Russian Drones Kill Two in Kyiv Hours Before Zelenskiy UN Warning on Energy Strikes
Russian forces launched drone strikes on Kyiv that killed two people and wounded 23 just hours before President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the UN General Assembly, where he warned that Ukraine would strike Russian energy targets if no winter truce is reached.
Russian Drone Attack on Kyiv
Russia hammered Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with drones in daylight attacks on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding 23, just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was due to address world leaders at the UN General Assembly. [3] Zelenskiy met US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, as Trump has expressed frustration over the lack of progress in talks aimed at ending the war and the continued escalation of aerial attacks by both sides. [3] A petrol station in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district was damaged by a Russian drone strike, while a transport infrastructure facility and another petrol station were damaged in the Darnytskyi district. [5] Several trains have been delayed as a result of Russian attacks. [5] Trains travelling from central Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast are the furthest behind schedule. [5] Due to the heightened air threat in Kyiv, Ukrzaliznytsia had to suspend the circular commuter train service. [5] The service has since resumed. [5]
Internet services have been disrupted for around 100,000 households in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast following a Russian attack. [5] Experts are assessing the extent of the damage and repairing the network to resume stable service as quickly as possible. [5] The ministry has not specified when stable internet service will be fully resumed. [5]
Zelenskiy Warns of Retaliatory Strikes
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Moscow at the United Nations on Wednesday that Ukraine would strike back and make the coming winter deeply painful for Russia, if the two sides cannot agree a truce on energy attacks before the cold sets in. [1] Ukraine and its allies are racing to secure limited agreements on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping before winter, fearing renewed Russian strikes on power and heating facilities, while Moscow continues to show little interest in wider negotiations to end the war. [1] “Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too,” Zelenskiy told the UN General Assembly during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York. [1] Though Russia has a far bigger arsenal of missiles which it has used to pound its enemy throughout the war, Ukraine has developed and used thousands of long-range drones to strike back at Russian warehouses, port infrastructure and oil refineries. [1] “That’s exactly why we say that de-escalation steps are needed before winter,” Zelenskiy said, calling for more robust diplomacy and noting the potential sway that Chinese President Xi Jinping could have on Russian President Vladimir Putin. [1]
Zelenskyy addresses the UN General Assembly warning on Russian energy strikes. — Source: newsmax
Zelenskyy is defending his country's recent strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying Ukraine must respond to Moscow's attacks on its energy infrastructure despite pressure to ease rising fuel prices. [2] Zelenskiy used his address to the General Assembly to single out Putin’s role in driving the war, repeatedly describing him derisively as “patient zero” and “the one from whom this idea of war keeps spreading further”. [1] “That is why ‘patient zero’ must be stopped. He must be denied the space to act – and the space to spread this evil further,” he said. [1]
Diplomatic Efforts on Limited Ceasefire
China’s Xi, who did not attend the United Nations gathering, was due on Thursday to hold White House talks with US President Donald Trump, with whom Zelenskiy met on Tuesday to discuss a ceasefire on energy-related targets. [1] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, after which Rubio said Ukraine and Russia had both voiced an interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy-related targets. [1] There was no immediate sign of any movement in the Russian position, however. [1] A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said that at the meeting it had “reaffirmed its unconditional commitment to achieving the objectives of its special military operation,” the phrase that Moscow uses to describe its war in Ukraine. [1] Addressing the 15-member Security Council on the sidelines of the annual UN gathering of world leaders, Lavrov indicated that Moscow would not countenance any temporary cessation of hostilities. [1] “Europe, whatever it thinks, just wants to get a pause, and it wants to use it to pump the Kyiv regime with weapons,” he told a council session focused on the war in Ukraine. [1]
Britain, France and Denmark’s top diplomats used their speeches to deliver strong condemnations of Russia’s war, warning variously of dangerous escalation and the spike in civilian deaths this summer. [1]
Russian Strike on Kramatorsk
Nine people have been injured in a Russian strike with cluster munitions, reportedly launched from Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems, on Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on the morning of 23 September. [4] Four women and five men aged between 46 and 74 have been injured. [4] One of the women is in a serious condition, and her identity is being established. [4] The people suffered blast and mine injuries, shrapnel wounds and fractures. [4] The police said the attack took place at 11:45. [4] Eight houses were damaged in the strike. [4]
Russian drone strike damages a petrol station in Kyiv hours before Zelenskyy UN address. — Source: france24
Infrastructure Damage and Disruptions
Internet services have been disrupted for around 100,000 households in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast following a Russian attack. [5] Experts are assessing the extent of the damage and repairing the network to resume stable service as quickly as possible. [5] The ministry has not specified when stable internet service will be fully resumed. [5] A petrol station in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district was damaged by a Russian drone strike, while a transport infrastructure facility and another petrol station were damaged in the Darnytskyi district. [5] Several trains have been delayed as a result of Russian attacks. [5] Trains travelling from central Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast are the furthest behind schedule. [5] Due to the heightened air threat in Kyiv, Ukrzaliznytsia had to suspend the circular commuter train service. [5] The service has since resumed. [5]
Black Sea Maritime Truce Proposal
Zelenskiy told leaders at a “Crimean Platform” summit on the sidelines of the UN that Kyiv was ready for a maritime truce in the Black Sea based on proposals such as those put forward by Egypt, India and Turkey. [1] “We are waiting for Russia’s response. Ukraine is ready … to ensure safe shipping and food security in the Black Sea if Russia is ready to take real steps towards de-escalation too. We have to start somewhere,” he said. [1] Top wheat importers in Asia, the Middle East and Africa that count on the Black Sea region for wheat have been finding it hard to secure supplies. [1] Global wheat prices have soared. [1]
What to watch next: Ukraine and its allies continue racing to secure limited agreements on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping before winter, while Moscow reaffirms commitment to its special military operation objectives and shows no interest in temporary halts.
