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 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.”
