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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Zelensky warns Russia's airspace is unsafe for civil aviation due to Ukrainian drone strikes
In a September 1 address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia's airspace is becoming fully unsafe because of Ukrainian drone operations and called on foreign airlines and ambassadors to take the risks into account. He said Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs would brief international structures on the dangers, while reiterating that Ukraine does not target civilian aviation.
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Russian missile and drone strike hits Kyiv railway depot, killing at least 12 across Ukraine
Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast and other parts of Ukraine on the night of August 31 to September 1. Ballistic missiles struck a railway depot in Kyiv, killing at least seven people there, six of them Ukrzaliznytsia employees, while a separate strike on Boryspil damaged residential buildings and an enterprise. President Zelensky said 12 people were killed nationwide, including one Indian citizen, and dozens were injured.
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Musk remains opposed to letting Ukraine use Starlink for strikes on Russia despite talks with Fedorov, sources say
Elon Musk has engaged in talks with former Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov about allowing Starlink to be used to control drone strikes on Russian territory, but remains opposed after what one source described as "extremely unsuccessful" negotiations. According to sources cited by Kyiv Independent, Musk does not believe that granting such permission would help end the war and wants a deal rather than escalation. The Financial Times, citing Fedorov's account, earlier reported Musk was willing to allow strikes conditional on White House approval — a version of events that, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, prompted Donald Trump to accuse him of "deceiving" him.