A firefighter battles a blaze in an apartment block, set by Russian attacks, Kyiv, September 28, 2025

Saturday’s Coverage: Zelensky — Russia’s Offensives Have Failed

UPDATE 1721 GMT:

Kenyan security agencies have broken a human trafficking syndicate recruiting men, under the guise of providing jobs in Moscow, to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.

Security officers found 21 men in a house, waiting to be processed to travel to Russia, on the outskirts of Nairobi.

The victims signed contracts with a foreign employment agency, committing to pay up to $18,000 for visas, travel, accommodation, and other logistical costs. Some victims added that they had already paid an advance of $1,500 against the promise of a salary once they reached Russia.

Russian Embassy employee Mikhail Lyapin has been accused of recruiting the Kenyans. He has worked at the embassy since March 2017.

On Friday, Lyapin was reportedly deported to Russia.

UPDATE 1716 GMT:

One of the victims of this morning’s Russian missile and drone strikes:

UPDATE 1337 GMT:

Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova has blamed Russia for bomb threats trying to disrupt today’s Parliamentary election.

Threats were reported at polling stations in Moldova, Belgium, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the US. The Foreign Ministry cited “the Russian Federation’s assault on the electoral process in the Republic of Moldova”.

State institutions were prepared for this scenario, we have established clear procedures, and we are cooperating with our partners in other countries to ensure the electoral process is not affected. We urge all citizens to follow the recommendations of the authorities, rely on official information, and continue honest voting.

The Information Technology and Cyber Security Service said it blocked a series of cyberattacks targeting the country’s election infrastructure. Targets included Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission website, government cloud service systems, and process automation systems, as well as some voting stations abroad.

“All attacks were detected and neutralized in real time without affecting the availability or integrity of electoral services,” the Service said.

The outcome of the vote could determine if Moldova continues its path toward integration into the European Union, as envisioned by President Maia Sandu’s party, or pivots back to Russia.

Sandu said after casting her vote:

Let’s show the world that the Republic of Moldova is not only a small country with a big heart, but also a country of dignified people, people who do not sell their country. Let’s not allow thieves and traitors to sell our future.

On the eve of the election, Moldovan authorities barred the pro-Kremlin Greater Moldova (Moldova Mare) party from participating, citing suspicions of illegal financing.

A day earlier, the country’s Central Electoral Commission suspended the Heart of Moldova party, one of four factions in the Russia-aligned Patriotic Bloc.

UPDATE 1020 GMT:

Among the victims of Russia’s overnight strikes were a nurse and a patient at the Institute of Cardiology in Kyiv.

Mark Sergeev, 35, a resident of the Kyiv region, says his family were sleeping when a missile hit their apartment in the middle of the night.

“I still can’t believe that the children are alive. It’s such a blessing from God. They were right under the roof when it hit them. The roof was torn off right above my eldest son’s bed,” he told AFP.

UPDATE 0923 GMT:

Ukraine’s air defenses downed 568 of 595 drones and 43 of 48 missiles fired by Russia overnight.

Five missiles and 31 drones hit 16 locations.

UPDATE 0908 GMT:

The toll has spiked to at least four murdered, including a 12-year-old girl, and 75 injured from Russia’s overnight missile and drone attack.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russia launched almost 500 drones and more than 40 missiles.

The fatalities were in Kyiv where nearly 20 locations across the capital’s six districts were damaged. At least 31 civilians, including three children, were wounded across the Kyiv region.

In Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, 31 people were injured, including three children. Two of the juveniles are in serious condition.

Zelensky commented:

This vile attack came virtually at the close of UN General Assembly week, and this is exactly how Russia declares its true position. Moscow wants to keep fighting and killing, and it deserves the toughest pressure from the world. The Kremlin benefits from continuing this war and terror as long as it earns revenue from energy and operates a shadow fleet.

UPDATE 0715 GMT:

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, was without power for a fourth day on Saturday after Moscow’s shelling of the area.

The plant is relying on emergency generators for cooling and safety systems after the the last power line was knocked out at 4:56 p.m. on Tuesday.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said:

UPDATE 0707 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv is working on a deal to sell its drones to the US while purchasing American arms.

Ukraine has prepared a list of around $90 billion worth of American weapons, with Ukrainian officials visiting the US by next month.

Zelensky said at a press conference on Saturday that he shared with Donald Trump “a certain vision of what could be done”.

In addition to the large arms deal, which we call the “mega deal”, we also discussed the “drone deal”. Technical groups are already starting to work on this deal.

The President announced that Israel has supplied Ukraine with a US-made Patriot anti-missile defense system, which has been operating for a month. Two more are expected in the autumn.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Russia has launched hundreds of drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight, wounding at least 27 people.

Most of the country was under air raid alerts, as residents sheltered in underground metro stations.

At least six people were injured in the capital Kyiv, five of whom were treated in hospital. A five-story building was partially destroyed and residential infrastructure was damaged in multiple districts.

In the Kyiv region, five employees of a bakery that caught fire in Fastiv were injured.

At least 16 civilians were wounded in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine. In Zaporizhzhia city, one missile struck a multi-story building. Nine houses, 14 high-rise buildings, a school, and an enterprise were damaged..

The attack included MiG-31K and five Tu-95 bombers.

Neighboring Poland, which faced an incursion of 19 Russian drones amid a September 10 assault, scrambled fighter jets to secure its airspace.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted:

Putin must know that each such attack brings him to Russian assets being fully used for Ukraine’s defense, the rest of shadow tankers, captains, ports, energy, and banks sanctioned, and Ukraine getting additional deterrence packages.

Putin must feel the danger of continuing this war — personally for him, his buddies’ pockets, his economy, and his regime.

Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak echoed:

Once again, residential buildings and infrastructure are being hit. Once again, it is a war against civilians.

There will be a response to these actions. But the west’s economic blows against Russia must also be stronger.

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday, “Putin will not wait to finish his war in Ukraine. He will open up some other direction. Nobody knows where. He wants that.”

He called on Europe to halt imports of Russian oil and gas now, rather than by a target date of January 1, 2027.

If there is a shortage of money for the war, social support for people in Russia will decrease. If social support decreases, people will become dissatisfied. And the Russian leadership will be dissatisfied as well. History shows: Russia has always changed after hunger riots. And that is exactly what they fear.

Tougher sanctions should be imposed on Russia’s “shadow fleet”, circumventing sanctions on the maritime transport of oil, and on the Russian banking sector.