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.
-
Zelensky announces first combat use of Ukrainian-made FP-7 ballistic missile
On 1 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the first combat use of the FP-7, a domestically developed tactical ballistic missile made by Ukrainian defense company Fire Point. He posted a launch video on social media but did not disclose the target, location, or outcome. The Wall Street Journal, citing its own sources, reported the missile was used against a target in Russian-occupied territory, though the success of the strike remains unclear.
-
EU and Ukraine say 2026 budget and defence needs can be covered; Commission denies any financing gap
On 1 October 2026 the European Commission and Ukraine issued a joint statement saying they had identified the means to cover Ukraine's 2026 budget and defence needs and outlining the steps needed for timely disbursement. The next day Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said the EU and Ukraine had jointly concluded there is no external financing gap for 2026, and the Commission disbursed a €2.9 billion tranche under the Ukraine Facility. The Financial Times reported that EU Commissioners formally declined Ukraine's request to front-load part of the 2027 loan, linking further payments to reforms.
-
Zelensky announces Ukrainian strikes on Russian vessel and targets in Oryol, Samara and Bryansk regions
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 1 October that Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a Russian vessel in the Black Sea along with three targets inside Russia: a strike-drone launch and storage site in the Oryol region, an oil facility in the Samara region, and a military supply depot in the Bryansk region. He published video footage of the Black Sea strike and framed the operations as part of an approved long-range strike plan for October.
-
Russian drone strikes Kyiv school while students shelter; no injuries
A Russian drone struck a secondary school in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on the morning of October 1 during an overnight drone barrage on Ukraine. More than 100 students and around 60 staff were sheltering inside at the time. No one was injured, and President Zelensky ordered the school's reconstruction.
-
Trump blames Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries for US diesel crisis, floats export ban
On September 30, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries — not the situation in the Middle East — are the main cause of rising US diesel prices. He repeated an earlier call on President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt the strikes and said he is considering a ban on US diesel exports after consulting Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Analysts and other Trump administration officials have pointed to the US war against Iran and shrinking global fuel stocks as additional or competing causes of the deficit.
-
Ukrenergo cancels 1 October power outage schedules after Russian attack on energy grid
Ukrenergo announced scheduled electricity consumption limits for 1 October in several Ukrainian regions, citing damage from a large Russian missile and drone attack on energy facilities overnight on 30 September. Later the same day, the grid operator cancelled the previously announced hourly outages and industrial restrictions. Some consumers in frontline oblasts remained without power, while Ukrenergo asked households in Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, and Zhytomyr Oblast to limit use of powerful appliances in the evening.
-
Budanov: Drone Deal partners may gain access to Ukraine's jet-drone interception technology
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Euronews that countries holding Drone Deal cooperation agreements with Kyiv may negotiate access to new Ukrainian technologies for intercepting Russian jet-powered drones. He said Ukraine is already using the technology experimentally in combat, where it succeeds in most cases, and that the main challenge is scaling up production before the harshest part of winter.
-
Ukraine says defence deficit for 2026 is $27 billion, $20 billion in partner talks
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said Ukraine's 2026 defence budget deficit stands at $27 billion. About $7 billion is to be covered through domestic austerity and reallocation, while the remaining $20 billion is being negotiated with international partners. The government is racing to meet commitments by mid-October or risk losing access to $29.5 billion in planned international financing.
-
More than half of Ukraine's F-16s grounded by Belgian maintenance delays
A Wall Street Journal report says more than half of Ukraine's F-16 fighters are non-combat-ready because phased technical inspections carried out by Belgian contractor Sabena Aerospace Engineering under a U.S. contract are taking far longer than in the United States. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed to the Financial Times that roughly half the fleet is in long-term repair in Europe and said Ukraine wants to move most of that maintenance onto its own territory with Western support. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman publicly disputed the 'catastrophically low' readiness framing, saying turnaround times are actually shortening.
-
Russia extends diesel export ban through end of October amid fuel crisis linked to Ukrainian drone strikes
Russia has extended its ban on diesel fuel exports for producers until October 31, 2026, as a domestic fuel shortage aggravated by Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries continues. The move comes alongside a parallel gasoline export restriction running until January 31, 2027, and a recent decree by President Vladimir Putin classifying information about Russia's fuel and energy complex.
-
Ukraine asks EU to use frozen Russian assets to cover $78 billion 2027 financing gap
Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told a donor meeting in Brussels on 29 September that Ukraine needs roughly $78 billion (about €69 billion) in additional financing for 2027 and called on the European Union to use frozen Russian sovereign assets to cover the gap. EU officials and several member states received the request skeptically, with Belgium opposed to any new use of the assets and the European Commission insisting that the priority is disbursing the already agreed €90 billion loan, whose budget tranche is held up pending Ukrainian reforms.
-
Russia launches massive combined missile and drone strike on Kyiv overnight, killing civilians including a child
In the night of 29–30 September 2026, Russia carried out a large-scale combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine with the main strike direction targeting Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast. Ukrainian air defense reported intercepting 5 ballistic missiles and 155 of 188 launched drones. Two women were killed in Kyiv and a child died in Vyshhorod, where rescuers pulled three survivors from the rubble of a destroyed house. Fires and damage were recorded in four Kyiv districts and across multiple Kyiv Oblast districts, and 8,000 Kyiv households lost power before DTEK restored supply.
-
Ukraine and Belgium agree on transfer of three F-16 jets by year-end
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on 29 September that Ukraine and Belgium had reached an agreement to transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year under an expedited procedure. Zelensky said Ukraine had already received ammunition for F-16s from Belgium and other countries including Spain, and thanked Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and the Belgian government for their support.
-
IMF estimates Ukraine's financing gap at $54 billion through 2029 as donors meet in Brussels
On September 29, Ukraine's donors gathered in Brussels to accelerate talks on further financial assistance, as IMF estimates put Ukraine's financing gap at about $54 billion through 2029. EU member states remain divided on whether to use roughly €210 billion in frozen Russian central-bank assets or issue new common debt, while the European Commission and IMF tie further assistance to Ukraine's implementation of a reform plan.
-
Russian guided bombs hit Sumy school during classes; two killed, children among wounded
On 29 September 2026, Russian forces struck the city of Sumy with guided aerial bombs, one of which hit a school in the Zarichnyi district where classes were in session. Children and staff were sheltering at the time; about 100 people were evacuated and no injuries were reported at the school. Two people were killed in their homes in the private residential sector, and multiple children were among the wounded. President Zelenskyy condemned the attack and called on Ukraine's international partners to increase pressure on Russia.
-
Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage seeks asylum in Croatia to avoid extradition to Germany
Volodymyr Zhuravlov, a Ukrainian citizen suspected by German investigators of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, has applied for political asylum in Croatia, his lawyer Mykola Katerynchuk said. The asylum request comes after a district court in Pula ruled to allow his extradition to Germany, a decision the defense is appealing. Zhuravlov justified the request by saying he would not receive a fair trial in Germany.
-
Putin envoy Dmitriev holds "constructive" talks with US officials in Washington on Ukraine war and energy cooperation
Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special envoy and head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund RDIF, met US officials in Washington on September 28 to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and possible post-war US-Russia energy initiatives. A US official described the talks as "constructive." The visit followed Donald Trump's meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 22 and a separate series of meetings between Dmitriev and US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
-
Russia hits Kyiv and ten oblasts in large overnight missile and drone attack
Russia launched a large overnight missile and drone strike on 28–29 September 2025, hitting Kyiv and at least ten oblasts. Ukrainian air defense said all incoming missiles and 106 drones were intercepted, but the salvo damaged a major Kyiv railway depot, data and business centers, residential buildings, energy infrastructure and two foreign vessels in Odesa region.
-
Ukraine reports Russian losses at approximately 1,532,500 since start of full-scale invasion
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on the morning of 29 September that Russia lost approximately 1,440 military personnel in the previous day, bringing total Russian personnel losses since the start of the full-scale invasion to roughly 1,532,500 killed and wounded. The update also included daily and cumulative equipment losses. Independent investigations and NATO offer significantly lower estimates, and Russia does not officially disclose its casualty figures.
-
Ukraine's defense minister asks EU for Patriot missiles and funding for drone interceptors
Ukraine's Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara addressed EU defense ministers on September 28 at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, asking member states to transfer part of their Patriot missile stockpiles to Ukraine and to help finance Ukrainian production of interceptors for jet-powered Shahed-type drones. He also requested air-to-air missiles, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), and F-16 ammunition, and called on partners to move EU loan funds planned for 2027 into 2026.