Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military structure of Russia, bringing together the Ground Forces, the Aerospace Forces, the Navy and other service branches. They operate under the Russian Ministry of Defence, with overall command exercised by the Chief of the General Staff. Since February 2022 they have been conducting a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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At UN General Assembly, Zelensky calls Putin 'patient zero' of global war, unveils FREYJA air-defense program, and warns of painful winter for Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, calling Vladimir Putin a "patient zero" spreading war, announcing the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, and disclosing that Russia is using citizens of 47 countries in its war against Ukraine. He detailed Ukrainian strike figures, threatened retaliation against Russian energy infrastructure this winter, and unveiled the FREYJA anti-missile defense program with 10 partner countries. The speech followed a day of high-level diplomacy, including his meeting with US President Donald Trump and a Rubio-Lavrov exchange on a possible energy ceasefire.
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Russia strikes 13 oblasts and Kyiv in mass overnight drone and missile attack; four killed in Dnipro
Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile attack on the night of 21–22 September, striking 13 Ukrainian oblasts and Kyiv. In Dnipro, a missile strike killed four people and injured six, with a rescue operation ongoing. Ukrainian air defence intercepted 186 aerial targets, but hits and debris were recorded at 26 locations, with damage to energy and railway infrastructure, fuel storage, food warehouses and residential buildings.
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Russian drone strikes hit warehouses in Odesa Oblast, damaging WHO medical storage
Russian drone strikes on warehouse facilities in Odesa Oblast on 22 September caused large-scale fires, killing one person, injuring two, and damaging a World Health Organization warehouse in Chornomorsk that stored temperature-controlled medical supplies. WHO said it was the fourth time in three months that this particular warehouse was hit and the 21st strike on medical storage facilities in 2026.
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Russian drone strike hits German-owned Kromberg & Schubert plant in Zhytomyr Oblast
On 22 September, Russian forces struck an enterprise with foreign investments in the Zhytomyr community using a reactive drone. Local reports identify the target as the German-owned Kromberg & Schubert plant, a major employer that had already been badly damaged in a 9 August attack. A large fire broke out and emergency services worked through the night to extinguish it; reports differ on whether anyone was hurt.
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Ukraine strikes Moscow oil refinery and logistics complex in largest drone attack on Russian capital
In the night of 19–20 September 2026, Ukraine launched a massive drone and missile attack on Moscow and Moscow Oblast, hitting the Gazpromneft Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya and a warehouse complex in Sofyino. Fires broke out at both sites. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it the largest drone attack ever on the Russian capital. At least two people were killed and six injured across Moscow Oblast, and more than 400 flights were cancelled or delayed at Moscow airports. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the operation involved the SBU, Unmanned Systems Forces, SSO, HUR and Foreign Intelligence Service.
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Ukrainian churches appeal to Pope Leo XIV over humanitarian crisis in occupied Oleshky
The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has appealed to Pope Leo XIV, the UN, the ICRC and other religious bodies to intervene in what it calls a humanitarian catastrophe in Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine says the city has had no food deliveries since late May 2026, with civilians cut off from supplies and prevented from leaving, and announced it will raise the situation at the UN General Assembly High-Level Week.
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Ukraine strikes Russian drone control points, training ground, and depots in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
Ukraine's Defence Forces struck a series of Russian military targets on 18 September and during the night of 19 September, including UAV control points, a training ground, and ammunition and materiel depots in the occupied parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russia had not commented on the strikes at the time of reporting.
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Russian strike drone falls near Polish border; Poland scrambles jets, shuts airports
On 17 September 2026, a Russian strike drone fell or was destroyed approximately 4 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border on Ukrainian territory in Volyn Oblast, near the Dorohusk–Yahodyn crossing. Poland scrambled fighter jets, put air-defence and radar systems on alert, and temporarily suspended operations at Lublin and Rzeszów airports. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the drone likely hit a petrol station, and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced increased F-16 and helicopter activity in response.
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Russian drone strike hits Odesa high-rise, injuring at least seven including two children
Russian forces struck Odesa and Odesa Oblast overnight on September 16–17 with drones and other weapons, damaging a 19-storey residential apartment building and multiple civilian sites. At least seven people were injured across the oblast, including two children, with the casualty count updated multiple times as reports came in.
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Russian Major General Anton Grunis killed in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's drone forces claim strike
Russian Major General Anton Grunis, commander of the 4th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, was killed in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi said the 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion "Rarog" carried out the strike on September 12. Grunis had earlier briefed Vladimir Putin about the alleged capture of Kostiantynivka, a claim Ukraine denies.
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Russian drone strike on passenger bus in Nikopol kills five, Zelenskyy calls it an atrocity
A Russian drone struck a passenger bus in Ukraine's Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the morning of 16 September, killing five people and wounding at least seven, according to the regional military administration. All five died at the scene and the injured are receiving medical care. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strike as an atrocity with no military rationale, and Dnipropetrovsk regional council chairman Mykola Lukaschuk accused Russia of deliberately targeting a minibus carrying civilians on their daily routes.
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Russian drone strikes passenger train Kyiv–Mykolaiv; all evacuated, no casualties
Russian forces struck Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) passenger train No. 122 on the Kyiv–Mykolaiv route on the morning of 16 September, using a drone. All passengers, the locomotive crew and train crew had been evacuated in advance after a warning from Ukrzaliznytsia's monitoring team, and no one was injured. Ukrzaliznytsia, together with the Mykolaiv Oblast Military Administration, organized bus transfers to bring 168 passengers to Mykolaiv.
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General Staff: 277 combat clashes recorded over past day, Pokrovsk remains hottest direction
Ukraine's General Staff reported 277 combat clashes on the front over the past day, with the Pokrovsk direction again identified as the most active sector, where 44 Russian assaults were stopped. Russian forces carried out 91 airstrikes, dropped 331 guided aerial bombs, and used 10,913 kamikaze drones during the same period.
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Russian drone strike on Sumy shopping centre kills two, injures at least 20
Russian forces struck the Manufaktura shopping and entertainment centre in Sumy with a drone on the evening of September 9. Two people were confirmed killed and at least 20 injured, including children. The building, parked cars and surrounding infrastructure were damaged, and authorities warned of the threat of repeated strikes.
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Russia hits Kyiv with massive missile and drone attack hours after Trump envoys leave
Russia launched a combined missile and drone assault on Kyiv overnight on September 7–8, striking the capital with ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and 166 strike drones. At least two people were killed, more than 50 civilian objects were damaged across multiple districts, and air defenses downed 175 of the incoming targets. The attack came shortly after US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left the city following talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Russian strike on evacuated Dnipro–Zaporizhzhia train kills conductor; second train hit same day
On 8 September, Russian forces struck the regional passenger train running the Dnipro–Zaporizhzhia route after it had been stopped and its passengers evacuated. One conductor, who reportedly returned to the train during the evacuation, was killed. Earlier the same morning, Russian drones also struck the Kyiv–Sumy train approaching Sumy; there passengers and crew were evacuated in advance with no casualties.
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Russian occupation court in Zaporizhzhia Oblast sentences Melitopol journalist Iryna Levchenko to 15 years
An occupation court in Russia's Zaporizhzhia Oblast sentenced retired Melitopol journalist Iryna Levchenko to 15 years in a penal colony on espionage charges. Levchenko, who had been in Russian captivity for more than three years, was convicted under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code after a closed trial whose substantive allegations Ukrainian sources describe as fabricated.
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Ukraine's General Staff says two major Russian oil refineries halted after Ukrainian strikes
Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on 4 September that two large Russian oil refining enterprises — LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez in Kstovo and the NOVATEK-Ust-Luga complex in Leningrad Oblast — have stopped operating after being hit on 26 August and 1 September respectively. The General Staff said both facilities supply the needs of the Russian armed forces.