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Moscow says it will have a ‘harsh and painful’ response to Hungarian move to expel 10 diplomats
We are getting a bit more on that Russian response to Hungary, and it’s clear that Moscow is not happy.
The foreign ministry said it would proceed with a “harsh and painful” response, AFP reported.
“The response to the Russophobic lobby in Budapest will be harsh and painful,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the TASS state news agency.
Key events
Romanian intelligence service says it prevented Russian sabotage operation targeting defence, critical infrastructure
Romanian intelligence service said it “prevented the commission of a sabotage on national territory,” involving a Russian citizen in Romania and a number of defence and critical infrastructure targets.
In a statement, the SRI service said that the Russian man, who was being monitored as part of an extensive investigation, attempted to take photo and video documentation of “some communications centres and national military bases used by Nato allies,” as well as other defence institutions and critical infrastructure.
“The data obtained indicate a similar action pattern to that used on the territory of European states by networks of saboteurs coordinated by entities from the Russian Federation, including in the cases thwarted in Romania in 2024 and 2025: the Russian citizen was instructed by an intermediary to make photo-video materials with targets of strategic military interest, including a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft during their presence on the national territory.”
It added that “the specific actions taken by the SRI, as well as the measures taken with the Romanian authorities and external partners, led to the prevention of an act of sabotage on national territory.”
The service did not offer more detail on whether it involved any arrests.
Dutch foreign minister calls for ‘accountability, reconciliation, education’ after Serbia’s ‘hero’ funeral for Mladić
Dutch foreign minister Tom Berendsen also joined in calls for “accountability, reconciliation and education about the past” as he criticised Serbia for holding a “hero” funeral for Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić (12:48).
In a statement, Berendsen said:
“Ratko Mladić was convicted of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. The honour bestowed upon him in Belgrade by the state is incompatible with European values and deeply hurtful to victims and their families.
The Netherlands supports voices in Serbia and across the region calling for accountability, reconciliation and education about the past.”
German police detain suspect after sabotage attacks on power grid
Elsewhere, we are getting a line from Germany that German police have detained a man suspected of carrying out a series of sabotage attacks on the country’s electricity grid, as reported by local media and Reuters.
The suspect, identified as Daniel V. by German media, was detained in Weisweiler about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Cologne, where he allegedly carried out one of his attempted attacks, Reuters said.
German police have been searching for the 48-year-old since they obtained letters claiming responsibility for a series of sabotage attacks on the power grid, in which the suspect cited opposition to fossil fuels as a motive.
German news agency DPA said that the suspect’s “motive was reportedly climate-related, with the letters criticising electricity production from fossil fuels.”
EU backs Hungary’s decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats
Separately, the commission was also asked about Hungary’s decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats this morning.
The commission’s foreign affairs spokesperson Christian Wigand said:
“We take note of Hungary’s legitimate decision.
This is an expected reaction [given] Russia’s persistent campaign in using hybrid attacks against the EU and its member states.
The European Union expresses its full solidarity with Hungary and reaffirms its support for the diplomatic and consular activities of all member states conducted in accordance with international law.
The European Union will continue to closely coordinate with Hungary and other member states, and remains committed to protecting the interests and the rights of EU citizens.”
Bosnia withdraws diplomatic staff from Serbia in protest at Mladić’s ‘hero’ funeral
It’s worth noting that Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrew all staff from its Belgrade embassy yesterday, and transferred consular services to its embassies in Zagreb and Podgorica in protest against Mladić’s ‘hero’ funeral in Belgrade.
The ministry said the move intended to “reduce communication with Serbia to the lowest possible level,” while intensifying its dialogue about the situation with the EU, US, and the UK.
It’s also probably safe to say that the Bosnian foreign ministry was not impressed with the commission’s bland holding position yesterday.
Responding to questions from reporters yesterday, the EU’s lead spokesperson Paula Pinho insisted that “there is no place for glorification of war criminals,” but did not really engage with repeated questions about the apparent state and military honours involved.
In a late afternoon post directed at Pinho, the ministry said: “are you even aware of what you are saying?”
It continued:
“Five ministers from the Serbian Government were seated in the front row at the funeral, a convicted war criminal was given military honours, and his body was flown in on a Serbian Government aircraft.
What are you afraid of? Why are you unwilling to call this what it is?
Your position on the funeral of a convicted war criminal is a disgrace to the entire European Union!”
Difficult not to see a link between their furious reaction and this morning’s hasty statement from von der Leyen and Pinho’s notably different tone at today’s midday briefing.
EU ‘looking into’ its response to Serbia’s ‘hero’ funeral for Mladić
Not surprisingly, the issue of the EU’s muddled response to yesterday’s “hero” funeral for Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić comes up again during today’s midday briefing held by the European Commission.
A commission spokesperson said the commission was “looking into” any potential consequences for Serbia.
She also repeated commission president von der Leyen’s criticism from this morning (9:41), saying the images from the funeral were “shocking” and “speak for themselves.”
“They demonstrate a failure to confront a dark chapter in Europe’s recent history and contradict the values underpinning Serbia’s path towards the European Union,” Paula Pinho said.
She declined to say if von der Leyen would visit Belgrade on her annual trip to western Balkans, stressing the programme is still being worked on.
Moscow says it will have a ‘harsh and painful’ response to Hungarian move to expel 10 diplomats
We are getting a bit more on that Russian response to Hungary, and it’s clear that Moscow is not happy.
The foreign ministry said it would proceed with a “harsh and painful” response, AFP reported.
“The response to the Russophobic lobby in Budapest will be harsh and painful,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the TASS state news agency.
Russia to respond to Hungary’s decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats
Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry told RIA Novosti news agency that it would respond to Hungary’s decision to expel ten Russian spies diplomats from Budapest (11:09).
Win in war against Ukraine is ‘very near,’ Kremlin spokesperson says
But the tone coming from Moscow is very different, as Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia was very confident that victory in its war against Ukraine is “very near.”
“Yes, we are confident, and we are sure that victory is very near,” Peskov said in comments reported by Reuters.
US negotiators had ‘decent ideas’ on ending war, Zelenskyy says
We are getting more lines from Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chat with reporters this morning (10:57).
The Ukrainian president said that US peace negotiators had presented several “decent ideas” to be discussed during talks on how to end the war.
He also suggested the next trilateral meeting could be hosted by Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland or some other countries.
Another could take place as soon as this month, Zelenskyy said.
“If all sides agree, we also want to hold it in autumn. If September works out, then it would be great. The earlier, the better,” he said in comments reported by AFP.
Hungary expels 10 Russian diplomats accused of ‘engaging in activities unacceptable … under Vienna Convention’
Hungary has asked 10 Russian diplomats who “engaged in activities … that are unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention” to leave the country, foreign minister Anita Orbán said.
“The decision protects the security and sovereignty of Hungary,” she said in a statement on Facebook.
“This does not mean the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia. Hungary intends to continue the necessary dialogue, based on mutual respect and compliance with the rules,” she added.
Zelenskyy hopes to meet Trump this month to discuss missile defence
Separately, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hoped to meet US president Donald Trump this month to discuss missile defence ahead of what is expected to be another difficult winter for Ukraine.
His comments come as Kyiv finds itself once again under renewed attacks from Russia, with Ukrainian authorities repeatedly warning that they are facing a shortage of air defence supplies.
UK commits £100m to fund Ukraine’s defence this winter
The UK has committed £100m to boost Ukraine’s air defence capabilities this winter, including air defence interceptors, large-calibre artillery rounds and drones.
The money will be spent on Nato’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) that helps Ukraine get the equipment it needs with the support of Nato allies.
The UK government also said its “commitment to provide over 120,000 drones to Ukraine this year continues, with 25,000 delivered to date, a figure set to ramp up ahead of the winter.”
Iceland summons US ambassador over Trump’s AI-generated map
Iceland summoned the US ambassador for talks last night after US president Donald Trump posted on social media an AI-generated map of the US, Canada and other countries, which appeared to include Iceland as the US territory.
Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV reported that the ambassador was told that the post was “completely inappropriate.”
The map also included Greenland as the US territory, despite being posted just hours after the EU unveiled a €200m investment package for the territory in an apparent attempt to strengthen its ties with the bloc (Europe Live, Monday).
12 injured in overnight Russian attacks on Kyiv
The number of people injured in this morning’s attacks on Kyiv has gone up to 12, local authorities said.
Four artworks stolen from Renoir museum in southern France
Two thieves have broken into a museum dedicated to the French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir in southern France, stealing four artworks and dropping one as they fled, the mayor has said.
“This morning, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum and stole four works of art,” said Bryan Masson, the far-right mayor of the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer.
“Spotted thanks to the town’s video surveillance cameras, the two individuals fled, abandoning one of the stolen paintings as they ran,” he said, adding that his office estimated the value of the stolen works at €9m (£7.7m).
The museum was opened in 1960 in the painter’s last home before his death in 1919. Its collection includes objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as portraits, landscapes and nudes painted by the artist.
The mayor said it took five minutes for the authorities to respond. “The museum alarm went off at 5.48 am. At 5.53 am, just five minutes later, our municipal police were on the scene,” he said.
The theft comes less than a year after eight items valued at around €88m were stolen during a daylight robbery from the Louvre in Paris. The four suspected Louvre robbers have been arrested, but the stolen items have not been found despite extensive searches by French investigators in the Paris region, and exchanges with police in Belgium, Italy and beyond.
Art thieves in Europe are committing more violent robberies and specialist gangs have been replaced by ad-hoc opportunists recruited through social media, Europol said last month.
EU’s von der Leyen condemns ‘shocking’ funeral of Mladić in Serbia
Separately, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has condemned the presence of senior Serbian officials at yesterday’s funeral of Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić, saying it showed “a failure to confront a dark chapter in Europe’s recent history” and questioned Serbia’s alignment with the EU.
Mladić, who died last week, was buried with military honours in after a memorial service attended by tens of thousands of people and led by Porfirije, the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox church.
In a statement this morning, von der Leyen said:
“The images from Ratko Mladić’s funeral yesterday in Belgrade were shocking. Ratko Mladić was a convicted war criminal. He was responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. He died while serving a life sentence for the Srebrenica genocide and other crimes.
The elements of official support and the presence of some senior Serbian officials at the funeral are deeply regrettable. They demonstrate a failure to confront a dark chapter in Europe’s recent history and contradict the values underpinning Serbia’s path towards the European Union.
Our thoughts are with all the victims of the crimes committed in the countries of former Yugoslavia.”
Morning opening: Ukraine’s prosecutor general resigns as Russia resumes attacks
Jakub Krupa
Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, resigned from his post over corruption accusations that saw anti-graft officers search his offices at the weekend as part of investigations into illegal call centres, AFP reported.
In a statement, Ruslav Kravchenko has denied he was involved in the alleged scheme, and said his resignation was a “political decision” as he wanted to avoid his position being used “as an instrument of political confrontation.”
His decision to step down poses another challenge for Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy after tricky summer which involved a government reshuffle and a political crisis linked to his controversial decision to sack popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The latest political crisis comes as Russia has resumed its attacks on Kyiv after a brief pause over the weekend intended to facilitate peace talks with senior US representatives.
“It was a complex attack that the Russians tried to plan to cause as much harm to life as possible – ballistic missiles, cruise and anti-ship missiles, and jet-powered shaheds. There is significant damage to residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure in the capital,” Zelenskyy said this morning.
At least two people died in the attack, and 10 were injured. Further attacks were also reported in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.
Elsewhere, I will keep an eye on the latest from Germany as the fallout from the Saxony-Anhalt election continues, and on reports from France about thieves stealing four works of French impressionist painter Auguste Renoir during a night heist at a museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
It’s Tuesday, 8 September 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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