Ukraine war latest: Hungarian drones breach Ukraine's airspace, Zelensky says
Key developments on Sept. 26:
- Hungarian drones breach Ukraine's airspace, Zelensky says
- Ukraine confirms drone strike on one of southern Russia's largest oil refineries, vows to continue attacks
- Russia's railways hit by second blast this month, trains in Pskov Oblast forced to detour
- Ukraine's DeepStrike campaign 'significantly' crippling Russian military logistics as fuel crisis worsens, Syrskyi says
- Unidentified drones spotted over Germany, NDR reports
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 26 that reconnaissance drones likely belonging to Hungary had violated Ukraine's airspace along the border.
This is the first such reported incident.
In a statement posted on X, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces recorded drone incursions over border areas and that preliminary assessments suggest the unmanned aircraft were "conducting reconnaissance on the industrial potential of Ukraine's border areas."
"I instructed that all available information be verified and that urgent reports be made on each recorded incident," Zelensky said.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto dismissed Zelensky's remarks, writing on X that "President Zelensky is losing his mind to his anti-Hungarian obsession. He's now starting to see things that aren't there."
"We are starting to see a lot of things, Peter, including your government's hypocrisy and moral degradation, open and covert work against Ukraine and the rest of Europe, serving as a Kremlin lackey," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded.
Ukraine confirms drone strike on one of southern Russia's largest oil refineries, vows to continue attacks
Ukrainian drones struck the Afipsky Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on Sept. 26, Ukraine's General Staff has confirmed.
The Afipsky refinery, located about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the front line, serves as a key logistics hub for diesel fuel and aviation kerosene supplies to Russian forces.
It accounts for 2.1% of Russia's oil refining output, processing about 6.25 million tons of oil each year.
"As part of reducing the enemy's offensive potential and complicating the supply of fuel and ammunition to the military units of the occupiers, on the night of September 26, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces, hit the facilities of the Afipsky Oil Refinery," the General Staff said in a post on social media.
Russian authorities claimed that drone debris fell on one of the refinery's units during a series of drone strikes, causing a fire covering 30 square meters (323 square feet) that was later extinguished.
Russia's railways hit by second blast this month, trains in Pskov Oblast forced to detour
An explosion damaged railroad tracks in Russia's Pskov Oblast overnight on Sept. 26, regional governor Mikhail Vedernikov said.
The blast hit a section of the line between Luga and Pskov, used for both passenger and freight traffic, prompting Russian Railways to announce modified routes for two passenger trains.
"There were no casualties. The train did not derail," Vedernikov said, without specifying the extent of the damage. "Emergency services are working at the scene. Please remain calm."
It was the second explosion on railways in the oblast since early September.
On Sept. 14, another blast struck the Saint Petersburg–Pskov line near the Stroganovo–Mshinskaya section, derailing a locomotive and destroying 15 fuel tankers.
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said earlier this month that it had conducted a "uniquely complex" joint operation with Ukraine's Special Operations Forces on Sept. 13, disrupting traffic on the Oryol–Kursk line and killing two members of Russia's National Guard.
Ukraine's DeepStrike campaign 'significantly' crippling Russian military logistics as fuel crisis worsens, Syrskyi says
Kyiv's strikes on Russia's oil sector have severely disrupted fuel supplies and logistics for Moscow's armed forces, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Sept. 25.
"The capabilities of the enemy's military-industrial complex have been significantly reduced; we can see this on the battlefield," he said at a meeting with journalists attended by the Kyiv Independent.
The commander credited Ukraine's DeepStrike campaign, a wave of drone strikes, with creating a fuel crisis in Russia that is directly hampering its operational activity and supply lines.
"This is a fuel crisis in Russia, which directly affects logistics and the supply of its army," Syrskyi said.
The commander gave a snapshot of the campaign's scale and effect. In less than two months, Ukrainian forces have struck 85 high-value targets on Russian soil, according to the him.
These include 33 military sites, such as bases, warehouses, airfields, and aircraft on the ground, as well as 52 military-industrial facilities producing weapons, ammunition, fuel, and drones.
Unidentified drones spotted over Germany, NDR reports
Drones have been spotted in Germany's northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, authorities said on Sept. 26, according to German broadcaster NDR.
The incident comes amid a rise in Russian drones and military aircraft entering NATO airspace. Recent incidents in Estonia, Poland, and Romania have prompted increased military readiness and heightened alert across the alliance.
The German authorities reported several drone incidents overnight on Sept. 26 and said investigations were ongoing. They added that drone defense systems had been strengthened in coordination with other northern German states.
According to NDR, authorities suspect the drones may be linked to espionage.
In Denmark, the airspace above Aalborg Airport in northern Jutland was closed overnight on Sept. 26 after police also reported an unidentified drone, Danish broadcaster TV2 said.
The closure lasted about an hour, with several flights canceled and two inbound planes diverted.
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