Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's flight from Moldova to Norway was delayed after it was almost hit by a Russian drone, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said.
Officials in Moldova said they had to shut down the country’s airspace because of a drone incursion as Russian forces targeted the border between that country and Ukraine this week.
“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in,” Store said yesterday. The drone exploded around 160km from Moldova’s main Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were eventually lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.
At least two people were killed yesterday when a swarm of Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa.
The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.
Another Russian drone had crashed in a sunflower field on Tuesday causing four fires to break out, Moldovan police said.
Read MorePutin has no interest in peace – and Trump is falling into his trap
Why the AfD’s German triumph is a win for Putin – and leaves Ukraine exposed
Ukraine’s prosecutor general resigns citing political conflict
Burnham issues statement on Ukraine after holding fresh Trump talks
Key Points
- Russian drones kill two at Ukraine-Moldova border crossing
- Flight carrying Zelensky to Norway delayed in Moldova because of drone incursion
- Zelensky says Kyiv hitting Russia 'across its entire map' including Black Sea port attack
- Turkey to start drilling challenging Black Sea well
Zelensky says Kyiv hitting Russia 'across its entire map' including Black Sea port attack
10:00 , Arpan RaiWe’ve heard earlier from Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken out on Kyiv’s attack on the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.
The Ukrainian president said targets in the Krasnodar region, including a naval base and a oil-loading terminal, were attacked.
Warships carrying missiles and military port facilities were also hit, he said.
“We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X alongside footage of the attacks.
“I thank everyone developing our long-range sanctions capabilities, so that Russia’s war is increasingly felt where it came from.”
We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map. Over the past 24 hours, there have been results in Novorossiysk, in the Krasnodar region. A naval base was hit, including a terminal used to load oil, military port… pic.twitter.com/Szoqds72Xc
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 9, 2026
Ukraine drones spark fire at Russia's Caspian Sea port
09:40 , Arpan RaiAuthorities have doused a fire ignited by Ukraine drone strikes on port infrastructure in Russia's Caspian Sea city of Makhachkala in Dagestan, the region's acting head Fyodor Shchukin said.
Both sides have exchanged major strikes on each other in the early hours today.
Four killed as Russia hits Ukraine's Black Sea port facilities
09:20 , Arpan RaiRussia's defence ministry claims it hit facilities “used for military purposes” in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, two vessels near Odesa and a drone warehouse in Mykolaiv overnight.
The ministry made the comments on the Telegram messaging app.
The air strikes on Ukraine's port of Mykolaiv hit civilian and industrial infrastructure there on Wednesday and overnight, killing four and injuring 19, acting regional governor Heorhii Reshetilov said.
Trump says Putin wants to make a deal in Ukraine but says two sides 'hate each other'
09:00 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump said he had a "great" conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier in the week and that the Russian leader wanted to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
“He is wanting to make a deal, and if (Ukrainian president Volodymyr) Zelensky is wanting to make a deal, that'd be very nice," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One en route to Dallas for the Republican National Convention.
Trump spoke over the phone with Putin on Tuesday, shortly after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned from a diplomatic swing through Moscow and Kyiv.
“The holdup is two people who hate each other," Trump told reporters, referring to Putin and Zelensky.
“I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other."
North Korea's Kim celebrates troops involved in supporting Putin's invasion of Ukraine
08:40 , Arpan RaiNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a message of gratitude to his country's troops who supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, state media KCNA said.
Kim referred to the troops during a speech at Pyongyang's assembly hall on Wednesday, amid celebrations marking the 78th anniversary of the country's founding.
He thanks workers and soldiers for their contributions to the state, and extended what KCNA called special gratitude and respect to commanders and soldiers "participating in overseas military operations", likely referring to North Korean troops deployed for Russia's war in Ukraine.
In return for sending troops and munitions to join Russia's war effort, Pyongyang has received economic and military technology assistance from Moscow, according to South Korean intelligence assessments.
North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces since late 2024, according to Western and South Korean officials.
Pyongyang was continuing preparations for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but there were no signs that such a deployment was imminent, according to South Korea's defence ministry in late August.
CIA chief Ratcliffe preparing for bigger role in Russia and Ukraine talks – report
08:20 , Arpan RaiCIA director John Ratcliffe is preparing to take a bigger role in Washington's negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, US officials told their European counterparts, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons denied the report, calling it "false" in a post on X.
The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said the White House is considering scaling back the involvement of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Ukraine peace effort.
Five killed and 24 injured in Russian attack on Sumy
08:00 , Arpan RaiAt least five people have been killed and 24 injured in a Russian air strike on Ukraine’s Sumy, police officials said this morning.
Regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said earlier that a Russian drone had struck a shopping centre in Sumy on Wednesday and put the toll at two killed and 20 injured.
Russian drones kill two at Ukraine-Moldova border crossing
07:45 , Arpan RaiRussian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa, killing two people, Ukrainian and Moldovan officials said, as Moscow targets trade and logistics routes to cause economic damage.
Two civilians were killed and three wounded in the attack on the Starokozache border crossing in southwest Ukraine, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
The checkpoint, about a kilometre (half a mile) from Moldovan territory, is used daily by thousands of people and hundreds of cars. Moldovan officials said passenger and vehicle traffic was halted by the attack.
Russia has struck five border crossings in recent weeks, the Ukrainian border guards said — four on the border with Moldova and one on its border with Romania, a Nato member.
Flight carrying Zelensky to Norway delayed in Moldova because of drone incursion
07:30 , Arpan RaiA flight scheduled to carry Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky from Moldova to Norway was delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace because of a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.
The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.
Moldovan police said a Russian drone crashed on Tuesday in a sunflower field on the outskirts of a village in Riscani district, which caused four fires to break out but no injuries.
Moldovan authorities confirmed the drone came down and exploded 160km (100 miles) from Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.
Russia says it detained a man who spied on British diplomats in Moscow for Ukraine
07:21 , Arpan RaiRussia's FSB internal security agency said it has detained a former guard at the British Embassy in Moscow who collected personal data on British diplomats, alleging that he had been working for Ukrainian intelligence.
The agency said the data collection was part of preparations for a Ukrainian false-flag operation against British diplomatic staff in Russia, aimed at accusing Russia of hostile actions at a later stage.
The UK government has yet to comment on the developments in Moscow.
Zelensky’s plane ‘almost hit’ by Russian drone as deadly strikes rock Moldovan border
07:15 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's flight from Moldova to Norway was delayed after it was almost hit by a Russian drone, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said.
Officials in Moldova said they had to shut down the country’s airspace because of a drone incursion as Russian forces targeted the border between that country and Ukraine this week.
“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in,” Store said yesterday. The drone exploded around 160km from Moldova’s main Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were eventually lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.
At least two people were killed yesterday when a swarm of Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa.
The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.
Another Russian drone had crashed in a sunflower field on Tuesday causing four fires to break out, Moldovan police said.
Ukraine drones spark fire at Russia's Caspian Sea port
06:58 , Arpan RaiAuthorities have doused a fire ignited by Ukraine drone strikes on port infrastructure in Russia's Caspian Sea city of Makhachkala in Dagestan, the region's acting head Fyodor Shchukin said.
Both sides have exchanged major strikes on each other in the early hours today.
Four killed as Russia hits Ukraine's Black Sea port facilities
06:30 , Arpan RaiRussia's defence ministry claims it hit facilities “used for military purposes” in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, two vessels near Odesa and a drone warehouse in Mykolaiv overnight.
The ministry made the comments on the Telegram messaging app.
The air strikes on Ukraine's port of Mykolaiv hit civilian and industrial infrastructure there on Wednesday and overnight, killing four and injuring 19, acting regional governor Heorhii Reshetilov said.
Trump says Putin wants to make a deal in Ukraine but says two sides 'hate each other'
06:15 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump said he had a "great" conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier in the week and that the Russian leader wanted to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
“He is wanting to make a deal, and if (Ukrainian president Volodymyr) Zelensky is wanting to make a deal, that'd be very nice," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One en route to Dallas for the Republican National Convention.
Trump spoke over the phone with Putin on Tuesday, shortly after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned from a diplomatic swing through Moscow and Kyiv.
“The holdup is two people who hate each other," Trump told reporters, referring to Putin and Zelensky.
“I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other."
North Korea's Kim celebrates troops involved in supporting Putin's invasion of Ukraine
06:02 , Arpan RaiNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a message of gratitude to his country's troops who supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, state media KCNA said.
Kim referred to the troops during a speech at Pyongyang's assembly hall on Wednesday, amid celebrations marking the 78th anniversary of the country's founding.
He thanks workers and soldiers for their contributions to the state, and extended what KCNA called special gratitude and respect to commanders and soldiers "participating in overseas military operations", likely referring to North Korean troops deployed for Russia's war in Ukraine.
In return for sending troops and munitions to join Russia's war effort, Pyongyang has received economic and military technology assistance from Moscow, according to South Korean intelligence assessments.
North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces since late 2024, according to Western and South Korean officials.
Pyongyang was continuing preparations for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but there were no signs that such a deployment was imminent, according to South Korea's defence ministry in late August.
CIA chief Ratcliffe preparing for bigger role in Russia and Ukraine talks – report
05:48 , Arpan RaiCIA director John Ratcliffe is preparing to take a bigger role in Washington's negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, US officials told their European counterparts, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons denied the report, calling it "false" in a post on X.
The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said the White House is considering scaling back the involvement of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Ukraine peace effort.
Five killed and 24 injured in Russian attack on Sumy
05:29 , Arpan RaiAt least five people have been killed and 24 injured in a Russian air strike on Ukraine’s Sumy, police officials said this morning.
Regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said earlier that a Russian drone had struck a shopping centre in Sumy on Wednesday and put the toll at two killed and 20 injured.
Watch: Russian drone strike on Sumy shopping mall kills two, injures 14
05:00 , Arpan RaiRussian drones kill two at Ukraine-Moldova border crossing
04:12 , Arpan RaiRussian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa, killing two people, Ukrainian and Moldovan officials said, as Moscow targets trade and logistics routes to cause economic damage.
Two civilians were killed and three wounded in the attack on the Starokozache border crossing in southwest Ukraine, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
The checkpoint, about a kilometre (half a mile) from Moldovan territory, is used daily by thousands of people and hundreds of cars. Moldovan officials said passenger and vehicle traffic was halted by the attack.
Russia has struck five border crossings in recent weeks, the Ukrainian border guards said — four on the border with Moldova and one on its border with Romania, a Nato member.
Flight carrying Zelensky to Norway delayed in Moldova because of drone incursion
03:52 , Arpan RaiA flight scheduled to carry Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky from Moldova to Norway was delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace because of a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.
The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighbouring Romania, a Nato member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.
Moldovan police said a Russian drone crashed on Tuesday in a sunflower field on the outskirts of a village in Riscani district, which caused four fires to break out but no injuries.
Moldovan authorities confirmed the drone came down and exploded 160km (100 miles) from Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were lifted and Zelensky’s plane took off later than scheduled.
Turkey to start drilling challenging Black Sea well
03:00 , Alex CroftTurkey is set to start drilling a challenging oil-targeted well in the western Black Sea, Ankara announced on Wednesday.
"We will soon begin drilling an oil-targeted well in the western Black Sea,” energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
“It will be a difficult drilling operation and will take some time," he told broadcaster CNBC-e.
Turkey has previously said it plans six exploration wells across the western, central and eastern Black Sea in 2026 as it seeks new oil and natural gas discoveries.
Zelensky says Kyiv hitting Russia 'across its entire map' including Black Sea port attack
01:29 , Alex CroftWe’ve heard earlier from Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken out on Kyiv’s attack on the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.
The Ukrainian president said targets in the Krasnodar region, including a naval base and a oil-loading terminal, were attacked.
Warships carrying missiles and military port facilities were also hit, he said.
“We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X alongside footage of the attacks.
“I thank everyone developing our long-range sanctions capabilities, so that Russia’s war is increasingly felt where it came from.”
We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map. Over the past 24 hours, there have been results in Novorossiysk, in the Krasnodar region. A naval base was hit, including a terminal used to load oil, military port… pic.twitter.com/Szoqds72Xc
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 9, 2026
Merz says Germany will continue supporting Ukraine despite AfD state win
Thursday 10 September 2026 00:00 , Alex CroftChancellor Friedrich Merz has stated that Germany will continue supporting Ukraine because Ukraine was also defending Germany's freedom.
Merz was responding to criticism from the far-right Alternative for Germany that Germany's support was needlessly prolonging the war in Ukraine and shutting Germany out of accessing cheap energy supplies from Russia.
It comes after the AfD won an historic election in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday.
EU court dismisses Hungary action over frozen Russian asset profits for Ukraine
Wednesday 9 September 2026 23:01 , Alex CroftA Hungarian action against the EU's decision to use windfall profits from frozen Russian central bank assets for Ukraine's defence has been dismissed by the European Union’s General Court on Wednesday.
The bloc's second-highest court said it had no jurisdiction over the matter.
On 3 August, the EU received €1.4 billion in windfall profits from Russian bank assets, bringin the total revenue to roughly €8 billion.
Which airlines are still flying in Russian airspace?
Wednesday 9 September 2026 22:01 , Alex CroftAirlines and passengers that still fly over Russia have been warned that the skies are “completely unsafe” by the president of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky deemed Russian airspace to be unsafe in a warning to airlines ahead of Ukrainian drone attacks last Tuesday.
“We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe,” he said.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in spring 2022, most major Western carriers have suspended operations over Russia, rerouting journeys around its airspace.
The airspace is currently closed to around 35 countries and territories in retaliation for banning all Russian aircraft from using EU airspace, among other international restrictions.
Travel writer Natalie Wilson reports:
List of 30 airlines still flying in Russian airspace
Ukraine’s prosecutor general resigns citing political conflict
Wednesday 9 September 2026 21:00 , Alex CroftUkraine's prosecutor general said on Monday he had offered his resignation citing political reasons, in the latest sign of disunity in the senior ranks of the Ukrainian ruling elite.
"This is a political decision, and I have made it consciously. I do not want the position of Prosecutor General to be used as an instrument of political confrontation," Ruslan Kravchenko said in a statement on Telegram late on Monday, without elaborating.
Mr Kravchenko thanked president Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and asked them to accept his resignation.
Ukraine's anti-graft agencies said last week they had uncovered a criminal organisation dealing with fraudulent call centres which was allegedly arranged by an official within the Prosecutor General's Office.
Full report:
Ukraine’s prosecutor general resigns citing political conflict
Moscow says Ukrainian cargo vessel in Black Sea struck
Wednesday 9 September 2026 20:00 , Alex CroftThe Russian defence ministry has said its forces had struck a Ukrainian cargo vessel carrying military equipment in the Black Sea en route to the port of Odesa, Russian news agencies are reporting.
A warehouse in Kyiv, belonging to a company manufacturing drones, was also hit, they added.
Trump claims Putin wants to make deal to end war
Wednesday 9 September 2026 19:44 , Jane DaltonUS president Donald Trump has said he had a “great” conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who, he claimed, wanted to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
"He is wanting to make a deal, and if (Ukrainian president Volodymyr) Zelensky is wanting to make a deal, that'd be very nice," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One en route to Dallas for the Republican National Convention.
German foreign minister says Kyiv should buy more arms from German companies
Wednesday 9 September 2026 19:01 , Alex CroftGerman foreign minister Johann Wadephul told Bild newspaper that Ukraine should buy more weapons from German companies, saying Berlin's position as Kyiv's biggest donor meant it had the right to expect orders for its defence companies.
Wadephul said he had assured Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit last month that Germany would continue to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia.
"But I also have to explain this to German taxpayers, and the very least you can do is to ensure that the German defence industry is involved in all procurement activities," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
“At the moment, we're not entirely satisfied with the level of orders we're receiving in Germany,” he said.
Wadephul's comments came days after Germany accused Russia of being behind an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport in August that authorities said only just missed causing a major disaster.
China and Russia stress strategic ties with North Korea in anniversary messages to Kim
Wednesday 9 September 2026 18:01 , Alex CroftChinese president Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin used messages marking North Korea's 78th founding anniversary to reaffirm close strategic ties with Pyongyang, North Korean state media KCNA reported this morning.
KCNA said Xi told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un he was willing to "continue strengthening strategic guidance" of China-North Korea relations and work with Kim to advance the two countries' development.
Xi also said strengthening and developing bilateral ties remained the Chinese ruling party and government's “consistent and unwavering policy”.
In a separate message, Putin said he would continue the "closest joint work" with Kim to further strengthen the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership.
He said stronger Russia-North Korea ties would contribute to regional security and a "more just, multipolar world order." The messages from Xi and Putin were published on the front page of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun.
US defence official warns Ukraine war could drag on for years
Wednesday 9 September 2026 17:00 , Arpan RaiThe war in Ukraine could drag on for years as Russia reconstitutes its forces and its defence industry, said US undersecretary of defence Elbridge Colby.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia remains determined to accomplish its military goals and it believes it is close to winning. Ukrainian and Western observers, however, believe that Moscow has been unable to make any significant progress on the front line.
“We must be prepared for a protracted conflict and for Ukraine’s requirements to persist in the months and years ahead,” Colby told an online meeting of countries helping Ukraine.
The US sent its peace envoys to visit Moscow and Kyiv for separate talks with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend. The meetings appeared to produce no substantial breakthrough on ending the fighting, and both countries resumed their deadly air war after a weekend truce in their capitals for the American visitors.
Watch: Russian UAV strikes passenger train in Ukraine’s Sumy region
Wednesday 9 September 2026 16:29 , Alex CroftKremlin says UAE is preferred venue for future Ukraine talks
Wednesday 9 September 2026 16:01 , Gleb StolyarovMoscow views the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi as a preferred venue for talks on Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday.
Speaking to state television channel Vesti, Ushakov also said the United States should halt aid to Kyiv if the fighting is to stop.
The Kremlin said earlier on Wednesday that it hoped US-mediated talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine would resume soon following a phone call between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
With Reuters
Europe feeling pain of rising gas prices, says Kremlin
Wednesday 9 September 2026 15:30 , Alex CroftEuropean countries are struggling with rising gas prices but could purchase cheap gas from Russia, the Kremlin has said.
The price of natural gas in Europe has soared as a result of the war in Iran, hitting their highest level last week since late 2022, when the start of the Ukraine conflict prompted Europe to cut off Russian pipeline gas.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Europe was harming itself by buying expensive gas at spot prices as opposed to the more affordable Russian option.
Analysis | Why the AfD’s German triumph is a win for Putin – and leaves Ukraine exposed
Wednesday 9 September 2026 15:02 , Alex CroftThe success of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in state elections could herald a disaster for Ukraine, a European victory for Vladimir Putin, and a stampede of greed over democracy orchestrated by one man.
Kirill Dmitriev is to Donald Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, what Putin is to the 47th president – their favourite and much favoured Russian.
What Putin gives Trump – the thrill of proximity to unlimited power – Dmitriev offers to America: unlimited potential wealth. He is the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Moscow’s sovereign wealth government slush pot, and he has close links to the AfD.
There was unbridled delight in Moscow with the success of the AfD over the weekend.
Dmitriev called the result a win that “humiliates the arrogance, narrow-mindedness, warmongering, ineptitude and hypocrisy” of German chancellor Friedrich Merz’s governing coalition.
The AfD, seen by German intelligence as an extremist organisation, has enjoyed (among other things) Russian support for its social media campaigns to win the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, according to German and other European intelligence sources.
Read the full analysis by our world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
Watch: Rubio says substantive talks could pave way for Ukraine peace deal
Wednesday 9 September 2026 14:38 , Alex CroftRussia to strip contract soldiers of one-off payment if laws violated at home
Wednesday 9 September 2026 14:14 , Alex CroftRussia's defence ministry wants to claim back part of a one-off payout from contract service personnel found guilty of criminal offences at home, a document showed, amid increasing cases of domestic violence among those fighting Russia's war on Ukraine.
Russia does not disclose official statistics on domestic violence committed by its service personnel but independent media, citing military courts data, reported hundreds of such cases, including murders, since the start of the 2022 invasion.
Russia provides a minimum one-off payment of 400,000 roubles (£3,418) for soldiers signing at least a one-year contract to fight in the war with Ukraine that Moscow calls "a special military operation".
In practice, one-off payouts may reach a few million roubles per soldier, depending on the region, in addition to a monthly salary.
Russia is also reducing sentences for those serving time in prison in exchange for signing up for the war, among other benefits, as it seeks to bolster army numbers.
Russia has seen a rise in domestic violence as fighters return home for leave, and the defence ministry wants to claim part of the one-off payments "in order to increase the motivation of military personnel to comply with the law", in case of a criminal offence, a draft law published on Monday showed.
If active contract service members are found guilty of a criminal offence which does not imply a prison sentence, they should pay back a portion of the one-off payout based on the months of the service left, the document showed.
Six injured in Russian drone strike on civilian commuter train
Wednesday 9 September 2026 13:54 , Alex CroftA Russian drone strike on a train in the Kharkiv region has injured six people, local authorities have said.
The attack with a Shahed drone hit the rear end of the Kharkiv-Izium train on Wednesday morning, causing a fire to breakout, the Izium City Military Administration said.
Moscow appears to be scaling up its strikes on civilian commuter trains. On Tuesday, it attacked several commuter trains across Ukraine. Prime minister Sergii Koretskyi said lose to 100 people were evacuated after Russian drones hit a train in the northern Sumy region.
In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, emergency services said a rail worker was killed in a double-tap strike.
The chief of rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said another commuter train was hit in the region with some passengers suffering shrapnel wounds.
Vladimir Putin is winning his war to bring down Europe from within
Wednesday 9 September 2026 13:24 , Alex CroftIn Berlin, it is being called an earthquake. In Kyiv, it is being read as a countdown: the strongest result any far-right party has achieved in a German state election since the Second World War was recorded on Sunday when Alternative for Germany won 43.8 per cent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt. It took 39 of the 83 seats, three short of an outright majority.
I have spent the better part of two decades fighting Vladimir Putin. He does not need to win elections in other people’s countries. He only needs to wait for them.
The AfD has never hidden what it would do. Its programme calls for an end to military aid to Ukraine, an end to sanctions on Russia and the reopening of the Nord Stream pipelines. In June, the party’s foreign policy spokesman flew to St Petersburg, against the explicit advice of the German foreign ministry, and met the head of Gazprom and one of Putin’s senior envoys to discuss restarting Russian gas. Putin’s envoy posted afterwards that he looked forward to building a great future together with the AfD.
None of this is a secret. It is a manifesto.
Bill Browder writes:
Vladimir Putin is winning his war to bring down Europe from within
Turkey to start drilling challenging Black Sea well
Wednesday 9 September 2026 12:59 , Alex CroftTurkey is set to start drilling a challenging oil-targeted well in the western Black Sea, Ankara announced on Wednesday.
"We will soon begin drilling an oil-targeted well in the western Black Sea,” energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
“It will be a difficult drilling operation and will take some time," he told broadcaster CNBC-e.
Turkey has previously said it plans six exploration wells across the western, central and eastern Black Sea in 2026 as it seeks new oil and natural gas discoveries.
Kremlin says it hopes for direct Ukraine-Russia peace talks in near future
Wednesday 9 September 2026 12:34 , Alex CroftWe’ve just hears from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said that Russia hopes peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the US, will resume in the near future.
The Kremlin declined to discuss any potential elements of a possible peace settlement, Peskov added.
He was speaking after Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had a telephone call on Tuesday to discuss prospects for ending the war.
The last time trilateral talks took place was in February.
Zelensky says Kyiv hitting Russia 'across its entire map' including Black Sea port attack
Wednesday 9 September 2026 12:11 , Alex CroftWe’ve just heard from Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken out on Kyiv’s attack on the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.
The Ukrainian president said targets in the Krasnodar region, including a naval base and a oil-loading terminal, were attacked.
Warships carrying missiles and military port facilities were also hit, he said.
“We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X alongside footage of the attacks.
“I thank everyone developing our long-range sanctions capabilities, so that Russia’s war is increasingly felt where it came from.”
We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map. Over the past 24 hours, there have been results in Novorossiysk, in the Krasnodar region. A naval base was hit, including a terminal used to load oil, military port… pic.twitter.com/Szoqds72Xc
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 9, 2026
Putin likely gave Trump 'absurd' view of Russia's battlefield dominance
Wednesday 9 September 2026 11:49 , Alex CroftDonald Trump was likely given Vladimir Putin’s “absurd” view of Russia’s dominance on the battlefield, the Institute for the Study of War has said in its latest briefing.
Trump held the one-hour phone call with Putin in which he reiterated his plea that he wants a “swift end to the war in Ukraine”, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The Institute for the Study of War said Putin’s “understanding of the war is, in fact, severely distorted by the Russian military's systematic lying, which is emboldening Putin to insist on his maximalist demands”.
It added that he "regularly makes absurd and aggrandising claims of Russian advances on the battlefield to construct a narrative of continuous and inevitable Russian military success".
Kremlin aide Yuriy Ushakov, however, claimed that he had given an “objective and thorough” analysis to the US president.
Merz says Germany will continue supporting Ukraine despite AfD state win
Wednesday 9 September 2026 11:19 , Alex CroftChancellor Friedrich Merz has stated that Germany will continue supporting Ukraine because Ukraine was also defending Germany's freedom.
Merz was responding to criticism from the far-right Alternative for Germany that Germany's support was needlessly prolonging the war in Ukraine and shutting Germany out of accessing cheap energy supplies from Russia.
It comes after the AfD won an historic election in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday.
Trump is determined to end Ukraine war and secure lasting peace, says Kushner
Wednesday 9 September 2026 10:56 , Alex CroftEU court dismisses Hungary action over frozen Russian asset profits for Ukraine
Wednesday 9 September 2026 10:34 , Alex CroftA Hungarian action against the EU's decision to use windfall profits from frozen Russian central bank assets for Ukraine's defence has been dismissed by the European Union’s General Court on Wednesday.
The bloc's second-highest court said it had no jurisdiction over the matter.
On 3 August, the EU received €1.4 billion in windfall profits from Russian bank assets, bringin the total revenue to roughly €8 billion.
US wants swift end to war in Ukraine, Trump tells Putin - ICYMI
Wednesday 9 September 2026 10:31 , Alex CroftDonald Trump has reiterated his plea to Russian president Vladimir Putin that he wants a “swift end to the war in Ukraine”, the Kremlin said, as the two spoke for an hour on a phone call yesterday.
Ending the war in Ukraine will allow the US to fully restore its ties with Russia, the Kremlin said, adding that Putin agreed with Trump’s view.
"Donald Trump clearly emphasised the desirability of bringing the conflict to an end as soon as possible, which would immediately open up prospects – impressive and far-reaching ones at that – for the full restoration of relations between the US and Russia," said Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov.
Ushakov told reporters that the two leaders had rated the US envoys' weekend diplomacy "with a plus sign" and that Putin had told Trump what he believed the United States could do to help end the conflict and given him an assessment of what the situation on the battlefield was. Trump, Ushakov said, had made it clear he wanted the war quickly finished.
Trump wants a “breakthrough achieved during his presidency” on the war in Ukraine, Ushakov said.
German foreign minister says Kyiv should buy more arms from German companies
Wednesday 9 September 2026 09:40 , Alex CroftGerman foreign minister Johann Wadephul told Bild newspaper that Ukraine should buy more weapons from German companies, saying Berlin's position as Kyiv's biggest donor meant it had the right to expect orders for its defence companies.
Wadephul said he had assured Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit last month that Germany would continue to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia.
"But I also have to explain this to German taxpayers, and the very least you can do is to ensure that the German defence industry is involved in all procurement activities," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
“At the moment, we're not entirely satisfied with the level of orders we're receiving in Germany,” he said.
Wadephul's comments came days after Germany accused Russia of being behind an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport in August that authorities said only just missed causing a major disaster.
Moscow says Ukrainian cargo vessel in Black Sea struck
Wednesday 9 September 2026 09:16 , Alex CroftThe Russian defence ministry has said its forces had struck a Ukrainian cargo vessel carrying military equipment in the Black Sea en route to the port of Odesa, Russian news agencies are reporting.
A warehouse in Kyiv, belonging to a company manufacturing drones, was also hit, they added.
Deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv fail to cancel Ukrainian soldier’s wedding
Wednesday 9 September 2026 08:54 , Alex CroftLiudmyla Ryzhak spent the eve of her wedding ironing her delicately embroidered dress, laying out a full white tulle skirt beside her husband’s traditionally patterned shirt, before hanging them on the bedroom door.
Following repeated delays caused by the war with Russia, she was only hours away from marrying her partner, a Ukrainian soldier, in a ceremony in the capital scheduled for Tuesday morning.
However, as the pair slept, a Russian strike struck a warehouse across the street from their building. The resulting blast wave ripped through the apartment, threatening to stop the wedding.
The couple were soon digging their wedding clothes out of the rubble, with Ryzhak pulling her skirt from beneath the debris and shaking off pieces of broken glass.
Read more here:
Deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv fail to cancel Ukrainian soldier’s wedding
Ukraine strikes Russian warships in Black Sea port of Novorossiysk
Wednesday 9 September 2026 08:31 , Alex CroftWe’re getting more information on Ukraine’s air attack on the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
Kyiv’s forces struck military vessels at a naval base in the port overnight, the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi, said on Wednesday.
Brovdi said missile carriers were among the vessels "lost" at the base, but did not say how many vessels had been struck.
We earlier reported that four people, including one child, have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Novorossiysk, the local governor has said.
CIA director holds talks with Poland amid Russia's growing Nato threat
Wednesday 9 September 2026 08:10 , Alex CroftCIA director John Ratcliffe has held talks with Poland’s special services minister Tomasz Siemoniak amid growing concerns over Russia’s threat to Nato.
Mr Siemoniak said he had a “very important meeting” with Mr Ratcliffe, without going into detail about what was discussed.
After the meeting, he said he shared the “most crucial information regarding Poland’s security” with prime minister Donald Tusk.
“The Polish-American alliance is strong and unshakable,” he added in the post on X. “Close cooperation between our special services is one of its foundations.”
The talks come amid Washington’s fresh diplomatic push to find a peace agreement to end the Ukraine war - which Poland has been directly impacted by with an intensifying series of Russian drone and fighter jet incursions across eastern Europe over the past two years.
