Ukraine-Russia war latest: Poland says Putin is planning to launch drone or missile attack on a Nato country

Night strike on Odesa damages apartments in 19-storey residential buildingPolish prime minister Donald Tusk says Russia is planning hybrid strikes with drones or missiles targeting Nato countries supporting Ukraine, potentially including Poland.The warning came as “a massive attack on ​the ⁠western part of Ukraine – very close to the Polish border,” took place, with Poland repeatedly forced to scramble its aircraft.While Poland’s airspace was not breached, Tusk warned that Russia was planning to strike Nato territory and then pretend the attack was "accidental".This, he told the parliament, would be in a bid to "paralyse or at least weaken the motivation of Nato countries" to rush to the defence of the member state coming under attack.Earlier on Thursday, Russian forces carried a barrage of attacks on Ukrainian cities, including a ⁠strike on an industrial park west of Kyiv that killed one person, a local official said.And in Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged an oil ⁠refinery in the city of Yaroslavl, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed. Russia strikes Nova Poshta facilities near Ukraine's Odesa, defence ministry saysRussian drones have hit ⁠Nova Poshta's logistics hub near ⁠the ​Ukrainian ⁠Black Sea ⁠port city ​of Odesa ⁠as well ‌as a cargo ‌vessel in ‌the nearby ⁠port of Chornomorsk, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram, citing ‌the ​use ‌of ⁠both for ⁠military purposes. Namita Singh18 September 2026 06:32Regional polls open in RussiaRegional polls have opened in Russia for the first parliamentary election since the country's war on Ukraine that began four years ago.They come amid plummeting approval ratings for Vladimir Putin, mounting casualties on the frontline and minimal territorial gains in the grinding war.Voters cast their ballot for the parliamentary election in Vladivostok, Russia, Friday (AP)The country’s electoral system is tightly controlled and Putin’s United Russia party is expected to retain its majority in the State Duma, which comprises 450 members. It currently has 310 seats and needs to win at least 300 in order to retain its supermajority. Namita Singh18 September 2026 06:16Night strike on Odesa damages apartments in 19-storey residential buildingNight strike on Odesa damages apartments in 19-storey residential buildingNamita Singh18 September 2026 05:22Russian barrage on Ukrainian cities leaves one dead in KyivRussian forces carried a barrage of attacks on Ukrainian cities on Thursday, including a ⁠strike on an industrial park west of Kyiv that killed one person, a local official said.Russia's military had previously carried out most of its attacks at night, but in ⁠recent weeks it has ​expanded ⁠them to daylight hours.Vitali Bunechko, governor of Zhytomyr region, said the industrial park strike occurred near ⁠the town of Korosten.The Ukrainian capital underwent ​a ⁠series of air alerts through ‌the day and its mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said one strike hit a non-residential building, injuring one person.In ‌the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, ‌regional governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian forces attacked a market, triggering a large blaze.Pictures posted on social media showed the fire ⁠reducing the area to charred ruins. No casualties were recorded.A Russian attack also caused a fire in the southeastern city of Dnipro, injuring two people. Namita Singh18 September 2026 05:15Outgoing UN chief Guterres warns of Security Council paralysisDue to leave office at the end of this year, UN secretary-general António Guterres has warned that the "huge geopolitical divide" and paralysis in the Security Council have created an environment of impunity, with powerful countries flouting international law and the UN Charter.He cited the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the attacks on Iran by the United States, both veto-wielding council members, as examples."Many countries say, 'If superpowers can violate the law, why can't we?"' the secretary-general said. UN secretary-general António Guterres speaks during the opening ceremony of the High-Level Meeting on Global Governance for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Friday, 17 July 2026 (Getty)"And so what we are seeing around the world is more and more situations in which countries simply do not care. They do whatever they want, knowing that there will be total impunity."The violations and impunity have caused death and enormous destruction, he said, and the combination of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the broader Middle East conflict are having "a dramatic impact" on the world economy. Food and energy prices are going up, interest rates are rising and developing countries face enormous difficulties in responding to the needs of their people.He expressed hope that these problems will force people to realise that the obstacles can't be eliminated alone and require international cooperation. Namita Singh18 September 2026 05:00Russia will not indulge in peace talks ‘without total capitulation of Ukraine’Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said at the moment Russia was not ready for any peace talks "without the total capitulation of Ukraine.""They are convinced the winter will be tragically critical for Ukraine," Tusk said. He said last winter Poland stepped in with deliveries when Ukraine's energy infrastructure came under attack, but if border crossings are destroyed, it will be much harder for Warsaw to offer such help this upcoming winter."Russia's goal is to destroy as much as possible the economy and logistics of Ukraine," Tusk said, adding that intelligence indicates continuous attacks of "very high frequency and intensity" on six main Ukrainian cities should be expected in the near future. Namita Singh18 September 2026 04:55Tusk warns Nato of growing threat from Russian jet-powered dronesPolish prime minister Donald Tusk said Russia was more dangerous because it was increasingly using jet-powered drones, which fly higher and faster and thus are more difficult to detect by air defence before reaching their targets.Tusk has been for months warning that Russia might be preparing a more serious hybrid attack against a Nato country. His warnings have gotten increasingly specific as he received intelligence from Nato, Ukrainian and US secret services, including the CIA, he said.Firefighters work at the site of a gas station hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine 15 September 2026 (Reuters)In recent days, Tusk has said Russia was now focusing on attacking border crossings between Ukraine and its European neighbors in order to disrupt delivery lines to Ukraine.Four such incidents happened on Poland's border with Ukraine in the past week and several others took place in the last weeks on Ukraine's border with Moldova. Namita Singh18 September 2026 04:40Poland warns Russia is planning ‘accidental’ drone or rocket strikes on Nato territoryPolish prime minister Donald Tusk warned on Thursday that Russia is planning hybrid strikes with drones or rockets on European countries supporting Ukraine, among them Poland.Russia will pretend the attacks are "accidental" in order to "paralyse or at least weaken the motivation of Nato countries" to rush to the defence of the member state coming under attack, Tusk said in a speech to the Polish parliament.Prime minister Robert Fico from Slovakia hugs Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 10 September 2026 (AFP/Getty)"There is a real risk that drones or other types of projectiles will enter the territory of one or several countries on the eastern flank and even cause destruction," Tusk warned."The official narration will be that it's an accident and there is no reason for Nato to think about a response," he added. Namita Singh18 September 2026 04:14Polish prime minister defiantly announces plans to travel to UkrainePolish prime minister Donald Tusk announced on Thursday he would travel to Ukraine overnight to Friday, in what could be seen as an act of defiance against Russia after European leaders narrowly escaped a drone strike on a train near the Polish-Ukrainian border on Sunday. Officials usually keep their travel plans to Ukraine secret for security reasons.Polish prime minister Donald Tusk looks on during a joint press conference with the Austrian Chancellor in Warsaw on 17 September 2026 (AFP/Getty)In Kyiv, he said he would discuss with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky how to defend against new types of drones, as well as discuss further sanctions against Russia with partners including Slovakia. Namita Singh18 September 2026 03:56Zelensky hails passing of Russian sanctions bill as 'extremely powerful tool'Volodymyr Zelensky has celebrated the passing of the Lindsay Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act in a statement on Thursday.“It is symbolic that the US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act on the night of yet another Russian attack on Ukraine with ballistic and other missiles and drones,” he wrote in a post on X.“Once again, civilian infrastructure was targeted, with damage reported in eight regions. The Russians struck energy infrastructure in the Sumy and Odesa regions. In Kyiv and Odesa, ordinary residential buildings were hit. More than 10 people were injured, including children. Some were hospitalised. There were fires in many communities.“The Lindsey Graham bill, along with other strong sanctions steps by our partners against the source of this war – against Russia – is an extremely powerful tool that can stop this terrorist war and bring Russia to the point where it has to make peace.“Sanctions must be strong so that all efforts for peace – including our joint diplomatic efforts with the United States, Europe, and our other friends – can succeed. I thank the members of the House of Representatives, senators, and leaders of the US Congress for supporting this legislation. Russia needs to end this war.”Alex Croft18 September 2026 03:00