• 2:19 a.m.: Russia says it shot down seven Ukrainian drones near Moscow and in Crimea

Russian air defense shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Moscow region and six others heading toward the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday. One of the drones was intercepted at 1:45 a.m. (22:45 GMT) in the Istrinsky district of the Moscow region, the ministry said on Telegram.

"According to preliminary information, there is no damage or casualties at the site where the debris fell," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.

Two Ukrainian drones were also destroyed around 1:15 Moscow time (22:15 GMT) on the west coast of Crimea, then four more 30 minutes later over the east and northwest coasts of the peninsula, according to the Ministry of Defense.

  • 1:02 a.m.: "Sooner or later Ukraine will be in NATO," says Jens Stoltenberg

"There is no doubt that sooner or later Ukraine will be in NATO," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday in an interview with German media group Funke.

Kiev moved closer to NATO at the alliance's summit in July, he said. "When the war ends, we will need security guarantees for Ukraine. Otherwise, history could repeat itself," he warned.

At the NATO summit in Vilnius, alliance leaders agreed that Ukraine could join NATO once certain conditions are met, with US and German leaders stressing that these conditions include reforms to protect democracy and the rule of law.

See alsoJens Stoltenberg: "We will bring Ukraine closer to NATO" at the Vilnius summit

  • 1:01 a.m.: "We must prepare for a long war in Ukraine," says NATO

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that a quick end to the war in Ukraine should not be expected in an interview published on Sunday (September 17th), at a time when the Ukrainian army is engaged in a counter-offensive to repel Russian forces.

"Most wars last longer than they were planned when they started," he said in the interview with German media group Funke. "Therefore we must prepare for a long war in Ukraine," he added.

"We all want a quick peace," he said. "But at the same time we have to recognize (this): if President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist. If President (Vladimir) Putin and Russia lay down their arms, we will have peace."

  • September 16 Essentials

Visiting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday inspected nuclear-capable strategic bombers, hypersonic missiles and Russian warships. According to North Korea's official KCNA news agency, he discussed with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu practical ways to strengthen cooperation in the military and security fields.

Ukraine also announced Saturday that two cargo ships were currently sailing in the Black Sea to its ports, a first since the end in July of the grain agreement with Russia that allowed since the summer of 2022 to export Ukrainian goods despite the Russian invasion.

On the ground, the situation on the eastern front is unclear. The Russian army claims not to have been "dislodged" from the village of Andriivka, south of the devastated city of Bakhmut, contradicting an announcement made the day before by the Ukrainian General Staff.

With AFP

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