UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights
New threat from the sea for Odesa and Mykolaiv — Russians are building Crimea’s first sea drone port for mass launches of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), Defense Express reports.
At least 21 dugout shelters for storing, servicing and launching USVs have appeared along the coast. They resemble boathouses.
The bases are protected by sand berms on the sides and covered with camouflage netting from above. This makes them more difficult to destroy than conventional drone ports used to launch Shahed drones.
🇩🇪 German law enforcement agencies have registered more than 165 suspected acts of sabotage and nearly 750 incidents involving suspicious drones over military facilities and critical infrastructure since the beginning of 2026.
In total, police registered 112 espionage-related offenses. More than 60 cases involved unauthorized photography or video recording of military facilities or equipment, while in 26 incidents, law enforcement officers suspect agents were involved in preparations for sabotage.
🇪🇺 EU ambassadors will hold meetings in the coming weeks to discuss new visa restrictions for Russian citizens in response to the drone incident in Leipzig, Bloomberg reports.
According to the agency, the proposed measures include restricting the issuance of tourist visas and tightening travel rules for Russian diplomats within the EU. The ambassadors will also consider new sanctions against vessels in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
⚡️ Kyrylo Budanov discussed intensifying the negotiation process with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in Ukraine Paul Houston.
Russians attacked central Kyiv with drones during Friday’s rush hour. The consequences of the attack are still being assessed.
“For the second day in a row, our air defenses have shot down Geran-5 jets in the Kyiv area. The Russians are launching them from a distance of 400 kilometers. On the positive side, our air defenses are shooting them down. On the negative side, the enemy is producing and using them, and will probably continue to do so. Jet interceptors won’t help much here,” said Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, a non-staff adviser to the president on defense technology development and an expert in radio technologies.
🇵🇱 “Following the latest Russian provocations and acts of aggression, I have decided to expand the protection of our airspace,” Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
“We are increasing the activity of our air forces, including F-16 aircraft and helicopters." [...]
🇺🇦🇮🇳 President Zelenskyy met with India’s foreign minister
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During the meeting, they discussed the situation in the Black Sea, including existing threats to civilian shipping.
“We agree that it is absolutely unacceptable to block food supplies to regions where they are critically important and where people depend on the relevant sea routes. Russia’s actions aimed at blocking our ports, our food corridor and our supply routes are causing enormous damage to global relations,” Zelenskyy added.
Finland holds Europe’s largest civil defense drill since World War II amid Russian threat
The exercise, held in the city of Kuopio, involved more than 2,000 people, including military conscripts, volunteers and students.
The scenario simulated disruptions to the city’s critical infrastructure, including electricity and water supplies, caused by cyberattacks, as well as the threat of missile strikes from Russia.
Participants were evacuated to an underground sports center carved into the rock. The facility is designed to withstand nuclear and biological attacks. Hundreds of people slept overnight on temporary beds, while schoolchildren took part in drills inside the shelter.
The aim of the exercise was to allow local authorities and residents to rehearse how they would respond to a real attack.
🛢🔥 Russia’s oil revenues plunge to a six-month low amid falling Urals prices, according to Bloomberg
In August, net oil revenues for the Russian budget amounted to about $3.76 billion, down 22% from a year earlier and more than 60% from July.
The budget was also hit by subsidies to refineries aimed at maintaining domestic fuel supplies. Refineries received more than $2.27 billion in August alone and nearly $10.6 billion since the beginning of the year.
Total oil and gas revenues fell 16% year over year in August, to about $4.90 billion.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the NEFRIT vessel in the port of Sochi. The vessel was used to repair key Russian oil-loading berths in the Black Sea, according to the Ukrainian Navy and Bloomberg.
NEFRIT is a multipurpose support vessel that provides oil and gas services, services offshore facilities, transports cargo and personnel, and performs underwater technical work.
The vessel was struck by a Ukrainian naval drone. The Ukrainian Navy said the strike hit Russia’s logistics, specialized capabilities and military-economic infrastructure.
Bloomberg reported that NEFRIT was involved in repairing berths used to load crude oil. The vessel had recently almost completed work on one berth and was preparing to replace equipment on another.
According to journalistic sources, the vessel was also involved in repairs at berths operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).
CPC has three offshore loading berths and typically uses two at a time, with the third serving as a backup. Berth No. 2 was damaged by a UAV attack in November 2025 and replaced earlier this year. Testing is currently underway.
On the eve of the Russian State Duma elections in the 158th single-mandate electoral district, none of the registered candidates appeared for a scheduled debate on the state-run channel VGTRK Oka (Russia 1 Ryazan), forcing the broadcast to be canceled.
Footage from another VGTRK Oka program shows the presenter opening the segment in front of six empty podiums before signing off immediately after her introductory remarks.
Russia must bomb German factories producing military equipment that is supplied to Ukraine to kill Russians, said Alexei Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, in an interview with NSN.
🤬 In Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces also struck a high-rise residential building. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The Pavlohrad district of Dnipropetrovsk region was also hit. Two police officers were killed, and another is in critical condition, the regional military administration reported.