Ukraine has claimed responsibility for two attacks on the railway network in western Russia, AFP reported, citing a military source. Two trains derailed in the Leningrad region today, killing one train driver. On Saturday, an explosive device exploded on the tracks in the Oryol region, killing three people. The governor of the neighboring Kursk region said the victims were members of the Russian National Guard.

15:50 The incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace was, according to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, an attempt by Russia to test NATO's response. According to him, Moscow is trying to escalate tensions without provoking a serious reaction from the Alliance. TASR writes about this according to the Guardian newspaper.

Sikorski confirmed that while the drones were capable of carrying ammunition, those that arrived in Poland were not loaded with explosives."Interestingly, they were all non-functional, which suggests that Russia tried to test us without starting a war," the Polish foreign minister said.

The minister also rejected claims that Poland's air defenses were not prepared for the incursion, given that some of the drones flew hundreds of kilometers into Polish territory and that only three or four of the approximately 19 drones were reportedly shot down."The drones did not reach their targets and there was only minor damage to property, no one was injured. If this had happened in Ukraine, by Ukrainian definitions it would have been considered a 100 percent success," he said.

Warsaw's response would be"much harsher" if the attack caused injuries or loss of life, Sikorski said."With an aggressor and a liar like Putin, only the harshest countermeasures work," he said.

15:20 Russia has tested the Zircon hypersonic missile during a joint military exercise with Belarus, involving 30,000 soldiers, which it sent to a target in the Barents Sea. Reuters reports this, citing Moscow's statement today.

14:55 Ukraine today claimed responsibility for two attacks on the railway network in western Russia. Citing a military source, AFP reported this. Two trains derailed in the Leningrad region today, killing one train driver. On Saturday, an explosive device exploded on the tracks in the Oryol region, killing three people.

"The locomotive derailed near Semrino station in the Gatchina district of the Leningrad region," Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko wrote on Telegram today."The driver was trapped in the cab and died in the ambulance when rescuers freed him," he added.

BREAKING: Earlier today in the Luzhsky district of Saint Petersburg, Russia, a diesel freight train with 15 tankers derailed, with potential Ukrainian sabotage suspected.

— World Source News 24/7 (@Worldsource24) September 14, 2025

The second incident also occurred in the Leningrad region, where a freight train carrying 15 empty tankers derailed. There were no casualties, Drozdenko said. He added that investigators were looking into the possibility of sabotage.

On Saturday, Oryol Region Governor Andrei Klychkov announced in a telegram that railway employees had found explosive devices while inspecting the railway line. One of them exploded, killing two people on the spot, while a third person was injured and succumbed to his injuries in hospital overnight.

The Russian version of the BBC server wrote today, citing its source from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, that Ukrainian secret services were involved in the explosions on the railway in the Oryol region.

10:41 Russia continues to provoke, allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remain on alert, the Czech Republic supports further anti-Russian sanctions. Foreign Minister Ján Lipavský (non-partisan, running for Spolu) stated this on the X network today after a drone violated Romanian airspace on Saturday.

Poland, with NATO support, deployed helicopters and fighter jets to the east of the country on Saturday and closed the airspace over Lublin airport for a preventive operation, the reason for which was the threat of Russian drones over Ukraine near the Polish border. The operation lasted about two hours. The Romanian air force was also on alert on Wednesday, sending two F-16 fighter jets into the air after a drone violated its airspace near the border with Ukraine.

"Russia continues to provoke. Last night it was about Romania. I do not believe in Russian 'mistakes'. As allies in NATO, we remain vigilant. Russia must pay a specific price for its provocations against NATO. That is why the Czech Republic supports further sanctions," the head of Czech diplomacy said today.

Russia continues to provoke. Last night it was Romania. I do not believe in Russian"mistakes". As NATO allies, we remain vigilant. Russia must pay a specific price for provocations against NATO. That is why the Czech Republic supports further sanctions.

— Jan Lipavský (@JanLipavsky) September 14, 2025

10:37 Ukrainian armed forces continue an intense series of attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. On the night of September 14, drones attacked an oil refinery in Kirishinefteorgsintez, Leningrad Oblast, regional governor Alexander Drozdenko announced. The refinery, known as Kirishinefteorgsintez (KINEF), is one of the two largest in Russia and processes approximately 17.7 million tons of oil annually, accounting for 6.4% of the country's total production.

9:32 The European Commission has presented a new proposal to release billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. According to several sources, these funds could be converted into loans backed by European Union bonds, thus avoiding the risk of direct expropriation of assets.

9:05 Two people were killed and another person was injured in an explosion of an explosive device on a railway line in the Russian Oryol region on Saturday. This was announced by the governor of the region, Andrei Klychkov, TASR reports, citing reports by the AFP and Xinhua agencies.

Klychkov wrote on the social network Telegram that the situation is under control and the search for the perpetrators is underway. The explosion occurred during a track inspection and, according to the state railway transport, caused delays to at least ten train connections heading to and from the southern part of Russia.

The governor of the neighboring Kursk region specified that the victims of the explosion were members of the Russian National Guard.

In recent months, the railway network in Russia has been repeatedly hit by fires, explosions and other incidents, which Moscow attributes to sabotage activities by Kiev.

8:37 The incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace is unacceptable, but it is unclear whether Russia deliberately sent the drones over Polish territory, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, according to the Polish PAP agency. However, he added that if it was a deliberate act, it would represent a significant escalation.

"We believe this is an unacceptable, unfortunate and dangerous development," Rubio told reporters before flying to Israel. He added that while there was no doubt the drones were launched intentionally,"the question is whether Poland was deliberately targeted."

If the evidence shows us that, it would obviously be a very escalating step, the US diplomat said, but noted that there were other options."But I think we want to have all the facts and we want to consult with our allies before we make any specific decisions," Rubio added.

Despite condemnation of the incident, this is another statement by a US official that – contrary to what Poland and most NATO countries claim – suggests that the 19 Russian drones may have entered Polish airspace unintentionally.

"We know - I repeat - we know that it was not a mistake (...), once or twice it could have been an accident or a failure, but not 19 times, not 19 raids carried out in the course of seven hours," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marciny Bosacki said at the UN Security Council, according to PAP.

7:43 United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces could play a role in securing a peace agreement in Ukraine, according to the new president of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, the DPA agency reported.

"If a peace agreement is reached, it must be secured as best as possible. And if the majority of member states say that blue helmets are also needed for this (the informal name for UN peacekeepers, TASR note), then that can contribute to lasting peace," the former head of German diplomacy said in an interview with Bild, which will be published on Sunday.

Ukraine has been resisting a large-scale Russian invasion since February 2022 and is demanding security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire or peace agreement. According to some military analysts, hundreds of thousands of troops, for example from European allies, would be needed to ensure Ukraine's security. Another option is a UN mission in the form of a Blue Helmets observer operation.

Baerbock officially took office as president of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. The post is largely ceremonial and should not be confused with the role of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

6:48 The Polish Ministry of Defense is not ready for consultations with the Russian Ministry of Defense on the drone incident that occurred on September 10. This was reported by the Russian Federation's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, on Telegram, according to TASS.

"The Russian Defense Ministry has proposed consultations, but the Polish Defense Ministry is not ready for them. It looks like a provocation or a misunderstanding that the Polish side does not want to clarify," he said. Ulyanov noted that"many fundamental questions" about why Russia might need to destabilize the situation in Poland remain unanswered. In his opinion, conclusions about Russia's involvement in what happened are premature.

On the morning of September 10, the Polish Army's operational command announced the destruction of several objects identified as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that had violated the country's airspace. According to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, 19 airspace violations were recorded on the night of September 10. In connection with the incident, NATO, at Poland's request, invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty to initiate consultations between alliance members.

As reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense, on the night of September 10, Russian armed forces attacked enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions, as well as in Vinnytsia and Lviv. No targets were planned for destruction on the territory of Poland, reports TASS.

6:30 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called on his country's allies to stop looking for excuses not to impose sanctions on Russia. He described the sanctions as part of the path from war to peace. White House Chief of Staff Donald Trump has made it clear that he is ready to impose major punitive measures against Russia if all NATO states do so and if they stop buying Russian oil.

"I call on all partners to stop looking for excuses not to impose sanctions (on Russia) - Europe, the United States, the G7, the G20," Zelensky said."Peace is the path from war to peace. Everyone must take this path, and sanctions are part of it," Zelensky said in his regular address and in a post on the X social network. If Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace, he must be forced to do so, he said.

He also reiterated the need to limit the consumption of Russian oil, which will lead to a limitation of Russia's ability to continue waging war against Ukraine."We are hearing this position from the United States, and this position should be heard by all those who still prefer supplies from Russia to those from other partners," Zelensky said.

Among NATO countries, Turkey is a significant importer of Russian oil, purchasing it the most after China and India. Other NATO member states, namely Slovakia and Hungary, also continue to depend on Russian oil.

White House President Donald Trump said he has written a letter to all NATO member states urging them to stop buying oil from Russia. If they do, he is prepared to impose sweeping sanctions on Moscow, provided that all allies in the alliance agree to do the same.

The US president says he is shocked by the purchase of Russian oil by some NATO countries. The AP agency reminds that as of 2023, Turkey will be the third largest buyer of Russian oil after China and India. Slovakia and Hungary are other countries in the 32-member group that continue to buy fossil fuels from Russia.

On Friday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright called on Slovakia and Hungary to stop opposing the EU's efforts to end energy dependence on Russia by 2027 and to instead purchase energy from the United States.

6:25 A fire broke out at a refinery in Kirish, in the south of the Leningrad region, one of the largest in Russia, after a downed drone crashed there. The governor of the region, Alexander Drozdenko, reported this in a telegram on Sunday. According to him, the fire has been extinguished and no one was injured.

Reuters reports that the refinery, owned by Surgutneftegaz, processes 17.7 million tons of oil annually, accounting for 6.4 percent of the total amount of oil processed in Russia.

Drozdenko did not say who the drone belonged to, but the Ukrainian military is targeting the Russian refinery in an effort to limit Moscow's oil revenue, which it then uses to finance its three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine.

On Saturday, Russian authorities reported a fire at a refinery in Ufa, in the southeast of European Russia, after one drone hit it and another was shot down, causing minor damage to the plant.

St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport suspended operations on Sunday, the Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia announced, according to the Astra Telegram channel.

Drozdenko also reported that three carriages of an empty freight train had derailed on the track near the city of Luga, and that investigators did not rule out sabotage. He warned that trains could be delayed.