Russian Drones Kill Two at Ukraine-Moldova Border Crossing in Odesa
Russian drones killed two people at the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in Odesa region on Wednesday while separate strikes killed at least one person in Kyiv and two in Mykolaiv, as Moscow intensified attacks on Ukrainian border infrastructure, cities and port facilities. [1] [3]
Border Crossing Attack Near Moldova
Russian forces struck the Starokozache border crossing in southwest Ukraine, killing two civilians and wounding three. [1] The checkpoint lies about 1 km from Moldovan territory and is used daily by thousands of people and hundreds of cars. [1] Moldovan officials said passenger and vehicle traffic was halted by the attack. [1] “Most likely, Russia wants to disrupt logistics routes,” Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian border guards, told national TV. [1] Russia has struck five border crossings in recent weeks, four with Moldova and one with Romania, aiming to disrupt logistics routes as Ukraine relies more on land exports after Black Sea port attacks. [1] The checkpoint, about 1 km (half a mile) from Moldovan territory, is used daily by thousands of people and hundreds of cars. [1] Two civilians were killed and three wounded in the attack on the Starokozache border crossing in southwest Ukraine, Odesa regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. [1] Moldovan officials said passenger and vehicle traffic was halted by the attack. [1] “Most likely, Russia wants to disrupt logistics routes,” Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian border guards, told national TV. [1]
Resumed Strikes on Kyiv
One person was killed and at least 14 wounded in new waves of Russian jet-powered drone attacks on Kyiv that caused multiple fires, damaged residential buildings in Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi districts, and disrupted business and schools. [1] [4] Russia resumed its near-constant air attacks on Kyiv on Tuesday after a brief halt during the visit to Moscow and Kyiv of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace negotiators. [1] A Russian drone struck a nine-story residential building in the Dniprovskyi district of the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at 4:21 p.m. local time. [4] Kyiv City Military Administration later said that a woman was killed as a result of the attack on the Dniprovskyi district, and three people were injured including two children aged 15 and 16. [4] At around 8 a.m. local time, a Russian drone struck a 24-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district, sparking a fire on the 12th floor, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. [4] Separately, a fire broke out in an open area in the Darnytskyi district following a drone crash, Klitschko said at 12:50 p.m. local time. [4] At 1:27 p.m. local time, the mayor added that a fire broke out in a warehouse in the Dniprovskyi district following a drone crash. [4] The air-raid alert related to drone threats has been in effect in Kyiv for more than six hours since the start of the day. [4] Russia's attacks on Kyiv resumed almost immediately after a brief pause linked to the visit of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the capital. [4] The previous day, on Sept. 8, a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv killed five people, injured 35 others and sparked a series of huge fires that filled the morning air across the city with smoke. [4] Russian attacks over the past day in Kyiv Oblast killed two people and injured seven others, including two children, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, said. [4] In total, 31 sites were damaged across the region, including 11 houses, two apartment buildings, five production and warehouse facilities, an administrative building, a utility building and 12 vehicles, Tkachenko said. [4]
Russian frigate Admiral Essen in Novorossiysk after being struck by Ukrainian Neptune missile. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Ongoing Assault on Mykolaiv
In Mykolaiv, relentless Russian attacks over nearly 24 hours killed two people, injured 12 including a one-year-old boy, and damaged port infrastructure, vegetable warehouses and a post office. [3] Russian forces have been relentlessly attacking the city of Mykolaiv for almost 24 hours. [3] Two people were killed and another 12 were injured. [3] Port infrastructure sustained damage. [3] Three people were injured in an enemy attack on port infrastructure in the Mykolaiv district in the first half of the day today. [3] The injured are men aged 28, 46 and 48. [3] All have been hospitalised. [3] Two of them, aged 28 and 46, are in a serious condition. [3] The 48-year-old man is in a moderate condition. [3] The attacks continued in the afternoon: two people were killed and, based on early reports, nine were injured. [3] Among them is a one-year-old boy. [3] The State Emergency Service reported that warehouses storing vegetables and a post office in Mykolaiv came under attack. [3] Reshetilov added that Russia has been terrorising Mykolaiv and the oblast for almost 24 hours. [3] Russian forces launched a large-scale attack on Mykolaiv and Mykolaiv Oblast on the night of 8-9 September, damaging port facilities, civilian infrastructure sites and residential buildings. [3] A woman has been killed and four people have been injured. [3]
Ukrainian Retaliatory Strikes on Novorossiysk
Ukrainian forces responded by striking a Russian naval base, oil terminal, military port facilities and warships in Novorossiysk, hitting the Admiral Essen frigate with a Neptune missile and damaging other assets including radars, a Su-33 fighter and an Mi-8 helicopter. [1] [2] The Russian frigate Admiral Essen, which was struck on the night of 8-9 September, was hit by a Ukrainian-made Neptune missile. [2] Ukrainian forces attacked the Russian warship with a missile during a combined strike by Ukraine's defence forces involving units of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and other elements of the Ukrainian military. [2] Navy personnel used a Neptune missile to hit the Admiral Essen frigate, a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles. [2] OSINT project Exilenova+ posted a satellite image of the Russian base in the city of Novorossiysk following the overnight attack. [2] DIU reported that the frigate's superstructure was hit. [2] The Admiral Essen is a Russian Project 11356R Burevestnik-class frigate, launched in 2014 and commissioned into Russia's Black Sea Fleet. [2] The vessel took part in missile strikes on Syria in 2017 and has been involved in strikes on Ukraine since 2022. [2] It is armed with 3M14 Kalibr cruise missiles, the Shtil-1 surface-to-air missile system and a 100mm A-190 gun. [2] The R-360 Neptune cruise missile is designed to destroy ships with a displacement of up to 5,000 tonnes and, like other missiles of its class, can be launched from land, surface and air platforms. [2] In April 2022, a Neptune missile was used to sink the Russian cruiser Moskva. [2] In late 2025, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine was also using the upgraded Long Neptune version. [2] The Neptune-D system uses RK360L cruise missiles with a range of up to 1,000 km and a 260kg warhead. [2] The missile is designed to strike both land and maritime targets. [2] It was reported earlier that Ukraine's defence forces and the Unmanned Systems Forces struck a number of Russian military assets in Novorossiysk and Anapa on the night of 8-9 September. [2] Confirmed hits included a Su-33 carrier-based fighter and an Mi-8 helicopter, two Russian radars – a Kasta-2E2 and a 92N6 radar from an S-300/S-400 air defence system – near Gelendzhik, as well as the Project 11356 frigate Admiral Essen. [2] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces had hit a naval base, an oil terminal, military port facilities and warships carrying missiles in Russia’s Novorossiysk, and he reiterated his plea for more international pressure on Moscow. [1] “A response is needed – Moscow must not go into the winter believing that it can get away with missile and drone terror without consequences,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram. [1] “The aggression must be stopped here and now, before it spreads any further.” [1]
What to watch next
Ukraine has attacked Russian refineries, oil terminals and commercial warehouses with drones, often deep inside Russia, while Russian forces continue targeting border crossings and cities. [1]
