Firefighters face a burning building in Kyiv after Russian strikes, September 30, 2026

EA on The Sun: Is Putin A “Cornered Rat” Over Invasion of Ukraine?

EA-Frontline VideoCast: Ukraine Prepares for Russia’s Winter Assault

Tuesday’s Coverage: Putin Restricts Access to Data on Oil Refineries and Energy Exports

UPDATE 1521 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the frontline in the east of the country.

Zelensky toured the command post of the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade in the Lyman sector, running across the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He met commanders and thanked troops for liberating more than 125 square km (48 square mile) from Russian occupation as part of Operation Vivaldi.

UPDATE 1512 GMT:

The toll has risen to three civilians murdered and seven wounded from Russia’s overnight strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

Two women were killed in the Sviatoshynskyi district amid damage to a dozen homes. A third person was killed in Solomiansky district when a warehouse was hit.

Ukraine’s biggest private energy firm, DTEK, said they restored energy to 8,000 customers on Kyiv’s left bank and emergency crews are still working.

State-owned grid operator Ukrenergo cited outages in Kyiv and other regions avoid the use of powerful electical appliances.

“Since the summer, there has been practically no day when the enemy has not attacked energy infrastructure. But such a massive and combined attack has occurred for the first time since the end of the last heating season,” Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky added:

Each interceptor missile really saves lives. And the closer to winter, the more such protection is needed. We must do everything to ensure that Russia’s bet on ballistic and drone terror does not play out.

UPDATE 1052 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky reports that five people have been murdered and 14 wounded by RUssia’s overnight attacks.

He noted that the main target was energy infrastructure in and near Kyiv region. Residential buildings were damaged, and work is ongoing to restore electricity and water supplies.

UPDATE 1048 GMT:

Belgium will transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end ⁠of 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.

Zelensky said Kyiv has already received urgent deliveries of F-16 ‌ammunition from Belgium and Spain, among other countries. He also said Ukraine has been given a NASAMS air defense system, ‌developed jointly in the US and Norway.

UPDATE 1042 GMT:

Russia is cutting funding for welfare, education, and healthcare as military spending surges.

The Kremlin plans spending of 17.1 trillion ⁠roubles ($202.58 billion) on the military in ⁠2027, around 27% more than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted.

Funding for social policy, including state pensions, payments to war veterans and maternity benefits, will shrink by 7%. Education funding will fall by 6% and healthcare by 6.8%.

UPDATE 1028 GMT:

Trying to win over the Trump Administration to its position, the Kremlin sent its foreign investment specialist Kirill Dmitriev to Washington on Tuesday.

A US official said Dmitriev had “constructive discussions on a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and possible US-Russia energy initiatives after the war ends”.

Drawing upon the Kremlin’s psychological profiles of Trump officials, Dmitriev has regularly seen Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, since spring 2025. The Russians have used the lure of energy projects to push their maximum demands, including Ukraine’s surrender of territory and the rest of the country left without effective security guarantees.

The Atlantic reports that Trump favors a proposal under which the US will lift some sanctions if Russia releases a number of political prisoners.

A US official stonewalled over the claim. He said Trump was “committed to continuing to play a constructive role in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and he remains optimistic that we’ll ultimately get a peace deal done”.

UPDATE 0953 GMT:

Kyiv’s Taras Shevchenko National University is switching to online instruction, at least until October 16, because of Russia’s attack.

The university’s main campus is close to the National Academy of Sciences, which was hit by a drone strike on Monday. One staff member was killed, and the building was damaged.

UPDATE 0551 GMT:

The International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine faces a financing shortfall of up to $54 billion through 2029.

The IMF estimates a gap of $30 billion to $35 billion next year, $17 billion in 2028, and $2 billion in 2029.

UPDATE 0505 GMT:

The US announced sanctions on two Russian companies associated with the procurement of Iranian weapons on Wednesday.

The firms were among 13 targeted individuals and entities in Russia, Hong Kong, China, and Pakistan.

The Russian entities are MG-Flot, whose vessels transport weapons for Russia’s Defense Ministry, and Russian aircraft manufacturer JSC Experimental Design ⁠Bureau Named After A.S. Yakovlev.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: At least two civilians have been murdered and four injured in Russia’s latest overnight missile and drone attacks on Kyiv.

Trying to break civilian resistance and infrastructure, the Russians have been striking almost every night. They also launched more than 100 drones during the day on Tuesday.

More than a dozen explosions shook the capital just before 3 a.m. More blasts were heard around 3:40 a.m.

The casualties were in the Sviatoshynskyi district where a dozen homes were damaged. A non-residential building and a warehouse were set afire in the Podilskyi district.

Just outside the capital, at least one child was found killed under the rubble of a home in Vyshhorod. A man and a woman were injured.

Three homes, 11 vehicles, and two warehouses were damaged in Bucha.

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of Russia’s daytime attacks.

The Russians also struck a school in Sumy city in northeast Ukraine with glide bombs on Tuesday. Two civilians were murdered and six injured, including three children. Teachers and school officials evacuated 100 people.