Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky declares Russian airspace ‘completely unsafe’ in warning to airlines and passengers

Modi implores visibly-uncomfortable Putin to end Ukraine warVolodymyr Zelensky has deemed Russian airspace to be “completely unsafe” in a warning to airlines ahead of Ukrainian drone attacks. The president declared that “the safe days in Russia’s skies are over” in his nightly video address on Tuesday, adding that he did not want innocent lives to be lost. “Although the Russian authorities are not properly informing people about this, Russian airspace will effectively be closing – the war started by Russia is closing its skies. “We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe,” he said.Vladimir Putin said the warning sounded like “state terrorism” and Moscow would find a way to respond. Earlier today, Kyiv revealed its forces have trapped around 2,500 Russian soldiers on a tiny strip of land stretching into the Black Sea.The troops are stranded on the occupied Kinburn Spit, a long ridge of sand which juts out from Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region, Ukrainian commanders told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Crimea.Realities podcast.Drone strikes have targeted deliveries of ammunition and food, a recconnaisance commander with the call sign ‘Yava’ said on the podcast according to United24. Kremlin adviser and papal envoy to discuss Ukraine humanitarian issuesRussian president Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov will discuss humanitarian issues in the Ukraine conflict with papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi later this month in Russia, Ushakov was quoted by media as saying on Tuesday.“I will ​receive ⁠him at the end of September, and we ⁠will specifically talk about Ukrainian matters," ​Russian ⁠news agencies said Ushakov ‌told state television.“Zuppi has come to us several times. He mainly deals with humanitarian issues and we will continue discussing those. Of course, the political side of things is involved too. You can’t get around it.”Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops conference, last visited Moscow in October 2024 for talks about family ‌reunification, prisoner of war exchanges and ​prospects for dialogue ‌about ending the war ⁠in Ukraine.Arpan Rai2 September 2026 05:00Are there airspace risks to Russian skies as stated by Zelensky?The full risk of Ukrainian drones to aviation over Russia, the world's ⁠largest country by land mass, is not clear, but there have been deadly incidents of civilian aircraft being mistakenly targeted in the region.Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions said in an alert to clients that while the majority of Ukraine's drone and missile strikes were likely to occur within 300km (186 miles) of the border, daily attacks deeper inside Russia were near-certain through 2026, including near Moscow and St Petersburg.“There is also a realistic possibility that the frequency of Ukrainian strikes will continue to ‌increase in the short term deep inside Russian territory," the alert said.“It is assessed that miscalculation ​and/or misidentification is likely in areas related to the Ukraine conflict.”Osprey said Russian military air defences included conventional surface-to-air missile systems capable at all altitudes.Last year, Europe's top rights court found Russia responsible for the downing of ⁠a Malaysian jetliner in 2014 at cruising altitude over eastern Ukraine where there was fighting.A flying missile seen during a Russian aerial attack in Kyiv (AFP/Getty)Arpan Rai2 September 2026 04:36Putin says Moscow open to talks to end warRussian president Vladimir Putin said Moscow was open to talks aimed at ending, rather than freezing, the war, and restated its willingness to talk to US president Donald Trump's envoys.“If someone makes, or can make, a tangible contribution to this process, we are all in favour,” Putin said.“The only thing we would want to avoid is the process spinning its wheels pointlessly. However, if someone is capable of bringing something positive to these negotiations – which, as we understand it, are currently somewhat frozen - then, generally speaking, we are not opposed.”Putin specifically acknowledged ‌that Ukrainian drone strikes had caused damage to Russian oil refineries, although without referring to widespread fuel shortages that ​have resulted from those attacks.But he said that the level of protection had improved, and "we only have 10 per cent of our refineries left to repair”.Arpan Rai2 September 2026 04:23Putin says Russia is winning on battlefield and will not negotiate with 'terrorists'President Vladimir Putin said Russia was winning the war in Ukraine and portrayed the Ukrainian leadership as "terrorists" with whom Moscow could not negotiate.Putin, in his most detailed comments on the war for many weeks, acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks inside Russia had inflicted real damage and said that drones posed a particular challenge.The Russian leader said that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's warning to airlines that Ukrainian drones would effectively shut down Russian airspace sounded like "state terrorism" and that Moscow would find a way to respond if it happened.Speaking at a news conference after ⁠a summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said it was not possible to negotiate with "terrorists".But he said that Russia was advancing on the battlefield and told reporters: “I have no doubt the enemy will crumble.”He declined to say when that would happen. Rumours that Russia would be forced to order a new military mobilisation were “utter nonsense,” he said. Russia's president Vladimir Putin meets with the media after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek (AFP/Getty)Arpan Rai2 September 2026 04:05Russian attacks damage infrastructure in Ukraine's OdesaRussian attacks damaged infrastructure and residential buildings in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, Serhiy Lysak, the head of the city's military administration, said on Telegram.The attack took place in the early hours today. Lysak did not share details on casualties.Arpan Rai2 September 2026 03:52Russian FPV drone strike sparks high-rise fire as rescuers evacuate residentsRussian FPV drone strike sparks high-rise fire as rescuers evacuate residentsHarriette Boucher2 September 2026 03:00Germany blames Russia for explosive drone attack at Leipzig airportGerman interior minister Alexander Dobrindt announced on Tuesday that the German government “comes to the conclusion that Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack in Leipzig on 4 August.“Taken together, police investigations, patterns of the offences and intelligence findings establish Russian responsibility for the attempted attack,” he added.Mr Dobrindt said the event corresponds with a known pattern of “Russian hybrid operations,” adding: “We assume that Germany is the target of further hybrid attacks by ‌Russia.”Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephu, has ordered a series of retaliatory actions, including the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn along with the Russian House, a cultural centre in Berlin.Mr Wadephu said he did not believe the event was an isolated incident.Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would respond in a “mirror-image” fashion to Germany's measures, telling German Press Agency that “Berlin is sponsoring terrorism”.Harriette Boucher2 September 2026 02:00Ukrainian PM calls on lawmakers to speed voting on key lawsUkraine's prime minister Sergii Koretskyi called on lawmakers on Tuesday to speed up voting on key legislation to help secure necessary financing for Ukraine.Kyiv is currently facing a $27 billion (£23 billion) deficit for defence, he said.Koretskyi added that his government would audit the needs of the defence ministry.Alex Croft2 September 2026 01:00Germany preparing to blame Russia for attempted drone attack on Ukrainian cargo plane - ReutersGermany is set to blame Russia for an attempted drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle airport in August, two sources told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday.Berlin could prepare new sanctions against Moscow in coordination with allies, the sources said.Airport workers had found a drone laden with explosives and a detonator at the airport, an important civilian freight and Nato logistics hub in eastern Germany that is also a base for several giant Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo planes.Germany had previously stopped short of blaming Russia but called the incident part of a hybrid war being waged on Europe. Relations between Russia and the West collapsed after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022."There is no overreaction on our part, but there is a response when we are attacked," foreign minister Johann Wadephul said. "Russia must understand that Germany is a stabilizing force in Europe — one that is always ready to negotiate but will not be intimidated in any way."Alex Croft2 September 2026 00:00‘Where there were bombs, there are now sunflowers’: The woman ridding Ukraine of Russian minesEvery morning, Antonina Kulhava wakes up to the whirr of Russian drones.After checking local alerts to ensure her family and friends are safe, she commutes to her job as a humanitarian deminer at one of Ukraine’s many fields littered with bombs. Her team face grave danger as they comb through craters of mud left by missiles, in fields once tilled by farmers.Ukraine is one of the world’s most heavily mined countries with between 20 to 25 per cent of its surface covered with potentially dangerous weapons. This amounts to more than 139,000 square kilometres of land, a size larger than England and Wales combined.The existence of these mines is devastating for civilians, contributing to one of the world’s highest rates of civilian casualties. Children are among those at risk if the mines are not safely cleared.“It’s an interesting and challenging job,” she tells The Independent.Maira Butt reports:Alex Croft1 September 2026 23:00