President Zelensky accuses Russia of using 'dark fleet' to launch UAVs to attack European cities

The Kyiv Independent newspaper of Ukraine on the evening of September 28, local time, said the above statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the same evening, citing intelligence reports when tensions between the Russian Federation and member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) increased regarding airspace violations.

Since early September 2025, multiple drones believed to be from the Russian Federation have violated the airspace of Poland, Romania, and possibly the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark.

On September 19, Estonia accused three MiG-31 fighter jets believed to be from the Russian Federation of flying into its airspace for 12 minutes without permission or submitting a flight plan, triggering NATO's Article 4. Meanwhile, on September 26, Hungarian fighter jets intercepted five Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea for the first time.

For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded by denying any airspace violations and calling the European Union (EU) response “hysterical,” arguing that the planned measures would only “increase military and political tensions on our continent.”

In a post on Telegram on September 26, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova even accused Ukraine of planning a "false flag" operation in Romania or Poland, which could lead to the risk of World War III.

RT channel on September 26 quoted Ms. Zakharova as saying that, based on the available information, Ukraine's plan is to modify some of the Russian drones that were shot down or intercepted, install lethal warheads on them. Then, Ukrainian experts will control them disguised as "Russian drones" to major NATO transport hubs in Poland and Romania.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation added that Ukraine will conduct a disinformation campaign across Europe to blame Russia and thereby try to provoke an armed conflict between the Russian Federation and NATO.

According to RT, Ukraine repaired the Geran unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured by the Russian Federation at the LORTA plant in Lviv. On September 16, they were transferred to the Yavorov training ground in western Ukraine, where the Center for International Peacekeeping and Security of the Hetman Petro Sagaidachny National Academy is located.

Meanwhile, speaking on the evening of September 28, President Zelensky called for imposing additional sanctions on the Russian Federation's "dark fleet" in the face of threats from drones.

“It is especially important that the sanctions hit the Russian Federation’s energy trade and the entire infrastructure of its tanker fleet. This is proof that the Baltic Sea and other seas must be closed to Russian tankers, at least to the shadow fleet,” Zelensky stressed.

Russia’s “Dark Fleet” has increasingly become the target of Western sanctions, as Ukraine’s international partners seek to restrict the oil revenues that help fund Moscow’s war machine.

The fleet includes hundreds of aging tankers, often uninsured or poorly maintained. They often fly foreign flags and operate without transparency, making it difficult for regulators to enforce sanctions.

While the EU is expected to introduce a 19th package of sanctions, US officials have also considered additional sanctions on the “dark fleet” of the Russian Federation if President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Although the initial deadline for sanctions was set for August 8, US President Donald Trump has yet to implement any further measures against the Russian Federation.

After meeting with US President Donald Trump on September 23 in New York on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Ukrainian President said in a speech on the evening of September 28 that Kiev "expects strong steps from the US side".