Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv ‘wipes out all of Moscow’s battlefield gains since March’ in blow to Putin
Nearly all of Russia’s territorial gains this year have been wiped out, according to a new assessment by the Institute for the Study of War. Ukrainian forces have held Russian forces to “near-zero net gains since March 2026”, read the report. “The situation remains dynamic, and Russian commanders are reportedly pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin for a massive mobilization likely aimed at restoring their ability to seize and hold the initiative,” the ISW said. Meanwhile, former British prime minister Boris Johnson hit out at Vladimir Putin after his train was involved in a near miss with a Russian drone close to the Ukraine-Poland border on Sunday. “I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning,” Johnson said after he returned from a security conference in Kyiv. A diplomatic train carrying Johnson, Carl Bildt and security advisers from several European Union states had deliberately left the station at Yahodyn ahead of schedule and were on their way back when a drone struck the line behind them. A passenger train behind the diplomatic service was damaged in the strike. It had already been evacuated due to intelligence on an impending attack, and no one was harmed.Nato fighter jet shoots down drone in Lithuania A Nato fighter jet shot down a drone in Lithuania shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the Lithuanian national crisis management centre said. The drone, which likely entered from Belarus, was shot down near Pratkunai village in southern Lithuania, near Kaunas, the second-largest city, the centre's spokesperson said. Its origin is yet to be determined, he said. A drone alert was issued earlier in the capital Vilnius and surrounding region. Fighters with the Nato Baltic Air Defence mission have patrolled the skies of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since the Baltic countries joined the alliance in 2004. The mission's jets shot down stray Ukrainian drones over Estonia in May, and Latvia in June and August. Military drones straying into the airspace of Russia's neighbours have stoked concerns that Russia's war in Ukraine is spilling over Nato's borders. Arpan Rai15 September 2026 03:55Poland scrambles jets amid Russian drone attacks on Ukraine Poland has commenced military aviation operations in the early hours of Tuesday as a preventive measure to secure its airspace, amid Russian jet-powered drone attacks on Ukraine, Poland's Armed Forces said in a statement on social media website X. Arpan Rai15 September 2026 03:53 Bryony Gooch15 September 2026 03:00 Bryony Gooch15 September 2026 02:00Kyiv ‘wipes out all of Moscow’s battlefield gains since March’ in blow to Putin Nearly all of Russia’s territorial gains this year have been wiped out, according to a new assessment by the Institute for the Study of War. Ukrainian forces have held Russian forces to “near-zero net gains since March 2026”, read the report. “The situation remains dynamic, and Russian commanders are reportedly pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin for a massive mobilization likely aimed at restoring their ability to seize and hold the initiative,” the ISW said. Maira Butt15 September 2026 01:00Russia will celebrate almost killing Boris Johnson – this is Putin’s plan for chaos Johnson and other signatories had a close call on Ukraine’s border with Poland - it’s all part of Putin’s plan even if it was a fluke, explains world affairs editor Sam Kiley. Bryony Gooch15 September 2026 00:00NATO fighter shoots down drone in Lithuania A NATO fighter jet shot down a drone in Lithuania shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the Lithuanian national crisis management centre said. The drone, which likely entered from Belarus, was shot down near Pratkunai village in southern Lithuania, near Kaunas, the second-largest city, the centre's spokesperson said. Its origin is yet to be determined, he said. A drone alert was issued earlier in the capital Vilnius and surrounding region. Fighters with the NATO Baltic Air Defence mission have patrolled the skies of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since the Baltic countries joined the alliance in 2004. The mission's jets shot down stray Ukrainian drones over Estonia in May, and Latvia in June and August. Military drones straying into the airspace of Russia's neighbours have stoked concerns that Russia's war in Ukraine is spilling over NATO's borders. Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russia, including in the Baltic Sea area, and several Ukrainian military drones have strayed into the airspace of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Ukraine blamed the incidents on Russia affecting the drones' paths with electromagnetic warfare. Bryony Gooch14 September 2026 23:42Pictured: Electoral commission visits residents in Russian-controlled Donetsk during early voting in Russia's parliamentary election Bryony Gooch14 September 2026 23:00European leaders meet as Arctic thaw opens shipping routes and Russian buildup stokes security fears European leaders were meeting Monday to discuss growing competition in the Arctic, where global warming is opening new shipping routes, governments are vying for vast natural resources and a Russian military buildup is heightening security concerns. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen were among leaders expected for the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, Finland, a city perhaps best known for its Santa Claus village. The two-day gathering that began Sunday comes on the heels of a Norwegian seizure of a Russian vessel earlier this month in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at the request of Ukraine, drawing the condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Maira Butt14 September 2026 22:00US imposes Iran-related sanctions on Russia's VTB The United States imposed Iran-related sanctions Monday on Russia's VTB Bank Public Joint Stock Company, accusing it of involvement in Iranian sanctions evasion, the Treasury Department said as Washington seeks to ramp up economic pressure on Tehran. The action builds on sanctions imposed against VTB, Russia's second-largest lender, in 2022, when the bank was targetedfollowing Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “Under Operation Economic Outcast, Treasury will continue to target and disrupt those who provide material, technological, or financial support that allows the Iranian regime to sustain its terrorist enterprise,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement. “Treasury will not tolerate any support to the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s enablers.” Bessent warned last week that resident Donald Trump's administration would sanction a large bank as it continues to apply economic pressure on Tehran to end a more than six-month US conflict with Iran. The United States has imposed a range of economic measures against Iran since the conflict began in February, targeting oil exports, shipping networks, weapons procurement channels, financial intermediaries, digital asset exchanges and aviation links. Bryony Gooch14 September 2026 21:00
