Russian Strikes Kill Four in Kyiv After US Envoys Leave
Russian Strikes Resume on Kyiv After US Envoys Depart
An early morning Russian drone strike on a petrol station in Kyiv killed two people and hospitalised four, the city's mayor said. [1] As soon as US envoys Witkoff and Kushner left Kyiv, Russia showered drones and missiles on the capital, killing at least four civilians on September 8 and 9. [2] On the morning of 11 September, Russian forces attacked Kyiv with jet-powered drones, with strikes recorded at petrol stations in two districts. [4] On 10 September, a Russian drone struck a petrol station in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district, injuring four people. [4] Russian forces struck an office building in Kyiv's Podilskyi district with a jet-powered drone for the second time on 11 September. [4] Early reports indicate that there has been a repeat strike on a five-storey office building in the Podilskyi district that had already been hit this afternoon, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. [4] The repeat strike on the office building also caused a fire in a nearby warehouse building. [4]
Zelensky Calls for Sanctions and Energy Truce
US President Donald Trump's administration should immediately impose new sanctions on Russia over recent deadly strikes on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday. [1] The comments came after Zelensky announced he planned to meet Trump in late September, amid US-led efforts to broker an end to the four-and-a-half year Ukraine war. [1] "Sanctions need to be imposed now," Zelensky told the Yalta European Strategy forum. [1] "Honestly, I sometimes do not understand why decisions cannot be made quickly," he added. [1] Zelensky separately called for a truce with Russia covering strikes on energy targets, saying Ukraine was ready to hit back if Moscow attacked his country's energy grid over the winter. [1] "Russia knows that if they strike... they will receive the same in return," he said. [1] Both Moscow and Kyiv have escalated long-range strikes on each other in recent months, as US-led talks on ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II remain deadlocked. [1] After meeting with US envoys in Kyiv, Zelensky says war likely to ‘continue in winter’. [1]
Russian drone strike hits petrol station in Kyiv killing civilians after US envoys depart. — Source: aljazeera
Attacks on Ukrainian Officials and Infrastructure
Russia has appeared to have escalated its targeting of Ukrainian officials in recent days. [2] On September 4, a drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s internal security service, the SBU. [2] “The drone was deliberately directed at the office of the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad,” said the SBU. [2] Ukrainian defence adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said it was a jet-powered Geran-4 Russian drone – one of two launched from the occupied eastern Donetsk region and sent in tandem towards Kyiv. [2] “I instructed Poklad to respond appropriately, significantly and, if possible, in kind,” said Zelenskyy, later adding that “the geographical areas for the response have been determined”. [2] On September 8, Russia also came close to blowing up Zelenskyy’s plane as it waited on the tarmac in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau. [2] The plane was carrying Zelenskyy, his wife Olena and Moldovan premier Maia Sandu to Oslo for the funeral of King Harald V. [2] Norwegian premier Jonas Gahr Store said the plane came close to being hit. [2] Russian forces have attacked Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast, damaging more than 20 houses in a residential area and killing two residents. [3] The occupiers struck a residential area of the city. The attack damaged 21 houses and a car. [3] A munition hit one house and completely destroyed it. The homeowner was trapped under the rubble and died at the scene from his injuries. [3] Two people were killed in the attack in total, the emergency service said. [3] Earlier, a Russian drone struck an ambulance in the settlement of Yasnohirka, Donetsk Oblast, killing a medical worker and injuring two other people. [3]
Ukraine's Long-Range Strikes on Russian Energy and Military Targets
Ukraine continued its long-range operations during the past week, targeting Russian oil and military infrastructure. [2] Between September 4 and 10, Ukraine struck at least seven refineries and gas condensate processing plants, two of them at an unprecedented 3,000km range from its border – the Novy Urengoy and Purovsky gas condensate plants, beyond the Ural Mountains in the Siberian Arctic region of Yamalia. [2] Closer to home, Ukraine also struck the military airfield at Rostov-on-Don and the Russian port of Makhachkala on the Caspian Sea. [2] The Ukrainian military said they were “used to supply military personnel in both directions: components and attack UAVs of the Shahed type from Iran to the Russian Federation, [and] explosives, components for drones and ammunition from the Russian Federation to Iran”. [2] Ukraine carried out a strike on Wednesday, September 9, against the Novy Urengoy gas condensate plant in the Yamalo‑Nenets Autonomous Okrug, a site previously considered out of reach. [5] “This area is roughly 3,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border,” said Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center. [5] Ukraine's long‑range strikes also hit oil refineries in Perm Krai and in Ryazan and Saratov regions, according to a September 11 assessment published by the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center. [5] Ukraine also struck a petrochemical plant in the Republic of Bashkortostan and an oil terminal in Krasnodar Krai. [5] Among the military targets Ukraine attacked were the Novorossiysk naval base, airfields in Crimea and Krasnodar Krai, and air defense systems in Rostov region. [5]
Russian drone strike hits residential area in Kramatorsk killing two people. — Source: ukrainskapravda
US Diplomacy Faces Criticism as Peace Talks Stall
United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been seen as embarrassing and amateurish after their latest attempt to secure a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine. [2] “Jared Kushner’s incompetence was on full display this weekend,” wrote Slate magazine. [2] “The Witkoff-Kushner circus act is an embarrassment,” said the Daily Telegraph, while the Financial Times titled its story, “Kushner and Witkoff’s blind amateurism.” [2] Washington has pursued negotiations without its European allies since US President Donald Trump cut off military aid to Ukraine and agreed to meet with Putin last year. [2] Witkoff caused outrage after he openly flattered Russian President Vladimir Putin. [2] “When we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all,” he told Putin. [2] Ukraine stopped firing missiles and drones at Moscow between September 5 and 7 to enable the US envoys aircraft to fly safely between the capitals. [2] Russia also paused attacks as they visited Kyiv. [2] “Please come more often, so that our people have the chance to live normally,” Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy joked at a media conference with them. [2] Putin’s diplomatic aide, Valery Ushakov, told the US envoys that Moscow was committed to achieving all its goals in Ukraine. [2] “Russia intends to achieve the goals of the special military operation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asserted on September 8. [2] “Of course, we’re all interested in ending the conflict as quickly as possible. Moreover, it must end on our terms, in order to prevent the possibility of it recurring in the future or spreading into a global conflict,” former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Vedomosti newspaper two days later. [2] Zelenskyy has insisted that only leverage on the battlefield will force Moscow to negotiate. [2] “Without a strong position on the ground, there will only be ultimatums,” Zelenskyy said this week. [2]
Frontline Developments and Russian Losses
On the Russia‑Ukraine front, there were around 250 clashes per day last week, an 11 percent increase from the previous week. [5] “The most intense fighting took place in Donetsk region, in the Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka areas,” Col. Kiviselg said Friday at the Estonian Defense Ministry briefing. [5] Other hotspots included the southern Slobozhanske area in Kharkiv region, the Lyman direction in Donetsk region, and the Hulyaipole direction in Zaporizhzhia region. [5] Ukrainian counterattacks occurred mainly in Kharkiv region toward Borova and Kupiansk, and in Donetsk region toward Lyman and Sloviansk. [5] Russia lost roughly 1,400 soldiers per day. [5] Last week was the second consecutive week in which Russian forces lost more than 10,000 fighters, and total losses surpassed 1.5 million during the week. [5] Russia's main effort remained focused on the Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka directions, aiming to reach the borders of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions and to regain lost positions in Dnipropetrovsk region. [5] In recent days, several reports have emerged of Ukrainian gains toward Lyman. [5] Ukraine has refrained from issuing official statements for operational security reasons, but available information clearly indicates Ukrainian advances and improving conditions toward Sloviansk. [5] Ukraine’s military leadership said that since the beginning of the war, Russia has suffered 1.5m losses of personnel – both soldiers killed or incapacitated. [2] This year, Russia has again suffered setbacks, notably during the Oleksandrivka counteroffensive, which reclaimed 745sq km in the eastern and southern Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. [2]
What to watch next: Zelensky has announced plans to meet Trump in late September while urging immediate new sanctions, and both sides have continued long-range strikes on energy and military targets amid stalled talks.
