United 24 Media:
🇩🇪 On Sunday, two German Eurofighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
Tensions in the Baltic region have recently increased due to repeated Russian airspace violations.
🇪🇺 The EU will act in its own interests and will not automatically impose 100% tariffs on India and China at Trump’s request, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
She stressed that the EU is preparing to sign a free trade agreement with India by the end of 2025, which will strengthen Europe’s geopolitical position and reduce dependence on the White House.
“In this increasingly complex geopolitical environment, we must strengthen our partnerships based on shared interests. Take, for example, our relationship with India. Given the country’s growing role in ensuring the security of the Indo-Pacific region, closer cooperation between the EU and India is more important than ever,” von der Leyen said.
According to her, the new EU-India Strategic Agenda prioritizes defense and security cooperation, while the free trade agreement will bring benefits to businesses on both sides.
🔹 Today (Sep.21st) is the International Day of Peace. For millions of people, this word is associated with calm and safety. And it's exactly what Ukrainians long for most of all.
Unfortunately, russia does not allow peaceful citizens to live in quiet and harmony. russia justifies their crimes with lies about ‘protection’ and ‘liberation.‘ Behind the words ‘russkiy mir‘ there is only death and shattered lives.
But Ukrainians know another kind of peace. Peace is where children go to school instead of hiding in basements; where mothers do not bury their sons, and children do not visit the graves of their fathers. Where people make plans for the future, instead of fearing that tomorrow a missile will destroy their home.
Today, Ukrainians are defending their right to this just peace. Help them in this fight.
🔸 China has canceled subsidies for its state-owned companies to buy copper and nickel from Russia, Bloomberg reports.
Moscow’s declared “pivot to the East” has left Russian raw material producers heavily dependent on Beijing’s decisions. Now, without subsidies, Russian metals are becoming less attractive for Chinese buyers — and exporters are forced to offer discounts.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, China has suspended unofficial subsidies not only for Russia but also for Iran and Mongolia. In recent tenders, the usual benefits were absent, which could weaken the competitiveness of Russian copper and nickel. For years, Chinese state-owned enterprises received discounts in the form of fixed sums or percentages of the cost, depending on market conditions.
The reasons for canceling the subsidies remain unclear. Meanwhile, Russian companies have sharply increased supplies to China: in the first five months of this year, copper sales rose by 66%, and nickel exports more than doubled, Trade Data Monitor shows.
Due to Western sanctions, Russian firms cannot trade metals on the London Metal Exchange or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Bloomberg notes that, similar to oil, the abolition of subsidies is unlikely to reduce Russian export volumes but will force companies to sell at significant discounts, given their reliance on China as a primary buyer.
🔹 The British government is considering financing a new wave of loans to Ukraine using billions of pounds of Russian state assets frozen in the UK, Politico reports.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves presented the plan at a ministerial meeting in Copenhagen. She emphasized that the loans would comply with international law and would not involve the permanent confiscation of Russian state assets.
While most of Russia’s frozen reserves — €185 billion — are held in the EU at the Belgian depository Euroclear, about £25 billion is stored in the UK. These funds could back a British “reparations loan” program, which the Treasury said would “work in unison” with the EU initiative. The proposals under review could “unlock funding for the full value of assets held in the UK.”
Under the EU scheme, Brussels would provide Ukraine with loans of up to €172 billion, backed by frozen Russian assets. In return, the EU would issue interest-free bonds, aiming to avoid charges of outright confiscation. However, Euroclear has cautioned against measures that could expose it to legal or financial risks.
Reeves stressed that London would “only consider options that are in line with international law and are economically and fiscally responsible.”
🔸 Mi-8 helicopters and the “Sky-U” radar in Crimea – another successful result of the HUR’s “Prymary” raid on the peninsula.
The aircraft fleet of the Russian occupiers in temporarily occupied Crimea has again decreased thanks to the special unit of the HUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Three Russian multi-purpose Mi-8 helicopters were destroyed, along with the costly 55Zh6U “Sky-U” radar system.
❗️Russian troops struck civilian infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia, killing three people and injuring two. The attack destroyed and damaged buildings, cars, with fires still raging.
🇲🇩 Russia has developed a plan to interfere in Moldova’s upcoming parliamentary elections on September 28, aiming to disrupt the country’s path toward EU accession, Bloomberg reports.
Kremlin tactics reportedly include:
▫️Recruiting Moldovans abroad, including in Russia, to vote at polling stations in the EU and elsewhere;
▫️Organizing destructive protests;
▫️Running a large-scale disinformation campaign on social networks.
President Maia Sandu warned of unprecedented interference through voter bribery, cyberattacks, paid protests, and disinformation. Recent polls show her PAS party leading but without a majority in the legislature.
🔹 For the fourth time, Russia has marked one of the world’s highest annual diplomatic events with killings, — Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following the night attacks.
“Rescue operations and rubble clearing continue after the Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia. Guided air bombs hit civilian infrastructure and ordinary homes. Fifteen high-rise buildings and 10 private houses were damaged. Three people have died. My condolences to their families and friends.
The Donetsk, Dnipro, Sumy, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions were also hit by drone strikes overnight — more than 140 drones in total, some of them ‘shaheeds’. In Sumy, a bread-producing enterprise, a school, and a kindergarten were damaged. One person was injured. An ordinary school was destroyed in Malotaranivka, Donetsk region. Wherever needed, our services are working on the ground.
The UN General Assembly is already beginning in New York. This is the fourth time Russia has accompanied a major annual diplomatic event with killings. That is why this diplomatic week must be effective. We must act to ensure that murders and war do not become routine. Strong pressure on Russia is needed — new joint steps by everyone who believes in international law. Europe, the USA, the G7 and G20 — all with real influence on Russia. Strong sanctions, political pressure, and holding Russia accountable for the war are essential. All this will happen. Thank you to everyone who helps!”
💥 For the first time in history, Russian Be-12 amphibious aircraft were destroyed in Crimea.
On September 21, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate struck the temporarily occupied peninsula, destroying two Be-12 Chaika anti-submarine warfare aircraft and one Mi-8 helicopter.
The Be-12s were equipped with costly anti-submarine warfare systems.