In addition to drones and missiles, the Ukraine war continues to be fought with words. The top Russian diplomat accused NATO and the European Union of using Ukraine to wage a "real war" against his country, in a speech at the United Nations on Thursday that the United Kingdom described as "distortions of a false fantasy world."
He spoke at a G20 Foreign Ministers meeting at the UN, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump took a tougher stance towards Moscow, praising Ukraine's war effort and stating that NATO allies should shoot down Russian planes entering their airspace.
However, some European diplomats have warned that Trump's statements could indicate a readiness to let Europe bear the burden of supporting Ukraine. Despite intense pressure from Europe and Ukraine, Trump has not imposed new severe sanctions against Russia. Instead, he has imposed tariffs on Indian products for buying Russian oil and has raised the possibility of similar measures against China.
Russian Authorities Report an Explosion on a Railway Section in Pskov
Regional Russian authorities reported an explosion on a railway section 150 kilometers from St. Petersburg, Efe reports.
"This morning, an explosion occurred on the train tracks near the Pliussa station. There were no injuries or derailments," said the regional governor of Pskov, Mikhail Vedernikov.
The incident forced a change in the route of trains between the city of St. Petersburg and Pskov, according to the regional company October Railway.
Ukraine's Military Chief States that Russian Offensives of 2025 Have Failed
Russia's spring and summer offensives this year have not achieved their objectives, stated the Ukrainian army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, adding that Russia is firing twice as much artillery as Ukraine on the battlefield, Reuters reports.
"It can be said that the Russians' spring and summer campaign has been effectively disrupted," Syrskyi told reporters during a meeting.
Syrskyi explained that Russian plans to create a "buffer zone" in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, take the city of Pokrovsk, and capture the entire Donetsk region have failed.
Drone Attack Hits an Oil Refinery in Southwest Russia
A Ukrainian drone attack hit the Afipski oil refinery in southwest Russia last night, causing a fire in one of its facilities, local authorities reported, Efe informs.
"A fire broke out at the Afipski oil refinery due to the fall of drone fragments. The drone remnants fell on one of the facilities. There were no injuries," stated an emergency services release from the Krasnodar region.
According to authorities, the fire, which spread over an area of 30 square meters, "has already been extinguished."
Ukrainians in Poland Threatened by Precarious Situation
In Warsaw, the financial district is booming, reflecting the good health of the Polish economy. Often, Ukrainians are found working in the shops located between glass and steel towers, Reuters reports.
Economists and businessmen agree: refugees who fled the Russian invasion in Ukraine have significantly contributed to Poland's economic growth, but that contribution is now at risk.
The law regulating the protection status for Ukrainian citizens expires at the end of this month, and President Karol Nawrocki must sign a bill to renew it. However, the nationalist leader has already rejected a previous version of the text, considering it too generous in the eyes of part of the electorate.
His hesitations plunge Ukrainians into anguish and many companies into uncertainty.
Drone Shot Down Less Than a Kilometer from a Nuclear Plant in Southern Ukraine
A drone was shot down and detonated about 800 meters from the perimeter of the southern nuclear plant in Ukraine, located about 350 kilometers south of Kiev, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, reported on Thursday, Efe informs.
IAEA inspectors stationed at the plant near the city of Pivdennoukrainsk detected 22 unmanned aerial vehicles around the nuclear plant, some of them just half a kilometer from the atomic facilities.
According to Grossi, this incident once again highlights the constant risks to nuclear security amid a military conflict, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump Tells Erdogan He Would Like Turkey to "Stop Buying Oil" from Russia
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday during a meeting in Washington with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he would like Turkey to "stop buying oil" from Russia to stop supporting the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine, Efe reports.
"I would like you to stop buying oil from Russia while Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine," Trump told the media in the Oval Office of the White House at the start of the bilateral meeting, in which the Republican stated that both leaders will also discuss trade issues and the possible sale of F-35 and F-16 jets to Ankara.
In a subsequent appearance, Trump even said about his proposal, "if I want, he (referring to the Turkish president) will do it," and then added that he believes Erdogan "will stop doing it," referring to Turkey's purchase of oil and gas from Russia.
Ukraine Neutralizes 128 Russian Drones, While 26 Impact Various Locations in the Country
Ukrainian air defenses neutralized 128 of the 154 long-distance drones, including attack drones and replicas used by the Russians to confuse the enemy, launched against Ukrainian territory by Russia last night, according to the Ukrainian Air Force report on Friday, Efe reports.
Another 26 drones hit nine unspecified locations, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The neutralized drones were intercepted over various regions in northern, southern, eastern, and central Ukraine.