Russian strikes kill at least 1 in northeast Ukraine

Russian strikes kill at least 1 in northeast Ukraine
Residents hold hands as smoke rises over a warehouse, which was hit by a Russian drone strike, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, 20 September 2026.
Reuters

Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.

⦿ 14:32 GMT | UPDATE

Papal envoy Cardinal Zuppi to visit Russia later this month

Reuters

Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi is expected to visit Russia in late September, according to remarks published by Russia's RIA news agency on Monday.

The visit is set to include discussions on humanitarian issues linked to the war in Ukraine.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said talks would focus on matters such as prisoner exchanges and other humanitarian concerns arising from the conflict.

Zuppi, who has been involved in Vatican-led peace and humanitarian initiatives related to the war, previously travelled to Moscow in October 2024 for discussions on family reunifications, prisoner-of-war exchanges and prospects for dialogue between the parties.

⦿ 14:23 GMT | UPDATE

France says Russian parliamentary election was not free

Reuters

France has criticised Russia's parliamentary election, saying the vote did not meet the standards of a free and fair election.

In a statement on Monday, the French Foreign Ministry said pressure on civil society and opposition groups, restrictions on freedom of expression, and the exclusion of certain political parties had undermined voters' ability to make a free political choice.

Paris also condemned the organisation of voting in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, saying it constituted a further violation of international law.

⦿ 13:03 GMT | UPDATE

Russia says it is coordinating with Türkiye on Black Sea shipping security

Reuters

Russia is working closely with Türkiye on issues related to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Speaking on Monday, Zakharova said Moscow remains in close contact with Ankara after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Türkiye had submitted a proposal aimed at ending hostilities in the Black Sea and was awaiting a Russian response.

⦿ 13:00 GMT | UPDATE

UN expert says Russia intensified repression beyond its borders after 2022 invasion

Reuters

A UN human rights expert has accused Russia of significantly expanding efforts to monitor, intimidate and target critics abroad since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Presenting a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Special Rapporteur Mariana Katzarova said documented cases of what she described as “transnational repression” have sharply increased in recent years.

The report alleges that Russian authorities have used a range of tools against critics overseas, including surveillance, intimidation, legal pressure, financial restrictions and, in some cases, attempted attacks.

According to the report, anti-war activists, journalists and civil society groups have been among those targeted, with incidents reported across Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

The report also claims Russia has increasingly relied on administrative and digital methods of pressure, including financial monitoring measures and international arrest requests.

⦿ 12:57 GMT | UPDATE

Trump says Russia has “lost control” of diesel sector, renews call to end Ukraine war

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia has “lost control” of its diesel industry, arguing that repeated attacks on Russian refineries have disrupted the country's fuel production capacity.

In a social media post on Monday, Trump said a large number of Russian diesel refineries had been damaged or taken out of operation because of the war in Ukraine. He used the remarks to renew his call for an end to the conflict, describing it as a “ridiculous and never ending war.”

Trump's comments came a day before he was due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

⦿ 11:13 GMT | UPDATE

Trump asks Zelenskyy to stop hitting Russian refineries 

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump has pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt Kyiv's strikes on Russian refineries over concerns that the attacks are exacerbating a global diesel shortage and pushing up prices, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the call.

⦿ 10:16 GMT | UPDATE

Kremlin says new U.S. sanctions on Russia won't help end war

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump's signing into law of a sweeping Russia sanctions bill will not help restore battered U.S.-Russia ties or advance a peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said. 

⦿ 10:13 GMT | UPDATE

Food and medicine supply problem affecting town in southern Ukraine, Kremlin says 

Reuters

A Russian-controlled town in southern Ukraine is suffering from food and medicine supply issues, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said.

Oleshky in Kherson has been under Russian occupation since the opening days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022. 

Before the war, the town had a population of around 24,000 people. 

⦿ 09:24 GMT | UPDATE

Ukraine export losses due to Russian attacks could reach $4.8 billion by end of year 

Reuters

Ukraine's export losses from Russian attacks on ports and other critical infrastructure could reach $4.8 billion by the end of the year, the country's Finance Ministry has said. 

It added that losses in July alone were estimated at around $800 million.

⦿ 08:34 GMT | UPDATE

Russian drone hits critical infrastructure in central Ukraine 

Reuters

A Russian drone has struck a critical infrastructure facility in Ukraine's central region of Poltava, the regional Governor said on Monday. The attack caused a fire, but there are no reports of injuries, Vitalii Diakivnych said on the Telegram messaging app.

⦿ 07:20 GMT | UPDATE

Ukrainian strike kills one person in western Russia

Reuters

A man was killed and three people were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, the region's Acting Governor, Yegor Kovalchuk, said in a statement on Russia's MAX messenger app on Monday.

⦿ 05:27 GMT | UPDATE

Russia hits cargo vessel and warehouses across Ukraine 

Reuters

Russian forces struck a cargo vessel in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa overnight, Russian news agency Interfax has reported. Logistics centres and warehouses were also hit in attacks across the country, Russian state news agency TASS said.

⦿ 03:04 GMT | UPDATE

Woman killed in Russian attack on northeast Ukraine, State Emergency Service says 

Firefighter extinguishes blaze following strike on Sumy, northeast Ukraine, 21 September 2026.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service

Russian strikes on Sumy in northeast Ukraine have killed a woman and injured a man, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said in a statement on Telegram early on Monday. An educational building in the region was also damaged, the agency added. 

⦿ 03:03 GMT | UPDATE

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