Ukraine war latest: Poland's Rzeszow Airport reportedly target of Russian drones
Key developments on Sept. 11:
- Russian drones targeted Poland's Rzeszow Airport, key aid hub for Ukraine, media reports
- Ukrainian drone disables rare Russian vessel patrolling Black Sea, intelligence says, shows footage
- IAEA reports drones, gunfire near 2 Ukrainian nuclear plants amid Russian attack
- 'This is just the beginning' — Pro-Ukrainian partisans claim sabotage operation at Russian air defense factory
- Russia copying Kyiv's drone technology as 'direct technological race' accelerates, Ukraine army chief says
Russian drones shot down over Poland were reportedly headed for Rzeszow Airport, a key logistics hub for aid to Ukraine, German media outlets Spiegel and Welt reported on Sept. 11.
Poland confirmed downing Russian drones in its airspace overnight on Sept. 10, marking the first time NATO engaged Moscow's military assets over its territory during the full-scale war in Ukraine.
At least 19 drones entered the Polish airspace, and between three and four were shot down by Polish and NATO aircraft in what Warsaw denounced as a deliberate provocation by Russia.
According to Spiegel, at least five drones targeted the airport near the Polish-Ukrainian border, where two German Patriot air defense systems are stationed.
Dutch F-35 fighter jets were scrambled after an air raid alert and intercepted the drones, shooting down at least three. The remaining two crashed for unknown reasons, Welt reported.
On the night of the large-scale attack, Russian drones not only entered Polish airspace but also violated Lithuanian airspace, according to Welt.
"Based on the available information, we believe the drones most likely entered NATO airspace deliberately," a senior NATO official told Welt.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius echoed this statement, saying that the Russian drones were deliberately directed along this route, Spiegel reported.
"They did not need to fly this way to reach Ukraine. There is no evidence that these drones accidentally flew over Polish territory in such large numbers on this route," Pistorius said, adding that this could be a deliberate operation.
The Rzeszow-Jasionka airport is located less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border and transports a significant percentage of Western materiel bound for the front lines in Ukraine. It is also a main stopover point for foreign leadership traveling to Kyiv on official visits.
Ukrainian drone disables rare Russian vessel patrolling Black Sea, intelligence says, shows footage
A Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) drone hit a multifunctional vessel of the Russian Black Sea Fleet off Novorossiysk on Sept. 10, inflicting costly damage, the agency reported.
The Project MPSV07 ship was tracked and hit while carrying out reconnaissance and patrolling Novorossiysk Bay near Russia's Krasnodar Krai, where the Black Sea Fleet is currently based, according to HUR.
The agency released black-and-white footage of a domestically produced aerial drone hitting the ship's bridge.
"As a result of the strike, the Russian vessel's electronic intelligence systems were destroyed, and the ship was disabled and sent for costly repairs," HUR said in its Sept. 11 statement.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The targeted ship, with an estimated price tag of $60 million, was commissioned in 2015, HUR said without naming the vessel.
While the Ukrainian agency says that Russia has four vessels of this class, open sources list five operational Project MPSV07 multifunctional salvage ships, with the sixth one under construction.
One of them is Spasatel Demidov, delivered in 2015 and registered at the port of Novorossiysk. According to marine tracking services, its last known position was received 77 days ago, just north of the Russian Kola Peninsula in the Barents Sea.
A HUR spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent that the name of the targeted vessel is being determined.
The Project MPSV07 is equipped with diving systems, remotely operated vehicles, a side-scan sonar, and electronic intelligence equipment. Its output is 4 megawatts, and it can be used for seabed inspection, according to HUR.
IAEA reports drones, gunfire near 2 Ukrainian nuclear plants amid Russian attack
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff at Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants (NPPs) reported hearing drones and gunfire during Russia's mass strike on Ukraine's west, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Sept. 10.
"I'm deeply concerned about last night's events," Grossi said.
"According to our teams on the ground, these were unusually large-scale military activities close to these two nuclear power plants, which should never happen."
The Khmelnytskyi plant said it detected nine drones flying within 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) of the facility, while Rivne operators reported 13 drones in its surveillance area.
Both sites are in western Ukraine, far from the front but vulnerable to nearby infrastructure strikes.
Ukraine's Air Force said Moscow launched 415 Shahed-type drones and other drones, 42 cruise missiles, and one Iskander-M ballistic missile overnight on Sept. 10. Defenses shot down 386 drones and 27 missiles, but 21 drones and 16 missiles hit 17 locations across 15 regions.
The barrage also marked the first confirmed case of NATO forces engaging Russian drones, as Poland said it downed several unmanned aircraft that crossed its airspace.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy grid, with at least 13 large-scale strikes in 2024 alone, causing nationwide blackouts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Sept. 2 that Moscow had previously refrained from hitting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure but was now "responding seriously" to attacks on Russian energy sites.
The IAEA has also repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a Ukrainian facility housing armed Russian troops and facing emergency shutdowns and power outages.
Both Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants remain under the supervision of Ukraine's nuclear regulator and the IAEA, which has warned that any nearby military activity carries grave risks.
'This is just the beginning' — Pro-Ukrainian partisans claim sabotage operation at Russian air defense factory
A communications tower has been destroyed at an air defense factory in the Russian city of Tula, the pro-Ukrainian Atesh partisan group claimed on Sept. 11.
"This is an enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex. It develops air defense systems, rapid-fire guns, and small arms. In particular, the factory workshops assemble the Kornet anti-tank missile system and the Pantsir-S air defense missile system," the group said in a Telegram post.
The Atesh group regularly conducts sabotage operations on military infrastructure in occupied Ukrainian territory and deep within Russia.
Reconnaissance was conducted by the group prior to the attack, and Ukrainian forces have previously successfully hit the factory, Atesh claimed.
"Now we are moving to more active actions and destroying the enterprise's infrastructure — and this is just the beginning!"
The group's claims could not be independently verified by the Kyiv Independent.
Tula is located about 329 kilometers (204 miles) from Ukraine's border with Russia and 174 kilometers (108 miles) south of Moscow.
A day earlier, the Atesh group claimed it had successfully conducted reconnaissance of a Russian military headquarters in St. Petersburg.
Agents collected data on Russian military unit 31807 at the headquarters of the Sixth Combined Arms Army, which is currently partaking in Russia's war against Ukraine near Kupiansk," the group claimed.
"We studied the operating mode and security system of the facility: There is enhanced patrolling, movement of personnel and vehicles is recorded. All obtained information has already been passed on to the (Armed) Forces of Ukraine for further use," Atesh added.
Russia copying Kyiv's drone technology as 'direct technological race' accelerates, Ukraine army chief says
Russia is adopting Ukrainian military technologies, particularly in interceptor drones, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Sept. 11.
"We are dealing with a direct technological race in which the advantage will go to those who not only modernize but also stay ahead," Syrskyi wrote on Facebook.
The commander said that Ukraine's mission is the constant improvement of existing solutions and the creation of new tactics for unmanned systems.
Kyiv has invested heavily in drone warfare since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, evolving from modified commercial drones to mass-produced attack and reconnaissance drones.
Syrskyi said Ukrainian drones struck more than 60,000 targets in August, with attack drones and strike bombers accounting for most Russian losses in manpower and equipment.
In turn, Russia has intensified its deep drone strikes, forcing Ukraine to expand its electronic warfare capabilities, Syrskyi added. He said the number of Russian drones jammed by electronic countermeasures grew significantly last month.
"Analytics on drone usage allows us to quickly adjust tactics, increase efficiency, and stay ahead of (Russia)," he said. "Our efforts to develop and scale this area are yielding clear results."
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