Key facts
- Two people were killed and at least 43 injured in Russian drone attacks on Kyiv on September 23.
- Russian drones struck Kyiv's Holosiivskyi, Darnitskyi, and Solomianskyi districts, damaging a historic market and railway infrastructure.
- A Russian Mi-8 helicopter entered Polish airspace for 42 seconds near Kaliningrad on September 23.
- Poland scrambled fighter jets and placed ground forces on standby after the airspace violation.
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stated Russia may use Belarusian territory for new attacks on Ukraine.
- Explosions and smoke were reported near an oil refinery in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia.
Russian drone attacks on Kyiv on September 23 killed two people and injured at least 43, damaging infrastructure including a historic market and railway lines. The city endured eight air raid alerts throughout the day. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia continues to target civilian and critical infrastructure, including pharmaceutical facilities, gas stations, railways, communications, and shopping malls, and noted strikes on eight other regions of Ukraine.
Separately, Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command reported that a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter violated Polish airspace near the border with Kaliningrad for approximately 42 seconds. Poland scrambled fighter jets and placed ground forces on standby, viewing the incident as a test of their air defense readiness. The command stated the helicopter entered Polish airspace to a maximum depth of 300 meters.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned that Russia might use Belarusian territory for new attacks on Ukraine, suggesting that Belarusian infrastructure is already supporting Russian drone operations. President Zelensky has also voiced concerns about Russia potentially opening a new front from northern Ukraine.
In Russia's Bashkortostan region, explosions and smoke were reported near an oil refinery in Ufa. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 514 drones overnight across 18 regions, including Bashkortostan and Crimea. Local residents reported hearing explosions, and air defense activity was noted over Ufa.