Topic: Air attacks
-
Russian combined strike hits industrial sites in three Dnipropetrovsk Oblast cities; two killed in Dnipro
On the night of September 22, Russian forces carried out a combined missile and drone attack that simultaneously struck industrial enterprises in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Fires broke out at the impact sites. In Dnipro, two people were killed and six were injured, including a 25-year-old man in serious condition, and a search-and-rescue operation continued amid reports that people may remain trapped under rubble. The broader overnight assault also extended to Kyiv, parts of Chernihiv Oblast, and the Kremenchuk district of Poltava Oblast.
-
Russian overnight attack cuts power to about 100,000 subscribers in four Chernihiv Oblast districts
In the early hours of Tuesday, September 22, Russia struck Ukraine with drones, jet drones and ballistic missiles. An energy facility in a neighboring region was hit, leaving roughly 100,000 subscribers without electricity in four districts of Chernihiv Oblast. Explosions were also reported in Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih during the same attack.
-
Moldova detects unknown aerial object crossing from Ukraine, briefly closes northern airspace
Moldova's Ministry of Defence reported that an unidentified aerial object crossed the country's airspace from the direction of Ukraine's Vinnytsia Oblast on the night of 20–21 September 2025. The object was tracked through the country's breakaway Transnistria region and into the north before disappearing from radar, prompting a 24-minute airspace restriction and the dispatch of military and law-enforcement units to the impact area.
-
Bloomberg: Russia may be stockpiling ballistic missiles for winter strikes on Ukraine's energy sector
Bloomberg reported on September 21 that Russia has significantly reduced its use of ballistic missiles against Ukraine since August, instead relying more on jet drones, and may be stockpiling ballistic missiles for renewed strikes on energy and heating infrastructure during the winter cold season. Ballistic missiles have historically caused some of the heaviest damage to Ukrainian energy facilities, and a shortage of Patriot interceptors remains a key vulnerability heading into winter.
-
Russia hits 10 Ukrainian oblasts in massive overnight drone salvo; Zelensky links it to signals of war expansion
Russian forces launched 172 strike drones at Ukraine overnight on 20–21 September, hitting 10 oblasts and damaging civilian and energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelensky described a strike on Zaporizhzhia as "harsh and targeted" and said Russia is sending signals about readiness to expand the war, tying the attack to upcoming UN General Assembly diplomacy.
-
Russia expanding carbon-fiber facility that could boost drone output by 78%
Russia's Alabuga-Volokno plant in Tatarstan is being expanded to produce an additional 500 tons of aerospace-grade carbon fiber per year by 2029, according to internal Rosatom documents collected by the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation. Experts cited in the documents estimate the extra carbon fiber would enable production of roughly 28,000 additional long-range strike drones per year, an estimated 78% increase over current capacity of more than 36,000 Shahed/Geran-type kamikaze drones annually. The Russian government approved Rosatom's plans in May; satellite imagery from May through August shows land being cleared and foundations prepared for the new line, scheduled for completion in 2027.
-
Russian drones hit Zaporizhzhia, damaging heritage-listed university building, shopping mall, and apartment blocks
Russian drone strikes hit Zaporizhzhia overnight on September 21, 2026, damaging two nine-story residential buildings, the Intrade shopping mall on Soborny Avenue, and three buildings of Zaporizhzhia National University, including a direct hit on its 1902 heritage-listed Building No. 3. Most Ukrainian sources report five civilians wounded, though later updates cite six. The strike was part of a nationwide overnight barrage of 172 strike UAVs and other munitions, with hits recorded at 14 locations across Ukraine.
-
Russian drone and missile strikes damage 34 civilian sites across five districts of Kyiv Oblast
Russian forces attacked Kyiv Oblast almost without pause overnight with drones and missiles, damaging 34 civilian objects across five districts and injuring at least one woman in Obukhiv district, according to the head of the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko. State Emergency Service teams extinguished fires at multiple sites, and the air raid alert lasted nearly a full day and night.
-
Ukrainian drone strike halts Moscow oil refinery on day of State Duma vote
On the night of 20 September, Ukrainian forces struck the Gazpromneft-Moscow refinery in the Kapotnya district of Moscow with a combined drone and missile attack, setting both primary crude distillation units ablaze and forcing a full halt of oil processing. Ukraine's General Staff says cumulative strikes have now knocked out more than 45% of Russia's designed oil refining capacity. The attack fell on the day of Russia's State Duma election, with Moscow authorities not activating air raid sirens or SMS warnings, an omission analysts at the Institute for the Study of War linked to a priority on voter turnout over civilian safety.
-
Russia strikes food warehouses in Odesa Oblast; Silpo confirms hit on its distribution center
In the night of September 20–21, 2026, Russia struck food warehouse facilities in Odesa Oblast, igniting a large-scale fire that was extinguished by rescuers. No deaths or injuries were reported. Retail chain Silpo confirmed that the strike hit its distribution center in Odesa.
-
General Staff: 238 clashes recorded in past day, heaviest fighting on Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk directions
Ukraine's General Staff reported 238 combat clashes across the front over the past day, the 1671st day of what Ukraine terms Russia's full-scale armed aggression. The Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk directions saw the most intense fighting. Russian forces carried out 91 airstrikes, dropped 295 guided aerial bombs, used 10,237 kamikaze drones and shelled Ukrainian positions and settlements 2,903 times.
-
Trump presses Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries ahead of New York meeting
On September 20, US President Donald Trump repeatedly pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries during a phone call, citing rising global diesel prices. The two leaders agreed to meet in New York on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where Trump is expected to push for an energy ceasefire. On September 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Russia had "lost control" of its diesel industry because of the war with Ukraine and called the war "senseless and endless," while Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready for de-escalation steps only if Russia halted attacks on Ukrainian energy and critical infrastructure.
-
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."
-
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.
-
Polish defence minister says Ukraine's air defence is Poland's own security interest
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told the Sejm on 18 September that Poland's security depends on Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian drones, and accused parts of the opposition of rhetoric that serves Russian interests. The same day Prime Minister Donald Tusk was in Ukraine for the Carpathian Integration Initiative summit and said NATO, Ukrainian and Polish intelligence expect Russia to intensify attacks on Ukraine and its partners in the coming months.
-
Ukrainian advisor says Russia plans satellite-free navigation for Shaheds and guided bombs
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an advisor to the president of Ukraine on defense technology, says Russia plans to install a beacon-based navigation system called Ariadna on Shahed drones and guided aerial bombs. He says the system would allow the weapons to orient themselves up to 100 km into Ukrainian territory without satellite signals, making them resistant to electronic jamming.
-
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces report 300 Russian air defense targets hit in 2026
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said on September 19 that they had destroyed or damaged 300 Russian air defense units and systems during the first 261 days of 2026. Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi identified the 300th target as a Buk-M3E system struck near Ukrainka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
-
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.
-
Ukraine strikes Russian drone control points, training ground, and depots in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
Ukraine's Defence Forces struck a series of Russian military targets on 18 September and during the night of 19 September, including UAV control points, a training ground, and ammunition and materiel depots in the occupied parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russia had not commented on the strikes at the time of reporting.
-
Unidentified drones violated Moldovan airspace over several nights, debris found near Chișinău
Moldovan border police recorded multiple unidentified drones crossing into the country's airspace in the Ștefan Vodă district around midnight on 18–19 September, days after drone debris was found near Chișinău. Ukraine separately notified Moldova that an unknown object had fallen and ignited near the Ukrainian village of Troitske, close to the border. Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the incidents, linking them to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while the country's Ministry of Defence said it had not recorded any airspace violation that night.