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 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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Ukraine's government submits three more draft laws to parliament tied to international financing
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and sent to the Verkhovna Rada three draft laws needed to attract international financing and cover the state budget deficit. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky described the deficit situation as serious and called on lawmakers, regardless of political affiliation, to vote on the package as quickly as possible.
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Norwegian PM says drone nearly hit Zelensky's plane in Moldova; Ukrainian side calls claim 'exaggerated'
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on September 9 that a drone nearly struck the plane carrying President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as it departed Moldova for Oslo on September 8, where Zelenskyy was to attend the funeral of King Harald V. Norwegian and Ukrainian officials later said the flight was delayed by a Moldovan airspace closure caused by Russian drones, and that it remained unknown how close the drones came to the aircraft. Zelenskyy attended the funeral on September 9 and left Norway shortly afterward.
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Ukraine strikes Russian naval base in Novorossiysk and multiple targets in occupied Crimea and Donbas
On 8 September and overnight into 9 September 2026, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck a series of Russian military targets, including the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk where the Kalibr-carrying frigate 'Admiral Essen' was hit. Other strikes hit a patrol boat in occupied Sevastopol, electronic-intelligence and command-and-measurement antennas in Crimea, and drone storage and ammunition depots in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Ukrainian officials and OSINT channels reported the damage; the mayor of Novorossiysk acknowledged a fire but attributed it to falling debris.
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Ukraine tells EU it needs additional $27 billion by year-end, prompting surprise in Europe
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told European partners that Ukraine needs an additional $27 billion by the end of 2026 to cover a defence budget gap. The request, which came during a European visit for Ukraine's Independence Day, surprised officials who had agreed to a $100 billion-plus EU loan earlier in the year. European officials are now examining the size, causes, and justification of the deficit, while Ukraine is also seeking help from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan and pressing for the use of frozen Russian sovereign assets held at Euroclear in Brussels.
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Ukraine's Prosecutor General Kravchenko resigns amid NABU 'Carthage' corruption probe
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on the evening of 7 September after NABU and SAPO exposed a criminal organization within the Office of the Prosecutor General accused of protecting fraudulent call centers. First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovychenko also resigned. The president has not yet formally submitted the dismissal to the Verkhovna Rada.
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Ukrainian drones strike Russian naval base and fuel-oil terminal in Novorossiysk
In the night of September 8–9, 2026, Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian naval base and the Novorossiysk Mazut Terminal in Krasnodar Krai. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed the strike on the base and reported fires on its territory and at the seaport's fuel-oil terminal, as well as explosions in ship basing areas. Mayor of Novorossiysk Andriy Kravchenko confirmed drone debris fell on enterprise territories and near a residential building; the governor of Krasnodar Krai later reported 4 killed and 29 injured.
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At virtual Ramstein meeting, Germany announces Patriot interceptors and 'City Dome' shield for Ukraine
At the 36th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on 8 September, held virtually, Germany announced the urgent transfer of PAC-2 Patriot interceptors and additional AIM-9 missiles from Bundeswehr stocks, launched the 'City Dome' project to shield Ukrainian cities from drone and missile strikes, and committed to financing tens of thousands of long-range artillery shells. The UK pledged £100 million through PURL for air defense, the EU approved financing for 3.2 billion euros of Patriot missiles, and Ukraine outlined plans to contract around 1,000 Patriot missiles and several thousand additional IRIS-T missiles with partner support. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said civilian deaths in Ukraine are at their highest since May 2022 and warned that delays cost lives.
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Zelensky says he expects to meet Trump in late September, with missile defense set as main topic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 8 that he expects to meet US President Donald Trump in the 20s of September, with the supply of American anti-ballistic interceptor missiles as the central item. The announcement came the morning after a massive Russian strike on Kyiv in which most ballistic missiles could not be intercepted, and follows a visit to Kyiv and Moscow by US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that yielded a short-lived mutual moratorium on capital 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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Ukraine's Prosecutor General Kravchenko resigns after NABU searches expose alleged call-centre protection scheme
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on the evening of 7 September after anti-corruption investigators searched the Office of the Prosecutor General and exposed an alleged scheme to protect fraudulent call centres. The 'Carthage' operation by NABU and SAPO has led to the detention of several suspects, including Serhiy Kropyva, a deputy head of an OGP department, with bail set at 120 million hryvnia. President Zelensky said the resignation would be sent to the Verkhovna Rada.
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Ukraine's anti-corruption court remands driver of senior prosecutor in 'Carthage' call-center case
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (ВАКС) on 7 September ordered Serhiy Kutsyi, the driver of Office of the Prosecutor General official Serhiy Kropyva, held in custody until 3 November with an alternative bail of 3 million hryvnias. The ruling is part of the NABU and SAP 'Carthage' special operation, which exposed an alleged criminal organization accused of 'roofing' fraudulent call centers and laundering funds. Earlier in the week, ВАКС remanded Kropyva himself until 2 November with bail of 120 million hryvnias and his cohabitant Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko until November with bail of 20 million hryvnias.
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EU approves €3.2 billion tranche for Ukraine to buy Patriot interceptors under €90 billion loan
EU member states have approved a derogation allowing Ukraine to purchase critical products for Patriot air defense systems — notably US-made PAC-3 interceptors — using funds from the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan. The next disbursement under the loan is €3.2 billion, on top of €8.4 billion already provided. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte jointly welcomed the decision.
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Ukraine's Prosecutor General Kravchenko resigns amid 'Carthage' corruption investigation
On the evening of September 7, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation, the same day he had earlier told journalists he would not step down voluntarily. The resignation comes against the backdrop of the NABU and SAP "Carthage" special operation, which exposed an alleged criminal organization within the Office of the Prosecutor General accused of systematically receiving bribes from fraudulent call centers and laundering proceeds.
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US envoys visit Kyiv for first time, signal return to trilateral talks but report no breakthrough
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Kyiv on 6 September 2026 for their first visit to Ukraine since Donald Trump's second presidential term began, after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 5 September. They held three rounds of talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, joined in the second round by national security advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and announced a planned return to the US–Ukraine–Russia trilateral format and US support for a 'winter package' of assistance for Ukraine. Zelensky reported receiving a message that 'the Russians are ready to negotiate' but remained sceptical, while the Kremlin, Bloomberg sources and the Institute for the Study of War said the Moscow talks produced no substantive concessions.
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Ukraine's military intelligence chief says Russia has resources to wage war through 2027–2028
Head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko, said in an interview with Ukrinform that Russia is using mercenaries from more than 40 countries and still has enough resources to continue the war through 2027 and 2028, despite a weakened economy, exhausted contract recruitment, and public opposition of more than 60%. He called for sanctions that genuinely work and for international cooperation to cut off supplies of electronics, machinery, and chemicals reaching Russia through intermediary companies.
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Ukraine military intelligence chief calls Kyiv SBU–HUR shooting "unacceptable," denies "war between special services"
Head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) Oleh Ivashchenko publicly commented on the September 2 shooting between SBU and HUR personnel in Kyiv, calling it an "unacceptable incident" and rejecting suggestions of a "war between special services." The shooting occurred in the Berezniaky district during investigative actions linked to Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov. The SBU and HUR have given competing accounts of the incident, and the State Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Prosecutor General have opened pretrial investigations.
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Drones hit Perm oil refinery and other Russian sites; Zelensky claims strikes on refineries in three regions
On the night of 7 September, drones attacked the Russian city of Perm, home to the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery, one of Russia's largest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces struck oil refineries in Perm Krai, Ryazan Oblast and Tatarstan, as well as a drone launch site in Kursk Oblast and a target in the Black Sea. Local authorities reported one death and four injuries in Perm, with additional damage and casualties in Belgorod, Voronezh, Chuvashia and Taganrog.
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Ukraine anti-corruption court remands prosecutor's office official in custody in 'Carthage' case; prosecutors allege ties to prosecutor general
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) placed Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the International Cooperation Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG), in custody with an alternative bail of 120 million hryvnias on 6 September 2026. Kropyva is the central suspect in 'Operation Carthage', an investigation by NABU and SAP into an alleged criminal organization that systematically took bribes from fraudulent call centers and laundered the proceeds. Prosecutors told the court that Kropyva functioned as a "trusted person" of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, coordinating repairs at a house in Kozyn, helping arrange a US visa for Kravchenko's wife, and organizing his birthday celebrations in Madrid. Kravchenko publicly denied any involvement in covering up illegal call centers and suspended Kropyva from his duties.
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Ukraine reports 245 combat clashes; Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions under heaviest pressure
Ukraine's General Staff reported 245 combat clashes on the front line over the past day, the 1656th day of Russia's full-scale armed aggression. The Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions together accounted for 60 of those clashes. The General Staff also reported Russian personnel losses of 1,390 over the same period.