Bundestag
The Bundestag is the lower house of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, directly elected by citizens and exercising the principal legislative function. Together with the Bundesrat, which represents the federal states, it constitutes the German parliament. Members are elected for a four-year term under a proportional system, and the body is presided over by a president elected by its members.
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Former German Chancellor Schröder celebrated Putin's 74th birthday in Moscow, drawing condemnation from Berlin and Brussels
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder joined Vladimir Putin at Putin's home on 7 October to mark Putin's 74th birthday, according to the Kremlin. The visit triggered sharp criticism from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, senior Bundestag figures, EU leaders, and members of Schröder's own SPD, while some in the SPD defended the trip as a possible opening for mediation. Schröder travelled to Moscow in connection with the Russian subsidiary of the German Globus hypermarket chain, of whose supervisory board he is a member.
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German intelligence chief warns Bundestag of new, more dangerous phase of confrontation with Russia
The head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Martin Jäger, told the Bundestag that the confrontation with Russia has acquired a new, more dangerous character and that Germany risks being drawn into a violent conflict with Russia. Jäger described Russian actions as a "shadow war" and warned of renewed nuclear intimidation, while noting the BND currently sees no signs of a large-scale Russian attack on NATO territory.
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German Chancellor Merz makes surprise Kyiv visit, announces €1.3+ billion support package and 15 bilateral agreements
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv by special train on 4 October for an unannounced solidarity visit, accompanied by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and roughly ten business leaders from the defence and energy sectors. He and President Volodymyr Zelensky honoured fallen Ukrainian defenders at the memorial on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, visited the National Academy of Sciences building hit by a Russian drone on 28 September, and announced a new German support package worth more than €1.3 billion alongside 15 bilateral agreements valued at over €8.5 billion. Merz called on Vladimir Putin to stop the war and announced that Germany, France and the UK would host a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Berlin in winter.
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Russian drone strike hits commuter train in Kharkiv Oblast, killing one
On 18 September, Russian forces struck a suburban electric train near the Lypkuvativka platform in the Novovodolazka hromada of Kharkiv Oblast with a Geran-4 jet drone. One person was killed and several others injured, even though Ukrzaliznytsia's monitoring group had detected the threat and ordered an evacuation before impact.
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Russian drone strikes passenger train Kyiv–Mykolaiv; all evacuated, no casualties
Russian forces struck Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) passenger train No. 122 on the Kyiv–Mykolaiv route on the morning of 16 September, using a drone. All passengers, the locomotive crew and train crew had been evacuated in advance after a warning from Ukrzaliznytsia's monitoring team, and no one was injured. Ukrzaliznytsia, together with the Mykolaiv Oblast Military Administration, organized bus transfers to bring 168 passengers to Mykolaiv.
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Russian drone strikes passenger train near Ukrainian-Polish border; diplomatic train with European officials had just left
On the morning of 13 September 2026, a Russian jet-powered mesh drone struck the locomotive of a Kyiv-to-Warsaw passenger train at the Yahodyn station, about two kilometres from the Polish border in Volyn Oblast. A diplomatic train carrying former European leaders and current security advisors, returning from the YES conference in Kyiv, had departed the station shortly before the strike. No one was injured. Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) suggested the diplomatic train may have been the intended target; the Institute for the Study of War assessed the strike was meant to wound or kill European officials leaving Ukraine.
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Russian drones strike Kyiv-Warsaw train and infrastructure near Polish border, prompting Polish emergency meeting
On the morning of September 13, 2026, Russian drones struck infrastructure near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk international border crossing on the Ukraine-Poland border in Volyn Oblast, damaging a gas station, hitting a truck on the Polish side, and striking the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train about two kilometers from the Polish border. Poland scrambled fighter jets, issued air alerts in Lublin and Podkarpackie voivodeships, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency meeting at the Government Centre for Security, warning that Russian escalation could reach Polish territory in the coming weeks. No passengers or railway workers were injured in the locomotive strike after a Ukrzaliznytsia monitoring group warned the crew in advance and gave an evacuation signal roughly 15 minutes before impact.
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Germany to boost Ukraine military aid after blaming Russia for Leipzig airport drone attack
On 1 September Germany formally blamed Russia for a series of drone incidents at Leipzig/Halle airport in August and announced a package of response measures. Berlin plans to supply Ukraine with thousands of strike drones and Iris-T air-defence missiles in September, deepen intelligence cooperation, and push for tougher EU sanctions. Germany also decided to close Russia's consulate in Bonn and terminate the lease of the "Russian House" in Berlin. The AfD in the Bundestag called for investigating a possible "Ukrainian trace," putting it at odds with the government's position.
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Germany accuses Russia of Leipzig drone attack on Ukrainian cargo plane; two suspects identified
On 1 September Germany formally accused Russia of orchestrating the 4–5 August drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport targeting a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft. Investigators have identified two suspects: a Russian-born man with a Latvian passport linked to Russian intelligence, and a Belarusian-Russian citizen who entered the EU on an Italian tourist visa. Berlin announced retaliatory measures, and EU foreign ministers meeting in Ireland discussed tightening visa rules for Russian nationals.