Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: A mission to rescue dogs trapped near the frontline descended into a tragic ordeal after a Russian drone hit the rescuers’ van, amid the war in Ukraine. One of the rescued dogs was killed; Ruslan Horbal, a volunteer with Animal Rescue Kharkiv, was injured in the attack in Kramatorsk. In the aftermath of the attack, Horbal said he was “thankful to be alive” after the explosion left him badly injured and filled with smoke, broken glass and blood.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Animal rescuers severely injured in Russian drone attack while saving dogs in Ukraine
A Ukrainian animal rescuer has said he is “grateful to be alive” after his car was struck by a Russian drone while rescuing a group of stranded dogs from near the frontline.
Ruslan Horbal, a volunteer for Animal Rescue Kharkiv (ARK), was on a rescue mission in Ukraine’s war-torn eastern city of Kramatorsk when a Russian drone hit the vehicle, killing one of the rescued dogs. He had only just gathered the animals into the back of the car when the attack took place.
“It happened very fast. There was an explosion, smoke and glass everywhere,” recalls Mr Horbal, who was hospitalised after the attack, in an interview with The Independent. “At first, I was confused. It took me a moment to understand what had happened. Then I started checking if everyone was alive and if the animals were OK. That’s when I realised I was badly injured too. There was a lot of blood.”
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russia says it struck two vessels in Ukrainian ports, continues to hit rail infrastructure
Russian forces on Tuesday struck a ferry and a tanker in Ukrainian Black Sea ports, Russia’s Defence Ministry said.
The ministry said the ferry was hit in the port of Chornomorsk and the tanker in the port of Izmail. Both vessels were being used to supply the Ukrainian military, it said.
The ministry also said Russian forces had struck a cargo train in the port of Pivdennyi and continued attacks on railway infrastructure in western Ukraine that it said was being used to transport military cargo from Europe. It provided no further details.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Baltic Sea Port to Accommodate NATO Ships as EU Strengthens Eastern Flank Security
A $115 million loan has been approved to upgrade a strategically important Baltic Sea port in Lithuania so that it can accommodate NATO ships, in a move aimed at strengthening the alliance’s logistics and defensive capabilities along Europe’s eastern flank.
The European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending institution of the European Union, has approved funding for improvements at the Port of Klaipeda. The facility is located in Lithuania, roughly 30 miles north of Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
The planned work will involve modernising the port’s civilian cruise terminal, enabling it to handle NATO vessels and potentially improving the movement and logistical support of allied forces in the region.
The development comes amid heightened security concerns across Europe. Earlier, Lithuanian authorities said NATO fighter jets had been required to shoot down a drone that entered the country’s airspace from neighbouring Belarus overnight.
According to Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre, the drone crossed into Lithuanian airspace and travelled over Lentvaris, near Vilnius, before being brought down close to Kaunas. The incident adds to a growing list of cases this year involving Russian and Ukrainian drones entering the airspace of neighbouring countries, incidents that have frequently been described as provocations.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russia Warns Western Officials Over Ukraine Travel
Russia has warned Western politicians and diplomats visiting Ukraine to carefully consider the risks associated with travelling there. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said officials should assess the situation “soberly” before making such trips.
Her comments came two days after a Russian drone reportedly came close to a train carrying former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a former Swedish prime minister while it was travelling through western Ukraine.
Zakharova said railway hubs and transportation infrastructure connected to Ukraine’s military were considered legitimate targets by Moscow. She also referred to a warning issued by Russia in May urging foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv amid Russian strikes targeting Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russian Strikes Kill at Least 11 Across Ukraine
Russian attacks in several parts of Ukraine have reportedly killed at least 11 people and injured 64 others over 24 hours, according to regional authorities.
Three deaths were reported in each of Chernihiv and Donetsk, while two people were killed in Zaporizhzhia. Fatalities were also reported in Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa, with one person killed in each region.
The latest casualties come as Russian strikes continue to target locations across Ukraine, with civilian areas and critical infrastructure remaining vulnerable to attacks.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: EU Chief Condemns ‘Dangerous’ Russian Behaviour
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has criticised what she described as increasingly “reckless and dangerous” actions by Russia.
She pointed to both a helicopter-related incident in Denmark and the drone that was shot down over Lithuania, arguing that the incidents should not be viewed separately.
Von der Leyen said the developments formed part of what she called a wider pattern of Russian aggression and provocation aimed at testing Europe’s preparedness and determination. She added that the EU would continue strengthening its defence and deterrence capabilities alongside NATO while increasing pressure on Russia.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Ukraine Reports Rising Russian Attacks on Railways
Ukraine has accused Russia of significantly increasing attacks on its railway network, saying that more than half of the 500 locomotives damaged since the beginning of the war were hit during 2026 alone.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has appealed to Kyiv’s international partners for assistance in securing replacement locomotives, warning that continued attacks could contribute to a humanitarian crisis.
The reported escalation includes strikes on locomotives, passenger services and railway facilities over the past two weeks.
On September 1, Russian missiles reportedly struck a railway depot near Kyiv, killing seven people. A week later, a conductor was killed when drones hit a passenger train travelling between Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia.
A Russian drone subsequently struck the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train on Sunday. A diplomatic train carrying Boris Johnson had travelled through the area shortly beforehand, prompting Ukraine’s state railway operator to suggest that it may have been the intended target.
The latest reported incident involved another locomotive being directly hit during a Russian strike on railway infrastructure near the Polish border in Ukraine’s Volyn region.
