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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A man looks at the stands displaying portraits of fallen Azov Brigade fighters, which have been set up at St. Sophia Square in the center of Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Sept. 15, 2026. (Sergei Supinsky / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine has ‘successfully tested’ new interceptor against Russian jet-powered drones, Zelensky says. “A ‘shahed’ was hit successfully, but some aspects of controlling the interceptor still need to be refined. The work continues – it will take some more time,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X.
Over 500 locomotives destroyed or damaged by Russian attacks, Ukraine says.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stressed that the country urgently needs replacements and called on Western allies to help find and finance the procurement of locomotives compatible with the 1520 mm gauge.
Russia attacked Moldova twice because Zelensky was there, he says. “So in Moldova, my presidential jet was there, and that’s why they attacked Moldova,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s drone strikes force 3 of Russia’s largest diesel refineries to halt or slash output, Reuters reports. Ukraine’s oil infrastructure attacks have aggravated a domestic fuel supply crisis in Russia, contributing to export bans, price increases, and sales restrictions across the country.
Russia suffers over 300,000 military losses in Ukraine since start of 2026, General Staff says. The General Staff said nearly 300,000 losses were roughly equivalent to the personnel strength of 150 motorized rifle regiments, based on an estimated 2,000 troops per regiment.
Read our exclusives
There’s one massive problem with Trump’s Ukraine diesel price theory
Trump’s implication was clear — halting Ukraine’s long-running, long-range drone strike campaign against Russian oil refineries would significantly ease record-high diesel prices at American pumps, something an administration already under pressure from high gas prices ahead of midterm elections in November would welcome.
Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
As Russia closes in on Sloviansk, this taxi driver keeps working
As Russian troops gradually advance toward Sloviansk, the security situation in what was once a relatively safe haven in the eastern Donbas region has significantly worsened this year. Now only around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Russian troops, an intensifying barrage of glide bombs and FPV attacks is gradually destroying the city.
Photo: Lisa Bukreyeva / The Kyiv Independent
What to expect on Ukraine in the EU’s big yearly roundup
EU diplomats suggested to the Kyiv Independent that von der Leyen will briefly mention the announcement facilitating Ukraine’s ability to source Patriot interceptor missiles, as well as another disbursement of defense funding.
Photo: Daniel Gnap / NurPhoto via Getty Image
Ukraine reveals ‘Operation Vivaldi’ counterattack near Lyman
The operation dealt “a heavy blow to the combat capabilities of Russia’s 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies,” Gen. Andrii Biletskyi said, adding that Ukrainian drone strikes had pushed Russian supply hubs across the state border.
Photo: 60th Mechanized Brigade / Facebook
Human costs of war
Russia launches drone attack on Kyiv, killing at least 1, injuring 12. One man died in the hospital after being critically injured in a Russian attack on a gas station in Kyiv on Sept. 15, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,510,000 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.
The figure includes 1,400 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
International response
US charges 5 suspects linked to alleged Russian assassination, sabotage network targeting Ukraine’s allies. The global network has operated since at least 2024 and most recently attempted to recruit multiple people in the U.S. to surveil and kill Russian dissidents, prosecutors claimed.
US could hit Putin’s Arctic gas empire by sanctioning 14 LNG tankers. “Sanctions offer Washington a way to support Western security in the High North without putting American troops in harm’s way,” Alexander Kirk, a sanctions campaigner at Urgewald, said.
US House advances Russia sanctions bill, paving way for final vote. The sanctions bill passed its final procedural vote in the House of Representatives on Sept. 15 by a narrow 214-211 margin. Additional debate and the final vote to approve the legislation will take place Sept. 16.
EU approves $115 million to turn Baltic port near Russia into NATO naval hub.
“Few projects illustrate Europe’s priorities as clearly as the Port of Klaipeda,” EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer said.
Belarus holds ‘defensive’ military drills near borders with Poland, Lithuania.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry described the drills as defensive and said they are aimed at improving the military’s ability to “protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
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Opinions and insights
The first winter when both Russia and Ukraine will be cold
“The winter ahead may be the hardest of the full-scale war. Russia will once again try to make life in large cities impossible: electricity, water, heating, and food. The calculation is the same as in 2022: to make Ukraine break. Against this backdrop, it is fairly easy to fall into a funk. But the situation is not so one-sided,” writes Liubov Tsybulka, director of Join Ukraine.
Photo: Contributor / Getty Images
In other news
Democrats begin investigation into relationship Donald Trump Jr. has with Russian oligarch. “(A)ny apparent ties to members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle raises serious questions about pay-to-play schemes and foreign intelligence infiltration of the President’s family,” Rep. Robert Garcia wrote.
Court relaxes restrictions on Zelensky’s ex-chief of staff amid reports on his continued influence. The ruling comes amid media reports that Yermak kept his political influence on Zelensky after resigning in November amid a corruption investigation. The move also followed an earlier court ruling that eased the restrictions on Yermak.
Partner of Kolomoisky charged in $65 million theft scheme at Ukrnafta. The alleged ringleader is Mykhailo Kiperman, a co-owner of Kolomoisky’s Privat Group, according to the law enforcement source.
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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleg Sukhov, Chris Powers, Volodymyr Ivanyshyn, Yuliia Taradiuk, Yuliia Taradiuk, Yevgeniya Doluda, Toby Woodall, Jimmy Rushton, Asami Terajima, Oleg Sukhov, Liubov Tsybulska, Andrii Sukharyna, Tanya Kozyreva, Francis Farrell, Abbey Fenbert, and Tamara Nowakowsky.
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