement.

Trump “very unhappy” EU countries still buy Russian energy, Zelenskyy says. Hungary, which accounts for a significant portion of the EU’s remaining 20% of Russian energy purchases, is simultaneously blocking Ukraine’s path to European Union membership

European team heads to Washington for joint work on expanded Russia sanctions. Brussels has initiated work on a new sanctions package against Russia while dispatching a delegation to Washington for coordination with US officials

Russia ready for Ukraine talks but rejects third-country venue, Putin says. Ukraine rejected Putin’s peace negotiation conditions after the Russian leader proposed Moscow talks while threatening foreign troops on Ukrainian soil

Ukraine misses another EU deadline, putting European aid in jeopardy

. Parliament’s failure puts billions in European support at risk while Ukraine battles on multiple fronts.

Fico and Zelenskyy to discuss energy infrastructure in Uzhhorod. Ukraine’s recent attacks on the Druzhba pipeline have prompted Slovak PM to arrange an urgent meeting with Ukrainian President in Uzhhorod on 5 Sept., marking their first face-to-face talks since Fico’s return to power.

Humanitarian and social impact

“A deliberate attack on peace and recovery”: International outrage after Russian missile strike kills 2 humanitarian workers. “First they littered the region with explosives and mines; now they are killing people who risk their lives clearing our land from the consequences of Russia’s invasion.”

New developments

Ukrainian AI-generated video lights up Burning Man’s main pyramid with national symbols. Ukrainian national symbols projected through artificial intelligence technology dominated the main pyramid at this year’s Burning Man festival, as director Olha Navrotska’s video featuring sunflowers, wheat, and the country’s signature blue and yellow colors

Georgia finds 240 million tons of “new lithium” needed by West — but access may be tied to Ukraine’s war. A colossal find could help the West cut reliance on China, but Moscow lurks with leverage.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusives

A fearless Ukrainian trooper posed as Russian, got close—and then opened fire. Identities can be unclear along the porous front line in Ukraine. That’s an opportunity for cold-blooded ambushes.

When a building is full of Russians, send in an FPV drone first!. One Ukrainian regiment is attaching explosive drones to its infantry squads—to help clear Russians from buildings.

How Ukraine went from power blackouts to selling electricity to Europe in record numbers. Canadian engineers explore billion-dollar projects as Ukraine transforms from energy victim to electricity supplier.

Latest News

Thu Sep 04 2025

“A deliberate attack on peace and recovery”: International outrage after Russian missile strike kills 2 humanitarian workers. “First they littered the region with explosives and mines; now they are killing people who risk their lives clearing our land from the consequences of Russia’s invasion.”

Ukraine building “layered” defense to counter Russian drone strikes. Ukraine is expanding interceptor crews and radar coverage to strengthen defenses against Russian attack drones.

Russia jails two Ukrainian journalists for 15 and 16 years for covering occupation. Reporters Without Borders warns that the harsh sentences send a chilling signal to other detained journalists in occupied Ukraine.

NATO allies to help Finland build air bases for F-35. With the first F-35 fighters scheduled to arrive in Rovaniemi in late 2026, NATO members are preparing to fund one-fifth of Finland’s fighter base construction across three cities

Two Russian drones breach NATO airspace again — Poland says no action needed as they return to Ukraine

. The violations came the same night Russia launched over 500 drones and missiles on Ukraine.

Czech employment gap narrows to record 9 points as 101,000 Ukrainian women join workforce. Women’s employment in the Czech Republic jumped from 68.2% to 71.2% between July 2023 and June 2025

26 countries commit to peacekeeping force in Ukraine after ceasefire. Coalition of the Willing nations agreed to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, coordinating military support and long-term defense planning in the event of a ceasefire.

Western partners ready to give Ukraine long-ranged missiles. Kyiv will gain additional long-range weaponry to disrupt Russian supply lines and strengthen its operational reach.

Russian missile strikes Danish humanitarian mission in Chernihiv Oblast, killing two – updated. Humanitarian crews face a dual threat in liberated areas, working to clear mines while under the risk of Russian missile strikes.

30 leaders gather in Paris to back Ukraine — but all eyes are on Trump’s missing guarantees. Zelenskyy joined the coalition summit as Europe debated defense pledges without firm US commitments.

Ukraine’s shrinking harvest threatens food security in developing nations

. Ukraine’s grain sector faces its worst year since the war began.

Ukrainian drones hunted down Russia’s prized S-300V — and caught its radar too. The strike near Zaporizhzhia’s Oleksiivka obliterated both the launcher and the 9S36 guidance station.

FT: Europe splits into three camps over postwar Ukraine troop commitments. FT reports that UK is ready to deploy, Italy refuses, and Germany remains undecided before today’s summit.

Ukraine just knocked out two more radars inside Russia—Rostov’s airspace gets blinder. NASA thermal data confirmed fires where the radar sites stood, hinting at precise destruction.

Sweden admits it may sell Gripen E fighters to Ukraine — but only after Russia’s war ends. NATO allies asked Stockholm to delay, worried pilots could be overloaded with too many different jets.

Zelenskyy on Donetsk withdrawal demand from Russia: Putin wants gift of territory he can’t conquer for years while losses mount. The Ukrainian president also emphasized the personal significance of contested territories for displaced Ukrainian families who “would like to return” to homes abandoned due to bombing and occupation.

Read our previous report here.

Exclusives

When a building is full of Russians, send in an FPV drone first!. One Ukrainian regiment is attaching explosive drones to its infantry squads—to help clear Russians from buildings.

How Ukraine went from power blackouts to selling electricity to Europe in record numbers. Canadian engineers explore billion-dollar projects as Ukraine transforms from energy victim to electricity supplier.

Russian marines rushed to save the Pokrovsk offensive—HIMARS had other ideas. Russian reinforcements rolling toward Pokrovsk made a fatal mistake. They traveled in armored vehicles—and within range of Ukraine’s HIMARS.

Military

Ukrainian deep drone strike inside Russia hits railway station, delays 26 trains for hours. The attack on Kuteynikovo station in Rostov Oblast damaged electrical infrastructure and left an unexploded ordnance on the building roof, forcing the evacuation of all passengers and staff.

Intelligence and technology

New Ukrainian KABs can glide 60 km, but expert says: “We need 100 every day”. Narozhny believes mass adoption would finally let Kyiv strike back at scale.

Ukraine establishes missile plant in Denmark near F-35 base for 3,000-km strikes

. European NATO allies accelerate weapons manufacturing partnerships with Ukraine as diminishing US support forces unprecedented defense industrial cooperation across the continent.

International

Chinese companies export, Russia kills, while trade between countries hits record €246 billion. Unlike North Korea, Beijing keeps its hands clean, letting companies feed the war machine through dual-use goods.

Shanghai summit shows old world order is dead, says Ukrainian volunteer. Berlinska claims that the axis of dictators demonstrates their power openly, indifferent to sanctions or global protests.

Putin discusses 150-year lifespan with Xi as as his Ukraine war costs one million Russian casualties. Due to biotechnology, human organs can be transplanted continuously, Putin says.

Putin thanks Kim for North Korean troops fighting against “neo-Nazism” in Ukraine

. This is the first time Putin has publicly thanked a foreign leader for soldiers’ deaths in Ukraine,

German chancellor says Putin has no reason to seek peace with Ukraine now. Merz calls for economic warfare as peace talks stall. Friedrich Merz said that Russia’s president sees advantage in continued fighting, pointing to territorial gains and international divisions as factors driving Moscow’s refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue.

“No one was plotting anything,” Russia responds to Trump. He wrote that Russia, China and North Korea conspire against US at Beijing parade. Russian presidential assistant Yuri Ushakov acknowledged irony in Trump’s Truth Social post as Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping gathered in Beijing for the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender.

Humanitarian and social impact

No sleep in Ukraine for civilians as air raid alert lasts for 13 hours and 500+ weapons fly from Russia. Russian drones and missiles reached cities in western Ukraine close to the Poland’s border that many residents considered relatively safe from continuous Russian terror of civilians.

Political and legal developments

Creaking wheels: Russian railway cargo plunges for third quarter as war costs mount. Transport data exposes industrial collapse across Russia’s most strategic sectors.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusive

A Russian drone boat hunted down Ukraine’s lucky intelligence ship. Russia has explosive drone boats, too—now Ukrainian ships and planes are no longer safe from surface attack.

Military

Russian tanks rolled toward Pokrovsk. Then HIMARS and drones turned the whole convoy into wreckage (video). The 79th Air Assault Brigade exposed and destroyed the rare Russian column movement.

Frontline report: Ukrainian marines raise flags in recaptured settlements as Russian units withdraw in Donetsk Oblast. The operation began when Ukrainian special operations forces cleared Russian infiltrators from Andriivka and raised their unit flag before the broader counteroffensive commenced.

Ukrainian Phantoms destroy Russia’s S-400 radars in Crimean strike. The destruction of Russia’s most advanced radar systems leaves Crimea’s air defenses severely compromised, opening the peninsula to larger Ukrainian operations.

500 firefighters battle blaze 10km from Putin’s Black Sea palace for four days after Ukrainian drone strike. Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries 28 Aug. ignited a 4-day forest fire near Putin’s Black Sea palace. Russian authorities deployed 500 personnel and aircraft to extinguish the 41.5-hectare blaze.

ISW: Russia launches battlefield propaganda to sell an inevitable victory that doesn’t exist

. ISW says Moscow’s inflated stats are part of a coordinated information campaign to manipulate Western perception.

NYT: Russia targets Western-linked assets in Ukraine to block peace efforts. Moscow appears confident it can escalate without military retaliation.

Syrskyi: Russia loses 290,000 troops in 8 months at the front. Despite sustaining over 290,000 casualties since January, Russian forces have achieved none of their strategic objectives on the Ukrainian front, Commander-in-Chief said.

Ukraine liberated a village near Kupiansk — Russia used it to watch the highway into the city. Ukrainian forces kicked Russians out of Myrne, once their strategic eye on Kupiansk’s main road in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine is counting on $1 bn a month to buy US weapons through PURL program, Zelenskyy says. Seven NATO allies joined Ukraine’s American weapons purchasing program in August, pushing total commitments past $2 bn as President announced expectations for sustained monthly billion-dollar contributions.

Germany begins 100,000-shell annual production line for Ukraine. The Rheinmetall facility signals Western allies’ recognition that supporting Ukraine requires dedicated industrial capacity rather than temporary weapons transfers.

International

Kremlin deploys nuclear threats and war nostalgia to spook Western capitals into silence. Russian officials evoke Hiroshima and WWII to warn France and Germany against supporting Kyiv.

German parliamentary chiefs arrive to Kyiv for first bipartisan Ukraine mission

. Two key figures from Germany’s ruling coalition landed in Kyiv on 1 Sept., marking the first time parliamentary leaders from both the CDU/CSU and SPD have visited Ukraine together since Russia’s invasion began.

Hungary continues to veto Ukraine’s accession to EU. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Budapest will veto opening concrete negotiation chapters on Ukraine’s EU membership, warning that Brussels and Kyiv are “jointly jeopardizing Hungary’s energy security.”

Zelenskyy calls Putin’s China visit “usual tactic” to avoid war accountability as global leaders demand peace. From the Vatican to Beijing, world leaders are calling for an end to the Ukraine war, but Russia remains the sole holdout in pursuing continued war, Ukrainian President said

German Chancellor: Ukrainian capitulation means “tomorrow we’re next”. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cautioned that Ukrainian surrender would create a cascade of Russian attacks on neighboring countries, ultimately reaching Germany,

Von der Leyen pledges tripled EU border funding during Poland frontier visit. Polish PM Donald Tusk claimed Belarusian border personnel monitored his press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during their solidarity visit to the contested frontier

Germany backs out of sending troops to Ukraine – Bild. Focus shifts to providing financial support as a security guarantee for Ukraine amid stalled ceasefire talks.

Putin choses visit to main Ukraine’s war sponsor instead of meeting with Zelenskyy, despite Trump’s deadline. Russia’s president chose to showcase military ties with Beijing rather than respond to Washington’s peace initiative, suggesting Moscow prioritizes anti-Western partnerships over cease-fire negotiations.

Humanitarian and social impact

Hundreds mourn young mother, two year daughter lost in devastating Russian missile attack on Kyiv.

Russian drone and artillery attacks kill 2 civilians in Kherson

. Kherson has repeatedly faced Russian attacks since its liberation in 2022, with civilians and infrastructure often targeted.

Tens of thousands in Odesa without power after Russian bombardment. Odesa regularly faces Russian drone and missile attacks, leaving civilians with damaged property, power outages, and ongoing safety risks.

Political and legal developments

Ukraine seeks to tame war risk with state-backed insurance scheme. Ukraine is preparing a nationwide war-risk insurance program to finally open the door for private capital.

59% of Ukrainians support cessation of hostilities and search for compromise. About 75% of Ukrainians reject any ceasefire agreement unless Western allies provide concrete security assurances

The slow squeeze: Russia’s oil empire is bleeding cash. Rosneft profits crash 68% in massive validation of Western strategy.

New developments

Man crashes car through Russian consulate gates in Sydney, police officer injured. A 39-year-old man injured a police constable and crashed his SUV through the Russian consulate gates in Sydney the morning of 1 Sept. Australian authorities arrested a man

Poland deports Ukrainian who threatened arson attacks.

Wagner gold mission collapses as Russian mercenaries fight local allies in Mali. Wagner fails catastrophically in Mali as 2,000 mercenaries fight local allies instead of jihadists, marking first major setback for Russian Africa strategy.

Chemical plant fire engulfs 4,000 square meters near Moscow. Mi-8 and Ka-32 helicopters joined ground firefighters battling a blaze at warehouse facilities belonging to Balashikha Experimental Chemical Plant, where 4,000 square meters remain engulfed in flames.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusive

Ukraine’s missile crews are valuable targets now. Ukraine’s Neptunes and other long-range cruise missiles pose a growing threat. So Russia is targeting them on the ground.

Military

Ukraine strikes Russian underground chemical plant storing military explosives 1000+ km away. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate targeted the Aleksinsky Chemical Plant storing pyroxylin powder used in ammunition and artillery systems.

Frontline report: Ukrainian tanks destroy Russian infiltrators point-blank after river crossing near Lyman

. Geolocated footage captured the entire sequence as thermal drones monitored a Ukrainian tank systematically destroying each building where Russians had taken shelter

Ukraine hits oil refineries in Krasnodar Krai and Samara Oblast – General Staff. Ukrainian drones struck oil refineries producing 11.5 mn tons annually in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai and Samara Oblast overnight, with one facility suffering a 300-square-meter fire

Intelligence and technology

US approves possible sale of Patriot spare parts and Starlink services to Ukraine. Ukraine will receive $179.1 mn in Patriot air defense sustainment support, with an additional $150 mn authorized for Starlink satellite communications services.

International

Lithuanian forces install anti-tank “dragon teeth” barriers at Russian and Belarusian border crossings amid invasion threats. The Lithuanian initiative forms part of a broader regional strategy involving Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland, aimed at reducing land invasion threats following Russia’s 2022 full-scale aggression in Ukraine.

Trump doubts on near-term Putin-Zelenskyy meeting despite his previous optimism to end war quickly

. The US president once again compared Russo-Ukrainian war to playground children who “have to fight for a little bit before you can get them to stop.”

Trump eyes mercenaries for Ukraine as European allies demand American backing. American contractors would build fortifications and protect business interests under emerging peace framework.

German Navy inspector warns of growing Russian aggression. Russian units are showing “increased aggressiveness” through drone overflights, infiltration attempts, and sabotage efforts targeting German military infrastructure, the country’s navy inspector warned

Poland deports 15 Ukrainians citing “threats to public safety”. Poland expelled 15 Ukrainian citizens and banned them from re-entering the country for five to ten years following convictions for theft, robbery, drug possession.

Poland works to regulate status of Ukrainians as Polish president blocks protection extension. Nearly 1 mn Ukrainian citizens in Poland face potential legal uncertainty after President Karol Nawrocki blocked legislation extending their temporary protection

Estonia extradites Estonian Russian who helped Russia buy electronics to the United States. An Estonian national accused of operating a complex procurement network for Russian military interests was transferred to US custody this week

Humanitarian and social impact

“No laws or morals in Russian army”: Ukrainian drones document alleged execution of unarmed civilian by Russian soldier near frontline Pokrovsk. Ukraine’s aerial reconnaissance captured the killing of an elderly man “clearly visible in civilian clothes and without weapons.”

Russia claims it only targets “military objects” in Ukraine. But recent Russian strike killed toddler born during war and her mom. Moscow’s assertion of targeting exclusively military and defense industry facilities in Ukraine contrasts with the death of civilians spanning ages from toddlers to elderly residents.

Zaporizhzhia blackout affects 25,000 residents after Russian strike. Power outages affected 25,000 subscribers in Zaporizhzhia following a Russian attack that killed one person and injured 28 others

Political and legal developments

Ukraine Parliament ex-speaker Parubiy shot dead in Lviv. Former Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy was shot and killed around midday on 30 Aug. in Lviv, with the assailant reportedly disguised as a delivery courier,

Read our earlier daily review here.

Exclusive

Ukraine’s missile crews are valuable targets now. Ukraine’s Neptunes and other long-range cruise missiles pose a growing threat. So Russia is targeting them on the ground.

Ukraine’s railway crisis threatens EU reconstruction investments. Passengers boarding Ukrainian trains this autumn encounter women-only compartments, accessibility-friendly carriages, and railway-branded merch.

Military

Another “Triumf” fails: Ukrainian drone turns Russian air defense radar in occupied Crimea into scrap. The 91N6E radar, part of Russia’s S-400 anti-air missile system, was hit last night in the Russian-occupied peninsula.

Reuters: Ukraine’s drone strikes force Russia’s Ust-Luga oil port to halve operations in September

. Pipeline damage limits the terminal to 350,000 barrels per day, according to two Reuters sources.

Intelligence and technology

Denmark to spend about $ 1.6 bn this year on weapons production by Ukrainian defense industry. Danish Defense Minister announced $1.6 bn in Ukrainian weapons contracts, favoring manufacturers who deliver “in months, not years” over European competitors.

New Finnish and Polish “green” strategy could sink Russian tanks before they even cross borders. As Russia builds conventional forces, NATO allies discover their most effective barriers might be wetlands that disappeared decades ago.

International

Russia still demands Ukraine’s total elimination, despite Trump’s deadline for Moscow, which expires in three days. While Trump promoted his ability to quickly negotiate peace, Moscow’s identical capitulation terms suggest Putin views the deadline as irrelevant to his war objectives.

Merz: Ukraine war could last “many months” as Putin blocks two-week summit plan. Vladimir Putin is employing his characteristic delaying tactics to avoid Ukraine peace talks, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said

Merz and Macron call for secondary sanctions against Russia’s supporters

. Germany and France announced plans to target companies from third countries that support Russia’s war machine through oil purchases

Trump cuts $ 5 bn foreign aid without Congressional vote, Ukrainian art program included. A $1.5 mn program promoting Ukrainian women’s artwork sits among nearly $5 bn in foreign aid programs that President Trump moved to eliminate.

Zelenskyy details three-pillar security framework as Ukraine pushes West for concrete guarantees. Military support, NATO backing, and sanctions define security requirements; Russia objects.

Yermak meets Trump envoy Witkoff in New York, discusses Ukraine war crimes. Andriy Yermak extended an invitation for Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff to visit Ukraine following their talks in New York

Humanitarian and social impact

Ukraine convenes emergency meeting of UN Security Council due to deadly Russian attack on Kyiv. Ukraine has convened an emergency UN Security Council meeting for tonight following a Russian attack on Kyiv that killed 23 civilians, including 4 children

Over 10,000 bodies of fallen defenders returned to Ukraine this year. Ukraine’s network of 23 specialized laboratories has begun the complex task of identifying over 10,000 bodies of fallen defenders repatriated in 2025, requiring up to 14 months of forensic work

Kherson’s mayor who survives dog attacks and mock executions, reveals how he stayed loyal to his homeland in Russian captivity

. While Russia presented collaboration as survival, Mykolaienko refused to do it, despite enduring torture three times per day.

Kyiv rescue teams free 17 from rubble as Russia launches massive attack, 8 missing. Rescue operations concluded in Kyiv after 30 hours following a Russian missile strike that killed 23 people, including four children

Political and legal developments

For first time, Ukraine legally defines rashism as totalitarian ideology combining Russian communist and Nazi practices. The legislation provides legal tools other democracies could adopt to counter authoritarian influence operations, transforming ideological warfare from propaganda to prosecutable crime.

Russia rejects Western security guarantees for Ukraine as “strategic provocateur” threat. Moscow warns European proposals risk escalating conflict days before Ukraine finalizes comprehensive framework with allies.

Secret document exposes Hungary’s government-level scheme to export Russian aircraft as European. While Orbán publicly frames his positions as peace advocacy, leaked documents reveal systematic coordination with Russia’s military-industrial complex.

Read our earlier daily review here.