Volodymyr Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky is a Ukrainian politician and former actor who was elected President of Ukraine in 2019. Before entering politics he gained fame as a comedian and producer, notably starring in the television series "Servant of the People", in which he played a schoolteacher who becomes president. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 he has led the country's wartime leadership and become the principal international spokesperson for Ukraine.
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Russian strikes idle three plants that produced 90% of Ukraine's steel
Russian ballistic missile strikes in early September knocked out three major Ukrainian metallurgical plants — Zaporizhstal, Kametstal and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih — which together had accounted for about 90% of Ukraine's steel output. The attacks killed 17 workers and halted production at facilities employing more than 15,000 people. Metinvest's Oleksandr Vodoviz said Ukraine "effectively no longer has a steel industry."
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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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NATO's top general says Alliance ready for possible Russian escalation on eastern flank
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, said on 19 September in Copenhagen that NATO is prepared to respond to a possible Russian escalation on the Alliance's eastern flank. His remarks came at a meeting of NATO's 32 top military chiefs, against a backdrop of warnings from several European countries about Russian hybrid threats and a recent spike in airspace violations and sabotage attempts.
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Zelensky launches Carpathian Eight summit, meets youth from partner countries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted the first summit of the Carpathian Eight (C8) in the Ivano-Frankivsk region on 19 September, launching a Carpathian integration initiative. The summit, which brought together representatives of Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czechia, Austria, and Serbia, included an economic forum featuring a joint investment portfolio of 95 projects worth roughly 40 billion euros. Zelensky also met with about 250 young participants in a Youth Congress, where discussions covered regional relations with Poland and Hungary, conditions for Ukrainians displaced by the war to return home, and housing support programs.
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Zelensky: SBU military counterintelligence deploys new drone interceptor against Russian 'Geran-5'
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 19 that the SBU's military counterintelligence created a new interceptor drone and used it successfully against Russian reactive "Geran-5" Shahed-type drones, including twice in a single day. Zelensky said he was informed of the results by acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, and published video footage of the intercept. The development comes as Ukraine faces an interception gap with faster reactive drones and is testing multiple interceptor models while seeking to scale up production.
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Ukraine's military intelligence shows North Korean missile components to Japanese delegation in Kyiv
Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) showed components of a North Korean ballistic missile to a Japanese parliamentary delegation visiting Kyiv on September 19. The delegation was led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Eisuke Mori. HUR said the demonstration underscored that North Korean armaments threaten not only Ukraine but also Japan and other Asia-Pacific states.
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Trump signs Graham Act, codifying US sanctions for forced deportation of Ukrainian children
US President Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (H.R. 5334) on 18 September, putting into statute for the first time sanctions grounds for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. The law also authorizes sweeping tariffs on Russian energy buyers and direct Russian imports, and bans new US investments in Russia.
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Russian guided bombs hit residential building in Sumy, killing two city council employees
On the evening of 18 September, Russian forces struck Sumy with 6–7 guided aerial bombs (KABs), directly hitting a nine-storey residential building in the Kovpakivskyi district between the 3rd and 4th floors. Two Sumy City Council employees — Alla Korniienko (45) and Roman Trepalin (52) — were killed; their 7-year-old son was rescued from the rubble and placed in intensive care. Casualty figures rose through the night as rescue operations continued.
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Two Ukrainian firms pass combat trials of new interceptors for jet 'Shaheds', Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the Carpathian Eight summit on September 18 that two Ukrainian companies have successfully completed combat trials of new interceptors capable of shooting down Russian jet-powered "Shahed" drones. Contracts with the firms are already being signed, and 67 companies overall are working on solutions. Zelensky said he had discussed addressing funding shortfalls with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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Trump signs 'Graham Act' imposing up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian energy
US President Donald Trump signed the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' on September 18, 2026 (overnight into September 19 Kyiv time). The law authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that remain among the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, and continues existing US sanctions against Iran. China, India, and Turkey are named as the most likely targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump and Congress, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the signing a 'truly historic day.'
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Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada cancels September 18 plenary session; opposition MPs complain of lack of notice
The Verkhovna Rada abruptly cancelled its September 18 plenary session and Hour of Questions to the Government, with MPs and ministers learning of the cancellation upon arriving at parliament. Opposition lawmakers from European Solidarity and Holos publicly criticized the last-minute, poorly communicated decision. The Hour of Questions has been rescheduled to October 12.
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Ukrainian drones force one of Russia's largest refineries to halt after strike hits key unit
A Ukrainian drone strike damaged the AVT-3 primary processing unit at the Slavneft-Yaroslavnefteorgsintez (YANOS) refinery near Yaroslavl, about 250 km northeast of Moscow, forcing the plant to halt crude oil processing on 17 September. AVT-3 accounts for roughly 40% of the refinery's capacity, and a second large unit was already offline from an earlier strike. Fuel from the plant disappeared from Russia's domestic commodity exchange the same day.
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EU to send Ukraine additional €3.3 billion for missiles and drones
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, after a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, that the EU would allocate an additional €3.3 billion to Ukraine for missiles and drones, to be disbursed on Friday, 18 September, under the Ukraine Support Loan program. The announcement was paired with a proposed new joint EU–Ukraine defense initiative, funded through remaining SAFE program funds, aimed at developing a European air and missile defense system based on the joint Freya/Freyja anti-ballistic system.
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Zelenskyy's trust rating holds at 54% despite corruption scandals, KIIS poll finds
A poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted from 21 August to 10 September shows that 54% of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, virtually unchanged from late July/early August. The result comes amid recent NABU and SAP anti-corruption investigations linked to his office, and KIIS's executive director warned that the cumulative effect of such cases could become irreversible.
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Czech PM Babiš proposes joint European missile defense system called Euro Patriot
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš proposed creating a joint European missile defense system named Euro Patriot at the Prague Defense Summit. He framed the proposal as a response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for Europe to develop its own ballistic, anti-ballistic, and counter-drone defense capabilities, and suggested Europe could acquire licenses to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles.
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Zelensky announces another successful test of Ukrainian interceptor against jet-powered Shahed drones
On 17 September, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported a new successful test of a Ukrainian-made interceptor against Russian jet-powered Shahed-type drones, including at least one confirmed shoot-down. He said production would be scaled up, thanked the developers and military, and noted that contracts were being signed with two companies whose interceptors had passed combat trials.
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Ukraine's parliament backs bill boosting parliamentary oversight of law enforcement
On 17 September, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, adopted draft law No. 14130 in first reading with 240 votes in favor. The bill strengthens parliamentary control over law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies, including mandatory annual reporting by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General on torture and ill-treatment investigations.
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U.S. House passes sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions bill, sending it to Trump
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump for signature. The bill imposes mandatory sanctions on Russian leadership, oligarchs, banks, energy firms and the shadow fleet, and authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on countries among the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas. Ukraine welcomed the measure; China, India and Russia sharply criticized it; Germany praised it; Hungary is seeking an exemption.
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Ukraine hits Rostov airfield and Yaroslavl oil refinery in overnight strikes
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces struck a military airfield in Rostov-on-Don and the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl on the night of September 17. The SBU carried out the airfield strike, while the refinery hit was a joint operation of the SBU, the Unmanned Systems Forces, military intelligence (HUR) and the Foreign Intelligence Service. Russian governors reported no casualties from either attack.
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Zelensky appoints Anton Kovalsky as acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 946/2026 appointing Anton Kovalsky, previously the head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office, as acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The appointment comes days after the Verkhovna Rada voted to accept the resignation of Ruslan Kravchenko, whose dismissal followed an NABU and SAP investigation into a criminal organization operating in the Office of the Prosecutor General.