Ukraine Invasion: Part 58

[MagicFox]

We’re all still here for Thread 58. Thanks to all regular contributors, especially those doing the daily hard work. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

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Kyiv Post:

🔹 Russia’s spy drones are stalking NATO supply lines in Germany — a direct threat to Ukraine’s lifeline of Western support.

https://www.kyivpost.com/videos/59831

🔸 Kellogg was flying to Ukraine via Poland during the Russian drone attack — CNN

According to CNN sources, US President’s special envoy General Keith Kellogg was on his way to Poland when the Russian drone attack began.

🔹 A Russian UAV crashed overnight into a Polish military base south of Warsaw — RMF 24
Drone debris was found at a Territorial Defense Forces facility in the town of Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą, Grójec County, Masovian Voivodeship.

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-10-2025/

Key Takeaways

1. Russian drones violated Polish airspace on the night of September 9 to 10 in what NATO and European officials have suggested was an intentional Russian incursion.
2. The large number of Russian drones that violated Polish airspace suggests that this was likely an intentional Russian effort.
3. At least some of the drones that violated Polish airspace were Gerbera decoy drones, and Russia may have been preparing for an incursion of this size into Polish airspace since Summer 2025.
4. Russian officials denied that the drones came from Russia and attempted to deflect blame onto Ukraine.
5. Belarusian officials attempted to deny any involvement in the Russian drone incursion despite evidence that the drones entered Polish airspace from the direction of Belarus.
6. Russia is likely attempting to gauge both Poland’s and NATO’s capabilities and reactions in the hopes of applying lessons learned to future conflict scenarios with the NATO alliance.
7. Russia is likely also attempting to limit or deter Western military aid to Ukraine.
8. Russian milbloggers amplified various narratives to refute Western reporting about the Russian violation of Polish airspace, many of which cohered with official Russian and Belarusian responses.
9. Ukraine’s Western partners continue to pledge military and financial assistance to Ukraine.
10. Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman and in the Dobropillya tactical area.

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-11-2025/

Key Takeaways

1. Polish officials provided additional clarification on the impacts of the September 9-10 Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace.
2. Poland’s allies reiterated their support for Poland following the drone incursion, condemning Russia for purposefully conducting the incursion to test NATO readiness.
3. Ukrainian officials responded to the drone incursion by drawing parallels to Russian cycles of aggression and escalation against Ukraine and offered to share Ukraine’s now-institutional counter-drone knowledge with Poland.
4. The Kremlin continues efforts to destabilize the Balkans and dismantle the 1995 Dayton Accords that ended the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, likely as part of a larger campaign to divide and distract Europe.
5. Russian state media is acknowledging the growing gasoline shortages in Russia but is downplaying the role that Ukraine’s deep strike campaign is playing in generating these shortages.
6. Sweden pledged additional military and financial assistance to Ukraine.
7. Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman, Velykomykhailivka, and in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️Poland to partner with Ukraine, European allies to strengthen Polish air defense (kyivindependent.com/poland-to-partner-with-ukraine-european-allies-to-strengthen-polish-air-defense-after-russian-drone-attack-tusk-says/) after Russian drone attack, Tusk says.

⚡️ Trump envoy Kellogg reportedly arrives in Kyiv (kyivindependent.com/trump-envoy-kellogg-arrives-in-kyiv/) day after Russian drones breach Polish airspace.

⚡️Poland to send military representatives to Ukraine for training (kyivindependent.com/poland-to-send-military-representatives-to-ukraine-for-training-on-shooting-down-russian-drones/) on shooting down Russian drones.

⚡️ Update: Ukraine offers joint production of interceptor drones (kyivindependent.com/poland-to-partner-with-ukraine-european-allies-to-strengthen-polish-air-defense-after-russian-drone-attack-tusk-says/) with Europe after Poland incursion.
"A missile that costs a million, no matter what it is, simply cannot shoot down drones that cost tens of thousands of dollars," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, offering a joint program to finance and produce the drones with European partners.

⚡️US to push G7 to impose tariffs (kyivindependent.com/us-to-push-g7-to-impose-tariffs-on-china-india-over-russian-oil-ft-reports/) on China, India over Russian oil, FT reports.
The Trump administration plans to urge Group of Seven (G7) nations to impose sanctions on China and India over their purchase of Russian oil, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Sept. 11. [since the US has proven itself far from a friend to the EU in the last months with the business of tariffs and Greenland but the EU still needs the US militarily, I wonder how successful this will be]
The U.S. will push for the tariffs at a virtual meeting of G7 finance ministers on Sept. 12, four sources familiar with the plan told FT.

⚡️Poland сloses (kyivindependent.com/poland-sloses-border-with-belarus-as-russian-belarusian-drills-begin/) border with Belarus as Russian-Belarusian Zapad drills begin.
Traffic across the border was suspended in both directions, including cars and cargo trains.

⚡️Russian drone incursion into Poland 'could have been a mistake (kyivindependent.com/russian-drone-incursion-into-poland-could-have-been-a-mistake-trump-says/),' Trump says.

⚡️ Japan slaps new sanctions (kyivindependent.com/japan-slaps-new-sanctions-on-russia-over-ukraine-invasion/) on Russia over Ukraine war.
Japan is also immediately lowering the G7-imposed price cap on Russian seaborne crude from $60 to $47.60 per barrel, echoing similar steps by the EU, the U.K., and other partners.

⚡️ German army chief calls for 100,000 more active troops (kyivindependent.com/german-army-chief-calls-for-100-000-more-active-troops-to-face-russian-threat-reuters-reports/) to face Russian threat, Reuters reports.
The German Army needs an additional 100,000 troops to meet NATO targets and prepare for a possible Russian aggression, Reuters reported on Sept. 11, citing a confidential letter from a top army commander.

⚡️Drones target Moscow (kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-drone-shot-down-while-approaching-moscow-mayor-says/), Russian oil facilities in reported large-scale Ukrainian strike.
Explosions have been reported near Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Smolensk, and the Pulkovo Airport was shut down due to the threat of drones.

⚡️UK pledges (kyivindependent.com/uk-pledges-193-million-in-aid-to-ukraine-hits-russia-with-new-sanctions/) $193 million in Ukraine aid, hits Russia with new sanctions.

⚡️Prince Harry, Polish FM arrive (https://kyivindependent.com/prince-harry-polish-fm-arrive-in-kyiv/) in Kyiv.

⚡️Ukrainian Su-27 pilot Oleksandr Borovyk killed (https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-su-27-pilot-killed-during-combat-mission-in-zaporizhzhia-sector-of-front-line/) during combat mission in Zaporizhzhia sector of front line.

NATO's response to Russian drones reveals glaring issue with Europe's air defenses
(kyivindependent.com/natos-response-to-russian-drones-reveals-glaring-issue-with-europes-air-defenses/)
NATO's downing of Russian drones in Polish airspace this week was touted as a major success by the military alliance, after it mustered an international force using some of the most advanced technology in the world to defend its borders.
But the incident has actually highlighted a major flaw in NATO and Europe's defenses — they don't have an effective way to shoot down Russia's cheap, mass produced drones.

⚡️Sweden commits (kyivindependent.com/sweden-commits-7-5-billion-in-aid-to-ukraine-announces-new-840-million-military-package/) $7.5 billion in aid to Ukraine, announces new $840 million military package.

⚡️IMF identifies (kyivindependent.com/imf-identifies-10-20-billion-gap-in-ukraines-external-financing-bloomberg-reports/) $10-20 billion gap in Ukraine's external financing, Bloomberg reports.
While the government in Kyiv maintains its previous estimate of needing up to $37.5 billion annually, the IMF believes the requirement could be $10–20 billion higher.

⚡️Russia reopens Krasnodar International Airport (kyivindependent.com/russia-reopens-krasnodar-airport-after-over-2-years-of-wartime-closure/) after more than 2 years of wartime closure.
The first flight into Krasnodar, arriving from Moscow, is scheduled for Sept. 17.

⚡️Zelensky, Kellogg discuss (kyivindependent.com/zelensky-kellogg-discuss-additional-weapons-increased-sanctions-on-russia-during-visit-to-kyiv/) additional weapons, increased economic pressure on Russia during visit to Kyiv.

Exclusive: Europe scrambles for Ukrainian interceptor drones after Russia's attack on Poland
(kyivindependent.com/europe-scrambles-for-ukrainian-interceptor-drones-following-russias-polish-attack/)
European countries are scrambling for Ukrainian anti-drone systems following the unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by Russian kamikaze drones on Sept. 10, officials and manufacturers have told the Kyiv Independent.

⚡️Russian drones target (kyivindependent.com/russian-drones-target-on-sept-10-rzeszow-airport-key-aid-hub-for-ukraine-media-reports/) on Sept. 10 Rzeszow Airport, key aid hub for Ukraine, media reports.

⚡️ Update: Russian drones in Poland 'resemble' (kyivindependent.com/finnish-president-stubb-arrives-in-kyiv-to-discuss-ukraine-security-sanctions/) occupation of Crimea, Zelensky says.
"The most dangerous thing is when, for example, the U.S., as it was in Crimea, or some other partners, send signals that, the main thing... is not to provoke war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Russian disinformation exploits Polish drone incursion as public confidence wavers Russian disinformation exploits Polish drone incursion as public confidence wavers

⚡️ Belarus frees 52 prisoners (kyivindependent.com/belarus-frees-52-prisoners-after-visit-by-us-envoy/) after Lukashenko meets US envoy.
U.S. presidential envoy John Cole also announced that the U.S. is lifting sanctions from Belavia airline, Belarus's flag carrier, state news agency Belta reported.

⚡️Ukrainian drones (kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-drone-shot-down-while-approaching-moscow-mayor-says/) shot down while approaching Moscow, Mayor says.
At least seven Ukrainian drones have been shot down near Moscow amid a Ukrainian attack on the Russian capital, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said overnight on Sept. 12

⚡️Update: Drones attack Russia's Primorsk Port (kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-drone-shot-down-while-approaching-moscow-mayor-says/), causing fire.
Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said the drone strike ignited a fire on a vessel in the Primorsk Port, Russia's largest oil-loading port in the Baltic Sea.

⚡️Russian attacks (kyivindependent.com/russian-attacks-kill-6-injure-26-in-ukraine-over-past-day/) kill 6, injure 26 in Ukraine over past day.
Ukrainian forces downed 33 out of the 40 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Six drones struck three different locations, according to the statement.

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦
‪@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social‬
⚡️ WAR IN UKRAINE & RUSSIA — SEP 12, 2025 (1/2)
■ Engagements remain above average, while casualties stay below
■ Weekly drone losses stay at record level; notable artillery losses as well
■ Overnight attacks: relatively few, with a decent interception rate
■ Increased 🇷🇺 strikes, but also double-digit 🇺🇦 strikes

UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights

Germany has announced its readiness to reinforce its presence on NATO’s eastern border in response to Russian drones entering Polish airspace.

Britain and France plan to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank with Rafale and Eurofighter jets.
“Both the French and the British have declared their intention to help secure NATO’s eastern flank with Rafale and Eurofighter aircraft,” Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

Russia has demanded that Poland immediately reopen checkpoints on the Polish-Belarusian border.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the decision to close the checkpoint “destructive” and warned Poland of “serious damage.”

Poland will deploy about 40,000 soldiers to the borders with Russia and Belarus following yesterday’s incident with Russian drones violating its airspace, TVP reported.
Another reason for the deployment is the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises “Zapad-2025,” scheduled to take place in Belarus from September 12 to 16.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has arrived in Kyiv.

Sweden provides 20th aid package to Ukraine worth $836 million
According to Defense Minister Pål Jonson, the package will include:
▫️18 new Archer self-propelled guns (bringing the total to 44);
▫️155 mm ammunition;
▫️mobile radars, vessels with grenade launchers, and unmanned marine systems;
▫️additional equipment and weapons for 32 combat boats;
▫️500 motorcycles, along with support equipment for air bases;
▫️radar sensors and control systems for Tridon Mk 2 anti-aircraft systems;
▫️programmable 40 mm anti-aircraft ammunition, as well as additional classified systems and other projects.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, after his first meeting with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka, reiterated Budapest’s claims toward Ukraine and again stated that Hungary does not see it as part of the EU.
He noted that Hungary seeks good relations with all its neighbors, including Ukraine, but added: “Relations are not in the best shape, and full responsibility for this lies with Kyiv.”

❗️Tusk called claims that Ukraine may have been involved in the UAV attack on Poland on September 10 disinformation.
“We reject all manipulations and disinformation suggesting that Ukraine is behind the attack. The responsibility lies with the Russian Federation,” the prime minister said.
He added that it is becoming increasingly clear who — whether for political reasons, out of stupidity, or due to treacherous intentions — serves Russian propaganda.

UNITED24 Media (united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/what-russia-belarus-zapad-2025-is-and-how-it-echoes-pre-war-drills-11572)
What Russia-Belarus Zapad 2025 Is and How It Echoes Pre-War Drills
Zapad 2021 ended with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zapad 2017 rehearsed the capture of the Baltics. Zapad 2013 foreshadowed Russ…
What Russia-Belarus Zapad 2025 Is and How It Echoes Pre-War Drills (united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/what-russia-belarus-zapad-2025-is-and-how-it-echoes-pre-war-drills-11572)
Zapad 2021 ended with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zapad 2017 rehearsed the capture of the Baltics. Zapad 2013 foreshadowed Russia’s aggression in Crimea. Zapad 2009 simulated a nuclear strike on Poland. What will Zapad 2025 bring?

Kyiv Post Telegram Highlights

A swarm of 221 drones struck several Russian regions.
Targets included a port in Leningrad region, where a ship caught fire, and a reported attack on a Lukoil facility in Smolensk region.

This year’s Ukrainian Fashion Week runway was walked by veterans and civilians who were wounded or lost limbs because of the war. https://t.me/Kyivpost_official/31810

Live: Ukraine Telegram Highlights

🇩🇪 German Chancellor Merz said the incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace was a deliberate provocation by the Kremlin.
He acknowledged that NATO air defenses responded, but not as effectively as they should have to prevent a large-scale border violation.
In his view, this is a serious signal to allies and must serve as a trigger for deep discussions within both NATO and the EU.

Ukraine’s mobilization level over the past year has remained stable and shows a tendency to grow, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
According to him, Ukraine is currently mobilizing “the necessary number of people to cover all losses and form small reserves.”
At the same time, the minister admitted that Russia’s mobilization rate covers its losses, even though they are five times higher than Ukraine’s.
“That’s why losing a million troops since the start of this war is not a problem for them. Half of them were killed. They just keep shooting, burning people in the fire of war, without counting how many they’ve lost,” Shmyhal added, calling it a “challenge and problem” for Ukraine.

🇩🇪 Germany tested emergency sirens for the first time in over 30 years.
On National Warning Day, more than 200 sirens sounded in Berlin, while residents also received alerts on their phones.
Although Germany has marked Warning Day for five years now, this was the first time sirens were activated in the capital since 1993.
Over 30 years ago, Berlin dismantled its sirens, deeming them unnecessary. However, due to the changing security situation, authorities have recently begun reinstalling them on rooftops.
The Berlin government explained that by “changing security situation,” they mean climate change with severe storms, power outages, cyberattacks, and “the current global situation with aggressive war in Europe.”

The father of the Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed to death on a train in North Carolina was unable to attend her funeral because of the travel ban on men of conscription age, Daily Mail reports.

Murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in the U.S.: suspect explains motive.
The accused, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, claimed that the government had implanted foreign “materials” in his brain that controlled his actions. He confessed to killing the Ukrainian woman because she was allegedly “reading his thoughts.”
Brown’s sister believes he should not have been free. She said he had repeatedly sought hospital treatment for schizophrenia but was either discharged within 24 hours or accused of abusing the 911 system.

I wonder if the Russian drone incursion into Poland will have been a good thing in the long run.

It certainly feels like another strategic fuck up by Putin (he likes to make them doesn’t he).

It will.only be a fuck up if the west actually responds with concrete measures....and that means more than invoking Article 4 and just discussing improved Air Defences for the region.

If the west doesn't actually act PDQ Putin's action could be regarded as sucessful intelligence gathering.

@notimagain I agree.

What will it take to make the leaders of Europe pay more than lip service.

Invasion, I think.

Correct. The reports I've seen indicate that the Russian used decoy drones without warheads and sent 19 of them across various points of the border. This is how you gather intelligence about your adversary's radar coverage, reaction time, assets available to respond to the incursion, etc.

The fact that there's been no overt response has the effect of ratcheting up the level of provocation that's "normal". Putin will escalate again, with armed drones, more drones, manned aircraft, etc. He's boiling the frog and Europe is fecklessly going along with it, and ceded the initiative to him.

I see that Mark Rutte and the Supreme Allied Commander will be hosting a joint press conference at 5pm Brussels time. Assuming nothing concrete will come from it all.

Guardian live feed is the only place I can find that’s running the Rutte press conference. They’ve announced the launch of operation Eastern Sentry. He said “to “bolster our posture even further along our eastern flank,” involving “a range of assets from allies including Denmark, France, UK, Germany and others.”
“Eastern sentry will add flexibility and strength to our posture and make clear that as a defensive alliance, we are always ready to defend”

It will begin tonight.

Grynkewich gets asked about what’s new in Eastern Sentry.
He says there will be new assets, quoting Rafale fighters from France and Danish F-16s plus some ground based air defence capabilities, which he says will need “a new defence design.”

@notimagain @MissConductUS any thoughts?

I agree with you

He's probably being deliberately vague but I wonder if he simply means these mass drone attacks are a game changer and not something the various NATO air defence systems (radars, aircraft, missiles) were designed to counter, so new methods and procedures will need to be introduced.

That's the way I took it. Traditional air defense assets are designed to target a relatively small number of high value targets, like manned aircraft or missiles. Drone swarms present different challenges because of their numbers. There's a mad rush on now to develop systems that can deal with drone swarms with cheap interceptor drones, microwave weapons, electronic warfare etc.

Scale is also an issue. Germany said that they were going to double the number of fighter jets they had committed to the effort. Double? That's brilliant, right? They currently have two, they're going to add two more. And to the extent that they are just redeploying assets from elsewhere, it's a bit of a net zero improvement in overall capabilities.

I suspect most of the public think Air Forces various have lots of aircraft armed up ready to defend the nation at a few minutes notice but the reality has been (even for the USAF) is nothing like that..in peacetime certainly for countries like UK and Germany we're talking really small numbers.

It's going to be tough for many countries to forward deploy air defence fighters into eastern Europe and maintain their domestic coverage.

Good brussels sprouts podcast this morning on the drones and why a robust response is necessary

An example here of one countermeasure being suggested, but also an example of the possible pitfalls:

https://www.twz.com/air/drone-killing-apkws-laser-guided-rockets-eyed-for-eurofighter-typhoon

There isn't really time to "eye up', faff around with too many customer discussions, develop enhanced options or start tweaking subsystems unnecessarily.

In an ideal world you'd have already decided if you can lob APKWS off Typhoon as is, if that's a "yes" then you would have already talked to Ukraine about whether APKWS was a sensible option for Anti-drone ops. If they have said "yes", then given last weeks events you'd be flying possibly abbreviated trials this weekend with a view to having it integrated on Typhoon for use by Germany PDQ and the RAF when they deploy some aircraft east possibly later this year.

The UK/BAE can work like that when there is an imperitive (cf. The Falklands conflict), but don't tend to because it can carry real world and commercial risks.

ATM the commercial risks can go hang, the real world risks are an issue so you have to be careful to make sure you fill any gaps in the trials process when time allows and you need to monitor what goes on in service.

What needs to be recognised is Putin has a head start, now really is the time to be taking considered short cuts in procurement processes.

Oh..and I'll repeat "listen to Ukraine.." they have the SMEs.

@notimagain, I agree that we should be going full tilt with APKWS integration on new platforms. They've already been used in combat with great results by the USAF against the Houthis.

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-fighter-jets-used-laser-guided-rockets-houthi-drone-kills-2025-6

Adding an off the shelf proximity fuze was a big boost in kill rate. I think the American jets can mount 42 of these missiles at a time, which is great when you have that many targets to engage.

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️Ukraine-Russia peace talks on 'pause,' (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-russia-peace-talks-on-pause-kremlin-says/) Kremlin says.
When asked about the Ukraine-Russia talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov replied that communication channels have been established and exist, but as of now, "it’s more accurate to say there is a pause" in dialogue.

⚡️Russian offensive in Sumy Oblast 'completely thwarted,' (kyivindependent.com/russian-offensive-in-sumy-oblast-completely-thwarted-zelensky-says/) Zelensky says.
"As of today, we can state that the Russian offensive operation on Sumy has been completely thwarted by our forces," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 12, citing front-line reports from Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

⚡️NATO to launch (kyivindependent.com/nato-to-launch-eastern-sentry-in-response-to-russian-drone-attack-on-poland/) 'Eastern Sentry' in response to Russian drone attack on Poland.
The Russian attack on Poland exposed serious holes in NATO's air defenses.

⚡️US vows to defend 'every inch (kyivindependent.com/us-vows-to-defend-every-inch-of-nato-territory-after-russian-drone-incursion-into-poland/)' of NATO territory after Russian drone incursion into Poland.
"The United States stands by our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations," said acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea, addressing the 15-member Security Council. [if this can be believed, good]

⚡️EU must not fall into Russian trap on territorial concessions (kyivindependent.com/eu-must-not-fall-into-russian-trap-on-territorial-concession-kallas-warns/), Kallas warns.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, warned in a Sept. 13 interview that talks about Ukraine giving up territory fall into the Russian playbook and said Europe must work closer with Washington to combat Moscow.
“The Russians want us to discuss what Ukraine must give up for peace, while completely ignoring the fact that the Kremlin itself has not made any concessions so far,” she said. “This discussion about possible territorial concessions is a trap, and we must not fall into it… The reward for aggression will be more war, not less.”

⚡️Updated: Poland, Ukraine to train downing drones (kyivindependent.com/poland-to-send-military-representatives-to-ukraine-for-training-on-shooting-down-russian-drones/) on Polish territory, Warsaw says.
The Polish Defense Ministry clarified on Sept. 12 that Ukrainian and Polish specialists will practice the use of drones and anti-drone systems only on Polish territory.

⚡️Poland sees no reason to sever diplomatic ties (kyivindependent.com/poland-sees-no-reason-to-sever-diplomatic-ties-with-russia-after-drone-attack-foreign-minister-says/) with Russia after drone attack, foreign minister says.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Poland sees no reason to sever diplomatic ties with Russia, noting that it has already limited the activities of Russian diplomats in several regions.

⚡️Russian Central Bank cuts (kyivindependent.com/russian-central-bank-lowers-interest-rate-from-18-to-17/) interest rate from 18% to 17%.
According to Russia's Central Bank, current price growth indicators have "remained largely unchanged," while the economy continues to return to a path of "balanced growth."

⚡️ EU extends personal sanctions (https://kyivindependent.com/eu-extends-russia-sanctions-for-another-6-months/) on Russia for another 6 months.
The news follows reported threats by Slovakia and Hungary that they may block the extension unless six Russian businessmen are removed from the list.

⚡️Over 130,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine (kyivindependent.com/over-130-000-russian-soldiers-killed-in-ukraine-identified-by-media-investigation/) identified by media investigation.
The latest reported death toll includes 36,568 volunteers, 18,261 recruited prisoners, 14,797 mobilized troops, and 2,777 mercenaries.

⚡️A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka overnight on Sept. 13, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
The earthquake is an aftershock of the 8.8. magnitude quake that hit near Kamchatka on July 29, triggering tsunami waves.

⚡️US envoy Kellogg's presence shields (kyivindependent.com/us-envoy-kelloggs-presence-shields-kyiv-no-worse-than-patriots-zelensky-says-urges-us-aid/) Kyiv 'no worse than Patriots,' Zelensky says, urges US aid.

⚡️Update: Key Russian oil hub suspends operations (kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-drone-shot-down-while-approaching-moscow-mayor-says/) after Ukrainian drone strike, SBU source says.
Primorsk in Leningrad Oblast serves as a key hub for Russia's "shadow fleet,” processing shipments of 60 million tons of oil every year, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent.
After a Ukrainian drone strike, fires broke out at one of the vessels and a pumping station, forcing the suspension of oil shipments, according to the source.

Can Ukraine’s oil strikes shift Russia's war?
()
Ukraine is striking oil refineries deep inside Russia — but it’s not really the oil they’re after. The Kyiv Independent’s Dominic Culverwell explains how Ukraine’s drone campaign targets the high-tech equipment Russia cannot easily replace under sanctions, and why that could create long-term problems for the Kremlin’s war machine

⚡️Russia attacks (kyivindependent.com/russia-launches-aerial-attack-on-ukraine-as-european-officials-meet-in-kyiv/) Ukraine with 164 drones as European officials meet in Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 164 drones and an Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missile overnight on Sept. 13 as top officials gathered in Kyiv for the annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference, the Air Force reported.
Ukrainian air defense downed 137 drones in the north, south, east, and center of Ukraine, according to the Air Force.

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦
‪@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social‬
⚡️ WAR IN UKRAINE & RUSSIA — SEP 13, 2025 (1/2)
■ Engagements near average, casualties slightly above
■ Strong increase in equipment losses — land-based as well as drones; weekly drone losses at record level
■ Overnight: triple-digit attacks including an Iskander-M, decent interception rate
■ Improved strike ratio

UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights

🇪🇺 The EU has extended sanctions against Russia for another six months over its war of aggression against Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
She added that the bloc is finalizing work on the 19th package of measures, “considering additional restrictions on the sale of Russian oil, shadow oil tankers, and banks.”

At a meeting in Canada, G7 finance ministers discussed further steps to increase pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine. In particular, they agreed to accelerate talks on the use of frozen Russian assets.

The US will call on G7 countries to establish a mechanism for confiscating $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, Bloomberg reported.
According to the agency, Washington proposes not only using the profits from these funds but also the assets themselves to finance Ukraine’s defense. Most of these assets are held in Europe.
In addition, the US is pushing for secondary tariffs of 50–100% on China and India over their purchases of Russian oil, as well as new trade restrictions aimed at blocking Russia’s access to energy and dual-use technologies, Bloomberg wrote.

A drone was found on Burgas beach in Bulgaria, the country’s Ministry of Defense reported.
“The reconnaissance, marking, recovery, transportation, and disposal team was activated following a report of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) detected in the waters of Burgas’ North Beach. After inspection, the object was identified as an aircraft without explosives and posing no danger. With the permission of the Chief of Naval Staff, a specialized unit transported the object to the Burgas Naval Base,” the statement said.
This is not the first such incident in Bulgaria. In 2023, a drone carrying explosives was also discovered on the coast.