Poland says it has shot down Russian drones in its airspace in the early hours of this morning, the first direct engagement in the war by a Nato member state.
“An operation is underway related to the repeated violation of Polish airspace. The military has used weaponry against the objects,” Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said. It is not immediately clear how many Russian drones entered Poland’s airspace.
Poland has also shut down four of its airports, including Warsaw's main Chopin Airport, and urged people to stay indoors.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Russian president Vladimir Putin had told the US he plans to occupy the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine by the end of 2025.
The Ukrainian president said in an interview with ABC News aired on Tuesday: “That is, he [Putin] says that in three to four months, and this is what he told the Americans, the White House, and President Trump's representative Witkoff, he said that he would take Donbas in two to three months, maximum four months.”
Zelensky warned that Russia’s plans could cost “years and a million people” if Moscow accelerates its offensive.
Key Points
- Poland shoots down Russian drones in its airspace for the first time
- Drone struck a residential building in eastern Poland – report
- Ukraine's western region under air raid alert over Russian drones threat
- Poland PM Tusk updates Nato chief on operation to down Russian drones
- Putin told US he will occupy Donbas region by end of 2025, Zelensky claims
At least 8 Russian drones targeted Poland - Zelensky
07:34 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky has said at least eight Russian strike drones were aimed at Poland in an attack which can not be described as an accident.
“Moscow always pushes the boundaries of what is possible, and if it does not encounter a strong reaction, it remains at the new level of escalation,” he said, adding that ti was “not just one ‘Shahed’ [drone] that could be called an accident, but at least eight strike drones aimed toward Poland.”
The Ukrainian president added that this sets an “extremely dangerous precedent for Europe” and demanded that Russia “feel the consequences” of the attack.
Rescuers are now working in Volochysk, Khmelnytskyi region, where the Russians struck an ordinary sewing workshop with a missile. As of now, three people are reported injured. This is just one of the sites of today’s massive Russian attack: about 415 drones of various types and… pic.twitter.com/FdC880IDwn
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 10, 2025
In pictures: Emergency meeting between Polish government and army figures
07:29 , Alex Croft
Drone struck a residential building in eastern Poland – report
07:17 , Arpan RaiA drone struck a residential building in Wyryki eastern Poland but nobody was injured, private broadcaster Polsat News reported this morning citing local police.
Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine on Wednesday, with the Nato member calling the incursion "an act of aggression".
Poland reopens airports in Warsaw, Modlin, and Rzeszow
07:05 , Arpan RaiPoland has restored operations at airports in Warsaw, Modlin, and Rzeszow, officials said.
The airport in Lublin remains temporarily closed, a spokesperson for the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PAZP) told private television station TVN24.
Chopin Airport – Warsaw's main international hub – confirmed it was reopening on its X account.
Poland closed the four airports this morning while its military shot down multiple drones that had breached its airspace during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
#Ważne - Informujemy, że przestrzeń powietrzna nad Lotniskiem Chopina została ponownie otwarta.#Important - the airspace over Warsaw Chopin Airport has been reopened. pic.twitter.com/D4S4Uga6ol
— Chopin Airport, WAW (@ChopinAirport) September 10, 2025
'Putin's sense of impunity keeps growing' warns Ukrainian minister
06:46 , Arpan RaiRussian drones entering Poland during an attack on Ukraine are the latest example of Vladimir Putin "expanding the war" and testing the boundaries of the West, Ukraine's foreign minister said today.
The Polish military said in the early hours today that it had downed drones that violated its airspace as Russia launched a wave of aerial attacks on Ukraine.
“Russian drones flying into Poland during the massive attack on Ukraine show that Putin’s sense of impunity keeps growing because he was not properly punished for his previous crimes,” foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
"Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West,” he added.
"This situation shows that finally the decision needs to be taken to enable partner air defence capabilities in neighbouring countries to be used to intercept drones and missiles in the Ukrainian air space, including those approaching Nato borders,” he said.
Russian drones flying into Poland during the massive attack on Ukraine show that Putin’s sense of impunity keeps growing because he was not properly punished for his previous crimes.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) September 10, 2025
Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West. The longer he faces no…
Polish police recover drone debris
06:35 , Arpan RaiPolice officials in Poland said they have discovered a damaged drone in the eastern Polish village of Czosnowka.
Police from the Lubin region confirmed the recovery of drone debris shortly after the country's military command said Poland’s airspace was violated during a Russian attack on Ukraine.
"At 5.40am in the village of Czosnowka, police officers confirmed the discovery of a damaged drone," the police wrote on X.
Watch: Four Ukrainian soldiers return home after being hidden in Russian-occupied hospital for years
06:11 , Arpan RaiPolish PM Tusk calls emergency government meeting after airspace violation
06:01 , Arpan RaiPolish prime minister Donald Tusk is meeting with ministers responsible for state security, and an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers will be held at 8am local time (0600 GMT), a government spokesperson said today.
Poland said it scrambled its own and Nato air defences to shoot down drones in the early hours after a Russian air attack on western Ukraine, the first time in the Ukraine war that Warsaw has engaged assets in its airspace.
Trwa operacja związana z wielokrotnym naruszeniem polskiej przestrzeni powietrznej. Przeciwko obiektom wojsko użyło uzbrojenia. Jestem w stałym kontakcie z Prezydentem i Ministrem Obrony. Odebrałem bezpośredni meldunek od dowódcy operacyjnego.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 10, 2025
Ukraine's western region under air raid alert over Russian drones threat
05:55 , Arpan RaiAs of 4am GMT (7am local time in Ukraine), all of Ukraine – including the western regions of Volyn and Lviv which border Poland – has been under air raid alerts for several hours, according to Ukraine's air force.
Earlier, the air force confirmed that Russian drones had entered Nato member Poland's airspace. It said the drones posed a threat to the Polish city of Zamosc, but subsequently removed that statement from the Telegram messaging app.
Russia's defence ministry said its air defence units destroyed 122 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Poland PM Tusk updates Nato chief on operation to down Russian drones
05:44 , Arpan RaiPoland has informed Nato secretary general about actions the country has taken regarding objects that violated Polish airspace, prime minister Donald Tusk said this morning.
Polish air radars tracked more than 10 objects and those that could pose a threat were "neutralised," the Polish military command said.
"Some of the drones that entered our airspace were shot down. Searches and efforts to locate the potential crash sites of these objects are ongoing," it said in a statement.
Poland's military command said drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace during the Russian attack across the border in Ukraine, and the defence minister said Nato command had been briefed.
Poland calls airspace violation during Russian attack on Ukraine 'act of aggression'
05:29 , Arpan RaiPoland's army said that the entry of drones into the country's airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine was an "act of aggression" that threatened the safety of the public and which required the objects to be shot down.
"This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens," the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on X.
Poland due to release 40-page ‘how to’ guide for coping in case of war
04:49 , Arpan RaiWe reported earlier this year that the Polish government was preparing a guide for its citizens in the event of a major war or natural disaster.
The 40-page pamphlet – titled "Safety guide" – aims to strengthen national resilience amid heightened regional uncertainty, including conflict in neighbouring Ukraine.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has repeatedly warned that the threat of a global war is serious and real, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine and allegations of Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks against the West.
That pamphlet was due for release this month. Here's more from our report in July:
Poland prepares 40-page ‘how to’ guide to coping in case of war
Putin testing resolve to protect Poland, says US senator
04:34 , Arpan RaiDemocratic senator Dick Durbin said repeated violations of Nato airspace by Russian drones were a sign that "Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations."
"After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored," he said on X.
Republican representative Joe Wilson, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a post on X that was Russia was "attacking Nato ally Poland" with drones, calling it an "act of war".
"We are grateful to Nato allies for their swift response to war criminal Putin’s continued unprovoked aggression against free and productive nations," he added.
Wilson urged US president Donald Trump to respond with sanctions "that will bankrupt the Russian war machine".
"Putin is no longer content just losing in Ukraine while bombing mothers and babies, he is now directly testing our resolve in Nato territory," he said.
Poland shuts down airports and urges people to stay indoors after Russian attack
04:17 , Arpan RaiPoland has closed four of its airports, including the main Chopin Airport in Warsaw, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration.
The Rzeszow–Jasionka Airport in Poland's southeast, a hub for passenger and arms transfers to Ukraine, was among the airports that had been temporarily closed, the FAA said.
There was no immediate official confirmation from Polish authorities that any airports had been closed.
A Nato nation, Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern Polish village in 2022, killing two people, a few months into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
But there have been no reports of Polish or allied defence systems destroying drones.
For the first time since the Ukraine war began, Poland's authorities have also alerted people to stay indoors.
Polish military command this morning said the operation was ongoing and urged people to stay at home, naming the regions of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin as most at risk.
Recap: 24 Ukrainian pensioners killed in Russian airstrike
04:00 , Bryony GoochA Russian airstrike killed 24 elderly people who were collecting pensions in a village in eastern Ukraine, officials said on Tuesday, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to urge Kyiv's allies to increase pressure on Moscow to end its war.
Russian troops have pressed a grinding offensive across much of the eastern Donetsk region as diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in the 3-1/2-year-old war have largely stalled.
Zelensky said a guided bomb had struck the village of Yarova, about 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Sloviansk, a Ukrainian stronghold, and several kilometres behind the front line.
"Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed," he wrote on X alongside footage showing bodies strewn across the ground.
Twenty-four people were killed and another 19 people were wounded, the State Emergency Service said. All of the dead were elderly, said regional governor Vadym Filashkin.
"The world must not remain silent," Zelensky said. "The world must not remain idle. A response is needed from the United States. A response is needed from Europe. A response is needed from the G20."
Poland shoots down Russian drones in its airspace
03:52 , Arpan RaiPoland's military said it scrambled its own and Nato allied air defences to shoot down Russian drones this morning after they crossed from neighbouring Ukraine.
This is the first time in the Ukraine war that Warsaw has engaged Russian assets in its airspace.
"During today’s attack by the Russian Federation targeting objects on the territory of Ukraine, our airspace was repeatedly violated by drone-type objects," Poland's military command said in a statement.
"An operation is underway aimed at identifying and neutralizing these objects... weapons have been used, and service personnel are carrying out actions to locate the downed objects."
It said the military operation was ongoing and urged people to stay at home, naming the regions of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin as most at risk.
"The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is monitoring the situation, and subordinate forces and units remain on full readiness for immediate response," it added.
Suspect accused of killing Ukrainian refugee faces federal charges
03:00 , Bryony Gooch
Suspect accused of killing Ukrainian refugee on NC train now faces federal charges
Watch: Putin told US he will occupy Donbas region by end of 2025, Zelensky claims
02:00 , Bryony GoochUkrainian children forced into weapons training and tortured by Russia
01:00 , Bryony Gooch
Ukrainian children forced into weapons training and tortured by Russia
Starmer calls for more pressure on Russia as Trump mulls tougher sanctions
Wednesday 10 September 2025 00:00 , Bryony GoochSir Keir Starmer and Nato chief Mark Rutte said more pressure – including through sanctions – must be heaped on Vladimir Putin to engage with peace talks.
It comes as US President Donald Trump has threatened stronger sanctions against Russia after it carried out the largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the war began.
Sir Keir hosted Mr Rutte at Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon, after the Nato Secretary General joined a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG).
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “Turning to Ukraine, the leaders reflected on the situation on the frontline and underscored the need to ensure the country received the right military capabilities to keep them in the fight now.
“The Nato Secretary General updated on his discussions at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) earlier today, and both leaders welcomed the efforts by allies to step up support, including through the Coalition of the Willing.
“The military work that had also taken place to integrate US support into the plan for the Coalition of the Willing had progressed well, the leaders agreed.
“However, more pressure, including through sanctions, needed to be applied to Putin to force him to engage meaningfully with peace talks, they added.”
Heading to Ukraine, French minister says support will continue despite political woes
Tuesday 9 September 2025 23:00 , Bryony GoochFrance's minister for European affairs said on Tuesday that French military support for Ukraine would continue despite political turbulence in Paris, as France awaited the nomination of its fifth prime minister in less than two years.
Benjamin Haddad, who has survived two prime ministers since being named as President Emmanuel Macron's main interlocutor with European partners a year ago, said his trip to Ukraine on Thursday had been confirmed, whoever was named premier.
"Support for Ukraine is really a transpartisan issue, from the Socialists to the Republicans and the centre," he told Reuters. "It's absolutely fundamental for our country's interest."
"Our defence budget has been preserved, its increase has been protected over the past few years, and it will continue," he added. "I'll be in Ukraine this week, it's one of the strong messages I will deliver."
Macron has pledged to provide an extra 2 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year.
Haddad declined to speculate on who Macron could name to replace Francois Bayrou, who lost a confidence vote on Monday over how to address a gaping budget deficit.
Government sources said Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu was poised to get the job, signalling continuity.
RECAP: Poland set to close border with Belarus due to military exercises
Tuesday 9 September 2025 22:00 , Nicole Wootton-CanePoland will close its border with neighbouring Belarus on Thursday at midnight local time to allow Zapad military exercises to take place, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.
It comes amis rising tensions between Minsk and Warsaw, with the “Zapad-2025” drills raising security alarms in neighbouring NATO member states Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.
"On Friday, Russian-Belarusian maneuvers, very aggressive from a military doctrine perspective, begin in Belarus, very close to the Polish border," Tusk told a government meeting.
"Therefore, for national security reasons, we will close the border with Belarus, including railway crossings, in connection with the Zapad maneuvers on Thursday at midnight."
Already strained relations between Poland and Belarus have hit new lows since Minsk's ally Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
ICYMI: Russian strike in Donetsk region leaves at least 23 dead
Tuesday 9 September 2025 21:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAt least 23 people have died following a Russian strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Among the dead are civilians who were queueing for pensions when they were struck.
"Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed," Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, describing the attack on the rural settlement of Yarova as “brutally savage”.
RECAP: Why Russia launched the largest aerial strike of the war so far
Tuesday 9 September 2025 21:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneMoscow’s attack on Donetsk on Tuesday comes just days after it launched its biggest aerial attack of the war so far.
On Sunday more than 800 drones and 13 missiles were fired at cities across Ukraine, killing four people including a mother and her three-month-old baby.
It was the latest in a streak of record-breaking strikes against Ukraine in recent months. Below, Bryony Gooch and Nicole Wootton-Cane analyse the data...
Why Russia launched the largest aerial strike of the war so far
Ukrainian drone attack kills one in Sochi, Russia says
Tuesday 9 September 2025 20:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA man died as a result of Ukrainian drone attack overnight on the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi, a Russian regional governor said on Tuesday.
Debris from a destroyed drone hit a car the man was driving in the Adler district of Sochi, Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on the Telegram messaging app.
In addition, six residential houses were damaged, Kondratyev said.
The full-scale of the attack was not immediately known.
Russia’s efforts to militarise children in occupied Ukraine becoming increasingly pervasive, ISW report says
Tuesday 9 September 2025 20:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneRussia’s bid to militarise children in occupied Ukraine is becoming “increasingly pervasive,” according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
In their 9 September update, they cited an interview with Ukrainian Eastern Human Rights Group activist Pavlo Lysyansky, who estimated during an interview with Ukrainian outlet Suspilne that over 513,000 Ukrainian children living in occupied areas have undergone some sort of military training or exposure to Russian militarisation programs, presumably since 2022.
“Russian occupation officials continue to expose young children to Russian military and law enforcement personnel as a means of indoctrination,” they added.
It follows a new report that found nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred to Russia and subjected to military training, sexual violence and detention in camps, since 2022.
Holly Evans has more below...
Ukrainian children forced into weapons training and tortured by Russia
Zelensky urges allies to step up air defence supplies
Tuesday 9 September 2025 19:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Kyiv's allies on Tuesday to quickly boost supplies of air-defence weapons to Ukraine.
In his nightly address following a Russian air strike on an eastern Ukrainian village that killed 24 people, he said that Moscow interpreted a lack of stronger international sanctions as permission to continue its war.
RECAP: What could Trump’s ‘second phase’ of sanctions against Russia involve?
Tuesday 9 September 2025 19:00 , Nicole Wootton-CanePresident Donald Trump has said he is ready to move to a second stage of sanctions against Russia if Putin continues to refuse to sit down with President Zelensky.
On Sunday, Mr Trump signalled he may finally escalate sanctions on Moscow or its oil buyers, which he has so far delayed to pursue peace talks.
But what this second wave of sanctions could look like is not yet clear. The Independent’s Steffie Banatvala takes a look at those already in place, and what Trump could do next.
What could Trump’s ‘second phase’ of sanctions against Russia involve?
In pictures: Devastation in front line village as 23 killed in Russian strike
Tuesday 9 September 2025 18:31 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
EU fulfils 80 per cent of its promised shells to Ukraine, Kallas says
Tuesday 9 September 2025 18:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe European Union has fulfilled 80 per cent of its promised two million artillery shells to Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday.
She added the bloc would aim to complete its obligation by October.
Leaders meet in London for defence talks
Tuesday 9 September 2025 17:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneTop politicians from the UK, US, Ukraine, and Germany among others met in London on Tuesday for a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG).
The UDCG is made up of NATO members as well as other countries who have pledged military support to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
In a post on X, Ukraine’s defence minister Denys Shmyhal said the support of the attending countries “means a lot”.
Together with UK Defence Secretary @JohnHealey_MP and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, we coordinated the agenda of the #UDCG meeting.⁰Grateful to the United Kingdom and Germany for co-organizing the event, the United States for initiating the format, and all partners… pic.twitter.com/7cEo7fAoSs
— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) September 9, 2025
German Patriot launchers delivered to Kyiv, says minister
Tuesday 9 September 2025 17:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe first launchers of two Patriot air defence systems Germany pledged to Ukraine have been delivered, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at a meeting of the Ramstein group of Kyiv's military supporters in London on Tuesday.
Germany will also launch a new deep-strike initiative and boost its support for the procurement of long-range drones through the Ukrainian industry, concluding contracts with defence companies in the country amounting to 300 million euros, he said.
Where was the Donetsk attack?
Tuesday 9 September 2025 16:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneMoscow targeted the front-line village of Yarova in a deadly attack that killed at least 23 people on Tuesday.
The village, in Donetsk Oblask, is just 10km away from occupied territory, according to the authoritative Deep State War map.
Yarova is marked on the map below, with the areas in red representing Russian-occupied territory.
Ukraine requests new IMF programme
Tuesday 9 September 2025 16:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneUkraine has requested a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme as it seeks to keep itself afloat in the midst of its fourth year of war against Russia.
In a post on X, Ukrainian Prime Minisya Yulia Svyrydenko said the country had prepared its draft state budget for 2026 with the “understanding that the war is far from over”.
I met with the International Monetary Fund mission, which has been working actively in Kyiv over the past week, holding consultations with the government and the National Bank of Ukraine.
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) September 9, 2025
Ukraine has completed a record eight reviews under the current program and remains… pic.twitter.com/IjwBpGm8Yo
Ukrainian and Frence defence companies register joint venture as Kyiv looks to scale up war production
Tuesday 9 September 2025 15:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneUkraine's state-owned defence conglomerate UkrOboronProm has registered a joint venture with French defence company Thales, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian government is seeking help from its foreign partners to scale up its domestic defence industry as it fends off a bigger and better equipped Russian army in the fourth year of war.
The registration took place at the beginning of July, UkrOboronProm director Herman Smentanin said on the Telegram messaging app during a visit to London.
He said the joint venture would work on creating "advanced technological solutions" in air defence, radar systems, electronic warfare and tactical communications.
European Council's Costa reacts to Donetsk attack
Tuesday 9 September 2025 15:04 , Nicole Wootton-CaneEuropean Council President Antonio Costa has reacted to Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s Donetsk region which killed at least 23 people.
In a post on X, Mr Costa wrote: “Is this what Russia means when it talks about peace? When will Russia stop killing people ?
“When will President Putin accept to start peace talks already accepted by President Zelenskyy?”
Pension queue death toll rises to 23
Tuesday 9 September 2025 14:45 , Alex CroftThe number of people killed by a Russian strike on a pension queue in Ukraine has risen to 23, officials have said.
Volodymyr Zelensky first said more than 20 had been killed, before foreign minister Andrii Sybiha afterwards said the tally stood at 21.
Smoke rises from government building after Russian attack on Kyiv on Monday - ICYMI
Tuesday 9 September 2025 14:25 , Alex CroftPoland closing border with Belarus due to military exercises, PM says
Tuesday 9 September 2025 14:07 , Alex CroftPoland is closing its border with Belarus on Thursday at midnight local time as a result of the Zapad military exercises taking place in Belarus, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday, amid escalating tensions between Minsk and Warsaw.
The scheduled "Zapad-2025" (West-2025) drills, to be held in western Russia and Belarus, have raised security concerns in neighbouring NATO member states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
"On Friday, Russian-Belarusian maneuvers, very aggressive from a military doctrine perspective, begin in Belarus, very close to the Polish border," Tusk told a government meeting.
"Therefore, for national security reasons, we will close the border with Belarus, including railway crossings, in connection with the Zapad maneuvers on Thursday at midnight."
Already strained relations between Poland and Belarus have hit new lows since Minsk's ally Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Trump gave Putin 'what he wanted' after Alaska summit, Zelensky says
Tuesday 9 September 2025 13:58 , Alex CroftDonald Trump gave Russian president Vladimir Putin “what he wanted” after their summit in Alaska, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
"I don't know. I think that it was a bilateral summit. It's a pity that Ukraine was not there," Mr Zelensky replied when asked how he felt watching Putin in Alaska.
"I think that President Trump gave Putin what he wanted. He wanted very much to meet with President Trump, with the president of the United States. I think that Putin has got it, and it's a pity,” he said.
“Putin doesn't want to meet with me, but he wanted very much to meet with the president of the United States to show everybody a video and images that he's there."
Donetsk death toll rises to 21
Tuesday 9 September 2025 13:39 , Alex CroftThe number of people killed in Russia’s airstrike on Ukraine’s Donetsk region is now 21, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has said.
“At least 21 civilians were killed and more than two dozen injured following a barbaric direct Russian strike with an air bomb on ordinary people lined up to receive pensions in the village of Yarova in the Donetsk region,” he wrote on X.
Ukrainian drone attack kills one in Sochi
Tuesday 9 September 2025 13:23 , Alex CroftA man died as a result of Ukrainian drone attack overnight on the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi, a Russian regional governor said on Tuesday morning.
Debris from a destroyed drone hit a car the man was driving in the Adler district of Sochi, Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on his Telegram channel.
In addition, six residential houses were damaged, Mr Kondratyev said.
The full-scale of the attack was not immediately known.
The Russian defence ministry said its air defence units destroyed two drones over the Krasnodar region, but the ministry reports only how many drones its forces destroy, not how many Ukraine launches.
Overall, Russian defence systems destroyed 31 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 15 over the Black Sea, the ministry said on Telegram.
‘Our boys survived’: Ukrainian soldiers rescued from Russian-occupied hospital after hiding for three years
Tuesday 9 September 2025 12:46 , Alex CroftFour Ukrainian soldiers have been rescued from a hospital deep inside Russian territory after remaining hidden for three years, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy said.
The troops were wounded in battle in 2022 and remained in hospital in Russian-occupied Ukraine, where “sympathetic doctors” helped to protect them from Russian secret services, commander Oleksii Neizhpapa said on Facebook.
A marine, three National Guards and a medical worker who had helped to hide the soldiers have all been evacuated.
"Our guys survived where it seemed there was no chance,” said Mr Neizhpapa, in a post announcing the rescue and giving details of how it was carried out.
Read the full report here:
Ukrainian soldiers rescued after hiding in Russian-occupied hospital for three years
Mapped: Where is the Donetsk village struck by Russia?
Tuesday 9 September 2025 12:05 , Alex CroftRussia plans to produce nearly 2,500 high-precision missiles in 2025, Ukrainian military says
Tuesday 9 September 2025 12:04 , Alex CroftRussia is set to manufacture close to 2,500 high-precision missiles in 2025, according to a top Ukrainian intelligence official.
Major General Vadym Skibitskyi told Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform that the weapons span cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic classes.
“In addition, we are observing a significant growth in the output of unmanned aerial vehicles, primarily such as Geran, Garpiya, and FPV drones,” Skibitskyi added.
