Zelensky shares footage saying oil refinery north of Moscow hit by overnight drone strikes
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Explosions sounded near Poland on Thursday during a daytime Russian drone attack, Polish and Ukrainian authorities said.
Sirens blared, military aircraft were scrambled and two airports temporarily suspended flights after Russian strikes on Ukraine came close to the NATO member’s border.
“A massive attack on the western part of Ukraine — very close to the Polish border — has just ended,” Polish prime minister Donald Tusk told a press conference. “A petrol station was likely hit again, and our aircraft were scrambled.”
The Polish army said that no violation of Polish airspace was recorded and that military aircraft had finished their operations.
It comes as a Ukrainian drone attack damaged an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl, Ukraine’s president confirmed on Thursday.
Authorities in Russia’s southern region of Krasnodar said a fire broke out at an industrial site after drone debris fell on it.
In a post on X, Volodymyr Zelensky wrote: “Last night, in a joint operation by the Security Service of Ukraine, the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, and the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Yaroslavl oil refinery was hit.”
Europe closer than ever to large-scale war, says Slovak PM
Europe is closer than ever to a large-scale war erupting from the war in Ukraine and politicians must strive for peace, Slovak prime minister Robert Fico said on Thursday.
The comments came as he planned to visit Ukraine for a meeting of several European leaders.
Fico, who has kept warm relations with Russia, said a drone incursion could spark the activation of Nato’s common defence clause and he wanted to prevent Slovakia from becoming part of an armed conflict.
Alex Croft17 September 2026 21:01
Tusk says Russia planning hybrid drone and missile strikes on countries supporting Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament that Russia was planning hybrid drone and missile strikes against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland, according to intelligence agencies.
He did not specify which intelligence agencies he was citing.
Later on Thursday evening, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said in a post on X on Thursday that due to the operations of military aviation, airports in Lublin and Rzeszow in south-eastern Poland have again temporarily suspended air operations.
Alex Croft17 September 2026 20:00
India vows to protect its interests as US prepares 100% tariffs for countries importing Russian oil
The US house of representatives on Wednesday passed a major sanctions and tariff bill to intensify economic pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, allowing the Donald Trump administration to impose strict tariffs of up to 100 per cent on nations like India.
This is done to reduce the dependence of India and other buyers on Russian oil, as well as to extend sanctions on Iran. The bill is awaiting Mr Trump’s signature after which it will be signed into a law.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain17 September 2026 19:00
Watch: Zelensky says Ukraine officials preparing for peace talks in US
Zelensky says Ukraine officials preparing for peace talks in US
Maryam Zakir-Hussain17 September 2026 18:15
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson resigns after election loss
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will resign after the left-leaning opposition won a narrow majority in the country’s parliamentary election.
The Swedish Election Authority said the four opposition parties won 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament in Stockholm, the Riksdag, in Sunday’s election. The four parties that make up or support the outgoing conservative-led government took 173 seats.
Shortly after the final results were announced, Kristersson said he would resign as the head of government in a letter to the parliament’s speaker posted on social media.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain17 September 2026 17:45
War between Russia and Europe would be ‘very short’, Putin’s foreign minister warns
Lavrov insisted Russia has “no interest” in attacking Western countries but that if it were attacked first, it would retaliate and the outcome would be swift.
“Russia has repeatedly said that we are not going to attack Western countries and have no interest in doing so,” he said in comments made at the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain17 September 2026 17:15
Polish PM Tusk warns of hybrid Russian drone and missile strikes on Poland and Ukraine supporters
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk told parliament on Thursday that, according to intelligence agencies, Russia was planning hybrid drone and missile strikes against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland.
He did not specify which intelligence agencies he was citing.
(AFP/Getty)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain17 September 2026 16:40
Poland scrambles jets after Russian attack on west Ukraine
Russia bombarded Kyiv and other cities with missiles and drones overnight, and neighbouring NATO member Poland scrambled jets after a Russian daytime attack in western Ukraine, officials said on Thursday.
Over 20 people were injured in the overnight strikes, Ukrainian officials said, following attacks carried out after the US Congress approved a major sanctions bill targeting Moscow.
Sirens sounded on Thursday in eastern Poland and two Polish airports temporarily suspended flights after Russia launched its attack in western Ukraine, close to the border with Poland, Polish and Ukrainian authorities said.
“A massive attack on the western part of Ukraine very close to the Polish border has just ended,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
The Polish army said no violation of Polish airspace had been registered and that military aircraft had finished their operations.
The airports in Rzeszow and Lublin reopened after their temporary closure.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain17 September 2026 15:53
What Putin’s war in Ukraine means for Russian elections this week
Russia is holding its first parliamentary elections this week since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.
They come amid plummeting approval ratings for Vladimir Putin, mounting casualties on the frontline and minimal territorial gains in the grinding war.
The country’s electoral system is tightly controlled and Putin’s United Russia party is expected to retain its majority in the State Duma, which comprises 450 members. It currently has 310 seats and needs to win at least 300 in order to retain its supermajority.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain17 September 2026 15:07
Russian missile and drone attacks injure at least 19, including children, in Ukraine
A Russian barrage of missiles and drones targeting Ukraine’s capital and the surrounding region injured at least 19 people overnight and into Thursday morning, authorities said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces carried out overnight strikes against targets in Russia, including an oil refinery in Yaroslavl and a military airfield in the Rostov region.
Peace efforts to end Russia’s 4 1/2-year full-scale invasion have stalled, with the issue of territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine among the central sticking points.
Successive rounds of U.S.-brokered talks have failed to produce a breakthrough.
Ukraine is also seeking security guarantees from partners for a deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed in a post on social media on Monday that Russia and Ukraine had mutually agreed to cease attacking each other’s energy facilities, strikes that have led to significant supply issues in both countries.
In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Zelensky pushed back on Trump’s claim, saying that while an energy truce was discussed during a recent meeting in Kyiv with Trump’s representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, he would only enter such an agreement if Russia ceases its attacks on Ukrainian energy sites.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain17 September 2026 14:44
