Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN, Andrii Melnyk, addresses the Security Council during an emergency session about Russia’s drone incursion into Poland, September 12, 2025
Friday’s Coverage: Poland to Trump — Russia’s Drone Incursion “Was Not a Mistake”
UPDATE 1703 GMT:
Russia has murdered three civilians in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine and one in the neighboring Kharkiv region.
Russian forces shelled Kostiantynivka in Donetsk for nearly an hour with artillery and Smerch multiple rocket launchers. The attack injured another people and damaged 14 homes.
A combined Russian strike on the village of Borova in Kharkiv, with guided aerial bombs and a multiple launch rocket system, killed one man and injured two others in their 70s. Residential and farm buildings were damaged.
The village is around 5 km (3 miles) from Russian positions in Kharkiv.
UPDATE 1221 GMT:
Donald Trump has said he will impose tougher sanctions on Russia — but only after other countries go first.
Trump said he had sent a letter to other NATO members:
I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA….
I am ready to “go” when you are. Just say when?
Trump called for 50% to 100% tariffs on China.
The reality TV star had said during the summer that he would sanction Russia and its trading partners, setting a 50-day and then a 10-day deadline. However, he dropped the threat after hosting Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.
In his rambling post on Truth Social, Trump also blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion: “This is not TRUMP’S WAR (it would never have started if I was President!), it is Biden’s and Zelensky’s WAR.”
UPDATE 1118 GMT:
Russian officials have confirmed the Ukrainian drone attack on the key port of Primorsk in the Leningrad region on the Baltic Sea.
Loading has been suspended at Primorsk’s oil terminal for the first time, said industry sources and Ukrainian military personnel.
Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko said a docked ship and a pumping station caught fire. Other sources said two oil tankers, both registered in the Seychelles, were set ablaze.
Primorsk is a hub for Russia’s “shadow fleet” of aging tankers used to avoid sanctions. About 60 million tons of oil pass through the port every year, bringing Russia around $15 billion.
UPDATE 1107 GMT:
Ukraine air defenses downed 137 of 164 drones launched by Russia overnight.
An Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missile and 27
UPDATE 0719 GMT:
Russia’s offensive in the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine has been “completely thwarted”, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Moscow launched the offensive in May, seeking to seize territory along the border. Russian forces occupied several villages in May and June, closing within 20 km (12.5 miles) of Sumy city.
After a briefing from Ukraine’s military command, Zelensky said:
As of today, we can state that the Russian offensive operation on Sumy has been completely thwarted by our forces.
Fighting continues in the border areas of Sumy Oblast, but the Russian group in the Sumy area has lost offensive capabilities due to the losses suffered.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: More than 40 countries have signed a statement denouncing Russia’s drone incursion into Poland early Wednesday.
At least 21 drones crossed into Polish airspace, with 17 retrieved as of Thursday night. At least 15 were Gerbera decoy drones, which can be used as distractions or can carry small explosive payloads. They were equipped with fuel tanks that doubled their range to as far as 900 km (559 miles).
In the joint statement, the countries drew “the attention of the international community to yet another flagrant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations committed by the Russian Federation”, which had brought “the entire region closer to conflict than at any time in recent years”.
Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki presented the statement to an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. He said:
We take this opportunity to reiterate our call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its war of aggression against Ukraine, to renounce any further provocations, and to respect its obligations under the UN Charter. Escalation cannot lead to peace.
The Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea said Washington will defend “every inch of NATO territory”: “The United States stands by our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations.”
On Friday, Donald Trump tried to excuse Russia’s incursion, “It could have been a mistake. I’m not happy about anything to do with the whole situation, but hopefully that’s going to come to an end.”
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski responded bluntly, “No, it was not.”
Ukraine’s Ambassador Andrii Melnyk added to the Security Council, “Tomorrow it could be drones or even missiles falling on other European countries. And the day after tomorrow – who knows – something might ‘accidentally’ fly across the Atlantic.”
