Key facts
- Russia launched drone strikes on Kyiv on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, hitting railway infrastructure, warehouses, and fuel stations.
- At least two people were killed and over 30 were injured in the Kyiv drone attacks.
- A separate Russian aerial bomb attack in the Donetsk region killed at least four people.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, to discuss peace efforts.
- Zelenskyy discussed a potential bilateral ceasefire and increased supplies of US Patriot air defence missiles with Trump.
- The Kremlin stated that grounds for future peace talks with Ukraine are not yet in place.
Russia launched extensive drone attacks on Kyiv on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, hitting railway infrastructure, warehouses, and fuel stations, in what officials described as one of the heaviest strikes on the capital in recent times. The attacks occurred just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump to discuss peace efforts and increased military aid.
Officials reported that at least two people were killed and more than 30 were injured in Kyiv due to the drone strikes, which lasted for hours. Smoke billowed above the city center as explosions were heard. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated on X that Russia continues to target civilian and critical infrastructure, including pharmaceutical facilities, gas stations, railways, and shopping malls.
In a separate incident, an aerial bomb attack in the frontline Donetsk region killed at least four people and injured four others, according to the regional governor.
During his meeting with President Trump on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Zelenskyy discussed a potential bilateral ceasefire, particularly on energy-related targets, and requested increased supplies of US Patriot air defence missiles. Zelenskyy indicated that no agreements were reached but expressed readiness for an energy ceasefire if Russia halted its attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure.
The Kremlin, however, stated on Wednesday that the grounds for future peace talks with Ukraine were still not in place and there were no plans for high-level meetings.
Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, observed that nearby buildings were burning from the attacks. Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia reported that its infrastructure came under attack and one of its workers was injured. Ukrainian oil company Ukrnafta confirmed that one of its petrol stations in the capital was hit, marking the sixth such facility attacked recently.
In Zaporizhzhia, two men were wounded by a strike that caused a large fire at a shopping mall. In Odesa, the captain of a cargo ship was killed in a Russian attack on a vessel sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the UN General Assembly, calling recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea unacceptable.