Topic: War
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Russian drone strike near Yahodyn border crossing prompts Polish military scramble, airport shutdowns
On 28 September, a Russian reactive drone struck near the Yahodyn international border crossing on the Ukrainian-Polish border in Volyn Oblast. Poland scrambled military aviation, placed air-defence and radar systems on alert, and suspended operations at Rzeszów and Lublin airports. No casualties were reported, but the blast wave damaged the entry-terminal building of the checkpoint, according to the head of the Volyn Oblast Military Administration.
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Trump signs 'hellish sanctions' law against Russia; Ukraine pushes for full implementation
President Donald Trump signed a U.S. sanctions law — dubbed the "hellish sanctions" — about a week before publication, codifying existing measures against Russia across energy, the shadow fleet, finance, the defense-industrial complex and sanctions circumvention. The law imposes tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from third countries that buy significant volumes of Russian oil or gas, and sets an 18 October deadline for the administration to act. Ukraine, which has already submitted detailed proposals including lists of traders, tankers, captains and intermediaries, is engaging Congress to press the White House toward full implementation.
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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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Ukraine's 2027 defense budget leaves $70 billion shortfall, ministry says
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence estimates 2027 defense needs at $175 billion, nearly double the roughly $100 billion allocated in the government's draft state budget. Officials say the $70 billion gap must be closed with international partners through instruments such as the Ramstein format and PURL. The draft, Ukraine's sixth wartime budget, projects total expenditures above 8 trillion hryvnias and relies on foreign assistance to cover a 4.3 trillion hryvnia gap.
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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 drones hit Edelweiss-95 oil depot in Krasnodar Krai, SBU claims four depot strikes overnight
In the night of 28 September 2026, drones struck the Edelweiss-95 oil depot in stanitsa Novotitarovskaya, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, sparking a fire. Ukraine's SBU said it struck four oil depots in the region overnight using drones from its Alpha Special Operations Center. Russian regional authorities had not officially confirmed the attack at the time of initial reporting.
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Russian guided bomb strike on Kharkiv residential building injures dozens, including many children
On the night of 28 September, Russian forces struck the Kyivskyi and Saltivskyi districts of Kharkiv with guided aerial bombs. One bomb hit a multi-storey residential building in the Saltivskyi district, destroying the second and third floors and injuring dozens of people, including many children. Search-and-rescue operations concluded with no one found under the rubble, though emergency services rescued 32 people from the damaged building.
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Ukraine's PM ties 2027 VAT hike to war-risk insurance fund for businesses hit by Russian strikes
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said a planned 1-percentage-point increase in Ukraine's standard VAT rate, from 20% to 21% under the draft 2027 state budget, is needed to finance a new fund that would promptly compensate businesses for damage caused by Russian missile and drone strikes. Speaking to TSN.Tyzhden, he said Ukraine plans an initial state contribution of about $1 billion, with the government expecting international partners to add roughly four times that amount for a total fund of about $5 billion.
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Ukraine's defense budget faces $27 billion deficit, PM says $20 billion to come from partners
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said Ukraine's defense budget has a $27 billion shortfall — part of the $155 billion war financing figure declared at February's Ramstein-format meeting. Around $7 billion is to be covered through domestic austerity and internal reallocation, with roughly $20 billion being sought from international partners for drones, missiles and military equipment.
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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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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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Russian strikes kill two, injure several in Kharkiv Oblast; Metalist stadium hit by FPV drone
Over the past day, Russian forces struck Kharkiv city and 21 settlements across Kharkiv Oblast, killing two people and injuring others including four children, according to the head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov. The OSK Metalist stadium in the Slobidskyi district of Kharkiv was also hit by a Russian FPV drone on September 26, 2025, with its facade damaged and no casualties reported at the venue.
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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 strike hits Dnipro, fire reported as casualty details emerge
Russian forces struck the city of Dnipro, causing a fire at the site of the attack. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, Oleksandr Hanzha, reported the strike and said information about victims was being clarified.
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Russian drones strike Kiliia in Odesa Oblast overnight, hitting port and civilian infrastructure
Russian forces attacked the city of Kiliia in Odesa Oblast with Shahed drones overnight on September 27, damaging port and civilian infrastructure. The Izmail District State Administration reported no casualties; a fire at the strike site was extinguished by State Emergency Service rescuers.