Topic: Occupied territories
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Council of Europe rights chief calls for ceasefire, evacuation in occupied Oleshky
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty has called for an immediate local ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and the evacuation of civilians from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson region, where residents face severe hunger, lack of medicine, water, and electricity. No food deliveries have reached the town since late May, and the only road in is mined and monitored by drones. O'Flaherty cited the Fourth Geneva Convention in holding Russia, as the occupying power, responsible for providing for the population.
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Zelensky says Ukraine ready for Black Sea safe-passage deal, awaits Russia's response
Speaking at the sixth summit of the International Crimea Platform on 23 September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has agreed to a regime of safe passage for vessels in the Black Sea and is waiting for Russia's official reply through mediators. Egypt, India and Turkey have submitted written proposals, and Zelensky linked the disruption of Black Sea exports of grain, fertilizers, diesel and oil to Russia's 2014 occupation and militarization of Crimea.
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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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51 UN member states call on Russia to agree to unconditional ceasefire; US does not join
On 23 September, during the High-Level Week of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, a group of UN member states issued a joint statement calling on Russia to agree to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire and engage in meaningful peace negotiations. The statement, presented by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, notes that Ukraine had already agreed to such a ceasefire since March 2025. The United States did not join the appeal.
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EU's Kallas to propose sanctions over Russian Duma vote on occupied Ukrainian territories
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced she will propose sanctions against individuals who facilitated holding Russian State Duma elections on Ukraine's occupied territories. She made the announcement in a post on X, describing the vote as a "simulation of democracy" and another serious blow to Russian democracy.
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Ukrainian churches appeal to Pope Leo XIV over humanitarian crisis in occupied Oleshky
The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has appealed to Pope Leo XIV, the UN, the ICRC and other religious bodies to intervene in what it calls a humanitarian catastrophe in Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine says the city has had no food deliveries since late May 2026, with civilians cut off from supplies and prevented from leaving, and announced it will raise the situation at the UN General Assembly High-Level Week.
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Trump signs Graham Act, codifying US sanctions for forced deportation of Ukrainian children
US President Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (H.R. 5334) on 18 September, putting into statute for the first time sanctions grounds for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. The law also authorizes sweeping tariffs on Russian energy buyers and direct Russian imports, and bans new US investments in Russia.
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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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UN report documents over 1,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine since 2022
The UN Human Rights Office has documented around 1,004 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine between 24 February 2022 and the end of July of the reporting year, attributing 89% of cases to representatives of Russian authorities. The report, based on confidential interviews with hundreds of victims as well as court documents and official records, details specific methods including rape, genital mutilation, and the use of Soviet-era "tapik" field telephones to deliver electric shocks to victims' genitals. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and a full Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.
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Rome prosecutors expose Russian spy network at embassies in Italy and the Vatican
An investigation by the Rome prosecutor's office, published by the Italian newspaper Riformista, has exposed a network of Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover at Russia's embassies in Italy and the Vatican. Named suspects include GRU and SVR operatives tasked with espionage against NATO-linked targets, recruitment for sabotage, and monitoring of the Holy See's activities on Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
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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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Ukraine's Third Army Corps confirms "Vivaldi" offensive near Lyman
Ukraine's Third Army Corps publicly confirmed on September 15 that it has been running an offensive operation codenamed "Vivaldi" in the northern part of Donetsk Oblast, east and northeast of Lyman. The corps revealed details of the first phase, which targeted Russian troop infiltration and logistics, and reported Russian losses in personnel, drones and equipment. The announcement broke months of operational secrecy around the fighting.
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Ukraine's General Staff reports strikes on Russian drone sites, command points in four oblasts
On 11 September and overnight into 12 September, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck Russian UAV control points, strike-drone storage sites, and weapons and materiel warehouses across several occupied locations, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. Targets were reported hit in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts. The General Staff said the extent of the damage is being verified and that work against key enemy targets is continuing.
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Budanov: new round of Ukraine–US–Russia peace talks being prepared for October
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said on September 12 that a new round of trilateral Ukraine–US–Russia peace talks is being prepared for October. He confirmed the trilateral format but did not disclose a possible venue, and said Ukraine is preparing for an October meeting. The statement came on the sidelines of the YES conference in Kyiv.
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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's Diia portal opens four new claim categories in international Register of Damage
Ukraine's Diia portal launched four new categories of applications to the international Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U). The categories cover loss of access to medical care, loss of access to education, other violations of international law, and other economic losses. Applications are submitted through the Diia portal and forwarded automatically to the Register.
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Ukraine kills Oleh Shutov in Donetsk, suspect in 2017 assassinations of Ukrainian officers
Ukrainian special services eliminated Oleh Shutov in occupied Donetsk on 27 July by detonating an improvised explosive device in his Subaru at the Dynamo sports complex, according to Ukrainian reports. Shutov, an operative of the so-called 'MGB DPR' and president of the 'DPR' judo and sambo association, was publicly named by former SBU chief Vasyl Hrytsak in 2019 as the direct perpetrator of the 2017 car-bomb assassination of Ukrainian military intelligence Major General Maksym Shapoval, and was also linked to the 2017 killing of SBU Colonel Oleksandr Kharaberush in Mariupol.
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External power restored to occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after nearly three weeks on diesel
On 7 September 2026, Ukrainian specialists reconnected the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to the external grid via the 330 kV 'Ferosplavna-1' line at 19:02, ending more than two weeks of reliance on emergency diesel generators. The repair was carried out under an IAEA-brokered local ceasefire that took effect on 5 September. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi called the reconnection an important step in preventing a nuclear accident.
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UN adopts Equal Earth map as Ukraine abstains over Crimea depiction
The UN General Assembly adopted the Equal Earth world map projection on September 4, with 164 states voting in favor and the United States against. Ukraine abstained because the map shows occupied Crimea separated from the rest of Ukraine in a lighter shade distinct from both Ukrainian and Russian coloring. Ukraine's Permanent Mission warned that the depiction could "open a Pandora's box" and contradict UN resolutions on Ukraine's territorial integrity.
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Ukrainian forces strike Russian radar, EW and drone-coordination targets in Bryansk and Luhansk oblasts
On 4 September 2026, Ukrainian Defence Forces struck several Russian military targets, including a radar station, an electronic warfare complex, a mesh-network repeater used to coordinate drone attacks, and a unit repair base. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the strikes on 5 September and said the extent of the damage was being clarified.