Topic: War
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Rubio says no Ukraine-Russia energy ceasefire yet, but both sides interested in limited deal
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there is currently no energy ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but that both sides have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire covering energy and grain. Speaking after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Rubio said the war would end through negotiations rather than a decisive military victory, and that US President Donald Trump remains ready to mediate. The comments come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Trump in New York with energy ceasefire among the main topics.
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EU's Kallas calls for Black Sea attack moratorium to restore Ukrainian grain exports
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas called at a UN General Assembly event chaired by the EU for a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea to restore Ukrainian grain exports. She said Ukrainian maritime grain shipments have effectively halted since August 2025 because of escalating Russian attacks, and that nearly 90% of Ukraine's agricultural exports move through the Black Sea corridor.
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Zelensky meets Japanese PM Takaichi in New York, invites her to Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York. Zelensky thanked Japan for its ongoing support during Russia's war and invited Takaichi to visit Kyiv and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which Japan helped restore after a Russian drone strike.
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Tsikhanouskaya at UNGA: Lukashenka ready to provide Belarusian territory for renewed attacks on Ukraine
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that Alyaksandr Lukashenka is prepared to give Vladimir Putin Belarusian territory, logistics and infrastructure for attacks on Ukraine from the northern border, and that hopes of separating the two leaders are futile. She warned that Belarusian infrastructure, including antennas used to direct drones, is already being used by Russia, and that retransmitters are being installed along the border with EU countries as well as Ukraine, meaning provocations could be aimed at Europe. She also said 500–600 Belarusian enterprises produce optics and microchips and procure components in circumvention of sanctions for Russia's military machine.
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North Korea tests new KN-23 variants; analysts link them to evading Patriot air defenses
On September 20, North Korea conducted new tests of KN-23-type ballistic missiles reaching altitudes of 60–70 km. Analysts suggest the experiments are aimed at helping the missiles better evade Patriot air defense systems. Ukrainian outlet Defense Express published its analysis on September 22, framing the tests as relevant to Russian strikes on Ukraine using North Korean weapons.
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Russian drone strikes hit warehouses in Odesa Oblast, damaging WHO medical storage
Russian drone strikes on warehouse facilities in Odesa Oblast on 22 September caused large-scale fires, killing one person, injuring two, and damaging a World Health Organization warehouse in Chornomorsk that stored temperature-controlled medical supplies. WHO said it was the fourth time in three months that this particular warehouse was hit and the 21st strike on medical storage facilities in 2026.
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Russian drone strike hits German-owned Kromberg & Schubert plant in Zhytomyr Oblast
On 22 September, Russian forces struck an enterprise with foreign investments in the Zhytomyr community using a reactive drone. Local reports identify the target as the German-owned Kromberg & Schubert plant, a major employer that had already been badly damaged in a 9 August attack. A large fire broke out and emergency services worked through the night to extinguish it; reports differ on whether anyone was hurt.
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Zelensky and Trump meet in New York: energy ceasefire, Patriot production and a push to end the war before winter
On September 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. Zelensky proposed a mutual energy ceasefire, raised licensing of Patriot interceptor missile production in Ukraine, and said he is ready to meet Vladimir Putin with Trump's help. Trump said the war will end "sooner than people realize" and warned he is ready to use the newly-signed "Graham law" sanctions against Russia.
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Ukraine receives $841 million from World Bank under Canadian guarantees for pension payments
Ukraine has received $841 million in financing from the World Bank under guarantees from the Canadian government, with the funds directed to reimbursing state budget pension expenditures. The transfer was raised under the PEACE in Ukraine project, whose total volume has now reached $54.3 billion. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky announced the funding via Telegram and thanked Canada and the World Bank for timely assistance amid a significant budget deficit.
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Ukrainian drones strike Kuibyshev refinery in Russia's Samara region, causing large fire
On the night of 22 September 2026, Ukrainian drones attacked the Kuibyshevsky oil refinery in Samara Oblast, Russia, igniting a large-scale fire. Ukraine's General Staff and the Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed the strike, with the Unmanned Systems Forces stating the distance to the target exceeded 1,000 km. The same night, Ukrainian forces also struck the Bashneft-UNPZ refinery in Ufa.
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Russia strikes 13 oblasts and Kyiv in mass overnight drone and missile attack; four killed in Dnipro
Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile attack on the night of 21–22 September, striking 13 Ukrainian oblasts and Kyiv. In Dnipro, a missile strike killed four people and injured six, with a rescue operation ongoing. Ukrainian air defence intercepted 186 aerial targets, but hits and debris were recorded at 26 locations, with damage to energy and railway infrastructure, fuel storage, food warehouses and residential buildings.
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Russia strikes Kyiv overnight, hitting residential building and damaging five districts
Russia launched a combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on 22 September 2026, hitting a five-story residential building in the Dnipro district and causing damage in at least four other city districts. Rescuers saved 15 residents from the damaged building; the number of injured reported rose from three to five over the course of the morning. No fatalities were reported from the Kyiv strikes.
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Poland's defense minister postpones Pentagon visit at US request; deputies travel to Washington instead
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz's September 23 visit to the Pentagon has been postponed at the request of the US side. No new date has been announced. Polish Deputy Defense Ministers Magdalena Sobkowiak and Paweł Zalewski will travel to Washington in his stead to hold talks and prepare new US-Poland cooperation agreements. Poland's Ministry of Defense said the rescheduling followed signals from Washington and a NATO chiefs-of-staff meeting that required urgent new security measures for Alliance countries.
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Russian combined strike hits industrial sites in three Dnipropetrovsk Oblast cities; two killed in Dnipro
On the night of September 22, Russian forces carried out a combined missile and drone attack that simultaneously struck industrial enterprises in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Fires broke out at the impact sites. In Dnipro, two people were killed and six were injured, including a 25-year-old man in serious condition, and a search-and-rescue operation continued amid reports that people may remain trapped under rubble. The broader overnight assault also extended to Kyiv, parts of Chernihiv Oblast, and the Kremenchuk district of Poltava Oblast.
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Russian overnight attack cuts power to about 100,000 subscribers in four Chernihiv Oblast districts
In the early hours of Tuesday, September 22, Russia struck Ukraine with drones, jet drones and ballistic missiles. An energy facility in a neighboring region was hit, leaving roughly 100,000 subscribers without electricity in four districts of Chernihiv Oblast. Explosions were also reported in Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih during the same attack.
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Moldova detects unknown aerial object crossing from Ukraine, briefly closes northern airspace
Moldova's Ministry of Defence reported that an unidentified aerial object crossed the country's airspace from the direction of Ukraine's Vinnytsia Oblast on the night of 20–21 September 2025. The object was tracked through the country's breakaway Transnistria region and into the north before disappearing from radar, prompting a 24-minute airspace restriction and the dispatch of military and law-enforcement units to the impact area.
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Bloomberg: Russia may be stockpiling ballistic missiles for winter strikes on Ukraine's energy sector
Bloomberg reported on September 21 that Russia has significantly reduced its use of ballistic missiles against Ukraine since August, instead relying more on jet drones, and may be stockpiling ballistic missiles for renewed strikes on energy and heating infrastructure during the winter cold season. Ballistic missiles have historically caused some of the heaviest damage to Ukrainian energy facilities, and a shortage of Patriot interceptors remains a key vulnerability heading into winter.
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Russia hits 10 Ukrainian oblasts in massive overnight drone salvo; Zelensky links it to signals of war expansion
Russian forces launched 172 strike drones at Ukraine overnight on 20–21 September, hitting 10 oblasts and damaging civilian and energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelensky described a strike on Zaporizhzhia as "harsh and targeted" and said Russia is sending signals about readiness to expand the war, tying the attack to upcoming UN General Assembly diplomacy.
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Russia expanding carbon-fiber facility that could boost drone output by 78%
Russia's Alabuga-Volokno plant in Tatarstan is being expanded to produce an additional 500 tons of aerospace-grade carbon fiber per year by 2029, according to internal Rosatom documents collected by the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation. Experts cited in the documents estimate the extra carbon fiber would enable production of roughly 28,000 additional long-range strike drones per year, an estimated 78% increase over current capacity of more than 36,000 Shahed/Geran-type kamikaze drones annually. The Russian government approved Rosatom's plans in May; satellite imagery from May through August shows land being cleared and foundations prepared for the new line, scheduled for completion in 2027.
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Russian drones hit Zaporizhzhia, damaging heritage-listed university building, shopping mall, and apartment blocks
Russian drone strikes hit Zaporizhzhia overnight on September 21, 2026, damaging two nine-story residential buildings, the Intrade shopping mall on Soborny Avenue, and three buildings of Zaporizhzhia National University, including a direct hit on its 1902 heritage-listed Building No. 3. Most Ukrainian sources report five civilians wounded, though later updates cite six. The strike was part of a nationwide overnight barrage of 172 strike UAVs and other munitions, with hits recorded at 14 locations across Ukraine.