Skip next section Latvia arrests suspect accused of Russian espionage
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Latvia arrests suspect accused of Russian espionage
‘s State Security Service (VDD) announced that it had arrested a man suspected of spying for Russia.
According to the authorities, the suspect, who is a Latvian citizen, is accused of revealing the locations and security measures of Latvian and allied NATO troops on Latvian territory to his handlers in Moscow.
He is also accused of providing information on the construction of new military facilities and military exercises.
“According to information at VDD’s disposal, the male has also shared other information with the Russian intelligence and security service which could be used against the national security interests of Latvia and other Baltic region states,” the VDD said.
Although the suspect has not been publicly identified, a criminal investigation has been opened and four properties have been searched. He has been detained since late August.
Latvia and its fellow Baltic states have been NATO members since 2004. They are staunch allies of Ukraine in its fight against .
https://p.dw.com/p/50bA0
Skip next section Navalny’s wife says he was killed by poisoning
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Navalny’s wife says he was killed by poisoning
Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the late Russian opposition leader , has said that laboratory tests on biological samples obtained from her husband showed that he had been poisoned.
In a video posted on X, she said that biological material from Navalny had been smuggled abroad in 2024 and examined by two laboratories.
“These labs in two different countries reached the same conclusion: Alexei was killed. More specifically, he was poisoned,” said Navalnaya.
Navalny in a Russian prison beyond the Arctic Circle, .
has repeatedly accused the Russian government of killing him, a claim that the Kremlin denies.
https://p.dw.com/p/50b21
Skip next section Merz warns that Putin ‘has been testing the limits’
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Merz warns that Putin ‘has been testing the limits’
German Chancellor said Russia’s violation of Polish and Romanian airspace last week was part of a long-running trend of boundary-testing and sabotage by President .
“Putin has been testing the limits for a long time,” Merz told the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, as he was addressing lawmakers as part of the budget week debate. “He sabotages, he spies, he murders, he tries to unsettle people.”
Merz also warned that Putin was looking to destabilize German society.
“We will not allow that to happen,” the chancellor stressed, adding that Germany is strengthening its resilience and defense capabilities for that very reason.
“We must deter our opponents from further aggression and at the same time bring allies and partners closer together,” Merz said.
The chancellor added that a peace deal in the war in Ukraine cannot come at the expense of Kyiv’s political sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“A dictated peace, a peace without freedom, would encourage Putin to seek his next target,” Merz said.
Germany has been one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters since the Russian invasion in 2022. According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the country surpassed the United States last week and is now the biggest supplier of military aid.
https://p.dw.com/p/50aq8
Skip next section Head of European Parliament visits Ukraine
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Head of European Parliament visits Ukraine
European Parliament President has arrived in the Ukrainian capital.
On the media platform X, she posted a photo of herself at the train station with the caption, “Next stop: Kyiv.”
The program of Metsola’s visit to Ukraine is not yet known.
https://p.dw.com/p/50amz
Skip next section Russian drone attacks target more Ukrainian rail facilities
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Russian drone attacks target more Ukrainian rail facilities
Russia continued attacks on Ukraine’s railway facilities, hitting installations overnight into Wednesday. The attacks resulted in disruptions to the network, according to officials.
“Because of a large-scale enemy attack on electrical substations, we are experiencing delays on trains heading toward Odessa and Dnipro,” Ukrainian Railways said on Telegram.
Railway chief Oleksandr Pertsovskyi described it as “another night with yet another complex attack on the railway.”
https://p.dw.com/p/50ail
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Europe to speed up stopping oil, gas imports from Russia, von der Leyen says after speaking to Trump
European Commission President has announced a series of moves to quicken the stop of all oil and gas imports from Russia.
“Russia’s war economy, sustained by revenues from fossil fuels, is financing the bloodshed in Ukraine,” von der Leyen posted on X, adding the Commission will “propose speeding up” the phase-out of Russian fossil imports.
While not giving further details, the EU’s current plan says it will fully stop Russian gas imports by 2028, with oil imports to be phased out by 2027.
The Commission head said she had a “good call” with US President Donald Trump, who recently tied further US sanctions on Russia to Europe imposing high tariffs on Chinese imports and
“The Commission will soon present its 19th package of sanctions, targeting crypto, banks, and energy,” von der Leyen said on social media.
https://p.dw.com/p/50aMK
Skip next section UN head Guterres ‘not optimistc’ on peace prospect in Ukraine
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
UN head Guterres ‘not optimistc’ on peace prospect in Ukraine
UN Secretary General says he is “not optimistic” about quickly achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine.
“I am not optimistic about the short-term progress in the peace process in Ukraine,” he told reporters in New York, adding he believes the war between the two countries will go on “at least for some time.”
Hopes for progress in the negotiations were bolstered by the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in August, but so far, any such peace arrangement has failed to materialize.
https://p.dw.com/p/50aMT
Skip next section Protests erupt in Slovakia over government’s pro-Russian stance
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Protests erupt in Slovakia over government’s pro-Russian stance
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in to protest against the economic and pro-Russian policies of Prime Minister .
This comes as Fico traveled to China to meet Russian President , the third meeting between the two since Moscow’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
Fico has become known for being a divisive figure, with his critics saying he is following Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s example, who is also someone who has shown Russian sympathies and complicated European Union efforts to sanction Moscow for starting the war in Ukraine.
https://p.dw.com/p/50aMW
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage
09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
We will be looking at the talks between European Commission head and US President regarding European countries’ consumption of energy from Russia.
Elsewhere, protesters took to the streets in Slovakia against the government’s pro-Russian stance.
Follow all of today’s developments in here.
https://p.dw.com/p/50aMD
The post Ukraine updates: Merz warns Putin is ‘testing the limits’ appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
