Topic: Disinformation
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Russia hits Poland-Ukraine border crossing with drone strike
Russia launched a drone strike on an international road checkpoint on the Poland-Ukraine border, according to reported information. The attack targeted a border crossing with a NATO and EU member state, raising escalation concerns.
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Zelensky signs sanctions against former press secretary Mendel and Russian propagandists
President Volodymyr Zelensky on 13 September 2026 enacted personal sanctions imposed by the National Security and Defense Council against his former press secretary Yulia Mendel, the only Ukrainian citizen among 10 individuals in the package. On the same day he signed two further decrees targeting 29 Russian citizens and 29 companies linked to the state corporation Rostec, and 20 vessels of the Russian shadow fleet. The move follows a May 2026 interview in which Mendel repeated Russian-aligned claims to U.S. podcaster Tucker Carlson.
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Medvedev confirms United Russia's commitment to protracted war in Ukraine
Dmitry Medvedev, head of United Russia and deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said in an interview with Vedomosti published on 10 September that Russia must continue the war in Ukraine, pursue long-term militarization of society, and demand increasing economic sacrifices from Russian citizens. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) read the remarks as an official confirmation by United Russia of a protracted-war course ahead of September State Duma elections.
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Ukrainian drones strike Azot chemical plant deep inside Russia
Ukrainian drones attacked the Azot branch of Uralchem in Berezniki, Perm Krai, on the morning of September 11, causing explosions, smoke and a full halt of production at Russia's largest nitrogen fertilizer facility, roughly 1,500 km from the Ukrainian border. Plant workers reported multiple blasts; the Russian Defense Ministry said drones were shot down and the Perm governor reported no casualties.
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Ukraine military intelligence chief calls Kyiv SBU–HUR shooting "unacceptable," denies "war between special services"
Head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) Oleh Ivashchenko publicly commented on the September 2 shooting between SBU and HUR personnel in Kyiv, calling it an "unacceptable incident" and rejecting suggestions of a "war between special services." The shooting occurred in the Berezniaky district during investigative actions linked to Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov. The SBU and HUR have given competing accounts of the incident, and the State Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Prosecutor General have opened pretrial investigations.
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Ukraine kills Oleh Shutov in Donetsk, suspect in 2017 assassinations of Ukrainian officers
Ukrainian special services eliminated Oleh Shutov in occupied Donetsk on 27 July by detonating an improvised explosive device in his Subaru at the Dynamo sports complex, according to Ukrainian reports. Shutov, an operative of the so-called 'MGB DPR' and president of the 'DPR' judo and sambo association, was publicly named by former SBU chief Vasyl Hrytsak in 2019 as the direct perpetrator of the 2017 car-bomb assassination of Ukrainian military intelligence Major General Maksym Shapoval, and was also linked to the 2017 killing of SBU Colonel Oleksandr Kharaberush in Mariupol.
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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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Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters in central Kyiv, hits building opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral
On September 4, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Volodymyrska Street in central Kyiv, opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral. A fire broke out and part of the floor structure and outer wall were destroyed. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone was directed at the office of acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, who was not in the building at the time, and ordered preparation of an adequate, tangible, and where possible mirror response.
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Kyiv shootout between SBU and GUR erupts over alleged FSB plot against Chechen exile leader Zakayev
Ukraine's SBU said it prevented an FSB-ordered plot to assassinate Akhmed Zakayev, the exiled head of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's government, who was in Kyiv for Independence Day on 24 August. The case targeted Stepan Kaplunov, a Russian-national volunteer and deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) embedded in a GUR special unit. On 2 September, a shootout in Kyiv's Berezniaky district during a search of Kaplunov's apartment left three GUR personnel wounded. Kaplunov and RDK say he was abducted by SBU officers on 23 August and his confession was extracted under pressure; the SBU says his group attacked its investigative team. President Zelensky called the incident 'absolutely shameful,' an SBU official was dismissed, and the DBR and Prosecutor General's Office opened investigations.
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HUR warns of disinformation campaign targeting military intelligence amid SBU clash
Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said on 3 September that a targeted disinformation campaign is being deployed to discredit military intelligence and its combat units, urging the public to trust only verified official sources and asking journalists to report any paid offers of dubious material. The warning came against the backdrop of an armed confrontation between HUR and the SBU in Kyiv on 2 September tied to the detention of Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov, and was followed by President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissing an SBU department head and calling the SBU–HUR clash "shameful."
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Germany blames Russia for drone incident at Leipzig/Halle airport, announces countermeasures
On 1 September, Germany formally blamed Russia for an explosive drone discovered on 4 August near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle airport. German ministers announced the closure of the Russian consulate general in Bonn, termination of the agreement for the "Russian House" in Berlin, tighter border controls, and new EU sanctions listings. Russia rejected the accusations, and the EU summoned the Russian ambassador.
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Germany accuses Russia over Leipzig airport drone, announces diplomatic measures
Germany officially accused Russia of being behind a drone incident at Leipzig airport that struck a Ukrainian transport aircraft, and announced a set of punitive measures. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany will revoke the agreement with the "Russian House" in Berlin, close Russia's consulate in Bonn by September 18, summon the Russian ambassador, tighten checks on Russian citizens entering the country, and step up pressure on the Russian shadow fleet. The Russian Embassy in Berlin will remain Moscow's only diplomatic mission in Germany.