Month: September 2026

The latest: Putin issues new threat over Russian attacks on UK sites

Vladimir Putin has said it is a “military secret” whether or not Russia is weighing up possible strikes on British military sites, in an ominous new warning over the UK’s support for Ukraine.

The UK last month agreed to provide Ukraine with blueprints for the Scalp weapon, a version of the British Storm Shadow missile, which Britain has already provided to Kyiv and can be used to hit more targets within Russia itself.

Asked how Russia will respond to the decision – and whether he is weighing up possible strikes on UK military sites on British territory – the Russian president said: “That’s a secret, a military secret”.

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James Reynolds2 September 2026 14:00

Watch: Zelensky declares Russian airspace ‘completely unsafe’ in warning to airlines and passengers

James Reynolds2 September 2026 13:30

Germany airport attempted attack had hallmarks of state sponsored terrorism, says EU’s Kallas

The attempted attack in Leipzig had all the hallmarks of state sponsored terrorism, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this morning

She added that Europe needs to coordinate on what more can be done given the escalation of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.

The German government said on Tuesday ‌that it had ‌concluded that Russia was responsible for the attempted ⁠drone attack last month.

Speaking ahead of an informal gathering of European foreign ministers in Ireland, Kallas also said that work is ongoing on 1,600 sanctions listings related to Russia’s military complex and “maybe there are more to be added”.

Arpan Rai2 September 2026 13:00

Former Russian president threatens ‘direct strike’ on Nato member Germany

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has threatened Germany with a “direct strike” on its military production facilities after Berlin accused Moscow of being behind a drone attack on Leipzig Airport last month.

Medvedev, the deputy chair of Russia’s security council and a regularly outspoken provocateur of the West, wrote on Telegram that Germany’s leadership “deserve a direct strike on all German military equipment production facilities … and quite possibility on several other locations in Berlin as well”.

In an ominous addendum he suggested: “Every terror has sponsors. At the moment, these are the heads of Western countries, primarily European ones. And they often travel to Kyiv by train…”

Airport workers last month found a drone laden with explosives and a detonator at the airport, an important civilian freight and NATO logistics hub in eastern Germany that is also a base for several giant Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo planes.

Germany has blamed Moscow for the attack, characterising it as part of hybrid warfare meant to intimidate and cause divisions in countries that have supported Ukraine over the Russian invasion.

Russia denies involvement and has vowed to respond to what its foreign ministry spokesperson called “anti-Russian action”.

James Reynolds2 September 2026 12:48

Russia suggests possible three-way meeting between Trump, Putin and Xi

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said there could be a trilateral meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin, US president Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

China is set to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen in November.

The possibility of a three-way meeting between the leaders is being considered ahead of the summit, he said.

Arpan Rai2 September 2026 12:40

Germany expects Russia to respond after blaming Moscow for Leipzig drone incident

The German government expects Moscow to respond with measures after it blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack on a major air freight hub last month, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday, adding that Berlin is prepared for those measures.

“At the same time, we assume that the Kremlin has understood yesterday’s message loud and clear. These hybrid attacks will not achieve their political objective,” the spokesperson added.

Berlin said on Tuesday that it had concluded that Russia was responsible for the attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport and ordered a series of measures in response, including the closure of a consulate and a Russian cultural centre in Germany.

James Reynolds2 September 2026 12:33

Putin says it’s a ‘military secret’ whether Russia could strike UK facilities

President Vladimir Putin said Russia’s thinking on possible strikes against UK military facilities was “secret”.

Asked at a press conference in Kyrgyzstan whether Russia was considering strikes on British military assets, Putin said simply: “It is a military secret.”

Last week, Russia warned that it could strike British military ​targets inside and outside Ukraine in response to Ukrainian attacks on targets inside Russia using long-range British cruise missiles.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Britain was just “one step away” from becoming legally complicit in what she called “terrorism” against Russian civilians, and warned of “inevitable catastrophic consequences” unless the UK changed course.

Arpan Rai2 September 2026 12:20

Russia and US see grounds for financial ties, says finance minister

Dialogue between Russia and the US should continue to find common ground in economics, which should make it easier ⁠to discuss political issues, Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov said.

Siluanov said both nations agree that there are grounds for developing financial ties despite complications, after his bilateral meeting with US treasury secretary Scott Bessent on Monday.

Siluanov, who said he was meeting with Bessent for ‌the first time, said he ‌believed that people from the financial world sometimes may find common understanding faster than politicians.

“So we must always keep talking; we need to continue the dialogue. If we find strong points of common interest – and they do exist – we need to develop them. Then political issues will also be easier to resolve,” he said,

However, a source ‌familiar with the ministers’ meeting ⁠said Bessent made clear to Siluanov ⁠no economic relief for Russia or agreements on other ‌issues were possible ​until its war ‌in Ukraine ends, reported Reuters.

Arpan Rai2 September 2026 12:00

Explosion heard in Kyiv

An explosion has been heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Wednesday morning, witnesses said.

Renewed Russian strikes would make this the seventh consecutive day of attacks on the city.

Arpan Rai2 September 2026 11:40

Zelensky confirms Trump’s request to pause strikes on Russia

Volodymyr Zelensky has said his forces held back on attacks on Russia last week in response to a request from the Trump administration.

“When the Americans asked us to pause strikes on Moscow and St. Petersburg on 25, 26 and 27 August, we observed that pause. There were no strikes on Russia, while strikes on Ukraine continued,” he said.

Stating that Ukraine supports every move in the direction of peace, Zelensky said: “When another global power asked us to pause strikes in the direction of Vladivostok for a specified period of time, we agreed to ensure that as well. New meetings in Moscow are now being prepared, and we will take that into account.”

Arpan Rai2 September 2026 11:20