Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

Two Russian fighter jets violated the Petrobaltic drilling platform’s safety zone on Friday, according to Poland’s maritime border guard.

Poland’s border guard said on Friday that two Russian fighter jets had violated the safety zone of a Polish state-owned drilling platform in the Baltic Sea – marking Russia’s second breach of aviation rules in less than 24 hours.

Posting on X, the maritime division of the Polish border guard reported that the jets had performed a low-altitude pass over the Petrobaltic oil and gas platform north of Poland’s Baltic coast.

The US president said that he and Xi made progress on a range of issues, including Russia’s war in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had had a “very productive” phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping – during which they discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that he and President Xi had “made progress on many very important issues” – including trade, America’s ongoing fentanyl crisis, a deal on US ownership of the Chinese short-form video platform TikTok, and “the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end.”

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires to lodge a protest about the 12-minute incursion by three Russian MiG-31 fighters.

Three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace on Friday in what Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna described as Russia’s most “brazen” violation to date.

According to Estonia’s foreign ministry, the incursion took place over the Gulf of Finland, when three Russian MiG-31 fighter aircraft entered Estonian airspace and remained there for a total of 12 minutes.

MI6 Head Sir Richard Moore appealed directly to Russians for information that could help British intelligence to “redeem the honor” of their country.

Sir Richard Moore, outgoing head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (commonly known as MI6), announced the launch of Silent Courier, a new dark web portal to recruit spies for Britain in Istanbul on Friday.

The online messaging platform will provide a secure way for people across the world – but notably in Russia – to contact British intelligence with sensitive information relating to international terrorism or hostile intelligence activity.

The Kremlin has accused Europe of “demonizing” Russia and supposedly derailing peace talks after Russia sent 19 drones into Polish airspace that prompted a NATO response.

The Kremlin on Friday suggested that it was Europe’s fault for responding to the Polish drone incident.

On Sept. 10, a total of 19 Russian drones violated Polish airspace during Moscow’s overnight aerial attack across Ukraine that prompted NATO’s historic airspace interception.

Russian troops in an intercepted call said they only get canned food and cigarettes, must crowdfund for basics, and lose men while hauling supplies to the front.

Russian troops have complained of poor supplies, out-of-pocket expenses, and deadly delivery missions in an intercepted call released by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) on Friday.

In the recording, a Russian serviceman described the lack of basic provisions.

Four companies from Europe and the United States have committed to invest more than $100 million in Ukrainian defense technologies, with several deals already moving into closed funding rounds.

Ukraine’s reputation as a hub for defense technology received a major boost at the Brave1 Defense Tech Valley 2025 summit, where international investors pledged over $100 million to support Ukrainian defense innovations.

The event drew more than 5,000 participants from 50 countries, making it the largest defense innovation summit in Ukraine’s history. It was also marked by a wave of investment announcements highlighting Ukraine’s growing status as a global hub for defense technology.

The EU’s 19th sanctions package targets Russia’s energy, banks, crypto, military suppliers and battlefield technology exports.

The European Commission unveiled its 19th package of sanctions against Russia on Friday, targeting energy imports, banks, crypto platforms, military suppliers and battlefield technology exports.

The move follows Russia’s large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, including strikes on government buildings, civilian homes, and the EU office in Kyiv. Russian drones also violated EU airspace in Poland and Romania in the past two weeks, prompting a historic NATO response.

Ukraine’s 10th Army Corps said Russia is amassing troops in a likely attempt soon to capture the Ukrainian stronghold in the Kharkiv region as fighting intensifies.

Ukraine’s 10th Army Corps said the situation around Kupyansk remains “tense” and suggested in a Friday update that the city is expected to be the next target for Moscow’s offensive.

Kupyansk is a city in the Kharkiv region bordering parts of the Donetsk region to the east now under Russian occupation. The city was liberated by Kyiv troops in late 2022 but has witnessed constant Russian assaults subsequently, with parts of the city remaining contested.

In this episode of Off the Record, Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Natalka Cmoc sits down with Katarína Mathernová, the European Union Ambassador to Ukraine.

Ukraine says talks with Russia are focused only on prisoner swaps, not ending the war, as Kyiv warns of escalating Russian strikes.

Ukraine and Russia are not holding negotiations to end the war or agree to a ceasefire, but contacts continue on humanitarian issues such as prisoner exchanges.

Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, told CNN that discussions with Moscow remain limited.

US Army Major General (Ret.) David L. Grange on Ukraine’s battlefield innovations, lessons for NATO, demining priorities, and why aviation and Aircompany Constanta are vital to recovery

David L. Grange, a retired US Army Major General, brings his extraordinary military background to his role as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Ukrainian “Aircompany Constanta”. During his 30-year military career, Grange served with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, commanded a squadron in the elite Delta Force during the invasion of Grenada, served as a task force commander during the Gulf War, commanded the Ranger Regiment and led the 1st Infantry Division “The Big Red One” before retiring in 2000.

In Ukraine, David Grange is primarily known for founding the Osprey Global Solutions Ukraine Foundation, which provides free NATO standard training for Ukrainian first responders and military personnel in demining, explosive ordnance disposal, and emergency medical assistance. His humanitarian work in conflict zones worldwide, including personally facilitating evacuations from Afghanistan between 2021-2023, demonstrates his commitment to crisis response and rebuilding efforts.

It’s OK in Russia to admit motorists might have trouble filling up their automobiles. But it’s not OK to talk about all the oil refineries in Russia the Ukrainian drones have blown up.

Ukraine’s relentless drone bombardment of Russia’s oil and gas industry has cut deeply into production of retail fuels, triggering supply chain shortages and even empty fuel stations, and angering motorists across the country.

Rocketing prices at the pump and automobile queues kilometers long are being thoroughly documented by Russian local media, but, in reports and news articles from Bryansk to Vladivostok, Russian news isn’t mentioning the why: Ukrainian robot aircraft, over and over, penetrating Russian air space and setting an oil refinery somewhere in west Russia on fire.

An UAE-based news site says Arab League members may be considering Egypt’s proposal, made a decade ago, following Israel’s Sept. 10 strike on Doha.

A special session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) convened on Thursday in Doha to discuss the need to boost defense ties cooperation among its member states following Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar earlier this month.

A statement, reminiscent of the wording of NATO’s Article 5, issued by the GCC’s Joint Defense Council after the meeting, said “an attack on one GCC member is an attack on all.”

Ukraine’s defense minister said the list contains firms who are “at various stages of localizing their production in Ukraine,” including major Western arms makers.

Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said 25 foreign arms manufacturers have established production facilities in Ukraine.

Shmyhal, recounting his comments to Politico in a Friday Telegram update, said the cooperations come in different forms, including the so-called Danish Model, in which Kyiv’s allies help fund weapons suited for Ukraine’s military needs.

Partly pixelated videos published by Russia’s Ministry of Defense and state TV inadvertently gave away the site because easily identifiable items were still visible.

The independent news site Radio Liberty (RL) published a wide-ranging article dissecting the development of Russia’s drone warfare capabilities since the start of the full-scale invasion on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

Part of the report showed how, after closely examining three poorly censored videos of Moscow’s main “Rubicon” drone base posted online, they identified its location – the Patriot Convention and Exhibition Center located 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Moscow.

Ukraine will soon be able to deploy at least 1,000 interceptor drones daily to repel Russian attacks, according to Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Ukraine will soon be able to deploy at least 1,000 interceptor drones daily to fend off Russian attacks, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Kyiv with Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Shmyhal said Russia already launches about 800 drones per night, forcing Ukraine to scale up its capabilities.

The decision would mark a sharp departure from US policy toward the democratic island, which faces a constant threat of invasion by China.

US President Donald Trump declined to approve $400 million in military aid to Taiwan in recent months while negotiating on trade and a potential summit with Beijing, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

The decision would mark a sharp departure from US policy toward the democratic island, which faces a constant threat of invasion by China.

Thousands of people took to the streets in London to protest the visit. Commentators waver between unease and approval.

US President Donald Trump arrived in London for a state visit on Wednesday. King Charles III welcomed him at Windsor Castle and hosted a state banquet in his honour, and on Thursday, Trump met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Thousands of people took to the streets in London to protest the visit. Commentators waver between unease and approval.

The king as chief diplomat

Ukraine’s Special Ops struck the logistics hub of Russia’s 810th Marine Brigade in Kursk, targeting depots and equipment. The brigade is accused of executing Ukrainian POWs.

Special Operations Forces (SSO) struck the logistics hub of Russia’s 810th Separate Marine Brigade in the Kursk region early on Thursday, Sept. 18.

A nearly two-minute drone video released on the SSO’s Telegram shows a series of explosions to a Bach soundtrack. Kyiv Post could not independently verify the time or location of the footage.

EU Commissioner for Defense and Space told Reuters he plans to meet with defense ministers from Eastern European countries and a Ukrainian representative in late September to discuss the idea.

The European Union is preparing talks on creating a “drone wall” along its eastern border after Russian drone attacks reached Poland earlier this month, EU Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said.

Kubilius told Reuters on Sept. 18 that he planned to meet with defense ministers from eastern European countries and a Ukrainian representative to discuss the idea. He said some EU members had already been exploring such a project before Russian drones crossed into Poland on Sept. 10.

In recent days, Russian forces have shifted tactics. Instead of massive weekly strikes involving hundreds of drones, they have begun launching smaller groups of 15–20 drones at the Kyiv region.

Russian drones attacked Kyiv overnight on Friday, Sept. 19, damaging the city’s trolleybus network, local officials said.

In recent days, Russian forces have shifted tactics. Instead of massive weekly strikes involving hundreds of drones – sometimes close to 1,000 in a single night – they have begun launching smaller groups of 15-20 drones at the Kyiv region, with several targeting the capital itself.

Warsaw shut down the border on Sept. 12 as Moscow and Minsk began “Zapad 2025” drills. Though the drills ended Sept. 16, the ban on all road and rail traffic remains.

The European Union has voiced support for Poland after Warsaw announced it would keep all its crossings with Belarus shut, citing ongoing threats despite the end of Russian-Belarusian military drills earlier this week.

Warsaw ordered the shutdown on September 12, when Moscow and Minsk launched their large-scale “Zapad 2025” exercises. Although the drills ended on September 16, the restrictions remain in place, with all cross-border road and rail traffic forbidden. 

Despite the dense Russian air-defense network in Crimea, Ukraine’s Armed Forces continue to strike Russian military facilities.

Russia is strengthening its air defenses in the temporarily occupied Crimea due to intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russian military targets on the peninsula.

Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said so during a broadcast on Espreso TV. 

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The Russian military command continues to signal its commitment to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s theory of victory that posits that Russia can win a war of attrition against Ukraine.
• ISW continues to assess that a Russian victory is not inevitable, however, and that Ukraine and the West can leverage several key Russian weaknesses to force Putin to change his calculus and engage in good-faith negotiations.
• The Kremlin continues to demonstrate its commitment to its original war aims in Ukraine.
• The Kremlin is also attempting to manipulate the Trump administration into normalizing US-Russian bilateral relations without concluding the war in Ukraine – contrary to Trump’s desired timeline of working on bilateral relations after concluding a peace in Ukraine.
• The Kremlin appears to be conducting a coordinated information campaign threatening Finland.
• Lithuanian authorities connected Russian military intelligence to several incidents of arson in Europe in late July 2024 that were likely part of Russia’s ongoing hybrid warfare campaign that aims to sow fear and discord within Europe.
• Ukraine and Poland agreed on joint drone development and training mechanisms following the Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace on September 9 to 10.
• The Kremlin will likely introduce a quota to systematically appoint hand-selected veterans of the war in Ukraine to positions in municipal, regional, and federal government in support of the Kremlin’s long-term campaign to militarize Russian society.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly extended Russian Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov’s military service for five more years, demonstrating how Putin continues to retain an aging cadre of loyalists despite his stated efforts to raise a new, younger elite.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman and Velykomykhailivka and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

With a new focus on the Western Hemisphere and Asia-Pacific, the Trump administration faces questions over the future of health assistance for countries such as Ukraine.

WASHINGTON DC - In a significant shift from decades-old US global health policy, the Trump administration on Thursday released a new “America First Global Health Strategy” that links foreign aid directly to American national interests.

The plan, which aims to transition recipient countries away from aid and toward “self-reliance,” has drawn immediate scrutiny for its shift in priorities and potential impact on a range of public health initiatives.

The deal for Javelin missile systems is greenlit after a Polish minister reports increased drone activity. Key US Senator condemns Trump’s silence on Russian provocations.

WASHINGTON DC - The Trump administration has given the green light to a substantial military sale to Poland, approving a deal for Javelin missile systems worth an estimated $780 million.

The decision came as Poland faces renewed airspace incursions from Russian and Belarusian drones, creating a tense security situation on NATO’s eastern flank.