Ukrainian drones strike St. Petersburg in the largest-ever attack on the city.

Good evening, I'm Klaudia Czerwińska and you're watching World News Tonight, live from Warsaw. Ukraine hits St. Petersburg in the largest ever attack on the city. This as U.S. President Donald Trump postpones the introduction of sweeping sanctions against Russia. We'll be bringing you more on that in just a moment. But first, here's what's also making headlines tonight. Central European leaders vow not to repeat migration policy mistakes they believe led to violent protests in France. Ukraine apologizes after a stray drone incident in Lithuania while Poland searches for debris after an airspace violation And the golden Polish autumn is in full swing as trees turn all shades of gold Saturday night marks the largest blitz yet orchestrated by Ukraine against the Russian city of St. Petersburg The move marked yet another response to Moscow's violations of Donald Trump's energy ceasefire as Russia continues to hit civilian targets with another 10 people killed in attacks over the past day. This as Washington delayed the imposition of sanctions on Russia signed into law only a month ago. Anastasia Yanchenko has more. It was far from a peaceful night in Russia's St. Petersburg. Fire broke out in several locations, leaving behind large plumes of black smoke. This is the result of Ukraine's biggest ever drone blitz on one of Russia's most protected cities. And the targets hit are among its most lucrative. From the region's biggest warehouse and data center to an oil depot and a port terminal. These strikes were Ukraine's response to repeated violations of the so-called energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump, which Ukraine respected for days, but Russia did not. Since the American president announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine's energy grid and oil and gas sectors 76 times. It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance. However, these strikes make deep and the rift between Kiev and Washington. Trump had repeatedly urged Ukraine to stop hitting Russian oil refineries and has since struck a diesel deal with Moscow to bring fuel prices down. Trump does what he wants to do. he is he admires Putin he admires strongmen and he thinks that the way to peace is to cripple Ukraine on Saturday the US leader went a step further waiving his right to impose the sweeping sanctions stemming from a bill named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham which were due to take effect this week mandated by a law passed by Congress last month and signed by Trump they would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% on the five main buyers of Russian oil. So I think the president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyze what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the U.S. economy. But experts believe this 60-day delay will play into Russia's hands, fearing that the sanctions will eventually never take effect. And this checking of the impact on the world economy could have been done earlier. And this delay looks just like a concession towards Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine is still facing speed limits on Elon Musk's Starlink's military terminal Starshield, first reported on Wednesday. With the current speed cap, Ukrainian interceptor drones cannot down Russian jet-powered drones and other military operations have been disrupted. Zelenskyy called the restriction a planned operation by Washington to put pressure on Kyiv and weaken the country's defenses. It was the message from the American government to limit this speed and technically SpaceX did it. Rubio refuted Zelenskyy's claims. We had nothing to do with it. The United States, nobody ordered that Starlink speed to be slowed down. What was surely restored as U.S. intelligence sharing on Russian missile launches after several days' pause, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC. But the events of last week raised a major question – whether Ukraine still has a partner in Washington. If United States will take, officially will take the side of Russia, of course, if these two countries will be together, of course, of course we will not prevail. TVP World, Anastasia Anchenko. Mass protests across France have resulted in some of the most violent unrest in years. People in Paris say the riots have left the city looking like a war zone. The shocking footage prompted a response from Central Eastern European officials who say they will not allow mass migration and asylum abuse. John Todd has this report. Eyewitness video shows the moment, part of the roof of a 140-year-old building in south-central France collapsed. The flames in Limoges come as more than half a million people protested across the country against rising costs and declining public services. France's interior minister blamed far-left extremists for the violence. They attacked law enforcement and for the most part caused extensive damage to public buildings in Paris and many other cities. There was a clear intent to target public buildings, city halls, prefectures and certain other public facilities." The unrest drew a strong reaction from two centrist leaders in Central Europe, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Hungarian peer, Petr Magyar, who both said they would not bow to pressure to relax their immigration policies. Seeing this senseless destruction and unjust violence, perhaps everyone can now understand why Hungary is taking the most stringent action regarding migration. We're firmly defending the border against illegal migration. In line with our own asylum policy, we do not accept applications, and we deport those who break Polish law. Back in France, protesters said most people had marched peacefully and put much of the violence down to troublemakers who had set out to cause damage and clash with the police. The far-right national rally leader Marine Le Pen said leftists had appropriated the protests, while the Le Monde newspaper warned the riots will help boost support for the far-right. As the massive cleanup operation began, residents and visitors in Paris were stunned by the destruction. It's like a war zone here. Our society is really very sick, very ill, and I don't know where we're going, you know. I've been here for 40 years and I have never seen anything like this. French officials say 1,200 people were arrested and the clashes had left 150 police officers injured. There were echoes of the French demonstrations in Milan, Italy on Saturday as riot police clashed with crowds protesting over high living costs. Local media report police making a number of arrests. Russia's war of aggression is seeping into NATO's eastern flank. Jets from a Lithuanian NATO base had to be scrambled on Saturday night after two unidentified objects were detected. The UAVs, which flew in from Poland, were of Ukrainian origin, but are suspected to have been diverted by Russia while on their way to strike targets deep into the country. Julia Gdula reports. Another restless night on NATO's eastern flank. An unidentified object enters Lithuanian airspace, crashes, and its debris falls onto a moving car. This time, thankfully, the driver escapes unharmed. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is spilling over to the eastern flank of NATO and the EU. This morning, NATO fighter jets stationed at Šiauliai Air Base scrambled once again after an unidentified object entered Lithuanian airspace. Hours later, Ukraine's foreign ministry responded. expressing regret over the incident and pointing to possible Russian interference. We regret the incident that occurred this morning in Lithuanian airspace, which may have resulted from Russian electronic warfare diverting drones during an operation against legitimate military targets in Russia. An investigation is now underway. The object preliminarily entered Lithuanian airspace from Poland. I have already contacted the Polish Minister of Defense and asked him to join us in investigating this incident. Poland itself may also have been affected by overnight security incidents. Suspicious signals were detected and reports of a possible drone incursion prompted a search operation in the country's southeast. Police officers together with soldiers from the military police and members of the territorial defense are searching the area. Several dozen officers from the preventive police units have also been deployed. But the night brought more than just concerns over airspace violations. Lithuania was also hit by an attempted arson attack targeting a facility storing Starlink communications equipment. Another incident raising alarm over the security of critical infrastructure on NATO's eastern flank. There was an attempt to set fire to the infrastructure. The incident was thwarted successfully because the fire was contained, causing no major damage. The incident adds to a growing list of suspected arson attacks targeting Starlink infrastructure across Europe. Starlink antennas have been set on fire in Bulgaria, while in Poland a receiver station was targeted in an attack allegedly carried out by a Turkish criminal group acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services. Russia is trying to turn Oleshki into a death trap, says Ukraine's foreign minister Andriy Sibyha. According to Ukraine, around 1,700 people, including 47 children, remain trapped in the Russian-occupied town facing hunger. Poplio has appealed to Vladimir Putin to let food and medicine in and allow civilians to leave safely. Piotr Kućma reports. Burned-out cars, destroyed roads and a journey that could cost your life. For people trapped in Russian-occupied Oleshki, this is what it takes to reach food and water. Before the war, 24,000 people lived here. Around 1,700 remain, according to the United Nations. There's no reliable electricity, running water or heating. 72-year-old Larissa escaped to Britain. Her husband is still in Oleschki. Their grandchild is waiting for him. Heart bleeds when he calls and our grandchild comes to the phone and says, Grandpa, I'm waiting for you. Let's go to our playground together and play there. Ukrainian National Guard soldiers are packing food parcels for civilians across the front line. Pasta, grain and cooking oil. Each load is weighed to make sure the drone can carry it safely. We're putting together extra parcels for households with children, so the kids can receive some treats. We've contributed our own food, everything we could spare, along with items donated by other people. Regional authorities say a late September operation delivered around four tons of food and medicine to 800 locations. Parcels were lowered on ropes into a town desperate for supplies. Kyiv has called on Putin to allow aid deliveries and a safe, voluntary evacuation. The Kremlin says Putin is ready to cooperate while blaming Ukraine for the crisis. Kiev in turn accuses Russian forces of blocking aid and escape routes. Ukraine's foreign minister has called Oleshki a death trap, saying medication has run out. He urged the UN and Red Cross to secure humanitarian access and evacuation. Those who try to flee risk being killed. The nearby river is mined, too. Residents doubt they can survive the winter. The hospital has run out of medicine, dozens of bodies lie in the streets or in homes, as Russians forbid residents from burying them. Save Oleshki! In Kyiv, refugees from Oleshki describe an increasingly desperate situation. Some residents have now reportedly resorted to boiling grass to survive. There's nothing to eat there. He said it's very dangerous there right now. He says they cook grass, that there's nothing to eat. With winter approaching, families are still waiting for a safe way out. Until then, hunger at home or the road of death. death. Piotr Kućma, TVP World. This trip has not gone to plan. A convoy of diplomats from Poland, Belgium and France, as well as accompanying Catholic representatives, were attacked while on their way to a village in the West Bank. The assault sparked controversy in international circles as Israeli settlers are reported to be responsible. As Sonia Gatabishyan reports, this is far from the only case of similar violations reported in the West Bank. Here's more. For a group of European diplomats, the Saturday journey to Taipei, a largely Christian village in the occupied West Bank, did not go as planned. The convoy consisting of Polish, Belgian and French diplomats, as well as Catholic representatives, was attacked. A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged. Speaking to TVP World, a United Nations official said that while this attack was serious, assaults against diplomats in the region are not unprecedented. More junior diplomats have been attacked. Perhaps the change here is the fact that there were three representatives at a higher level, at an ambassadorial level, who've been attacked by the Israeli settlers. Otherwise, we have seen this trend in the past, too. Warsaw's diplomats were not harmed, but the Polish foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack, adding it expects an explanation from Israel. It's the journalist. It's the journalist. Just a day earlier, an American Washington Post journalist was injured by settlers in the West Bank. all of a sudden they jumped me and i luckily had my helmet and flak jacket on and i was like kept my face to the ground to try to protect my face and they just kept kicking me and kicking me the footage documenting the assault did not go unnoticed by the United States administration we're very disturbed by those images and what we're seeing we've asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff. The president's been very clear. He's said this repeatedly. He does not want to see friction or anything, a crisis going on in the West Bank. The head of the UN Human Rights Office and the Occupied Palestinian Territory called the situation in the region a disaster that keeps deteriorating. Every hour, there's an incident of attacks on Palestinians. So their lives are terrible. So this probably brings attention in some European nations because it's their representatives. The Palestinians face a much more brutal situation. The Belgian foreign minister announced that he would press for EU sanctions against those responsible for the attack on the diplomatic corps. Israeli authorities are said to have opened an investigation into the incident. There was no immediate notice of any arrests. For TVP World, I'm Sonia Agathe-Bishchan. A catastrophe. This is how Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš described a bitter loss of his ANO party in the latest elections. The party won not a single seat of the 27 available and lost one, further weakening its position in the upper chamber. The complete defeat means Babiš's cohort is now stripped of the ability to pass constitutional reforms, even as his party maintains a stable majority in the lower house. Andrew Sweeney comes in with the details. A catastrophe. Czech Prime Minister Andre Babiš described the performance of his ANO party in the Czech senatorial elections after it failed to win a single seat in the second round run-off. ANO contested 13 out of 22 run-off elections to the Senate, losing every single one. 27 out of 81 seats were up for grabs in the first round of the election, and ANO also lost the one seat it was defending, reducing its presence in a body that can delay government bills and issue constitutional vetoes. This result is a catastrophe. We certainly did not expect to win no seats in the Senate in these elections. We must reflect on why and how this happened. Opposition supporters rallied around whichever candidate remained against ANO. The centre-right Civic Democratic Party, ODS, of former Prime Minister Petr Fiala, won seven run-offs and kept five seats too. But it was the Liberal mayors and independents that was a main beneficiary, winning 10 out of 14 run-off races. we want to be the main challenger to the ANO movement in the coming years and in the next general election just as we did in the senate but it's not all bad news for Babiš turnout was traditionally low at only 21 percent and in a national poll for the Czech Chamber of Deputies the lower house of a parliament and it was well ahead of its nearest rival the mayors and independents with over 30 percent of the vote and those loss does mean however that attempts at constitutional reform are more likely to fail. The Senate, as it has remained in the hands of ODS and basically the opposition, and people are saying this, especially the politicians, that it kind of it has always acted as a kind of corrective, as a kind of guard against destroying democracy in the Czech Republic. Babiš may have described the results as catastrophic. However, with a majority in the Chamber of Deputies, his government remains stable. And the next parliamentary election is June 2029. For TVP World, Andrew Sweeney. Have you ever heard of the golden Polish autumn? It's one of the most magical times of the year in Poland, when trees turn all shades of gold as fall enthusiasts descend on the country's forests to embrace the national sport of mushroom picking and enjoy fresh plum crumble with a side of steaming tea. More on what autumn means for Poles in Leon Buras' report. Autumn has arrived in Poland in full force, with sunny weather, colorful foliage, and autumn enthusiasts making the most of the season. We call it Polish Golden Autumn, right? So, as you can see, with the sun over here and in this very beautiful park, I guess one of the most beautiful parks in the world, there is no other place where you can enjoy autumn as much as in Warsaw. It's great. The Golden Autumn is widely considered the best time of the year in Poland. However, Poles don't take it for granted, as the season in the country can vary. This autumn is great. Obviously, like previous years, it was mostly raining and less sun, but for now it's amazing. So what does autumn actually mean to people? Just staying inside with a book. Tea, a good book, maybe some sun, right? And those leaves that grow into this very beautiful golden sort of color. For some, autumn is more than just a season, it's a lifestyle. In Poland, these people are sometimes referred to as jesieniare, or fall enthusiasts. I guess it's like a social concept, right? It's a lifestyle, I guess. It comes from social media. I'm not very interested, or I try not to be, in those things. But I guess it's very much associated with women on Instagram and sort of vibes that they associate with autumn. It's for the girls saying like they enjoy their coffee and books and being about celebrating autumn with different things. According to the weather forecast, Poland won't be enjoying this sunny autumn for much longer as its foggy, rainy, yet cozy variation steps in for the rest of the month. A lot is being said about the seismic shift in Washington's allegiances as President Trump announced his administration will take 60 days to review the Lindsey Graham sanctioning Russia Act before it comes into power Joshua Bergen founder of the Alliance for Global Security joins me in our studio to talk about this and more Joshua great to have you back here always a pleasure to be at TVP World pleasure so let's see, Ukrainian forces struck an oil terminal a data center and a bridge in a large-scale overnight attack on St Petersburg, a place that seems to be a stronghold when it comes to Russia, Russian officials and media reported that Ukraine is gaining speed when it comes to attacking Moscow and standing um standing in contradiction to the words and the request made by U.S. President Donald Trump is Ukraine now going to knock it out of the ballpark as it no longer can rely on the U.S. to an extent it believed to before, Ukraine has been signaling strongly through its attacks on Russian critical infrastructure, specifically energy that has the capacity to bring down Russia's source of basically revenue it relies on energy even if it's sending it exclusively right now to China, I understand that the administration would like them to dial it back but I also understand that Russia hit critical infrastructure in Ukraine specifically our energy and heating over the last couple days to the order of 76 times, Ukraine is defending itself and I applaud it for doing so and the winter is ahead of us so we don't know what that holds and um there are also protests taking place in Kiev because people want to know what's going to be next but my next question is President Zelensky done playing a diplomat? We've seen those strikes take place, Ukraine first tried to be diplomatic about this energy ceasefire that President Donald Trump announced and now they resumed it with twice the power, what's next for Ukraine, my strong sense is that Zelensky would have honored it if Russia had honored it I do not believe that the American administration administration understands the Kremlin they don't understand their mentality their goals they refuse to understand the notion that Putin wants to restore the Soviet Union wants to restore control over the eastern flank all of the former Warsaw Pact countries of which none of those people want to live under the thumb of the Kremlin ever ever again and Ukraine is not just fighting for itself it's fighting for Europe and even I dare say the United States but do you think that those strikes that are taking place are going to push the Washington administration towards cutting the the Starlink access we've heard from Elon Musk who said this wasn't my decision I might be the owner but it's really the administration in Washington that's making that call I think that's a fair assessment I don't think he's making it up the the equipment that particular Starlink network is controlled by the Department of War it is financed by the Europeans and there's no way that that could have been shut down unless it was a technical fault there's no way that that it could have been slowed down or shut down on behalf of the Ukrainians without an executive decision um we've heard from President Trump during a recent doorstep and he said that he wants this war quote over as soon as possible but generally it's not always about just ending the war it's about the outcome of the war how much do you think this will this move is going to cost America especially long term because it seems to be the case that the diesel solution and lifting of the sanctions solution is very short-sighted the president is clearly under pressure ahead of the congressional elections in November. I can understand that where that may be a tactic, as much as I believe it's a flawed tactic, it may be a tactic to alleviate some pressure with truck drivers, other consumers of diesel. As a long-term strategy relative to the war between Russia and Ukraine, a war that Russia started, again, I do not believe the president fully understands what the Kremlin's goals are, its level of persistence and the fact that any so-called peace will be a temporary stop as Russia continues towards this objective but what about his advisors wouldn't they be the one to tell him that this is probably not the greatest idea one would think so but i think it's reasonable to point out that multiple administrations before this one have gotten Russia wrong over and over again remember reset that was actually actually read overcharge button remember i looked into his eyes and i saw his soul there is a there's a long history of american administrations failing to understand their Russian counterparts or adversaries in this case. This may sound harsh, but do you think that President Trump is possibly using President Zelensky as a scapegoat to somewhat conceal his miscalculations about the war in Iran? I wouldn't pretend to understand what the President's motives are in this case. I know that the war in Iran, in fact, I probably am more forgiving of him on the war in Iran than most. I think that was a necessary issue that can't have been kicked down the road many, many times before. That said, when it comes to Ukraine and when it comes to specifically the European theater, I think the administration is getting it terribly wrong. You know, as Senator Lindsey Graham probably continues to spin in his own grave, God rest his soul, is Congress now regretting the decision to bestow those powers, those executive powers to the president? Is Congress helpless now? I don't think Congress is helpless. I mean, ultimately, foreign policy is largely decided by the president. For the Congress to extend that power to the president was a rational thing. I don't think the Congress can extend sanctions unilaterally. That said, the Congress should probably grow up a bit and take some of its power back and do more to curtail the administration from its standpoint. I don't know if we're going to see that, but it would be, Idealistically, I would like to see the Congress step up a bit more. Are you hopeful? We are only, what, two weeks away from the midterm elections. Are you hopeful that perhaps after the midterm elections, also based on the final results, there is going to be another change of heart when it comes to the administration to perhaps walk back? I mean, we're looking at a period of 60 days where changes might take place. There's going to be a review that was announced. We heard from Marco Rubio, who said we need time to look back at it because the sanctions are not only affecting Russia, but also those who deal with Russia. Do you think that midterms might change something? So clearly the administration is going to have more complexity in navigating and negotiating in Washington. Whether they lose the House, which is almost a foregone conclusion, and even the Senate. I think a lot has to do with how disciplined the Democrats are. Do they understand the situation? Are they willing to press for meaningful reforms in a way that forces the administration to take a different tact? It's possible, but I haven't seen anything currently coming from the Democrats that leads me to say 100% yes, this is going to happen. But again, the administration is going to have to negotiate with with with with with they simply will have less tools in their arsenal in so much as they'll lose both chambers, most likely. Last night, I spoke to Dan Francis from the Atlantic Council, and she said that this is starting to grow into a constitutional crisis in the US. Do you do you think that this has a potential to become something more heated? I mean, we've seen events take place before where certain violations have taken place. So I would say this. The president and his place in history are in the balance. If the president and this administration gets Russia, Ukraine wrong, and it looks often like they are or are going to, if it leads to a world in which continued war grows, where, let's say, other parts of West Eastern Europe end up under Russia's thumb, it will reflect badly on the president and there's no amount of money there's no deal there's no business transaction that can be done that will look like anything other than 30 pieces of silver so um i wanted to take us to a poll which was conducted by Fox News showing that a number of concerned americans among those who were asked does not focus simply on the situation at the pump, does not focus on the war in Iran. It focuses on the issue of corruption in the government. And according to that very poll, 88% of the respondents said that corruption within their government is something that they're really worried about. Are these results of this poll on Fox News showing that the midterms, the possible result of the midterms could hit the Republicans where it really hurts? If I'm James Blair, that poll scares me to death and the campaign teams are going to have to work incredibly hard to combat that the perceptions whether they're real or not or immaterial perception is everything and for 88 percent of those respondents that if coming from Fox News certainly that was Republicans Democrats and independents 88 percent that is a stunning figure and the administration as well as everyone involved with the Republican Party the party in power at the moment should take those numbers very, very seriously. Just before we go, I wanted for us to look at the situation that took place in Lithuania last night. We know that two jets were scrambled. We've heard from Heorhiy Tikhkusthe Ukrainian MFA spokesperson. He confirmed that these drones must have been diverted by Russia. He apologized as well. Is this going to be the Russia's way, those sort of interferences of putting a bone of contention between NATO members and Ukraine do you think that this is going to be the new tactic to destabilize NATO's eastern flank but also other relations Russia has continuously done things along these lines to claim deny we didn't do it no we're not responsible for this and that they absolutely are knowing that it will create derision knowing that there'll be there'll be a lack of clarity amongst the many, many stakeholders on how to respond. As I've consistently said around Russia, you negotiate with them with a boot on their neck, and frankly, Europe, as well as the United States, needs to take a much, much heavier hand with Russia. Joshua, thank you so much. I really appreciate you being in the studio. Joshua Bergen, founder of the Alliance for Global Security, was my guest, as always. Thank you for having me tonight. And so this would be all for now here on World News Tonight. I'm Klaudia Czerwinska. Thank you for joining, and I hope to see you back here on TVP World very soon. Thank you.