Ukraine hacks Crimea proxy head, uncovers child abduction files, intelligence source says

Responding to Trump's comment that Russia looks like a "paper tiger," Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said that "Russia is more commonly associated with a bear. There is no such thing as a 'paper bear,' and Russia is a real bear."

The tax increase, part of the draft budget submitted to the Russian government, is aimed "primarily at funding defense and security needs," the Russian Finance Ministry said.

The breach allegedly exposed official correspondence of the head of Russian occupation authorities in Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, as well as internal documents and communications between occupation ministries and services.

Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) drones again struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical plant in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on Sept. 24.

Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 126 of the 152 Shahed-type drones and decoy drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Twenty-six drones hit seven different locations.

The endorsements come amid rising tension in NATO's eastern flank following a series of airspace breaches, which have challenged alliance protocols on intercepts, escalation, and collective defense.

"The president is a very patient man; he's very committed to peace, but his patience is not infinite," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

The number includes 970 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The Astrakhan gas processing plant in southern Russia has stopped production following a fire at the facility caused by a drone attack, three industry sources told Reuters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in New York to attend the ongoing U.N. General Assembly, Russian state media reported early on Sept. 24.

"Gradually, he realized that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was simply sharing some information that was far from the truth on the battlefield. Now he trusts me much more because the information that my intelligence has, that we share with our partners," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form," Trump wrote on his Truth Social following his meeting with the Ukrainian president.

According to FT, 16 of Russia's 38 oil refineries have been struck by Ukrainian drones since August 2025. The disruptions have limited Russia's refining capacity by over 1 million barrels per day, the research group Energy Aspects told FT, dropping exports to below pre-war levels.

The decision comes nearly two weeks after Warsaw shut road and rail crossings on Sept. 12, ahead of the Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2025.

During his speech to the UN Security Council on Sept. 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky called on members of the Coalition of the Willing to assist Ukraine in shooting down Russian missiles and drones fired over Ukrainian airspace.