Nearly all of Russia’s territorial gains this year have been wiped out, according to a new assessment by the Institute for the Study of War.
Ukrainian forces have held Russian forces to “near-zero net gains since March 2026”, read the report.
“The situation remains dynamic, and Russian commanders are reportedly pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin for a massive mobilization likely aimed at restoring their ability to seize and hold the initiative,” the ISW said.
Meanwhile, former British prime minister Boris Johnson hit out at Vladimir Putin after his train was involved in a near miss with a Russian drone close to the Ukraine-Poland border on Sunday.
“I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning,” Johnson said after he returned from a security conference in Kyiv.
A diplomatic train carrying Johnson, Carl Bildt and security advisers from several European Union states had deliberately left the station at Yahodyn ahead of schedule and were on their way back when a drone struck the line behind them.
A passenger train behind the diplomatic service was damaged in the strike. It had already been evacuated due to intelligence on an impending attack, and no one was harmed.
Read MoreKremlin responds after Boris Johnson’s train in near miss with Russian drone
Russia will celebrate almost killing Boris Johnson – this is Putin’s plan for chaos
Ukrainian tennis star reveals her family home was hit by Russian missile
Key Points
- Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after near miss with Russian drone
- Russian drone hits train near Ukraine-Poland border soon after Boris Johnson's train leaves
- Donald Trump asks Zelensky not to target Russian diesel fuel - watch
- Drone may have been meant for Boris Johnson’s train, says Ukrainian railway firm
- Ukrainian troops wipe out almost all of Russian territory gains this year, says ISW
- Canada in talks to back €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine
Russia will celebrate almost killing Boris Johnson – this is Putin’s plan for chaos
00:00 , Bryony GoochJohnson and other signatories had a close call on Ukraine’s border with Poland - it’s all part of Putin’s plan even if it was a fluke, explains world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
Russia will celebrate almost killing Boris Johnson – this is Putin’s plan for chaos
NATO fighter shoots down drone in Lithuania
23:42 , Bryony GoochA NATO fighter jet shot down a drone in Lithuania shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the Lithuanian national crisis management centre said.
The drone, which likely entered from Belarus, was shot down near Pratkunai village in southern Lithuania, near Kaunas, the second-largest city, the centre's spokesperson said. Its origin is yet to be determined, he said.
A drone alert was issued earlier in the capital Vilnius and surrounding region.
Fighters with the NATO Baltic Air Defence mission have patrolled the skies of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since the Baltic countries joined the alliance in 2004. The mission's jets shot down stray Ukrainian drones over Estonia in May, and Latvia in June and August.
Military drones straying into the airspace of Russia's neighbours have stoked concerns that Russia's war in Ukraine is spilling over NATO's borders.
Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russia, including in the Baltic Sea area, and several Ukrainian military drones have strayed into the airspace of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Ukraine blamed the incidents on Russia affecting the drones' paths with electromagnetic warfare.
Pictured: Electoral commission visits residents in Russian-controlled Donetsk during early voting in Russia's parliamentary election
23:00 , Bryony Gooch
European leaders meet as Arctic thaw opens shipping routes and Russian buildup stokes security fears
22:00 , Maira ButtEuropean leaders were meeting Monday to discuss growing competition in the Arctic, where global warming is opening new shipping routes, governments are vying for vast natural resources and a Russian military buildup is heightening security concerns.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen were among leaders expected for the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, Finland, a city perhaps best known for its Santa Claus village.
The two-day gathering that began Sunday comes on the heels of a Norwegian seizure of a Russian vessel earlier this month in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at the request of Ukraine, drawing the condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
European leaders meet as Arctic thaw opens shipping routes and Russian buildup stokes security fears
US imposes Iran-related sanctions on Russia's VTB
21:00 , Bryony GoochThe United States imposed Iran-related sanctions Monday on Russia's VTB Bank Public Joint Stock Company, accusing it of involvement in Iranian sanctions evasion, the Treasury Department said as Washington seeks to ramp up economic pressure on Tehran.
The action builds on sanctions imposed against VTB, Russia's second-largest lender, in 2022, when the bank was targetedfollowing Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Under Operation Economic Outcast, Treasury will continue to target and disrupt those who provide material, technological, or financial support that allows the Iranian regime to sustain its terrorist enterprise,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement.
“Treasury will not tolerate any support to the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s enablers.”
Bessent warned last week that resident Donald Trump's administration would sanction a large bank as it continues to apply economic pressure on Tehran to end a more than six-month US conflict with Iran.
The United States has imposed a range of economic measures against Iran since the conflict began in February, targeting oil exports, shipping networks, weapons procurement channels, financial intermediaries, digital asset exchanges and aviation links.
Russian strike on train on Ukraine-Poland border was meant to scare Western states, says EU's Kallas
20:00 , Maira ButtA Russian drone attack on a train on Ukraine's border with Nato member Poland on Sunday was meant to scare Western countries supporting Ukraine, European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.
“I think we should act the opposite. We should show that we are there for Ukraine and we are not scared,” she told reporters in Rovaniemi, Finland where she attended a summit on Arctic strategy.
Sam Kiley: Kremlin will celebrate Russia’s attack close to Boris Johnson’s train
19:00 , Maira ButtAnalysis: Russia will celebrate almost killing Boris Johnson – this is Putin’s plan for chaos
18:30 , Maira ButtIf blowing up a petrol station and railway carriage close to a train carrying two former European prime ministers and the man who used to run America's war in Afghanistan, the CIA - and rewrote US military doctrine - was an accident, it isn’t one the Russians are admitting to in the Kremlin.
Boris Johnson, Carl Bilt - once Sweden’s PM - and general David Petraeus, the “warrior priest” of America’s War on Terror, are tiptop scalps for Vladimir Putin’s collection and his external spy agency, the FSB, will get kudos for nearly taking them.
Johnson, especially, is a national hero in Ukraine. His record in Britain, where he enhanced Russia’s strategic standing by helping take the UK out of Europe, doesn’t worry frontline soldiers in a country that is grateful for his stentorian support from the early days of the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion.
Russia will celebrate almost killing Boris Johnson – this is Putin’s plan for chaos
Watch: Ukrainian animal rescuers injured in drone attack while on mission
18:00 , Maira ButtZelensky: Ukraine wants specifics from partners on halting strikes
17:57 , Bryony GoochUkraine is ready to halt strikes on Russia if its partners ensure that Moscow will refrain from hitting Ukrainian energy facilities, infrastructure and food supply routes, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
Posting his comments after US president Donald Trump said Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to hit each other's energy targets, Zelensky said Ukraine was not convinced that Russia was willing to abide by any agreement.
"The war must be brought to an end. And a de-escalatory step regarding critical infrastructure could be the first step toward peace. We expect specifics from our partners," Zelensky said on the Telegram app.
Poland pledges to strengthen security after drone strikes along border with Ukraine
17:30 , Maira ButtPoland pledged increased security along its border with Ukraine after a wave of Russian drone strikes near the frontier, including two that landed within kilometers of Polish territory.
The move came as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Moscow appears poised to intensify its campaign against Ukraine’s borders with European countries. Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Russia’s intensifying air campaign that uses ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to pierce defenses.
“These coming weeks and months will be a time of very intensified actions on the Russian side, and unfortunately we cannot rule out that this escalation will also affect our territory,” Tusk said Sunday after a governmental security briefing in Warsaw. He issued a similar warning on Thursday.
Poland pledges to strengthen security after drone strikes along border with Ukraine
Europe faces critical weeks for defending peace on the continent, says Merz
17:00 , Maira ButtGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Europe was facing decisive weeks and months ahead in terms of "defending the freedom and peace of our continent" against Russia.
“I will do everything I can to keep up our support and to get people convinced that this is in our own interest to do that,” said Merz, speaking at a press conference in Finland.
Canada looks beyond America with plans for ‘unique alliance’ with EU
16:30 , Maira ButtCanada is pursuing a "unique alliance" with the European Union as Prime Minister Mark Carney looks to deepen economic ties beyond the United States amid an escalating trade war with Washington.
Speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival, Carney dismissed reports that Canada was considering becoming an "associate member" of the EU, saying Ottawa instead wants to forge a new kind of partnership with the 27-nation bloc.
"We're not looking to become a member of the European Union," Carney said. "What we are looking — and will begin discussions for — is a unique alliance between Canada and the European Union."
Canada looks beyond America with plans for ‘unique alliance’ with EU
Trump asks Ukraine to stop 'knocking out' Putin's diesel fuel
16:00 , Maira ButtUS president Donald Trump called on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the attacks are causing a global shortage.
He spoke after diesel prices in the US hit a record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon on average.
Trump was asked by a reporter if he had spoken with Zelensky following his recent conversation with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He responded by calling on Zelensky to halt strikes against Russia.
“Mr Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open, which is being played at his Doonbeg golf club.
“We spoke to Mr Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting, that’s hurting the world,” he said.
Russians are still fleeing abroad, citing fears of a new mobilization and a loss of freedom
15:30 , Maira ButtThis summer, a 28-year-old digital content marketer packed up his suitcases and duct-taped boxes and fled Russia, leaving behind his family and friends and not knowing when he'll be able to return.
"It is very sad to leave Russia,” he said in the southern city of Krasnodar before heading for the border with Georgia.
He blamed “the political situation” in Russia and complications over authorities restricting internet access as his reasons for leaving. Otherwise, “I never would have left for more than several months,” he told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.
Russians are still fleeing abroad, citing fears of a new mobilization and a loss of freedom
In pictures: The aftermath of a Russian drone attack after near miss with Boris Johnson
15:30 , Maira ButtIn this photo provided by the Ukrainian Ukrzaliznytsia Railway Company Press Office, a locomotive damaged in a Russian drone attack is seen at Yahodyn railway station near Ukraine's border with Poland, Ukraine, Sunday, 13 September, 2026
Nato would defeat Russia quickly if ‘we took our gloves off’, says Poland
15:00 , Maira ButtPoland says it would defeat Russia quickly if Moscow attempted an attack on the alliance amid an increasing number of hybrid attacks on Europe.
Foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorksi said a victory against Vladimir Putin’s forces would be swift due to the “overwhelming superiority” of its air forces, even without support from the United States.
“If Russia attacked us and we took our gloves off, I think we would defeat Russia quite quickly. We have overwhelming superiority over Russia in air power. General, correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s something like 2,500 aircraft,” he said during a discussion at the Yalta European Strategy meeting in Kyiv on Saturday.
“Even without the US it’s still overwhelming, and I haven’t checked recently how many F-35s and JASSMs and all the deep-strike capabilities we have.”
Nato would defeat Russia quickly if ‘we took our gloves off’, says Poland
BREAKING: Member of UK armed forces dies in Ukraine, MoD says
14:43 , Maira ButtA member of the UK armed forces died in a “road traffic incident” in Ukraine on Saturday, the Ministry of Defence said.
This is a breaking news story
Member of UK armed forces dies in Ukraine, MoD says
Watch: Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after near miss with Russian drone
14:30 , Maira ButtGerman prosecutors bring espionage charges against German-Ukrainian woman
14:15 , Maira ButtGerman prosecutors have brought charges against a German-Ukrainian woman for spying for Russia, the federal prosecutors’ office said in a statement on Monday.
Ilona W, whose surname was not shared due to German privacy laws, is accused of having maintained contacts with an intelligence service officer in the Russian embassy in Berlin since October 2023 at the latest.
She gathered information on Germany's defence policy and industry by befriending former defence ministry staff, according to the statement on Monday.
She was arrested in January this year and remains in pre-trial detention, prosecutors said.
One person killed and one injured in attacks on Russia's Belgorod
14:00 , Maira ButtOne person has been killed and one injured in attacks on Russia’s Belgorod region, local authorities said on Monday.
Xi skips Brics dinner as summit struggles to agree on Ukraine and Middle East conflicts
13:30 , Maira ButtChinese president Xi Jinping skipped the gala dinner hosted by prime minister Narendra Modi during the Brics summit as leaders of the developing world gathered in Delhi and adopted a watered-down joint statement.
India hosted the Brics summit at a geopolitically divisive moment in the world.
Two Brics members – Iran and Russia – are embroiled in major wars while several of their allies have faced attacks, instability, and serious disruption as a result of the conflicts.
But the contradictions at the heart of Brics were laid bare in Delhi this weekend.
Xi skips Brics gala dinner as summit struggles to agree on Ukraine and Iran
Nato chief says Russian strike on train shows how desperate Putin is
13:15 , Maira ButtThe strike on a train in Ukraine shows how desperate Russian President Vladimir Putin has become, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Monday.
“Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine,” he also said.
European leaders meet as Arctic thaw opens shipping routes and Russian buildup stokes security fears
13:00 , Maira ButtEuropean leaders were meeting Monday to discuss growing competition in the Arctic, where global warming is opening new shipping routes, governments are vying for vast natural resources and a Russian military buildup is heightening security concerns.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen were among leaders expected for the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, Finland, a city perhaps best known for its Santa Claus village.
The two-day gathering that began Sunday comes on the heels of a Norwegian seizure of a Russian vessel earlier this month in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at the request of Ukraine, drawing the condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story below
European leaders meet as Arctic thaw opens shipping routes and Russian buildup stokes security fears
Kremlin says Russia's diesel export ban should help domestic situation amid pains in global energy market
12:30 , Maira ButtThe Kremlin said on Monday that an export ban on diesel should help boost the domestic market in Russia and blamed instability in the Middle East for worsening global energy markets.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was responding to a question about President Donald Trump’s request to Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure.
Moscow welcome the request and Peskov told reporters that Russia would resume diesel exports once domestic fuel supplies stabilised.
Sam Kiley: Kremlin will celebrate Russia’s attack close to Boris Johnson’s train
12:00 , Maira ButtSam Kiley analysis: Russia will celebrate almost killing Boris Johnson – this is Putin’s plan for chaos
11:30 , Maira ButtIf blowing up a petrol station and railway carriage close to a train carrying two former European prime ministers and the man who used to run America's war in Afghanistan, the CIA - and rewrote US military doctrine - was an accident, it isn’t one the Russians are admitting to in the Kremlin.
Boris Johnson, Carl Bilt - once Sweden’s PM - and general David Petraeus, the “warrior priest” of America’s War on Terror, are tiptop scalps for Vladimir Putin’s collection and his external spy agency, the FSB, will get kudos for nearly taking them.
Johnson, especially, is a national hero in Ukraine. His record in Britain, where he enhanced Russia’s strategic standing by helping take the UK out of Europe, doesn’t worry frontline soldiers in a country that is grateful for his stentorian support from the early days of the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion.
Russia will celebrate almost killing Boris Johnson – this is Putin’s plan for chaos
Kremlin responds after Boris Johnson’s train in near miss with Russian drone
11:15 , Maira ButtThe Kremlin has issued a response after a Russian drone targeted the railway line that Boris Johnson was travelling on.
The former prime minister was alerted at 5am on Sunday as he returned from a security conference in Kyiv after another passenger train behind his was forced to evacuate near Yagodyn, near the Polish border.
Speaking on Monday, a Kremlin spokesperson did not deny that Russia was responsible for the attack, saying its forces would continue to operate across Ukrainian territory.
In a post on X, Mr Johnson wrote: “I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning.”
Russian strike on farm warehouse in northern Ukraine kills three, police say
11:00 , Maira ButtA Russian attack on warehouse facilities belonging to a farming enterprise in the town of Pryluky in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region killed three people, regional police said.
Preliminary information indicated that seven others were injured in the attack, police said on the Telegram messaging app.
Watch: Trump asks Zelensky not to target Russian diesel fuel
10:30 , Maira ButtRussian strike on train on Ukraine-Poland border was meant to scare Western states, says EU's Kallas
10:00 , Maira ButtA Russian drone attack on a train on Ukraine's border with Nato member Poland on Sunday was meant to scare Western countries supporting Ukraine, European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.
“I think we should act the opposite. We should show that we are there for Ukraine and we are not scared,” she told reporters in Rovaniemi, Finland where she attended a summit on Arctic strategy.
Drone strike on Poland Ukraine border that hit train at Poland-Ukraine border shortly after train carrying Boris Johnson left
09:30 , Maira ButtA Russian drone attack on a train on Ukraine's border with Nato member Poland on Sunday was meant to scare Western countries supporting Ukraine, European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.
"I think we should act the opposite. We should show that we are there for Ukraine and we are not scared," she told reporters in Rovaniemi, Finland where she attended a summit on Arctic strategy.
In pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone strike that hit train after Boris Johnson left Kyiv
09:06 , Maira ButtThe pictures below show the aftermath of a drone strike on the Poland-Ukraine border that hit a train shortly after a train carrying Boris Johnson left Kyiv.
Russia has secured ‘near-zero net gains’ since March, says ISW
08:30 , Maira ButtNearly all of Russia’s territorial gains this year have been wiped out, according to a new assessment by the Institute for the Study of War.
Ukrainian forces have held Russian forces to “near-zero net gains since March 2026”, read the report.
“The situation remains dynamic, and Russian commanders are reportedly pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin for a massive mobilisation likely aimed at restoring their ability to seize and hold the initiative,” the ISW said.
Zelensky asks lawmakers to support removal of prosecutor general
08:03 , Maira ButtPresident Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he was asking lawmakers to support the removal of Ukraine's prosecutor general without delay.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who resigned his post last week after a corruption investigation reached his office, had said earlier on Monday he signed a notice of suspicion to the head of Ukraine's top anti-corruption agency.
Trump asks Ukraine to stop 'knocking out' Putin's diesel fuel
07:12 , Arpan RaiUS president Donald Trump called on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the attacks are causing a global shortage.
He spoke after diesel prices in the US hit a record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon on average.
Trump was asked by a reporter if he had spoken with Zelensky following his recent conversation with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He responded by calling on Zelensky to halt strikes against Russia.
“Mr Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open, which is being played at his Doonbeg golf club.
“We spoke to Mr Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting, that’s hurting the world,” he said.
Drone may have been meant for Boris Johnson’s train, says Ukrainian railway firm
06:47 , Arpan RaiA Russian drone attack on a station in Ukraine may have been aimed at a train carrying dignitaries including Boris Johnson, the country’s railways operator has said.
The attack hit a train at Yahodyn station, on the Polish border, shortly after the train carrying the former prime minister had left ahead of schedule.
According to a translation from Ukrainian, rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said in a post on Telegram it was “quite possible” that the drone had been aimed at Mr Johnson’s train.
The company said the train “had departed the station earlier than scheduled due to real-time adjustments to train timetables necessitated by the constant threat of Russian strikes”.
Drone may have been meant for Boris Johnson’s train, says Ukrainian railway firm
Boris Johnson's statement in full after a Russian drone attack narrowly misses his train
06:37 , Arpan RaiBoris Johnson had a close shave with Russian drones hitting Ukraine yesterday after he was alerted that the train behind him was forced to evacuate due to a drone attack.
Here’s what he has said after the information was revealed:
“I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning. What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day - even on civilian railways.
“So far Putin has been responsible for the deaths of 1700 staff of Ukrzaliznytsia - Ukrainian Railways. They and their daily passengers are absolutely heroic. When are we going to give them the air defences they need?
“Why won’t we unfreeze Putin’s cash and give it to Ukraine? There is more than €140bn in a Belgian bank account - and about £10bn in London. Britain could show a lead.
“The Ukrainians are going to win - that much was clear from the last three days in their wonderful country. But we will get this dreadful war over much faster if we all get serious and give them what they need and deserve,” the former PM said.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when Mr Johnson was in power, he has remained a close ally to the Ukrainian people. As prime minister, he was one of the first world leaders to offer humanitarian and military support to Ukraine.
