Topic: Russia
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Ukraine's intelligence warns Russia may test new 800-km ballistic missile by year-end
Ukraine's military intelligence says Russia plans to conduct final tests of a new ballistic missile with a range of up to 800 km by the end of 2026, and may use the launches to strike targets in western Ukraine. The warning was delivered by Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), during a session of the Ukraine-NATO Inter-Parliamentary Council.
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Russia hits Kyiv with massive missile and drone attack hours after Trump envoys leave
Russia launched a combined missile and drone assault on Kyiv overnight on September 7–8, striking the capital with ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and 166 strike drones. At least two people were killed, more than 50 civilian objects were damaged across multiple districts, and air defenses downed 175 of the incoming targets. The attack came shortly after US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left the city following talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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US envoys visit Kyiv for first time, signal return to trilateral talks but report no breakthrough
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Kyiv on 6 September 2026 for their first visit to Ukraine since Donald Trump's second presidential term began, after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 5 September. They held three rounds of talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, joined in the second round by national security advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and announced a planned return to the US–Ukraine–Russia trilateral format and US support for a 'winter package' of assistance for Ukraine. Zelensky reported receiving a message that 'the Russians are ready to negotiate' but remained sceptical, while the Kremlin, Bloomberg sources and the Institute for the Study of War said the Moscow talks produced no substantive concessions.
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Ukraine's military intelligence chief says Russia has resources to wage war through 2027–2028
Head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko, said in an interview with Ukrinform that Russia is using mercenaries from more than 40 countries and still has enough resources to continue the war through 2027 and 2028, despite a weakened economy, exhausted contract recruitment, and public opposition of more than 60%. He called for sanctions that genuinely work and for international cooperation to cut off supplies of electronics, machinery, and chemicals reaching Russia through intermediary companies.
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Ukraine military intelligence chief calls Kyiv SBU–HUR shooting "unacceptable," denies "war between special services"
Head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) Oleh Ivashchenko publicly commented on the September 2 shooting between SBU and HUR personnel in Kyiv, calling it an "unacceptable incident" and rejecting suggestions of a "war between special services." The shooting occurred in the Berezniaky district during investigative actions linked to Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov. The SBU and HUR have given competing accounts of the incident, and the State Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Prosecutor General have opened pretrial investigations.
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SBU detains artillery brigadier in Mykolaiv accused of guiding Russian strikes for FSB
Ukraine's SBU detained a servicemember of an artillery brigade in Mykolaiv Oblast on suspicion of working for Russia's FSB. Investigators say the man was recruited via Telegram while AWOL, returned to his unit to spy, and directed strikes on Ukrainian Defense Forces positions in Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts. He faces life imprisonment on state treason charges.
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Drones hit Perm oil refinery and other Russian sites; Zelensky claims strikes on refineries in three regions
On the night of 7 September, drones attacked the Russian city of Perm, home to the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery, one of Russia's largest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces struck oil refineries in Perm Krai, Ryazan Oblast and Tatarstan, as well as a drone launch site in Kursk Oblast and a target in the Black Sea. Local authorities reported one death and four injuries in Perm, with additional damage and casualties in Belgorod, Voronezh, Chuvashia and Taganrog.
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Lavrov calls Germany's response to Leipzig drone incident "the beginning of a real war"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Germany's reaction to an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport as "the beginning of a real war," drawing an analogy to pre-World War II diplomatic closures. Germany officially accused Russia on September 1 of orchestrating the incident, closed Russia's last consulate general in Bonn, and terminated the agreement for the "Russian House" in Berlin. Russia retaliated by announcing closures of German Goethe-Institut branches. No one was injured and Ukrainian Antonov aircraft were not damaged, though the An-124's cargo remains disputed.
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Ukrainian drones strike Ryazan oil refinery and Rostov airfield overnight
On the night of September 6, 2026, Ukrainian drones attacked targets in Russia's Ryazan and Rostov oblasts. Ukraine's General Staff said the Defense Forces struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery, the Rostov-on-Don airfield, a Podlyot radar station, and two Pantsir-S1 air-defense systems, with the refinery hit using an FP-1 drone produced by Fire Point. Russian officials acknowledged a drone attack and a fire at an unnamed enterprise in Ryazan, but did not officially confirm damage to the refinery.
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ATESH says it destroyed communications tower near Perm ahead of Ukrainian strike on LUKOIL refinery
The ATESH partisan movement reported that its agents destroyed a communications tower in the Perm area of Perm Krai, Russia, shortly before Ukrainian drones struck the LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery on August 21. ATESH said the tower served as a backup channel for coordination between the facility's security and Russian military units covering it, and that the sabotage was carried out by a Russian serviceman who had gone AWOL and later joined ATESH.
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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.
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Russia hits Ukraine with ballistic missiles and 167 drones overnight; air defence downs 128 UAVs
Russia struck Ukraine overnight on 4–5 September with Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 167 strike and decoy drones launched from multiple Russian and occupied- Crimean sites. As of 08:30 on 5 September, Ukrainian air defence had downed or suppressed 128 drones. Hits were recorded at 23 locations, with casualties reported in Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv and Mykolaiv oblasts.
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Russia strikes Kyiv and Boryspil airports as US envoys prepare to visit
In the night of September 4–5, Russia launched drone strikes across at least eight Ukrainian regions, with President Zelensky saying the attacks deliberately and for the first time in a long time targeted the Kyiv (Zhuliany) and Boryspil airports. Zelensky linked the airport strikes to discussions about the upcoming visit by US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. A drone hit a nine-story residential building in Boryspil, injuring two women, and a strike on an industrial enterprise in Kamianske killed and wounded civilians. Zelensky announced Ukraine would adjust its operations regarding Russian airspace the following week.
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Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner to visit Moscow and Kyiv this weekend carrying war-ending proposal
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on the evening of September 4 that US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow on Saturday September 5 and then to Kyiv on Sunday September 6, carrying a proposal to end the war. Zelensky said Ukraine would ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace and refrain from strikes during the visit, and called on Russia to reciprocate with silence. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House the same day that the envoys are bringing a peace proposal and described the mission as having a good chance of success.
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Budanov reveals years of back-channel contacts with Russia's GRU chief and Prigozhin, advises Zelensky against Donbas concessions
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with The New York Times published on 4 September that he maintained long-running contacts with Russian military intelligence chief Admiral Igor Kostyukov and the late Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. He advised President Volodymyr Zelensky not to accept any compromise on Donbas that would give Russia formal control over territory its military failed to seize on the battlefield.
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Albania bars Russian shadow-fleet tanker HANUMAN from Durrës port
On 29 August, Albania denied the oil tanker HANUMAN, identified by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) as part of Russia's shadow fleet, entry to the port of Durrës. HUR, which announced the incident publicly on 4 September, framed the refusal as evidence of international sanctions solidarity against Russia.
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Ukraine's General Staff says two major Russian oil refineries halted after Ukrainian strikes
Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on 4 September that two large Russian oil refining enterprises — LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez in Kstovo and the NOVATEK-Ust-Luga complex in Leningrad Oblast — have stopped operating after being hit on 26 August and 1 September respectively. The General Staff said both facilities supply the needs of the Russian armed forces.
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US Treasury Secretary says Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries deepening global energy shock
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries are deepening a global energy shock, in remarks on Fox News following two-day G20 finance ministers' meetings in North Carolina. Bessent attributed the shock both to the war in Ukraine — including Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure — and to the conflict in Iran, and defended his decision to engage with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at the meeting.
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Russia pounds Ukraine with missiles and over 120 drones overnight; strikes kill civilians and two police officers
In the night of September 3–4, Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine using a Kh-31 guided missile and 121 drones, about half of them jet-powered. Ukrainian air defenses reported intercepting most of the incoming weapons, but strikes hit multiple regions including Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, killing at least two civilians and two police officers. A fire at a Rosneft oil depot in Sochi was also reported during the same night.
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Ukrainian drones hit Sochi air-defence site and oil depot overnight, sparking fuel shortages
On the night of September 4, Ukrainian drones struck a Russian air-defence position near the Sirius settlement close to Sochi and an oil depot in the city's Adler district, according to Ukrainian and independent OSINT reporting. Fires burned at both locations and a column of flame was seen from kilometres away. Sochi airport introduced temporary aircraft and refueling restrictions, and the city administration urged residents and tourists to use public transport as gasoline was being sold at only about two-thirds of municipal filling stations.