At least four people have been killed after Russia unleashed a “massive” attack on Ukraine overnight.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched around 500 drones and 40 missiles in the attack on Saturday night, with Kyiv suffering the heaviest assault.
The assault also triggered military responses in neighbouring Poland, where fighter jets were scrambled early Sunday morning as Russia struck targets in western Ukraine, according to the Polish armed forces.
Polish military officials characterised these defensive measures as "preventative."
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration, confirmed the casualties - which included a 12-year-old-girl -on Sunday morning and said ten others were wounded.
Thick black smoke could be seen rising from a blast near the city centre, as the strikes continued after dawn.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, said damage was reported at more than 20 locations across the capital including residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, a medical facility and a kindergarten.
Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attacks and it comes just hours after Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov denied that Russia had initiated drone incursions into Nato airspace, saying it has no intentions to attack Europe.
Read More
Key Points
- Ukraine 'not willing to negotiate' says Russian foreign minister
- Russia denies European drone incursions and has 'no intentions to attack Europe', says Lavrov
- New drone sightings at Danish military base
- King was key influence on Trump's Ukraine U-turn
- Nato jets intercept five Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea near Latvia
- Hungary accuses Zelensky of ‘losing his mind’ over drone allegations
- Rutte backs calls to shoot down Russian aircraft that violate Nato airspace
Russia launches 500 drones in massive overnight attack
08:22
,
Athena Stavrou
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia launched around 500 drones and 40 missiles in a massive overnight attack.
"Moscow wants to continue fighting and killing and deserves only the harshest pressure from the world," Zelensky said on the Telegram app.
At least four people were killed in the attack and ten others injured.
Russia attacks Odesa overnight, Ukrainian emergency services say
08:07
,
Shahana Yasmin
Zelensky outlines major US weapons deal and drone exports plan
07:30
,
Shahana Yasmin
Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that a Ukrainian delegation will travel to the US this autumn to finalise two major defence agreements: a $90bn weapons purchase and a deal to export Ukrainian-made drones to the US.
The announcement follows Zelensky’s recent talks with President Donald Trump during the UN General Assembly.
“We have discussed the main things, agreed with the president, now we are moving on to practical implementation,” Zelensky said.
Kyiv is seeking long-range systems, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, and has also launched a controlled export programme for surplus domestically produced weapons.
How Trump’s breakup with Putin helped push his startling shift on Ukraine
07:10
,
Shahana Yasmin
Donald Trump has performed what might be his biggest – and most startling – shift in foreign policy to date.
On Tuesday, after meeting with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), he agreed with the notion that Nato countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace.
Later, on his Truth Social platform, Trump suddenly declared that Ukraine could not only defeat Russia but “WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” – and even, he concluded, “go further than that!”.
Bel Trew reports:
Zelensky confirms Israeli Patriot system now active in Ukraine
06:50
,
Shahana Yasmin
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Saturday that a Patriot air defence system delivered by Israel has been operational in Ukraine for the past month.
The US-made system, long requested by Kyiv, is a key part of Ukraine’s efforts to defend its cities from ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks.
Zelensky added that two more Patriot systems are expected to arrive soon, though their origin remains undisclosed.
The confirmation follows earlier reports that a system based in Israel would be transferred after refurbishment. Ukraine is expected to operate up to 10 Patriot batteries, with contributions from countries including Germany, which has also supplied several IRIS-T systems, both capable of countering ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and enemy aircraft.
International Paralympic Committee lifts the partial suspensions of Russia and Belarus
06:30
,
Shahana Yasmin
The International Paralympic Committee has lifted the partial suspensions of Russia and Belarus.
The IPC general assembly in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday first voted against a full suspension for Russia by 111 to 55, with 11 abstentions, and then voted against a partial suspension by 91-77 (with eight abstentions).
It also voted against a full suspension for Belarus by 119 to 48, with nine abstentions, and against a partial suspension by 103-63 (10 abstentions).
The decisions raise the possibility of a clash with each sport’s governing body ahead of the Milan-Cortina Paralympics in Italy from March 6-15 next year.
Kyiv hit by one of the largest Russian air attacks of the war
06:10
,
Shahana Yasmin
Kyiv came under sustained missile and drone attack early Sunday in what monitors say may be one of the largest Russian strikes on the capital since the start of the full-scale invasion.Air raid sirens rang out through the night as drones flew overhead and Ukrainian air defences responded.
The assault was still ongoing at 0420 GMT, with at least six people injured by 0440 GMT, according to Kyiv’s military administration.
Residents took shelter in metro stations, and air alerts were issued across much of Ukraine.
Neighbouring Poland closed airspace near Lublin and Rzeszow and scrambled fighter jets in response to the strikes, citing “unplanned military activity” by Russian forces.
Russia is helping China to prepare for a potential invasion of Taiwan, defense institute says
05:50
,
Shahana Yasmin
Russia is selling military equipment and technology to China that could help Beijing prepare an airborne invasion of Taiwan, according to an analysis of leaked Russian documents by a UK-based defence and security forum.
The Royal United Services Institute's analysis is based on around 800 pages of documents, including contracts and lists of equipment to be supplied by Moscow to Beijing, from the Black Moon hacktivist group, which previously published some of the documents online. It does not identify its members but describes itself in a manifesto as opposed to governments that carry out aggressive foreign policy.
Poland closes airspace amid Russian strikes on Ukraine
05:30
,
Shahana Yasmin
Poland closed airspace near the southeastern cities of Lublin and Rzeszow overnight due to “unplanned military activity,” according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.
The Polish armed forces confirmed it had scrambled fighter jets in response to Russia’s latest long-range missile strikes on Ukraine, calling the move preventive and necessary to secure its airspace and protect civilians.
“In connection with the activity of the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft have begun operating in our airspace,” the military said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The closure is in effect until at least 0400 GMT on Sunday.Ukraine’s Air Force reported nationwide air raid alerts as of 0300 GMT, following a wave of Russian bomber activity.
Poland has previously shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace, and tensions remain high along NATO’s eastern flank.
Russia launches mass overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv and other cities
05:10
,
Shahana Yasmin
Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone assault across Ukraine overnight on Sunday, targeting Kyiv and several other cities in one of the most intense strikes in recent months.
Air raid sirens sounded nationwide as Tu-95 and MiG-31K bombers launched from bases in Murmansk and Engels, according to The Kyiv Independent. Explosions were reported in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Khmelnytskyi.
In the capital, a five-storey building was partially destroyed, injuring at least three people, Kyiv city military administration head Tymyr Tkachenko said. Fires also broke out in towns across Kyiv Oblast.
In Zaporizhzhia, a school and residential high-rise were damaged, with five people injured.
Poland scrambled fighter jets and closed parts of its airspace in response.
Ukrainian officials have reportedly warned that more winter strikes on infrastructure are likely.
ICYMI: Russia warns West of ‘decisive response’ to any aggression
04:50
,
Shahana Yasmin
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West that any aggression against Russia would receive a “decisive response”.
He cautioned against attempts to shoot down aircraft in Russian airspace, referencing escalating airspace violations, including Russian jets entering Estonia’s airspace and NATO downing Russian drones over Poland.
“Any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response. There should be no doubt about this among those in NATO and the EU who... are telling their voters that war with Russia is inevitable,” he told the United Nations General Assembly.
“If there are attempts to down any flying object, any object... in our airspace, then I think people will very much regret undertaking such an egregious violation of our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he added, referring to US president Donald Trump’s comments earlier this week supporting shooting down Russian jets violating NATO airspace.
Lavrov's comments came as NATO and EU tensions rise, particularly in Eastern Europe, where Russia is seen as an existential threat since the Cold War.
Denmark lies more than 1,000 miles from Russia – so why would it be the target of a ‘hybrid attack’?
04:30
,
Maira Butt
As Danish politicians hint at a real possibility of Russian involvement, The Independent takes a look at why Moscow would seek to target a country so far away.
Alex Croft reports:
Russia 'open to negotiations' with Ukraine
03:59
,
Maira Butt
“As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasised, Russia has been and remains open to negotiations on eliminating the root causes of the conflict,” Lavrov said in his UN address.
“Russia's security and its vital interest must be reliably agreed. The rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people in the territories that remain under control of the Kyiv regime must be restored in full.
“On this basis, we are ready to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.”
Russia fails to win back UN aviation council seat
03:04
,
Maira Butt
Russia has failed to win enough support to get elected to the United Nations aviation agency's governing council
It is the latest rebuke of Moscow for actions taken after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia fell short of support needed to win back a seat on the International Civil Aviation Organization's 36-nation governing council during the agency's assembly, which runs through October 3 in Montreal.
Russia lost its spot on the first part of the council in 2022, which includes countries like China, Brazil, the United States and Australia as "states of chief importance in air transport," following its invasion of Ukraine.
A Russian representative immediately called for "a repeat round of voting”.
Russia is helping China to prepare for a potential invasion of Taiwan, defense institute says
01:56
,
Maira Butt
How Trump’s breakup with Putin helped push his startling shift on Ukraine
01:03
,
Maira Butt
Donald Trump has performed what might be his biggest – and most startling – shift in foreign policy to date.
On Tuesday, after meeting with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), he agreed with the notion that Nato countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace.
Later, on his Truth Social platform, Trump suddenly declared that Ukraine could not only defeat Russia but “WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” – and even, he concluded, “go further than that!”.
Bel Trew reports:
Frontline has expanded to 1,250 km says top Ukrainian commander
Saturday 27 September 2025 23:53
,
Maira Butt
Ukraine’s top military commander has revealed that the frontline of the country’s war with Russia has expanded to nearly 1,250 kilometres (776 miles).
The line of contact has grown by roughly 200 kilometers (120 miles) over the past year General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a review of the battlefield situation.
He reported that Ukrainian forces are averaging between 160 and 190 combat engagement with Russia every day.
'Europe must stop importing any Russian oil and gas' says Zelensky
Saturday 27 September 2025 23:03
,
Maira Butt
“Europe must stop importing any Russian oil and gas,” the Ukrainian leader has urged as he called for “total sanctions” without exceptions.
“All this money is spent by Russia directly on the war.”
Zelensky reasoned that social support within Russia must be decreased for people to “become dissatisfied” and thereby affect the Russian leadership.
“History shows: Russia has always changed after hunger riots. And that is exactly what they fear.
“Yes, there are risks and alternative logistics may cost more. But a way must be found to stop buying Russian energy.”
He said he fully supports on the topic and Ukraine is “ready to help Europe.”
Zelensky called for a more far-reaching effect on Russia’s economy calling for “halting Russia’s ability to trade and export goods by sea.”
He added: “Shadow fleet, banking sector, energy – total sanctions are needed, without exceptions.”
Fighter jets waving at Nato and Alaska incursions: Every time Russia has tested the airspace of Ukraine’s allies
Saturday 27 September 2025 22:36
,
Maira Butt
Russian pilots who entered Estonian airspace waved at Italian pilots flying Nato’s most advanced jets during a tense 12-minute standoff, according to reports.
Zelensky warns Russia is 'testing Europe's ability to defend itself'
Saturday 27 September 2025 22:02
,
Maira Butt
“Russia is testing their ability to defend themselves and trying to influence societies so people begin to ask: 'If we can’t protect ourselves, why should we keep supporting Ukraine?'” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X/Twitter on Saturday.
“This is intended to reduce assistance to Ukraine, especially ahead of winter.
“Putin is testing what the Europeans have.”
He said that dronce interceptors wouldn’t work in the long term.
“You can’t use systems like Patriot to shoot down every drone – there simply aren’t that many interceptors in the world,” he said.
“What's needed instead is knowledge: the expertise of our mobile fire teams, our drone operators, the leadership of our air forces, and commanders of our air-defence units.”
Putin 'preparing to attack another country', says Zelensky
Saturday 27 September 2025 21:27
,
Maira Butt
“Putin will not wait to finish his war in Ukraine. He will open up some other direction. Nobody knows where. He wants that,” the Ukrainian president said in Kyiv on Saturday, shortly after his meeting with US President Trump.
He said that European countries were unprepared for the threat.
“We are ready to share our experience,” he said.
Why the world is moving away from global catastrophe
Saturday 27 September 2025 21:04
,
Maira Butt
“A narrow shaft of light comes from a completely unexpected quarter,” writes Mary Dejevsky.
“In a statement preceding a routine meeting of the Russian Security Council, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would support extending the long-range nuclear Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, by another year when it comes up for expiry in February – as long as the United States agrees to do the same, and refrained from any actions that might change the current nuclear status quo.”
Nato increases presence in Baltic following drone incursions
Saturday 27 September 2025 20:27
,
Maira Butt
Nato is upgrading its mission in the Baltic Sea with an air-defence frigate and other assets in response to drone incursions in Denmark, it said on Saturday.
Copenhagen Airport, the Nordic region's busiest airport, closed for several hours on Monday as large drones were seen in its airspace. Smaller civilian an military airports also closed.
Nato said it will "conduct even more enhanced vigilance with new multi-domain assets in the Baltic Sea region" in an email to Reuters.
New assets include "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms and at least one air-defence frigate".
A spokesperson for the Alliance declined to provide details on the countries contributing to the assets. They will bolster Nato’s Eastern Sentry initiative.
Unidentified drones spotted in Denmark, Lithuania and Finland
Saturday 27 September 2025 20:01
,
Maira Butt
Several local media across Europe are reporting sightings of unidentified drones in their airspace, according to the Kyiv Independent.
In Denmark, drones were spotted near military facilities including Karup Air Base.
Three drones were spotted near a Lithuanian airport causing delays to seven commercial flights, according to LRT.
A suspicious drone was also spotted over the Rovaniemi hydroelectric power station in Finland, according to YLE.
Can Ukraine regain land lost to Russia?
Saturday 27 September 2025 19:35
,
Maira Butt
Despite Trump’s call to ‘fight and win’, maps show the huge scale of the task ahead for Ukraine.
Alex Croft reports:
'Don't expect return to 2022 Ukraine borders', says Lavrov
Saturday 27 September 2025 19:33
,
Maira Butt
Russia’s foreign minister rejected the idea that Ukraine could return to its pre-invasion borders at a press conference held following his UN General Assembly address.
Earlier this week, US President Trump had suggested that Ukraine could win back the territory it had lost to Russia.
At the time, he followed the comments with one of his clearest criticisms of the country’s campaign, stating: “Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years, a war that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win.”
Russia responds to President Trump's 'paper tiger' comments
Saturday 27 September 2025 19:02
,
Maira Butt
“President Trump was asked if he continues to think Russia is a paper tiger and his answer was negative,” Lavrov told a press conference on Saturday.
“So if every nuance in rhetoric is addressed... I already responded to what I think of certain statements by President Trump.”
He added: “In public diplomacy, there are various tools being leveraged, various means, tricks and procedures as if President Trump allowed for the bombing of the Russian Federation.”
Trump had previously called the Russian army a “paper tiger” as he appeared to change his tone towards President Putin.
Countries will 'regret' any attempts to violate Russian airspace
Saturday 27 September 2025 18:35
,
Maira Butt
“If drones and planes don’t fly over our territory but crosses a border, then everyone has a right to their own security but if they down any flying object over our territory then I think people will regret undertaking any such egregious violation of our territorial integrity,” said Lavrov.
Russia has 'nothing to hide', says Lavrov
Saturday 27 September 2025 18:07
,
Maira Butt
Lavrov has reiterated that Russia has not attacked or encroached European airspace at a conference following his UN General Assembly address.
“We have nothing to hide,” he said, saying Russia never targets civilians.
Russia denies drone incursions, says it has 'no intentions to attack Europe'
Saturday 27 September 2025 17:44
,
Maira Butt
“Russia is being accused of almost planning to attack the North Atlantic Alliance and European Union countries.
“President Putin has repeatedly debunked these provocations, Russia does not have and does not have any such intentions,” Lavrov said in his address.
Denmark was the latest to suspect Russian intrusions into its airspace, joining Poland, Romania and Estonia in recent weeks.
Russia 'open to negotiations' with Ukraine
Saturday 27 September 2025 17:31
,
Maira Butt
“As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasised, Russia has been and remains open to negotiations on eliminating the root causes of the conflict,” Lavrov said in his UN address.
“Russia's security and its vital interest must be reliably agreed. The rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people in the territories that remain under control of the Kyiv regime must be restored in full.
“On this basis, we are ready to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.”
Watch: Aggression against Russia will be 'met with decisive response, says Lavrov
Saturday 27 September 2025 17:26
,
Maira Butt
Russian minister denied incursions into European and Nato airspace, saying President Vladimir Putin had “debunked” the claims.
“Russia is being accused of almost planning to attack the North Atlantic Alliance and European Union countries. President Putin has repeatedly debunked these provocations, Russia does not have and does not have any such intentions,”
However, he added: “Any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response. Let there be no doubt about this in Nato and the EU.”
Ukraine 'not willing to negotiate', says Russian foreign minister
Saturday 27 September 2025 17:23
,
Maira Butt
Lavrov has criticised Ukraine and Nato, accusing them of being “not willing to negotiate” towards a solution.
He criticised Nato activity on Russia’s borders.
Lavrov calls out Israel for 'brutal' killings of Palestinians
Saturday 27 September 2025 17:19
,
Maira Butt
The Russian foreign minister has said that while Russia condemns the killings of Israelis on 7 October, there is “no justification” for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza.
He criticised the recognition of a Palestinian state suggesting there may be nothing left to recognise.
Russia's Lavrov is addressing world leaders at the UN
Saturday 27 September 2025 17:13
,
Maira Butt
Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has begun his address to the UN General Assembly.
It comes three years into his country’s invasion of Ukraine and alarm on the part of European leaders after several confirmed and suspected Russian drone incursions into Nato airspace.
Lavrov's address to the General Assembly last year was filled with references denigrating the West and “the senselessness and the danger of the very idea of trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power, which is what Russia is.”
Why would Denmark be the target of a Russian ‘hybrid drone attack’?
Saturday 27 September 2025 17:05
,
Athena Stavrou
Zelensky warns ‘Ukraine is only the first’ after Trump turns on Moscow
Saturday 27 September 2025 16:44
,
Athena Stavrou
Russia fails to win back UN aviation council seat
Saturday 27 September 2025 16:21
,
Athena Stavrou
Russia has failed to win enough support to get elected to the United Nations aviation agency's governing council
It is the latest rebuke of Moscow for actions taken after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia fell short of support needed to win back a seat on the International Civil Aviation Organization's 36-nation governing council during the agency's assembly, which runs through October 3 in Montreal.
Russia lost its spot on the first part of the council in 2022, which includes countries like China, Brazil, the United States and Australia as "states of chief importance in air transport," following its invasion of Ukraine.
A Russian representative immediately called for "a repeat round of voting.
New drone sighting at Danish military base
Saturday 27 September 2025 16:00
,
Athena Stavrou
Fresh drone sightings have been reported over Denmark’s largest military base.
The Danish defence ministry said that "drones have been observed at several of Danish defence facilities" overnight on Friday.
Several local media reported that one or more drones were seen near Karup Air Base, which is Denmark's biggest military base.
The defence ministry refused to confirm the sighting at Karup or elsewhere "for reasons of operational security”.
Danish public broadcaster DR reported that in Karup, there were drones in the air both inside and outside the fence of the air base at around 8 pm, quoting Simon Skelkjïr, the duty manager at the Central and West Jutland Police.
The repeated unexplained drone activity has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid suspected growing Russian aggression.
Several Danish airports were forced to this week shut after what was described by Denmark’s deputy prime minister as a “hybrid attack” launched by a “professional actor”.
Mapped: How far is Denmark from Russia?
Saturday 27 September 2025 15:57
,
Athena Stavrou
Ukrainian officials to visit US for talks
Saturday 27 September 2025 15:26
,
Athena Stavrou
Ukrainian government officials will visit the US at the end of September or October for talks on the economy and weapons, President Zelensky said on Saturday.
Zelensky was in the US this week, where he participated in the UN General Assembly and met Donald Trump. He said that he shared with Trump "a certain vision of what could be done to respond to Russia’s actions, vowing to retaliate if Moscow causes a blackout in Ukraine.
Reports: Zelensky says Ukraine shot down drones heading to Poland
Saturday 27 September 2025 14:35
,
Athena Stavrou
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed Ukraine has shot down 92 drones heading towards Poland.
The comments, reported by R