September the 17th, 2026 – The Russian Ambassador has been summoned for talks in Croatia following Russia’s recent threats against various European countries.
Russian Ambassador to Croatia Alexander Nurizade was summoned today for talks at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, where the Croatian side expressed concern over security threats from Russia towards European countries, the Russian Embassy in Zagreb announced. Index reports that according to the Russian side, Croatian representatives mentioned incidents in the airspace, territorial waters and on the infrastructure of EU member states, including in Denmark, Lithuania, Romania and Germany. The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs lists Nurizade on its official website as the current Russian ambassador to Croatia.
the russian ambassador has rejected all accusations
The Russian Embassy states that Nurizade “firmly rejected” the accusations as unfounded. He described them, according to the embassy’s statement, as a “coordinated provocation” aimed at further worsening relations with Russia. He also expressed regret that Croatia, as the Russian side claims, “is pandering to the Kyiv regime and its foreign patrons interested in the continuation of the conflict.” These are the claims of the Russian Embassy. During the talks, Nurizade also repeated the official Russian positions on the causes of the war in Ukraine and accused the West of turning Ukraine into an “anti-Russian project.”
an attempted leipzig drone attack was discussed
Among the cases that the Croatian side, according to the Russian Embassy, cited was the incident in Leipzig. At the beginning of September, the German government officially accused Russia of being behind an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport on 4 August. A drone with explosives was found near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane. Berlin claims that the investigation traces the point to the Russian state, while Moscow rejects responsibility. After that case, the European Union and several member states summoned Russian diplomatic representatives for talks. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said at the time that the incident had the characteristics of state-sponsored terrorism, while Russia claimed that Germany had not provided evidence for its accusations.
a russian vessel fired signal rockets at a danish aircraft
Tensions rose further this week after an incident out in the Baltic Sea. The Danish military announced that a Russian frigate, during routine surveillance, fired two signal rockets at a Danish military Fennec helicopter. One passed at a short distance from the helicopter. Denmark therefore summoned the Russian ambassador for talks. The Russian side countered with an accusation that Danish military helicopters had performed dangerous manoeuvres near Russian warships.
nato had to shoot down a drone over lithuania
In Lithuania a couple of days ago, an Italian fighter jet as part of a NATO mission shot down a drone that had entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus. Lithuanian authorities announced that the drone was carrying explosives. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said it “most likely” came from Russia, but Lithuanian authorities warned that the investigation into its origin is still ongoing and that a final conclusion has not yet been reached. A similar incident was recorded last week in Romania, where a drone that Romanian and Moldovan authorities linked to Russian attacks on Ukraine entered deep into Romanian airspace before returning towards Moldova.
The Russian ambassador in the talks in Zagreb, according to a statement from his embassy, also spoke about Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. He conveyed that Moscow considers railway junctions, trains and other facilities in Ukraine used for the transport of the army or cargo intended for the Ukrainian armed forces to be “legitimate military targets.”
In recent days Russia has further intensified attacks on Ukrainian railway infrastructure, including areas near the border with NATO members. Ukrainian authorities claim that civilian trains and infrastructure have also been hit in the process. The summoning of Nurizade for talks comes at a time of heightened warnings from European and NATO officials about incidents involving drones, sabotage and other hybrid threats. The European Commission today also proposed a new mechanism for a coordinated response by EU members to such security incidents. An inquiry was also sent to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs about today’s talks with the Russian ambassador. We asked for confirmation of the meeting, the specific reason for his summoning, and clarification of which incidents Croatia cited and whether it plans further diplomatic steps after the talks.
