Topic: Combat operations
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Ukraine says Russia used civilians, including children, as cover while retreating through gas pipeline near Kupiansk
Ukraine's National Guard 'Khartiia' corps says reconnaissance drones recorded Russian forces on 27 September leading nine civilians — including children, elderly people and one person on crutches — out of the Kupiansk community in Kharkiv Oblast through the 'Shebelinka — Ostrohozk' gas pipeline. Khartiia says men of military age in civilian clothes walking alongside the group were Russian soldiers who had removed their uniforms, and that the children and elderly were forced to walk more than 10 kilometres inside the pipe. Ukrainian forces saw the group but did not open fire because of the civilians present; the military says the footage will be passed on for a war crimes investigation. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha publicly characterized the actions as the use of Ukrainian civilians as a 'human shield' and as gross violations of international humanitarian law.
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Russia offers $20 million bounty for location of Ukrainian drone commander 'Madyar' Brovdi
The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia has placed a $20 million bounty through post-Soviet criminal networks for information leading to the location of Robert 'Madyar' Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces. Russian courts have convicted Brovdi in absentia on terrorism charges. Brovdi told WSJ his unit accounts for about one-third of Russian losses over the past year, despite making up only 2.5% of Ukraine's armed forces.
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Ukrainian forces deliver 4 tonnes of food by drone to occupied Oleshky as humanitarian crisis deepens
Ukrainian forces used drones to deliver about 4,000 kg of food to 100 locations in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, one of the largest such operations since systematic drone deliveries across the Dnipro began in March. Head of the Kherson Oblast Military Administration Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian forces shoot down delivery drones, seize or resell the food, and detain and beat residents who receive aid. The situation has been raised at the UN Security Council, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha comparing the blockade to the 1932–1933 Holodomor.
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Ukrainian strikes hit Azov optical-mechanical plant, Ilysky refinery, and Russian air-defense assets overnight
On the night of 25–26 September 2026, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant in Rostov Oblast — a facility linked by open-source analysts to several Russian missile programs — along with the Ilysky oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai, a Pantsir-S2 air-defense system, an ammunition depot in Sievierodonetsk, and a P-18 Terek radar in Donetsk Oblast. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the Azov strike was carried out by its Alpha Special Operations Center together with the Ukrainian Navy, using Neptune cruise missiles and Ruta, Palyanytsya, and Bars jet drone-missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly confirmed the strikes.
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Ukrainian drones hit two Russian oil refineries and defence-linked plants overnight into 25 September
In the night of 24–25 September 2026, Ukrainian drones struck multiple Russian industrial sites far behind the front line. The Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Perm was hit and a fire broke out; the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast suspended operations after being damaged; the Iskra microelectronics plant in Ulyanovsk, part of the Almaz-Antey defence concern, was also struck, along with a synthetic-rubber plant in Voronezh. Russia's General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the strikes on the two refineries, and President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly acknowledged the attacks.
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Russia launches 295 drones at Ukraine overnight; 267 intercepted, hits reported at 16 locations
On the night of 24–25 September 2026, Russia attacked Ukraine with 295 strike drones of various types, including 52 jet-powered Shaheds, Gerbera, Banderole/Dan-T munitions, and Parodia decoy drones. Ukrainian air defense shot down or suppressed 267 of them, but hits were recorded at 16 locations and falling debris at 4 more. Fires broke out in two districts of Kyiv and three districts of Kyiv Oblast, a hospital in Zaporizhzhia was damaged, and injuries were reported in both cities.
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Zelensky says Russia gained only 90–100 sq km net in 2026 at cost of 260,000–270,000 Russian casualties
In a Wall Street Journal interview during his US visit, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces captured around 890 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in 2026 while Ukraine's Defense Forces deoccupied around 800 square kilometers, leaving a net Russian gain of roughly 90–100 square kilometers at a cost he put at 260,000–270,000 Russian casualties.
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Zelenskyy discloses annual frontline figures, confirms readiness for trilateral summit with Trump and Putin
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, President Zelenskyy said Russia captured 890 km of Ukrainian territory in 2026 while Ukraine liberated 800 km, leaving roughly a 100 km net gain for Moscow. He also cited 270,000 Russian casualties this year and stated that "almost everything on the battlefield has stalled." Speaking after his 22 September meeting with Donald Trump in New York, Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Putin with Trump's help, while the Kremlin's spokesman said there are no preconditions for a "peace track" and repeated that Zelenskyy could come to Moscow.
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Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces report 38 energy nodes struck in latest wave of "Crimean Switch off"
Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi said on September 23 that Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck 38 additional energy nodes on Russian and occupied territory as part of operation "Crimean Switch off." The reported strikes include gas distribution stations in occupied Crimea, substations in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, and a facility on Russian territory. Since July 6, the operation has hit 412 energy nodes in total.
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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Estonian intelligence: Russian weekly losses exceed 10,000 for third week running
Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Centre, told a briefing at the Estonian Ministry of Defense that Russian armed forces losses in the war against Ukraine have exceeded 10,000 servicemembers per week for the third consecutive week, outpacing recruitment. He also outlined ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in Donetsk Oblast and a series of long-range Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil, chemical, drone and military facilities deep inside Russia.
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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 reports 208 combat clashes on September 16; Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka most active
Ukraine's General Staff reported 208 combat clashes on the front line on September 16, 2026, with the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions identified as the most active sectors. Russian forces carried out 71 airstrikes, dropped 233 guided aerial bombs, deployed 4,704 kamikaze drones, and conducted 1,250 shellings of Ukrainian positions and settlements. The operational update was published as of 22:00 on September 16.
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Ukraine's F-16 squadron commander says pilots rationing air-to-air missiles, sometimes using cannons against Russian drones
The commander of a Ukrainian F-16 squadron, callsign Phantom, said in an interview with the American channel Newsmax that Ukraine is critically short of AIM-9 and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, forcing pilots to ration munitions and on some combat missions engage Russian aerial threats using only the F-16's built-in 20mm cannon. The interview fragment was distributed by the Ukrainian Air Force on September 16. Phantom also called for additional Patriot interceptor missiles and either faster deliveries or a license for Ukraine to produce the weapons.
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Ukraine strikes Russian Su-24 bomber at Saky airfield in occupied Crimea
Ukraine's Defence Forces struck a Russian Su-24 bomber at the Saky airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea during the night of 16 September, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the same operational period, Ukrainian forces reported strikes on Russian drone storage and launch sites, drone control points, ammunition and fuel depots, and reconnaissance posts across occupied Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. The extent of damage to the Su-24 is being clarified.
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Russian Major General Anton Grunis killed in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's drone forces claim strike
Russian Major General Anton Grunis, commander of the 4th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, was killed in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi said the 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion "Rarog" carried out the strike on September 12. Grunis had earlier briefed Vladimir Putin about the alleged capture of Kostiantynivka, a claim Ukraine denies.
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Ukraine's General Staff reports strikes on Russian drone launch site, EW stations, radar and fuel depot
Ukraine's General Staff said that on 14 September and overnight into 15 September, Ukrainian forces struck a series of Russian military targets. Hits were reported on a strike-drone storage and launch site in the Donetsk area, three electronic warfare stations in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, two radar stations, a MESH-network communications relay in Zlyntsi, and a fuel and lubricants warehouse in Luhansk Oblast. The extent of the damage is still being clarified.