Ukraine established diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea on September 25th, as Foreign Ministers Andriy Sibiga and Justin Tkachenko signed a communique formalizing the ties. The signing occurred on the same day that Ukrainian shelling in Russia's Bryansk region caused civilian casualties, including a child, in the village of Belaya Berezka. Governor Alexander Bogomaz stated that victims were taken to the district hospital, with damage reported to residential and administrative buildings. In a separate military development, a Ukrainian Air Force Patriot air defense position near Svitlohirske in Dnipro was reportedly struck yesterday by an Iskander-M ballistic missile, resulting in the destruction of its AN/MPQ-65 search and track radar. This battery's launchers are stationed around Dnipro city and have previously engaged incoming Iskander missiles. Amidst these events, European diplomats have privately warned Moscow that NATO is prepared to respond to further Russian airspace violations with full force, according to officials cited by Bloomberg. This warning comes as NATO allies remain divided on a policy to counter Russian incursions, with the United States, Poland, and Baltic nations favoring a strong stance, while Germany and some southern European countries express concerns about escalation. Earlier this week, Romania granted its mission commanders authority to shoot down military aircraft entering Romanian airspace, and Hungarian Gripens intercepted Russian fighter jets near Latvian airspace, as confirmed by NATO's main command. Previous reports also indicated a gasoline shortage beginning in the Moscow region, attributed to Ukraine's ongoing drone campaign. Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly accepted an invitation to visit Ukraine. A Russian Borei-class strategic nuclear submarine was also spotted near Japan's shores, accompanied by the missile cruiser Varyag and rescue tug Fotiy Krylov.
