Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff (L) and Jared Kushner (R), Kyiv, September 6, 2026
Tuesday-Wednesday Coverage: 33+ Civilians Murdered in Russian Bombing of Aid Center and Shelter
UPDATE 1038 GMT:
Summary of the latest murders of civilians and damage by Russian attacks across Ukraine:
Russia continues to strike civilian infrastructure and residential areas across Ukraine.
▪️ Two people were killed in Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia region: a 52-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man. One more person was injured. Apartment buildings and private houses were damaged. In Bilenke, a 53-year-old man was killed.
▪️ Yesterday evening, Russia struck a residential building in Sumy region. A woman was killed. A wounded man was pulled from the rubble alive.
▪️ In Kharkiv region, Russian drones attacked a postal terminal. While firefighters were battling the blaze, Russians launched a second strike. Thankfully, the rescuers had taken shelter and were not injured.
▪️ In Dnipropetrovsk region, infrastructure, private houses and apartment buildings, an enterprise, and garages were damaged. Three people were injured in Dnipro, while four women were injured in Marhanets.
▪️ In southern Odesa region, a Russian strike damaged energy infrastructure. A warehouse was partially destroyed, while an administrative building belonging to a private company, a college, and a dormitory were also damaged.
▪️ In Kyiv region, Russians struck logistics infrastructure, setting warehouses on fire. One person was injured.
▪️ Last night, an energy facility in Chernihiv region was attacked.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 5, 2026
UPDATE 1008 GMT:
Donald Trump’s deal to buy Russian diesel fuel is reportedly collapsing, as two vessels have changed their routes and are no longer heading to American ports.
The Sierra Leone-flagged and Hong Kong-owned tanker Leruo has set course for Brazil. The Russian tanker Talisman has left the Atlantic Ocean for the Mediterranean Sea and is currently located off the coast of Algeria, “awaiting orders”.
Both tankers are subject to Western sanctions.
Another tanker, the Greek-owned Agioi Fanendes, is continuing its journey toward the US, but its unloading port has not yet been confirmed and it may change its original route to New York.
The fourth tanker, the sanctoned Seychelles-owned Beast, loaded diesel at the port of Primorsk on October 27 and is heading for the US Atlantic coast.
US companies are hesitant to buy Russian diesel due to legal risks and sanctions.
New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill, home to the largest petroleum product receiving and distribution center on the US East Coast, has warned businesses and port and oil terminal operators against the deliveries. She noted that Trump’s deal violates a 2022 law banning energy imports from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland has pledged punishment of any shipping, energy, logistics, or financial firm involved in the transactions.
UPDATE 1005 GMT:
Ukraine’s air defenses downed 105 of 128 drones, including 65 jet-powered UAVs, launched by Russia overnight. Strikes were recorded at 18 locations.
UPDATE 1000 GMT:
The toll has risen to 42 murdered from Monday’s Russian strike on an aid center and shelter in Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine.
Up to 33 people may still be trapped under rubble.
UPDATE 0933 GMT:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky reports on his visit to Spain’s capital on Wednesday:
Important meetings and talks coming up in Madrid. Our top priority is strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses, protecting our people, and expanding defense cooperation and production. We are grateful to Spain for the assistance provided. Further support steps are being prepared.
Contacts with the American side are also on the agenda these days. We are coordinating with our partners to achieve concrete results on security issues and the next steps toward peace.
We need protection from Russian strikes and the restoration of peace. I thank everyone who is helping Ukraine.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 4, 2026
UPDATE 0927 GMT:
Ukraine’s security services have dismissed two senior officials amid an anti-corruption probe of bogus call centres.
The SBU, Ukraine’s internal security service, said it was “providing full support” for the “transparent, objective, and impartial” probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Wednesday, ahead of next week’s anticipated Ukraine-Russia talks with US involvement.
Zelensky said the the 90-minute conversation was “very detailed” but went no further. Instead, he focused on a “substantive meeting in Brussels involving our team, teams from America, the EU, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, NATO, the World Bank, and representatives of the global business community”.
The meeting focused on postwar recovery. There will be another meeting in Brussels tomorrow on security guarantees for Ukraine. The negotiations must move forward at full throttle to bring this war to an end as quickly as possible. Ukraine is ready to take the necessary steps. Our proposals are clear, and we have given them to the American side.
The President said air defense, with Ukraine’s need for Patriot interceptors, was also discussed: “Peace has no alternative, and postwar security guarantees must be truly cast-iron.”
Real estate developer Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Kushner, who have been discussing tens of billions of dollars of business deals with the Kremlin, made no public comment.
Ukraine and Russia Use Melania in Approaches to Trump Camp
Zelensky awarded a Melania Trump a national honor for her purported role in arranging a local ceasefire allowing the evacuation of several hundred civilians from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine.
Zelensky decreed the award of the Order of Princess Olga for her “significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine, and for active human rights and charitable work”.
Trump’s actual role was reportedly marginal, with the catalyst being Pope Leo XIV’s call for the evacuation of around 2,000 civilians trapped by the Russians. However, both Kyiv and Moscow are trying to curry favor by praising the US First Lady.
She is reportedly hosting Ukrainian and Russian officials in Washington on Thursday.
Russia is sending Vladimir Putin’s senior financial adivsor Kirill Dmitriev — the Kremlin’s chief manipulator of Witkoff since early 2025 — and human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova, providing “all logistical arrangements work out”. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said he will see Trump.
