On Sept. 8, a Russian-operated Shahed-type drone crashed in Latvia's Rezekne region. The drone had entered Latvian airspace from Belarus and was tracked by air defense systems. While there was no immediate harm, Latvian Minister of Defense Andris Sprūds emphasised this incursion's seriousness, as any violation of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member's airspace could have broad security ramifications.

The regime in Russia further cracked down on its queer community this month, with Russia’s top court ruling to ban the so-called “international LGBTQ movement,” labeling it an extremist organization. It is now illegal in Russia to “promote or praise LGBTQ relationships, publicly express non-heterosexual orientations or suggest that they are normal.”

The European Union (EU) has threatened legal action against the Polish government for failing to resolve the blockade at the border between Poland and Ukraine — caused by a weeks-long trucker protest.

Around 250 blue Stars of David were tagged on buildings in France, in what the Parisian police chief called an “antisemitic” incident. Officials in France claim that a Russian-speaking person living abroad “may have paid for” the graffiti and Russian-controlled social media accounts promoted images of the graffiti.

In a recent interview with The Economist, top Ukrainian General Valery Zaluzhny admitted that the war against Russia has reached a stalemate — comparing the situation in Eastern Ukraine to Northern France during World War I.

A mob in the Russian Republic of Dagestan stormed an airfield on Oct. 30, 2023, prompting the closure of an airport and the diversion of flights.