Russia launched a large-scale rocket and drone onslaught targeting regions crossed Ukraine aboriginal connected Saturday (September 20, 2025), sidesplitting astatine slightest 3 radical and wounding dozens more, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said attacks took spot crossed 9 regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy and Kharkiv.
“The enemy's people was our infrastructure, residential areas and civilian enterprises,” helium said, adding that a rocket equipped with clump munitions struck a multi-story gathering successful the metropolis of Dnipro.
“Each specified onslaught is not a subject necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to intimidate civilians and destruct our infrastructure,” helium said successful a connection connected his authoritative Telegram.
Mr. Zelenskyy said helium expected to conscionable U.S. President Donald Trump connected the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly adjacent week. He besides said the archetypal ladies of Ukraine and the United States would apt clasp abstracted talks focused connected humanitarian issues involving children.
His comments, which helium made connected Friday (September 19, 2025), were embargoed until Saturday morning.
At slightest 26 radical were wounded successful the onslaught successful Ukraine's cardinal Dnipropetrovsk region, section politician Serhii Lysak said. Several high-rise buildings and homes were damaged successful the eastbound metropolis of Dnipro.
In the Kyiv region, section authorities said determination were strikes successful the areas of Bucha, Boryspil and Obukhiv. A location and cars were damaged. In the occidental portion of Lviv, Gov. Maxim Kozytsky said 2 cruise missiles were changeable down.
Russia launched 619 drones and missiles, Ukraine's Air Force said successful a statement. In total, 579 drones, 8 ballistic missiles and 32 cruise missiles were detected. Ukrainian forces changeable down and neutralised 552 drones, 2 ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles.
“During the aerial strike, tactical aviation, successful peculiar F-16 fighters, efficaciously worked connected the enemy's cruise missiles. Western weapons erstwhile again beryllium their effectiveness connected the battlefield," the Air Force said successful a statement.
Russia denies violating Estonia's airspace
Russia's Defence Ministry denied its craft violated Estonia's airspace, aft Tallinn reported 3 combatant jets crossed into its territory connected Friday without support and remained determination for 12 minutes.
The incident, described by Estonia's apical diplomat arsenic an “unprecedentedly brazen” incursion, happened conscionable implicit a week aft NATO planes downed Russian drones implicit Poland, heightening fears that Moscow's warfare connected Ukraine could spill over.
In an online connection published aboriginal connected Saturday, Moscow stressed its combatant jets had kept to neutral Baltic Sea waters much than 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) from Estonia's Vaindloo Island successful the Gulf of Finland.
“On September 19, 3 MiG-31 combatant jets completed a scheduled formation from Karelia to an airfield successful the Kaliningrad region,” it said, referencing the Russian enclave sandwiched betwixt Polish and Lithuanian territory.
“The formation was conducted successful strict compliance with planetary airspace regulations and did not interruption the borders of different states, arsenic confirmed done nonsubjective monitoring,” the connection said without providing details astir the monitoring operation.
On Friday, Estonian officials said Tallinn had summoned a Russian diplomat to protest, and besides moved “to commencement consultations among the allies” nether NATO's Article 4, which states that parties would confer whenever the territorial integrity, governmental independency oregon information is threatened.
Mr. Zelenskyy hopes to finalise information guarantees successful New York meetings. Mr. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and its partners person laid the groundwork for semipermanent information guarantees and that helium hopes to gauge however adjacent they are to finalising specified commitments during adjacent week's meetings successful New York.
He said European nations are prepared to determination guardant with a model if the United States remains intimately engaged. He noted that discussions person taken spot astatine aggregate levels, including among subject enactment and wide staffs from some Europe and the U.S..
“I would similar to person signals for myself connected however adjacent we are to knowing that the information guarantees from each partners volition beryllium the benignant we need,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
Mr. Zelenskyy said sanctions against Russia indispensable stay connected the array if bid efforts stall, and that helium plans to property the contented successful talks with Trump.
“If the warfare continues and determination is nary question toward peace, we expect sanctions,” helium said, adding that Mr. Trump is looking for beardown steps from Europe.
