Topic: War
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Russia strikes Ukraine overnight with two Zircon missiles and 174 drones; 141 aerial targets intercepted
On the night of September 18–19, Russia attacked Ukraine with two Zircon anti-ship missiles launched from Kursk Oblast and 174 strike drones of various types. Ukrainian air defense reported shooting down or suppressing 141 of 176 aerial targets as of 08:00 on September 19. Main strike directions were Odesa and Kyiv oblasts. Earlier strikes on the evening of September 18 killed civilians in Sumy and Balakliya and injured people in Kyiv Oblast.
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Russian guided bombs hit residential building in Sumy, killing two city council employees
On the evening of 18 September, Russian forces struck Sumy with 6–7 guided aerial bombs (KABs), directly hitting a nine-storey residential building in the Kovpakivskyi district between the 3rd and 4th floors. Two Sumy City Council employees — Alla Korniienko (45) and Roman Trepalin (52) — were killed; their 7-year-old son was rescued from the rubble and placed in intensive care. Casualty figures rose through the night as rescue operations continued.
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Nova Poshta to halt all sites during any air-raid alert and split parcels across smaller hubs
Ukraine's largest private postal and logistics company, Nova Poshta, announced it will suspend operations at branches, terminals, depots and other logistics sites during any air-raid alert regardless of threat level. The company is also introducing its own threat-monitoring system that can halt individual sites even without an official alert, and is continuing a shift to a decentralized fulfillment model that distributes parcels across many smaller locations instead of large sorting centers.
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Russia mass-launches repurposed training missiles from S-400 systems against Ukraine
Russia has sharply increased its use of RM-48U missiles — originally built for air-defense crew training — against Ukraine, launching them from S-400 systems. The repurposed missiles accounted for more than half of all Russian ballistic and hypersonic strikes in July, according to the General Prosecutor's Office, while the use of precision Iskander missiles dropped sharply. Analysts say the strategy aims to exhaust Ukraine's air-defense interceptors and conserve Iskander, KN-23 and Zircon missiles for a winter campaign.
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EU to launch joint projects with Ukraine using at least €10 billion in remaining SAFE funds
The European Commission announced a new program of joint projects with Ukraine financed by remaining SAFE instrument funds, with a minimum of €10 billion available. Separately, the EU is allocating €3.3 billion to Ukraine for defense needs.
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Estonian intelligence: Russian weekly losses exceed 10,000 for third week running
Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Centre, told a briefing at the Estonian Ministry of Defense that Russian armed forces losses in the war against Ukraine have exceeded 10,000 servicemembers per week for the third consecutive week, outpacing recruitment. He also outlined ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in Donetsk Oblast and a series of long-range Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil, chemical, drone and military facilities deep inside Russia.
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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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Two Ukrainian firms pass combat trials of new interceptors for jet 'Shaheds', Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the Carpathian Eight summit on September 18 that two Ukrainian companies have successfully completed combat trials of new interceptors capable of shooting down Russian jet-powered "Shahed" drones. Contracts with the firms are already being signed, and 67 companies overall are working on solutions. Zelensky said he had discussed addressing funding shortfalls with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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Trump signs 'Graham Act' imposing up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian energy
US President Donald Trump signed the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' on September 18, 2026 (overnight into September 19 Kyiv time). The law authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that remain among the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, and continues existing US sanctions against Iran. China, India, and Turkey are named as the most likely targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump and Congress, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the signing a 'truly historic day.'
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ICAO relays Ukraine's warning on Russian airspace risks to all member states
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) officially responded to Ukraine's letter on the dangers of Russian airspace and conveyed Kyiv's position to all member states, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. Sybiha urged international airlines, insurers and aviation operators to stop flying in Russian airspace and framed Russian drone and missile activity as a civil-aviation safety threat reaching beyond Ukraine.
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Russia hits Ukraine with 93 drones overnight; 69 downed as of 08:00, attack still ongoing
On the night of September 18, Russia struck Ukraine with 93 strike drones and Banderol/Dan-T loitering munitions launched from multiple directions. Ukrainian air defense had neutralized 69 drones and 3 loitering munitions as of 08:00, with the attack still ongoing and direct hits recorded at 13 locations.
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Russian drone strike hits commuter train in Kharkiv Oblast, killing one
On 18 September, Russian forces struck a suburban electric train near the Lypkuvativka platform in the Novovodolazka hromada of Kharkiv Oblast with a Geran-4 jet drone. One person was killed and several others injured, even though Ukrzaliznytsia's monitoring group had detected the threat and ordered an evacuation before impact.
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Pentagon weighs pulling up to 25,000 U.S. troops out of Europe in largest post-Cold War drawdown
The Pentagon is weighing a large-scale withdrawal of U.S. aircraft, ships, weapons and tens of thousands of military personnel from Europe, with one scenario envisioning roughly 25,000 troops removed — about a third of the 80,000-strong American contingent on the continent. Supreme Allied Commander Europe Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich is delivering his analysis to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on September 18, with a final recommendation due November 6. Lawmakers from both parties and European allies have warned the cuts could embolden Russia.
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Russian drone strike destroys Amstor shopping mall in Zaporizhzhia
A Russian drone strike hit the Amstor shopping mall in Zaporizhzhia on the evening of September 17, 2026, destroying the building and triggering a fire that covered more than 10,000 square meters. Firefighting was repeatedly interrupted by threats of follow-up strikes, and one injury was reported as of the morning of September 18.
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Russian drone attack damages schools, hospital, railway and homes in Konotop
Russian forces carried out a massive drone attack on the city of Konotop in Sumy Oblast overnight on September 18, damaging schools, a kindergarten, medical facilities, the railway, residential houses, shops, gas distribution infrastructure and power lines. Two women were injured. Konotop mayor Artem Semenikhin reported the consequences.
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Ukrainian drones force one of Russia's largest refineries to halt after strike hits key unit
A Ukrainian drone strike damaged the AVT-3 primary processing unit at the Slavneft-Yaroslavnefteorgsintez (YANOS) refinery near Yaroslavl, about 250 km northeast of Moscow, forcing the plant to halt crude oil processing on 17 September. AVT-3 accounts for roughly 40% of the refinery's capacity, and a second large unit was already offline from an earlier strike. Fuel from the plant disappeared from Russia's domestic commodity exchange the same day.
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Ternopil doctors charged with selling forged mobilization deferrals for up to $12,000
Law enforcement in Ukraine's Ternopil region has exposed a medical advisory commission that allegedly sold around 1,000 forged health conclusions over three years to help men obtain deferrals from mobilization, charging four doctors and two intermediaries with criminal offenses including obstruction of the Armed Forces and facilitating illegal border crossings.
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Czech PM Babiš proposes joint European missile defense system called Euro Patriot
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš proposed creating a joint European missile defense system named Euro Patriot at the Prague Defense Summit. He framed the proposal as a response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for Europe to develop its own ballistic, anti-ballistic, and counter-drone defense capabilities, and suggested Europe could acquire licenses to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles.
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Zelensky announces another successful test of Ukrainian interceptor against jet-powered Shahed drones
On 17 September, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported a new successful test of a Ukrainian-made interceptor against Russian jet-powered Shahed-type drones, including at least one confirmed shoot-down. He said production would be scaled up, thanked the developers and military, and noted that contracts were being signed with two companies whose interceptors had passed combat trials.
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Ukraine's central bank raises key rate to 16% as inflation overshoots forecast
The National Bank of Ukraine lifted its key policy rate by 0.5 percentage points to 16%, the second consecutive hike, citing sustained inflationary pressure and war-related supply shocks. Consumer inflation accelerated to 8.1% year-on-year in August, slightly above the NBU's July forecast, driven by fuel prices linked to Middle East escalation and higher administrative tariffs after Russian strikes on infrastructure.