‘It could be big trouble’: Trump issues warning to Russia after Estonia incursion
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Polish fighter jets were scrambled overnight to protect the Nato-member country’s airspace during a major Russian air attack across Ukraine.
Polish aircraft and air defences were at the “highest state of readiness,” the operational command said on X, as more than 600 drones and missiles were fired at Ukraine overnight in an air attack which killed at least three and injured dozens.
European countries are on high alert following a string of Russian incursions into Nato territory, as Moscow’s forces continue to probe and provoke the alliance’s defences.
An incursion of three fighter jets into Estonian airspace last night was dismissed by Moscow as a “scheduled” flight carried out in “strict accordance” with airspace rules.
Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian territory on Friday night where they remained without permission for 12 minutes, the Estonian foreign ministry said.
US president Donald Trump has warned of “big trouble” as he grows increasingly dismayed by Russia’s provocations, including repeated drone and fighter jet incursions intoneighbouring countries including Poland and Romania.
“I don’t love it. I don’t like when that happens. Could be big trouble,” he told reporters, adding that he was yet to be fully briefed on the situation.
Nato will meet in Estonia early next week to discuss the Russian incursion.
UK and US ‘working together’ to end wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Starmer says – ICYMI
UK and US ‘working together’ to end wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Starmer says
Alex Croft20 September 2025 18:18
Ukraine targets Russia’s oil sector in overnight attack
Ukrainian drones overnight slammed into an energy facility in Samara, southwestern Russia, according to the local governor and Ukraine’s General Staff.
Ukraine on Saturday claimed its drones struck the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, a major producer of jet fuel that is operated by Russian oil major Rosneft. It said the strike resulted in explosions and a fire, Reuters are reporting.
Samara’s regional governor, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said unspecified fuel and energy facilities were targeted. He later reported that four people had died in the attack.
Ukraine’s General Staff also said a second Russian oil refinery was hit overnight, in the Saratov region directly south of Samara. A representative of Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, said flights were briefly grounded overnight at Saratov and Samara airports, among other regional flight hubs.
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday said the military intercepted 149 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Alex Croft20 September 2025 17:39
Zelensky looks to finalize security guarantees at UN General Assembly
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine and its partners have laid the groundwork for long-term security guarantees and that he hopes to gauge how close they are to finalizing such commitments during next week’s meetings in New York.
He said European nations are prepared to move forward with a framework if the United States remains closely engaged. He noted that discussions have taken place at multiple levels, including among military leadership and general staffs from both Europe and the US.
“I would like to receive signals for myself on how close we are to understanding that the security guarantees from all partners will be the kind we need,” Mr Zelensky said.
He said sanctions against Russia must remain on the table if peace efforts stall, and that he plans to press the issue in talks with Trump.
“If the war continues and there is no movement toward peace, we expect sanctions,” he said, adding that Trump is looking for strong steps from Europe.
Russia Ukraine War (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Alex Croft20 September 2025 17:01
UK to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine war effort as world condemns Putin over Estonia incursion
Frozen Russian assets could be used to fund billions of pounds worth of Ukraine’s war effort, Rachel Reeves will announce.
The chancellor will say it is the “right to explore all options to support Ukraine”, at a meeting with her European counterparts in Copenhagen on Saturday.
It comes after Russia provoked global outrage when its jets flew into Estonian airspace on Friday.
The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin with the full report:
Alex Croft20 September 2025 16:30
More on Russia’s overnight air attack
We’re getting more detail through on Russia’s huge overnight air attack on Ukraine overnight.
At least 30 people were wounded in the attack in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, local governor Serhii Lysak said. Several high-rise buildings and homes were damaged in the eastern city of Dnipro.
In the Kyiv region, local authorities said there were strikes in the areas of Bucha, Boryspil and Obukhiv. A home and cars were damaged. In the western region of Lviv, Gov. Maxim Kozytsky said two cruise missiles were shot down.
Russia launched 619 drones and missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said this morning, including 579 drones, eight ballistic missiles and 32 cruise missiles were detected. Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralized 552 drones, two ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles.
“During the air strike, tactical aviation, in particular F-16 fighters, effectively worked on the enemy’s cruise missiles. Western weapons once again prove their effectiveness on the battlefield,” the Air Force said in a statement.
Alex Croft20 September 2025 15:57
Polish and allied aircraft scrambled again overnight
Poland’s Operational Command on Saturday said Polish and allied aircraft were deployed again overnight, due to Russian long-range airstrikes in neighboring Ukraine.
“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the operational command said in a post on X.
At 5:40am local time (4:40am UK time), nearly all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts following Ukrainian Air Force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Shortly after 5am, Polish and allied air forces ended the operation as airstrikes by the Russian Federation against Ukraine were ceased, the Polish command said, adding that the actions were “preventative and aimed at securing airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened area”.
In a post on X later, the operational command described the operation as “preventive,” and “aimed at securing the airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened zone.”
Polish jets have been deployed repeatedly in recent months to patrol the country’s airspace in connection with Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Last week, fellow Nato member Romania said it deployed two F-16 jets to intercept a drone that briefly entered its airspace.
Alex Croft20 September 2025 15:25
Watch: Powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake shakes Russia as Tsunami warning issued
Powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake shakes Russia as Tsunami warning issued
Alex Croft20 September 2025 14:52
US senators seek sanctions to sink Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’
Republican and Democratic senators are seeking a bill which would target Russia’s “shadow fleet”.
The “Sanctioning Harbors and Dodgers of Western Sanctions,” or SHADOW Fleets Act, would provide a list of indicators the US could use to identify vessels supporting the fleet, making it easier to sanction them sooner.
It would also put in place strict sanctions liability for any ship that engages in a transfer with a sanctioned Russian vessel.
US Senator Jim Risch said: “Putin will use every trick in the book to evade U.S. sanctions, and the U.S. is cracking down on this illicit shadow fleet of ships that he uses to fund his war.
“These ships and the oil sales they facilitate directly threaten American and European security, and will be stopped.”
(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Alex Croft20 September 2025 14:20
What have UK leaders said about Russia’s incursion into Estonian airspace?
UK officials have joined leaders across Europe in condemning Russia’s incursion into NATO airspace today.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This is yet another edition of the Putin playbook.
“Putin’s aggression only serves to strengthen the unity of NATO and our resolve to stand with Ukraine.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK was standing in solidarity with its Estonian allies, calling the incursion “reckless”
“We must continue to increase pressure on Putin, including driving forward the important new economic sanctions announced by the UK & EU in recent days,” she said.
Alex Croft20 September 2025 13:53
Russia launches deadly large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine
A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack struck multiple regions across Ukraine early on Saturday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens, Ukrainian officials confirmed.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the assaults impacted nine regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv.
“The enemy’s target was our infrastructure, residential areas and civilian enterprises,” he said, adding that a missile equipped with cluster munitions struck a multi-story building in the city of Dnipro.
Read more on Russia’s latest deadly air attack on Ukraine:
Alex Croft20 September 2025 13:30
