Mykola Kalashnyk
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Russia hits Kyiv's Northern Bridge again as overnight drone barrage targets Ukrainian cities during Merz visit
On the morning of 4 October, a Russian drone struck the Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge in Kyiv for the second consecutive day, damaging the roadway and injuring two people. The strike was part of an overnight attack in which Russia launched 135 strike drones at Ukraine, including 52 jet-powered Shaheds. Ukrainian air defence shot down or suppressed 123 of the drones. The attack coincided with a visit to Kyiv by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who announced new German military and energy-sector aid for Ukraine.
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Russia pounds Kyiv's Dnipro bridges with drones for four straight days
Russian drones struck Kyiv's two main crossings over the Dnipro on four consecutive days, fully closing the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge since 2 October and repeatedly hitting the Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge on 3 and 4 October. The campaign injured civilians, damaged road surfaces, trolleybus and metro infrastructure, and cut hot water in the Desnianskyi district, while triggering a city-wide transport collapse that left main arteries paralysed and pedestrians crossing on foot.
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Turkey and UN to mediate new Russia–Ukraine Black Sea ceasefire talks in early October
Turkey and the United Nations are organizing a new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on a ceasefire in the Black Sea to protect grain and food exports. Meetings are scheduled for early October, with the Swiss NGO Center for Humanitarian Dialogue acting as mediator. The initiative, launched in September, seeks to recreate the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative and was discussed at a closed meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly attended by officials from Turkey, the US, European countries, India and Egypt.
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Zelensky says Ukraine ready for Black Sea safe-passage deal, awaits Russia's response
Speaking at the sixth summit of the International Crimea Platform on 23 September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has agreed to a regime of safe passage for vessels in the Black Sea and is waiting for Russia's official reply through mediators. Egypt, India and Turkey have submitted written proposals, and Zelensky linked the disruption of Black Sea exports of grain, fertilizers, diesel and oil to Russia's 2014 occupation and militarization of Crimea.
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Russian strike on cargo vessel off Odesa kills Ukrainian captain
Russian forces struck a civilian cargo vessel sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda in the Black Sea off Odesa Oblast overnight on September 23, killing the ship's Ukrainian captain. The remaining crew was evacuated and the resulting fire was extinguished. The same night, Russian forces twice hit warehouses storing medicines, household goods and food in Odesa Oblast.
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Moscow airports shut down for second consecutive night after Zelensky's warning on Russian airspace
Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo suspended flight operations for a second consecutive night following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's public warning that Russian airspace is becoming fully dangerous for civil aviation. Ukraine formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and called on member states to ban civil flights over Russia, drawing an updated ICAO conflict-zone safety statement and sharp rejections from Russian officials, including Vladimir Putin.
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Ukraine formally notifies ICAO that Russian airspace is unsafe for civil aviation
On September 2, 2026, Ukraine officially notified the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that Russia's airspace is unsafe for civil aviation and called on airlines and governments to avoid flights over Russian territory. The step followed President Zelensky's September 1 statement that Russian airspace was becoming fully unsafe due to Ukrainian drones and missiles responding to Russian aggression. Within hours, Turkish carriers cancelled flights between Turkey and Moscow, Russian airline shares fell, and Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of "state terrorism" and threatened retaliation.