The threat of a Russian hybrid attack on the UK is rising, officials and experts fear, after the use of an explosive drone to target a German airport marked a further escalation in tactics deployed against countries supporting Ukraine.
The German government took the unusual step of attributing the attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport directly to Russia on Tuesday, saying the explosives and equipment used had been seen in “other hybrid operations of Russia and its war against Ukraine”.
Britain sees the Russian escalation of grey zone activity, including the attempted attack on Leipzig airport last month, as “serious”, but not out of character from Putin, government sources have said.
The UK is understood to be working closely with the German government on countering Moscow’s hybrid warfare.
While there is not expected to be any specific response from the British government to the Leipzig incident, including joining the EU in imposing fresh sanctions on Russia, Downing Street said the UK “stands in full solidarity with Germany following Russia’s reckless attack in Leipzig, and as the Prime Minister made clear, Russian attempts to undermine our support for Ukraine are futile and doomed to fail”.
Charlie Kirk murder suspect faces death penalty
A US judge has ruled that a 23-year-old Utah man charged with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk can face the death penalty if convicted at trial.
Everything you need to know
- Kirk, 31, had built a reputation as a rising star of the American right with his debating events advocating conservative positions, held at campuses across the US.
- The activist and father of two was shot by a rooftop sniper on 10 September, 2025, suffering a fatal neck wound.
- Prosecutors claim they have unassailable evidence that Tyler Robinson is the killer, including DNA allegedly tying him to the murder weapon and confessions he is claimed to have made to loved ones.
How defence lawyers sought to have death penalty taken off the table
Robinson is facing a charge of , a capital offence in Utah which can carry the death penalty. Prosecutors argue that factors including allegedly firing into a crowd containing children warrant a capital trial.
But defence lawyers have attempted to sow doubt about the prosecution case, saying no bullets struck anyone other than Kirk and raising questions about the credentials of testifying experts. Robinson pleaded not guilty.
How energy bills may rise in January – what it means for your money
The Iran war has driven gas prices in the UK and Europe to their highest level since the start of the Ukraine war, prompting concern that a further price rise for consumers is locked in for the new year.
Forecasters are predicting that the energy price cap could rise in January to £1,970 – a rise of about £250 on the limit in place from October.
Everything you need to know
- The global supply of natural gas has been pegged back by the virtual elimination of Qatar, one of the world’s biggest exporters, from the market by the war in the Persian Gulf.
- Consequently, wholesale prices have shot up as European buyers compete with Asia for the reduced number of Liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes.
- British consumers are unusually exposed to these fluctuations because gas costs are used as the benchmark for energy bills. The UK is still heavily reliant on gas for heating and electricity generation.
Is increased government help for bill payers coming?
Andy Burnham has made tangible help with the cost of living one of the keystones of his premiership. But the chaos on global energy markets is reducing his ability to come to consumers’ aid.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has made it known that she is seeking new financial support for households in October’s budget to try to soften the blow of a January price hike. Whether the Treasury will be able to find the funds to do so remains to be seen.
Four charged with murder after baby fatally stabbed
Two men and two women have been charged with murder after a baby girl was found stabbed to death at a house in Sheffield.
What you need to know
- Police were called to the home in the Wincobank area of Sheffield on Sunday morning after reports of concern for the safety of newborn girl.
- After a search of the property, officers found the body of the infant. A post-mortem examination found the baby had died as a result of stab wounds.
- Andrea Skopova, 20, Peter Horvath, 19, Peter Horvath, 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37, were each charged with three offences, including murder, on Tuesday. They are due to appear in court.
Teenager accused of related offence
The Crown Prosecution Service said a 15-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had also been charged with an allegation of perverting the course of justice in connection with the incident.
South Yorkshire Police said it was dealing with an “intricate investigation”. Commenting on the charges, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward said: “This is a significant step in our investigation into the tragic circumstances that resulted in the death of this baby girl.”
The biggest signings of the transfer window
Premier League clubs have shattered their all-time summer transfer window record by spending £3.46bn on new players.
Everything you need to know
- The eye-watering sums spent by Premier League sides underline the ability of the top English clubs to attract talent – albeit at vast cost.
- Three of the 10 most expensive signings in football history happened this summer – all of them to Premier League sides.
- Alongside the purchase of Enzo Fernandez, Manchester City also paid £116m to Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson. City spent £451m overall.
The ‘weird’ economics of the Premier League transfer market
If proof were needed of the singular nature of the transfer market in England’s top flight, it is to be found in the fact that newly promoted Ipswich spent more on new signings this summer than European giants Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus and PSG.
Some 35 per cent of deals this summer were between Premiership sides and the net spend of more than £1bn is by far the biggest in Europe.
The biggest deals of the transfer window
- 1 Enzo Fernandez (£125m), Chelsea to Manchester City.
- 2Morgan Rogers (£117m), Aston Villa to Chelsea.
- 3Elliot Anderson (£116m), Nottingham Forest to Manchester City.
- 4 Bradley Barcola (£107M), Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool.
The spending continues
- 5Sandro Tonali (£101m), Newcastle to Tottenham Hotspur.
- 6Ayyoub Bouaddi (£85.6m), Lille to Manchester City.
- 7Savio (£85m), Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur.
- 8Mateus Fernandes (£85m), West Ham to Tottenham Hotspur.
This absurd transfer window exposed the Premier League for what it is
What was your favourite bit of the Premier League transfer window? Was it when clubs with great tradition had to overhaul their squads to meet financial restrictions while other clubs, either under current serious investigation or having admitted previous cheating, spent whatever they wanted?
The test that can spot nine in 10 bladder cancers
An at-home urine test being trialled by the NHS can detect 92 per cent of bladder cancer cases, potentially reducing the need for patients to face more urgent and invasive procedures.
A study of 1,000 patients led by the University of Birmingham found a in the simple test meant there was a more than 99 per cent chance that a patient did not have bladder cancer.
Everything you need to know
- Around 11,000 cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year. It is more common in men and 60 per cent of cases are in those aged 75 and over.
- The new test looks for genetic material – caused by more than 450 DNA mutations – shed into the urine by bladder cancer.
- A wider trial will establish whether the test is sufficient to rule out further procedures for negative results – and can help identify patients at greater risk of disease.
More convenience for patients
Researchers hope the test, developed with funding from Cancer Research UK, could reduce the number of patients needing cystoscopies – an invasive procedure which involves inserting a small camera into the bladder via the urethra.
Some 300,000 cystoscopies are carried out each year but there are lengthy waiting lists in some areas. By potentially ruling out cancer in tens of thousands of cases, it is hoped the new test could help doctors prioritise those in urgent need.
Iran attacks US bases in the Middle East
The Iranian regime launched attacks on US military assets in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq overnight fuelling concerns about a wider resumption of hostilities.
Everything you need to know
Iranian counter-strikes
A US Marines training camp in Jordan was targeted. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Tehran claimed it had struck US warehouses in Iraqi Kurdistan. In Kuwait, the military said it had responded to Iranian missile attacks.
US resumes attacks
The Iranian assault follows American strikes in the Strait of Hormuz after a calm in hostilities.
Alleged attack on wedding
Tehran said it was responding to US strikes on its territory on Tuesday. The Iranian Red Crescent said five people, including a child, had been killed when shrapnel from an American missile hit a wedding celebration.
3 min read
Pentagon denies targeting civilians
The latest exchange of fire between the US and Iran represents a distinct escalation in a conflict which had gone into a lull for several weeks. American strikes early on Monday have led to a series of attacks.
The US military said it was aware of reports that five people were killed and more than 50 injured in a missile strike in Sirik, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian sources said the victims were attending a wedding celebration. But the Pentagon said it “never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC”.
Trump’s military is at breaking point – he’ll pay for it at the ballot box
The attack by US drones on Iran’s Larak Island reveals that Donald Trump’s mission control, like Houston and Apollo 13, has a major problem.
How the triple lock could be replaced
The state pension triple lock, which pegs payments to the highest of three economic measures, “has to stop” and should be replaced by a link to average earnings, a leading economist has warned.
What you need to know
- First introduced in 2015, the triple lock increases the state pension annually by whichever is the highest of inflation, wage increases or 2.5 per cent and will cost £15.5bn per annum by 2030.
- Paul Johnson, the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank, warns that the policy will “take up the whole economy” if left unreformed.
- Johnson is suggesting the state pension be set as a fraction of average full-time earnings, with 33 per cent considered to be “about right”.
How would an average earnings link work
The new state pension currently sits at about 30 per cent of median full-time earnings (£39,039). A target figure for the pension as a fraction of wages – say 33 per cent – could become the benchmark for all future payments.
The system, known as a “smoothed earnings link”, would allow the pension to go up in line with inflation when it rises faster than earnings. But in other years it would remain pegged to wages, saving £650m in 2029-30.
How to be more grateful for daily life in five easy steps
The world feels like a difficult place at the moment, and it can feel very hard sometimes to find things to be thankful for; when we are overwhelmed, we have less capacity to notice and reflect on the good things. Yet, ironically, proactively cultivating gratitude is one of the things that can actually help us feel less stressed.
NHS GP dR RADHA
The science
Research has shown that feeling or expressing thanks can actually alter our brain.
- The balance of neurotransmitters change; more serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) are produced.
- This can be long lasting if we make gratitude a regular habit.
- We also get a decrease in our cortisol (stress hormone) levels which helps lower anxiety.
- Being grateful can strengthen the nerve pathways which triggers positive emotion.
How can we build gratitude?
Change your words
Instead of seeing something as a problem, try to see the opportunities within it.
Our brains are very receptive and what we read or write can alter our emotional system.
Express it
This will not only make you feel good, but you will also get a positive response from others.
How can we build gratitude?
Notice more
Throughout your day, try to notice all the things that are going well; has someone opened a door for you, or smiled?
The basics
By being thankful for the small things every day, we are far more likely to be and stay healthy so that we can enjoy them.
What to do
Gratitude can lead to feelings of optimism, lower our blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
- Write down what potential good aspects there are to the things you don’t feel like doing, or even what could be worse about it.
- Spend a few minutes writing down three things that you are looking forward to that day, or the good things that have happened to you that day.
- Say thank you to yourself for the things you have achieved, or managed to get through and changed that day.
German Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said the construction of the drone, which was discovered near a hub for Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes on 4 August, “indicated a high degree of technical expertise and considerable organisational effort”.
The drone failed to detonate, but reported that local investigators believe the failure was “sheer chance” and a second drone was discovered in a field outside the airport.
German investigators are said to be assessing whether the attack may have failed because disposable agents were hired as “proxies” to carry it out, rather than deploying the Russian intelligence officers believed to have orchestrated the plot, in a trend seen in hybrid attacks across Europe.
The UK has already experienced several Russian hybrid attacks, including an arson attack that damaged a warehouse full of satellite equipment due to be sent to Ukraine for its war effort in March 2024.
Whitehall sources believe the threat of further physical attacks is the highest it has ever been, due to Russia’s desire to punish nations who are giving Ukraine military support by increasing the associated security risks and financial costs, and trying to increase public fear and political opposition.
Following reports that British-made drones had been used for Ukrainian strikes inside Russia last month, its London embassy said the actions would “inevitably carry consequences”.
“The deeper [Britain’s] involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kiev’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay,” a statement added.
After last week’s announcement that the UK would hand Ukraine blueprints to help it make long-range missiles, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said “any British military facilities and hardware, located both inside the Ukraine and beyond its borders, may become legitimate targets”.
Andy Pryce, the former head of countering disinformation at the Foreign Office, told The i Paper that such overt threats were unusual.
“It’s more bellicose than I’ve seen in the last decade – more visceral, more language of war type activity,” he added.
“Multiple figures, spokespeople, state media have threatened consequences for supporting Ukraine in the way we’re supporting Ukraine. So I’d be very surprised if there were not some form of hybrid attack.”
Russian airport plot previously hit UK
Leipzig/Halle Airport was previously among the targets of a Russian plot that also hit the UK in July 2024.
A series of packages containing self-igniting neck massage pillows were sent across Europe by air and road. One exploded into flames inside a postal warehouse on the outskirts of Birmingham, another burst into flames in a lorry driving through Poland and a third caught fire shortly before being loaded onto a plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Several men accused of involvement in that plot are currently on trial in Lithuania, where the national prosecutor said “socially vulnerable people” had been offered payment on Telegram or through criminal networks by people linked to Russia’s GRU military intelligence service.
Dr Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at King’s College London, said that both the exploding parcel plot and the latest airport drone could have caused “very significant escalations of the conflict” if explosions had caused significant damage or the loss of life.
“These hybrid actions can pursue different objectives,” he told The i Paper. “One may be a more concrete one in terms of disrupting military supply lines, but also at the same time, intimidating and polarising societies is always one of the objectives of hybrid warfare.”
Dr Neumann said the attack in Germany was consistent with statements by Vladimir Putin threatening that in revenge for Ukrainian strikes in Russian territory, Russia will “increasingly attack the Ukrainian hinterland, which he considers to be the Western Nato states that are supporting Ukraine”.
“I do think that there is an increased threat of these kinds of attacks, not only for Germany but also for Britain and other countries that are supporting Ukraine,” Dr Neumann added. “This is a time where Russia is increasingly looking to strike at Nato countries.”
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said Russia was growing “increasingly reckless”.
“We have also seen an increase in malign activity targeting our territory directly,” he added. “The examples are many, the danger Russia poses is clear.”
Andy Burnham’s official spokesman said: “We will continue to defend against any threat to our collective security, alongside our allies, including through Nato.
“We’ve been in constant contact with our German counterparts since the attack, including to offer our support and assistance to their investigation… And the Kremlin should make no mistake: alongside our partners, we’ll continue to expose Russian hostile activity at every level.”
Political leaders across Europe also issued statements saying that they would not be intimidated into reducing support of Ukraine.
“Leipzig marks a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia, but it is part of a pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. “Europeans are faced with the hard truth that this is the new normal.”