EU’s von der Leyen warns of ‘escalating campaign of threats’ as Romania destroys naval drone – Europe live | Ukraine
EU’s von der Leyen warns of ‘escalating campaign of threats’ against the bloc after Romania destroys naval drone near gas platform
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen criticised “an escalating campaign of threats” against the European Union, as she responded to Romania’s decision to destroy a naval drone near its Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea (12:33).
“An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union. This is hybrid warfare,” she said, without naming the aggressor.
She continued:
“The founding mission of our Union is to preserve peace. Today, that also means having the capacity to deter provocation and aggression. Our Readiness 2030 agenda is mobilising up to EUR 800 billion.
With the European Drone Defence Initiative and the Eastern Flank Watch, we are scaling up production in Europe to deliver capabilities Member States need. So we can respond to emerging threats with speed, unity and resolve.”
Key events
Russia running on imported gasoline, government confirms
Russia has begun importing fuel, its government has confirmed, as a shipload of gasoline arrived from India.
A fuel exporter in peacetime, Russia has been forced to turn to imports after Ukrainian strikes on its refineries and depots in response to the Russian invasion.
The campaign by Kyiv’s military has been a major success, causing fuel shortages across Russia and in illegally occupied Crimea.
At least one cargo of gasoline from India has just entered Russia’s domestic market, three industry sources told Reuters and shipping data showed.
Russia is also arranging rail imports of gasoline from Belarus and Kazakhstan, and has placed a ban on fuel exports.
Reuters reported last week that Russia had also begun shipping in diesel from Asia.
Ukraine is struggling to defend itself from high-speed ballistics – snap analysis
Dan Sabbagh
Defence and security editor
A shortage of Patriot interceptors means that Ukraine is struggling to defend itself from attack from high-speed ballistics, which can arrive within minutes of an air raid warning.
Earlier this month the air force decided to stop announcing how many ballistics had been launched, citing security concerns.
Both sides have been escalating long-range attacks while air defences remain short. Ukraine has attacked oil refineries and warehouses close to Moscow using newly developed cruise missiles and drones, while Russia has stepped up its attacks on Kyiv, making heavy use of hard ballistics.
Ukraine’s partners ‘cannot simply watch silently and indifferently’ as Russia ‘destroy lives,’ Zelenskyy says in dramatic appeal for missile interceptors
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “more than 600 first responders” are still involved in responding to the overnight Russian attacks on Kyiv, which killed 15 people.
“It is important that Ukraine’s partners do not remain silent about this and other similar strikes and truly help protect our people, protect life in Ukraine. This Russian strike was one of the most cynical, calculated, and large-scale. There were various types of missiles and 168 drones,” he said.
Zelenskyy warned that ballistic missiles remain “the biggest threat,” as Ukraine suffers from shortage of missile interceptors.
“This is something that depends entirely on the supply of Patriot missiles to Ukraine and therefore depends on our country’s partners. You cannot simply watch silently and indifferently, doing nothing as the Russians destroy lives with ballistic missiles.”
EU’s von der Leyen warns of ‘escalating campaign of threats’ against the bloc after Romania destroys naval drone near gas platform
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen criticised “an escalating campaign of threats” against the European Union, as she responded to Romania’s decision to destroy a naval drone near its Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea (12:33).
“An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union. This is hybrid warfare,” she said, without naming the aggressor.
She continued:
“The founding mission of our Union is to preserve peace. Today, that also means having the capacity to deter provocation and aggression. Our Readiness 2030 agenda is mobilising up to EUR 800 billion.
With the European Drone Defence Initiative and the Eastern Flank Watch, we are scaling up production in Europe to deliver capabilities Member States need. So we can respond to emerging threats with speed, unity and resolve.”
Aftermath of Russian strikes on Kyiv – in pictures
We are getting more pictures showing the aftermath of overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv.
Romania destroys marine drone spotted near major offshore gas project
Romania’s military has destroyed a marine drone spotted just “a few hundred meters” from the Neptun Deep platform, a major offshore gas project in the Black Sea.
The drone, spotted just “a few hundreds of meters” from the gas extraction works at the Neptun Deep platform located some 80 miles east of the city of Constanța, was destroyed by a Romanian F-16 fighter jet.
“Following the analyses carried out and in coordination with the President of Romania, in order to protect the lives of the several hundred people working on the platform and to secure the critical infrastructure, the decision was made to destroy the drone,” Romania’s defence minister Radu Miruță said in a post on Facebook.
Miruță added that Romanian officials confirmed with Kyiv that the vessel was “not of Ukrainian origin,” strongly suggesting Russian involvement amid heightened maritime tensions in the region.
Earlier this month, Romanian army divers destroyed two Gerbera-type drones drifting in the country’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone near the same offshore gas project.
Death roll from overnight attacks on Kyiv rises to 15
The death toll from the overnight Russian attack on Kyiv has gone up to 15, Kyiv authorities said.
39 people were injured.
Ukraine faces ‘terror that is only growing’ from Russia, former army chief says
Ukraine’s UK ambassador and former army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi also called for Ukraine to get “not word, but concrete help from partners,” as he warned that country faced “terror that is only growing” from Russia.
In a post on X, he said:
“Civilians were killed again, dozens were injured. Pain, loss and destruction.
Terror that is only growing. Ukraine needs protection. Not words, but concrete help from partners.
Condolences to the families of the deceased. Gratitude to all who protect and save.”
His comments also carry political weight as he remains one of Zelenskyy’s potential main rivals in any future presidential elections in Ukraine.
Russia testing Nato’s resolve with airspace incidents in neighbouring countries, Ukraine’s minister warns
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said that Russia violated the airspace of Moldova and Romania during last night’s attacks on Ukraine.
“These are not isolated incidents. They are part of Russia’s deliberate and systemic terrorist attacks. The aggressor state is increasingly testing the resolve of Nato and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighbouring states and deliberately expanding the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine,” he warned.
Sybiha said he would work with his counterparts in both countries “toward a stronger and more effective regional response to Russia’s cynical attempts to widen the war it started.”
“Our collective response must be stronger than Russia’s attempts to test our unity and resolve. The security and stability of the entire region are at stake,” he said.
Dan Sabbagh
in Kyiv
A children’s hospital was struck in the Solomianskyi district to the west of the heart of the capital, with windows blown out and cars burned. At least two residential buildings were also reported hit in the area.
Explosions could be heard from the city centre at about midnight on Wednesday, earlier than the normal timing of Russian missile strikes, and there was a further wave of attacks early on Thursday morning.
An attack in Brovary district of the broader Kyiv region killed one man and wounded another, said the regional governor, Tymur Tkachenko. “One industrial facility has been damaged. All relevant services are on site, working to extinguish the fire,” he said.
Ukraine’s air force had warned of Russian Kalibr cruise missiles passing over the regional village of Kaharlyk and heading towards the capital.
Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses external power supply
The United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Thursday that Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station lost its only remaining external power line, forcing emergency diesel generators to start supplying vital safety systems, Reuters reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, said on X that initial assessment indicated the damage was located on the northern bank of the Dnipro River, and technicians were unable to determine the outage’s cause due to military activity.
The plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, produces no electricity but needs power supplied by two external links to keep nuclear fuel cool, Reuters said.
Ukraine’s air force said that Russia had launched dozens of ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, as well as 168 drones in its overnight attack on the country.
It said that air defence units downed 145 drones and most of the cruise missiles but none of the missiles that run on ballistic trajectory, Reuters said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has for month been pushing for more anti-ballistic missiles to be delivered to Ukraine.
18 people hospitalised after overnight attacks on Kyiv
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said 18 people have been hospitalised after the overnight attacks, with emergency and clean-up response continuing at various sites across three districts of the city.
“The capital is recovering from a massive enemy attack,” he said in a video on Telegram.
“Residential and non-residential buildings, a school, and a children’s hospital were damaged,” he added.
The intensity of overnight strikes on Ukraine prompted Polish authorities to send emergency alerts to residents in two border regions.
“A massive air attack is underway in western Ukraine. Follow the alerts,” read the notification sent to mobile phones just after 4am.
The alert was called off about 90 minutes later.
Poland’s military command also said it had mobilised aircraft and activated air defences aimed at protecting its airspace in areas bordering Ukraine.
Morning opening: Russia strikes Kyiv once again
Jakub Krupa
At least 12 people were killed and 40 injured in a series of Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
“It was a massive attack – the Russians had been preparing for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure. There is destruction in Kyiv and the region, as well as in the Odesa and Chernihiv regions,” Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The attack will likely draw further attention to Ukraine’s shortage of air defence missiles.
“While Moscow is investing in ballistic missiles and escalation, such strikes do not always receive the response they should from the world. And as long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistic defence, Russia will not consider peace seriously,” Zelenskyy warned this morning.
Pledging with allies to send more Patriot interceptors to help protect Ukraine, he stressed that “every additional missile saves the lives of our people.”
More drone attack warnings from Kyiv were going live this morning.
Responding to the overnight attacks, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday a day of mourning in the city.
I will bring you more updates throughout the day.
It’s Thursday, 20 August 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
