Topic: Presidency
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Ukraine suspends non-priority spending as PM warns of critical fiscal squeeze
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved a decision on 28 September prioritizing state expenditures toward defense, pensions, social payments and public-sector salaries, while suspending non-critical construction, reconstruction, capital repairs and beautification projects until the end of the war. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said part of the pressure stems from delayed international financing, in part because Ukraine has not fulfilled some of its commitments to international partners. The government has identified about $7 billion through internal optimization against a reported $27 billion Ministry of Defense deficit.
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Russian drone strikes Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences building, killing at least two
On 28 September 2026, a Russian jet-powered drone struck the Presidium building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) in central Kyiv around 13:30, causing a large fire and partially destroying the second and third floors of the historic structure. At least two people were killed — including the personal assistant of NASU Vice-President Volodymyr Horbulin — and multiple others were injured; some NASU staff remained unreachable after the strike. President Zelensky promised a Ukrainian response, Foreign Minister Sybiha called on UNESCO to strip Russia of voting rights, and the strike drew condemnation from European leaders and institutions.
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Ukraine hits two Russian defense plants, oil and drone sites in multi-region strikes
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian forces struck two Russian defense plants in the Tula and Voronezh regions overnight on September 28, alongside oil facilities in Krasnodar Krai, drone-launch sites in Kaluga and Oryol, targets in Bryansk, and a target in the Black Sea. SBU units struck oil facilities in Krasnodar during the day, and Russian authorities reported downed drones and damage in Voronezh region.
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Zelenskyy: Russia launched over 2,200 strike drones at Ukraine in one week, calls de-escalation signals "fake"
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on September 27 that Russia launched more than 2,200 strike drones, approximately 1,650 aerial bombs, and 38 missiles — many ballistic — at Ukraine over the past week. In a single recent day Russia used 277 strike drones, 155 of them jet-powered. Zelenskyy called Russia's diplomatic signals about de-escalation fake, said the strikes on kindergartens and schools amount to terrorism, and announced that new sanctions packages and the U.S. Lindsay Graham law are being prepared for October.
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Budanov: North Korea learning from Ukraine war and arming itself, including mass-producing strike drones
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Office of the President, said in an interview with Newsforce that North Korea is drawing on its participation in the war in Ukraine to improve its own armaments, including by mass-producing single-use strike drones. He also said North Korea continues to supply weapons and materials to Russia and to send its troops to fight directly against Ukraine.
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Russian drone strikes 9-story residential building in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district
On 27 September, a Russian jet-powered Shahed-type drone struck a 9-story residential building in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district at the 4th–5th floor level, sparking a fire and injuring one woman. The strike was part of a broader day-long drone attack on the capital that damaged kindergartens, schools, a car-service station, the residence of the Saudi Arabian ambassador, and the Kyivstar head office, with nine people injured citywide by evening.
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Budanov: Ukraine needs expanded Starlink access and Patriot interceptors to counter Russian missile strikes
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, said in an interview with Newsforce that Ukraine urgently needs expanded access to Starlink and Starshield satellite communications as well as interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems, in order to counter and strike Russian missile systems. A fragment of the interview was published on Budanov's Telegram channel on Sunday, 27 September.
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Poland offers to host Patriot missile production for Ukraine, citing safety of its own territory
Poland has offered to host on its territory the production of interceptor missiles for U.S. Patriot air-defense systems intended for Ukraine, if Washington grants Kyiv the relevant license. The proposal was made by Polish Deputy Minister of National Defense Magdalena Sobków-Czarniecka in a TVN24 interview, and was framed as a response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's 25 September claim that U.S. President Donald Trump has made a "final decision" to license Ukrainian Patriot production. Poland simultaneously confirmed it is negotiating with the U.S. on a permanent American military base, expected to accommodate around 5,000 troops and their families.
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Russian drones strike Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast overnight, one killed, several injured
On the night and morning of 27 September 2026, Russian drones struck multiple districts of Kyiv and parts of Kyiv Oblast, killing one man in the Solomianskyi district and injuring at least three people including two 16-year-old girls in the Shevchenkivskyi district. Fires were reported at a warehouse, an auto service station, an office building, and a school, while the logistics company Zammler confirmed its Brovarskyi district warehouse was hit. The strikes were part of a nationwide barrage of 170 strike drones, of which 147 were reportedly shot down or suppressed by 07:30.
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Trump pushes for Ukraine-Russia deal before winter; Zelenskyy says Putin shows no intent to end war
After a September 22 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump said on September 26 he expects Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin to "make a deal before the difficult winter." In an evening address the same day, Zelenskyy countered that Putin is not planning to end the war and keeps finding excuses to avoid meetings and a trilateral format.
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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.