September 6, 2026
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Ukraine anti-corruption court remands prosecutor's office official in custody in 'Carthage' case; prosecutors allege ties to prosecutor general
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) placed Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the International Cooperation Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG), in custody with an alternative bail of 120 million hryvnias on 6 September 2026. Kropyva is the central suspect in 'Operation Carthage', an investigation by NABU and SAP into an alleged criminal organization that systematically took bribes from fraudulent call centers and laundered the proceeds. Prosecutors told the court that Kropyva functioned as a "trusted person" of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, coordinating repairs at a house in Kozyn, helping arrange a US visa for Kravchenko's wife, and organizing his birthday celebrations in Madrid. Kravchenko publicly denied any involvement in covering up illegal call centers and suspended Kropyva from his duties.
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Lavrov calls Germany's response to Leipzig drone incident "the beginning of a real war"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Germany's reaction to an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport as "the beginning of a real war," drawing an analogy to pre-World War II diplomatic closures. Germany officially accused Russia on September 1 of orchestrating the incident, closed Russia's last consulate general in Bonn, and terminated the agreement for the "Russian House" in Berlin. Russia retaliated by announcing closures of German Goethe-Institut branches. No one was injured and Ukrainian Antonov aircraft were not damaged, though the An-124's cargo remains disputed.
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Ukrainian drones strike Ryazan oil refinery and Rostov airfield overnight
On the night of September 6, 2026, Ukrainian drones attacked targets in Russia's Ryazan and Rostov oblasts. Ukraine's General Staff said the Defense Forces struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery, the Rostov-on-Don airfield, a Podlyot radar station, and two Pantsir-S1 air-defense systems, with the refinery hit using an FP-1 drone produced by Fire Point. Russian officials acknowledged a drone attack and a fire at an unnamed enterprise in Ryazan, but did not officially confirm damage to the refinery.
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Germany drafts security plan with drone units, cyber shield and AI surveillance to counter Russian sabotage
Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior has drafted a comprehensive security plan to protect against sabotage and hybrid attacks linked to Russia, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has confirmed. The plan includes mobile rapid-response units in nine cities, powers for critical-infrastructure operators to intercept drones, expanded AI and facial-recognition surveillance, and a national "cyberdome". It follows the August drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport near a Ukrainian An-124 and a sharp rise in suspected sabotage cases since the start of 2026.
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US envoys Witkoff and Kushner hold first Kyiv talks with Zelensky in three rounds joined by E3 advisors
US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Kyiv by train on September 6 and met President Volodymyr Zelensky in three rounds of talks, including a final round joined by national security advisors from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The visit, their first to Ukraine since taking a leading role in US peace efforts, came a day after the pair held over three hours of talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and was described by both sides as substantive.