The end of September became another severe trial for Ukraine due to large-scale Russian air terror. Medical facilities, schools, and universities in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kyiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv came under enemy fire. The occupiers cynically shelled an evacuation point in Kramatorsk and a car carrying foreign journalists in Sloviansk. In Poltava region, an oil and gas facility was completely destroyed, while in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine's largest metallurgical plant ground to a halt. Jet-powered UAVs are flying towards Kyiv and the surrounding region almost continuously, targeting office buildings this week, including data centers and internet service providers. On September 25 alone, seven people were killed in such attacks in the capital, including journalist Maria Yivzhenko and a 14-year-old boy, with over fifty others injured. Russian UAVs also reached western regions, striking an apartment building in Khmelnytskyi.
The end of September became another severe trial for Ukraine due to large-scale Russian air terror. Medical facilities, schools, and universities in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kyiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv came under enemy fire. The occupiers cynically shelled an evacuation point in Kramatorsk and a car carrying foreign journalists in Sloviansk. In Poltava region, an oil and gas facility was completely destroyed, while in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine's largest metallurgical plant ground to a halt. Jet-powered UAVs are flying towards Kyiv and the surrounding region almost continuously, targeting office buildings this week, including data centers and internet service providers. On September 25 alone, seven people were killed in such attacks in the capital, including journalist Maria Yivzhenko and a 14-year-old boy, with over fifty others injured. Russian UAVs also reached western regions, striking an apartment building in Khmelnytskyi.
Chronicle of Russian shelling from September 20 to 27, 2026
In Chernihiv region on September 20, Russians struck a motorcyclist with an FPV drone; the injured man was hospitalized. In Vinnytsia region, a railway infrastructure facility was damaged as a result of a UAV attack. In Dnipropetrovsk region, five civilians were injured, and one person was hospitalized. In Kharkiv region, five people were injured. Mykolaiv region was attacked by strike UAVs and KAB guided bombs, while Zelenivka in Kherson region was hit by drones. In the evening in Sumy, an FPV drone hit fiber-optic lines near the entrance of a high-rise building, killing a woman and injuring a man; an airstrike also damaged Sumy State University.
In Kirovohrad region on September 21, a fire broke out following a UAV attack on an infrastructure facility, resulting in the hospitalization of an enterprise employee. In Zhytomyr region, fires broke out at two gas stations. In Chernihiv region, the occupiers struck an enterprise compound, damaging a hangar and agricultural machinery, and injuring livestock. In Dnipropetrovsk region, one person was killed and another injured; a 20-year-old youth injured during an attack on logistics company warehouses on September 3 died in a Dnipro hospital. In the regional center, a critical infrastructure facility was attacked, and a kindergarten and store were damaged. In Lozova hromada, Kharkiv region, a UAV strike on a residential house killed a woman, while her 13-year-old son suffered severe burns; residential property and railway infrastructure were damaged or destroyed, and fires raged. In Kherson in the evening, Russian forces directed a Molniya drone into a school building, damaging classrooms and shattering windows.
On the night of September 22, Russians completely destroyed an oil and gas facility in Poltava region with five ballistic missiles, reported Naftogaz. In Zhytomyr region, a Russian attack ignited a fire at a transport infrastructure facility. In Chernihiv region, a bathhouse caught fire, and warehouses at an agricultural enterprise were destroyed; fallen UAV debris was recorded on the outskirts of Chernihiv. The adversary struck industrial enterprises, food warehouses, and a furniture workshop in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Pavlohrad; in Dnipro, four people were killed and six injured, with one person in critical condition. In the Nikopol district, six people were injured, two of whom were hospitalized in critical condition. Ukraine's largest metallurgical enterprise, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, suspended operations following a series of Russian missile strikes, reports Ekonomichna Pravda. In Mykolaiv region, a 3-year-old boy was killed in a UAV attack, while four men were injured, one of whom is in extremely critical condition. In Kherson region, hostile FPV drones killed two people.
In Kharkiv on September 23, a man was killed and four women injured; a car dealership, two multi-story residential buildings, and several vehicles were damaged. An airstrike on a residential sector in Izyum injured eight people, including an 11-year-old boy. Occupiers launched a drone strike on a charitable organization's vehicle during a distribution of humanitarian aid to local residents in Zolochiv. In Bezruky, an enemy drone killed a car driver, with others injured. Russians struck Sumy with long-range weapons and KAB bombs, damaging residential housing, an educational institution, a Mother and Child Center, non-residential buildings, and vehicles; at least seven people were injured, all of whom were hospitalized, with one person in critical condition. The city experienced power outages. In Dnipropetrovsk region, a man was injured; a Day of Mourning was declared in Dnipro for those killed the previous day. In Poltava region, the enemy attacked a private enterprise, causing a fire. In Zhytomyr region, two people were injured due to shelling of an enterprise.
In the Sumy hromada on September 24, 11 civilians were injured, including a minor; multi-story and private houses, non-residential premises, and a bus were damaged. In Poltava region, country houses in a gardening association caught fire. In Zhytomyr region, administrative buildings, residential houses, and windows of an educational and medical facility were damaged, with one person injured. In Khmelnytskyi, an enemy drone damaged a multi-story building and a gas pipeline; emergency responders evacuated 35 residents, including five children. In Kharkiv region, a hit on an agricultural enterprise killed six workers and injured 12 others, while a farm was damaged. In Mykolaiv region, fires broke out and six outbuildings were damaged.
In Nikopol district on September 25, four people were injured, and one woman was hospitalized; in Kryvyi Rih, infrastructure facilities were damaged. In Kherson region, occupiers killed a man in a UAV strike, while six people were injured in Kherson hromada. Russians attacked the village of Zolochiv in Kharkiv region three times, injuring two people and damaging two houses; in Chuhuiv, a missile strike caused a fire covering 300 square meters on the roof of an enterprise administrative building. Russian forces struck Sumy with guided aerial bombs, damaging 38 private and one multi-story building, an educational institution, and civil infrastructure; 13 residents were injured, including a 1.5-month-old infant. Later in the evening, a 14-year-old girl sustained severe injuries from an enemy UAV explosion on the street. In Zhytomyr region, a fire broke out at an enterprise following enemy shelling. In several districts of Chernihiv region, the air raid alert lasted for over a day and a half, during which air defense forces neutralized 140 enemy UAVs.
In Dnipropetrovsk region on September 26, an airstrike killed a 17-year-old girl and a 59-year-old woman, while two other civilians, including a 6-year-old boy, were injured. In Sumy hromada, KAB strikes killed two people and injured 28 others, including three children; dozens of houses, a cultural center, two kindergartens, admin buildings, and over 20 vehicles sustained damage. In Poltava region, a fire broke out at a private industrial enterprise following Russian shelling. A missile strike on the village of Lebyazhe in Kharkiv region injured four people, including a 13-year-old boy, while two other children were affected; a multi-story building was damaged. UAV attacks caused fires and injured four people in Kharkiv, damaging an educational and scientific institute building, a higher education institution, and vehicles. In Kherson hromada, enemy attacks caused power outages. In Mykolaiv region, the enemy attacked port and energy infrastructure with KABs, cutting power to three settlements; a missile attack with Banderol missiles the day before damaged eight houses, an admin building, warehouses, and a country house.
In Mykolaiv region on September 27, residential and outbuildings, service station premises, a bulldozer, and two trucks were damaged. In Synelnykove district, a man suffered severe injuries. In Kharkiv region, two civilians were killed and a teenager was injured; an abandoned building and a stadium were damaged in Kharkiv.
Zaporizhzhia
On the night of September 21 in Zaporizhzhia, a massive UAV attack damaged multi-story residential buildings, a shopping center, a boiler house, and an educational institution; fires broke out at hit locations, and six people were injured. Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia reported that the enemy attack significantly damaged the third building of Zaporizhzhia National University, a local cultural heritage site. A direct hit caused a fire in the building, and the fourth and fifth buildings were also damaged; no casualties were reported among students or staff.
On September 22 in the city, Russian shelling damaged private houses and a car wash, while a fire burned through a cafe over an area of 300 square meters. On the night of September 23, Russians struck a shopping center in the Pivdennyi district of the city; a massive fire broke out over six thousand square meters, and two men were injured. On September 24, a Russian FPV drone hit the roof of a municipal bus in motion through the city; no casualties were reported.
On the morning of September 25, Russian drones attacked the regional center: civilian infrastructure objects, multi-story buildings, garages, cars, and two medical facilities were damaged, with two people injured. At one medical facility, a fire broke out in a ward, forcing the evacuation of patients, including those with limited mobility. At the other, premises, civilian vehicles, and ambulances sustained damage.
On the morning of September 26, UAV attacks in Zaporizhzhia destroyed a private residential house, starting a fire; rescuers recovered the bodies of two deceased women from under the rubble, while a man and a 3-year-old boy were injured. A local market was also hit, damaging residential buildings, commercial premises, cars, and the facade of an educational institution.
In the region, fatalities and injuries were also reported throughout the week. In Komyshuvakha, attacks on a civilian minibus, a car, and a hit on a private home killed two people and injured four. In Kushuhum, one person was killed and private houses were damaged. Occupiers dropped two guided bombs on Volodymyrivka, partially destroying and damaging private homes, injuring five people, including a 13-year-old boy. The enemy twice attacked the village council building in Bilenke: a first FPV drone damaged the roof, ceiling, and all offices; later, Russians launched a repeat strike with three more drones directly during the evacuation of surviving property by staff. Over the weekend, Russian shelling claimed two lives in Novotavriiske due to a hit on a vehicle.
Donetsk region
On September 20, Russians shelled Kramatorsk hromada 22 times, targeting an evacuation point, multi-story residential buildings, private housing, cars, and critical infrastructure. A hit on a multi-story building killed a man whose body was recovered from under the rubble, while ten other residents were injured. An artillery strike on the Lazurnyi neighborhood killed a civilian woman. Russians carried out an airstrike on the evacuation point using two FAB-250 bombs. The outlet Vilne Radio, citing the head of the Proliska Humanitarian Mission, Yevhen Kaplin, reports a direct hit on the center while evacuation workers were present. The strike triggered a large-scale fire in an educational facility, injuring civilians.
On September 21 in Kramatorsk hromada, one person was killed and ten injured; combined strikes destroyed and damaged residential buildings, an educational institution, a bridge structure, and cars. A Tornado-S MLRS strike on a residential neighborhood killed a man and injured a child, damaging five multi-story buildings. On the evening of September 22, Russians launched an airstrike on a residential neighborhood of the city, injuring two people and starting fires in three apartments; emergency workers rescued two residents. Ten multi-story buildings were damaged, and the Church of St. John the Baptist sustained severe destruction.
On the morning of September 23, occupiers dropped four aerial bombs on Oleksandrivka, killing five people and injuring six others, including a child born in 2021. The enemy strike completely destroyed a multi-story building and damaged 12 other multi-story and 42 private houses, a kindergarten, a shop, an admin building, and seven cars. Search and rescue operations were underway under the rubble for seven people, including two children. In Kramatorsk on the morning of September 24, a Russian drone targeted a commercial base truck, killing the driver; another man was killed by a UAV strike in the private sector. Two more Kramatorsk residents were killed by the Russian army on September 26.
On the night of September 21 in Sloviansk, a hit occurred on a multi-story building, killing a 40-year-old man under the rubble. In the evening, occupiers partially destroyed a defunct medical facility building constructed in 1901—a local architectural landmark—with an FAB-250 bomb, damaging adjacent private homes and cars; another person in the city was injured.
In Sloviansk on September 22, one city resident was killed and another person, a resident of Kramatorsk, was in critical condition after volunteers assisting the local population came under enemy attack. Two people were also killed in Stepanivka and Spasko-Mykhailivka. On September 23 in Sloviansk, a woman was killed and three people were injured; plant premises, a market, a warehouse, a multi-story building, and ten private houses were damaged.
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On the morning of September 25, Russian troops struck Sloviansk with three FAB-250 aerial bombs, damaging a medical facility and at least 11 private houses. Throughout the day, the enemy also shelled the city with MLRS and FPV drones, destroying and damaging private homes, cars, and an enterprise in the industrial zone, with two people sustaining injuries. In a remote neighborhood, a nine-story building was partially destroyed and a man was injured.
An enemy drone attacked a car belonging to foreign media members in Sloviansk, including Swedish writer Mustafa Can and Spanish photographer Diego Herrera; the journalists themselves were unhurt as they were inside a nearby building, but their equipment, electronics, and protective gear were destroyed by fire, reports NUJU.
On the night of September 26, the village of Bylbasivka came under fire, damaging at least 13 private homes. Throughout the day, Russians fired on various city districts using various types of weapons: a man was injured, private homes, a multi-story building, a medical facility, a gas station, a Nova Poshta branch, and beach gazebos were damaged. Two people were killed in Druzhkivka and one in Shabelkivka.
Odesa region
At the beginning of the week, the Russian army struck warehouse facilities in Odesa region, causing fires; one person was killed and two others injured. On September 23, the enemy attacked port and civil infrastructure in the region: a cargo ship under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda was struck, igniting a fire that killed the captain, a Ukrainian citizen; two attacks were also carried out on warehouses storing medications, food products, and household goods.
In Odesa during a massive combined attack on the night of September 24, a shopping center suffered a repeated strike, igniting a large-scale fire; a fire also destroyed a two-story private house, injuring two people. A city hospital building, food warehouses, a gymnasium, residential buildings, and cars were damaged. At the city hospital, the upper floors were hit, causing major damage: the facade and staff offices were destroyed, the roof was breached, windows were blown out, and internal load-bearing structures were damaged.
During the day on September 24, the Russian army fired nearly fifteen aerial targets over Odesa region, inflicting destruction on the residential sector of several settlements; three people were injured, including a child. In the Kyivskyi district of Odesa, 17 private houses were damaged.
Throughout September 25, Russian forces heavily bombarded civil, critical, and logistical infrastructure across the region, damaging a postal terminal building, an infrastructure facility, warehouse and production premises, and private homes in Odesa and the Odesa district. A hit on an industrial facility killed one person and injured four others. A drone attacked a vehicle of DTEK Odesa Grids repairmen, killing an energy worker and injuring his colleague.
On the night of September 26 in the south of the region, shelling damaged facades and windows of over ten private and two three-story residential buildings; hits caused fires in a defunct hotel-restaurant complex and enterprise administrative buildings. In Odesa district, occupiers struck a highway, damaging three trucks, one of which caught fire; three people were injured.
On the night of September 27, the enemy launched a massive strike on Odesa region, particularly its southern parts: one person died and three were injured; a two-story residential house, a medical facility, a hotel building, a store, a grain warehouse, a production workshop, storage premises, and trucks were damaged, igniting a large-scale fire.
Kyiv region
In Kyiv region, the enemy conducted almost continuous massive strike UAV attacks. Starting from the beginning of the week on September 21 over two days, dozens of civil, transport, manufacturing, and warehouse infrastructure facilities, as well as private homes, were damaged in Fastiv, Vyshhorod, Bucha, Boryspil, Obukhiv, Brovary, and Bila Tserkva districts. Damaged sites also included: the Alley of Memory of the Fallen in Boyarka, a sawmill, an auto repair shop, a gas station, admin buildings, and a dormitory. Strikes and falling debris sparked numerous fires that firefighters had to extinguish under threat of repeat shelling.
In Kyiv region as of the morning of September 23, three people were injured, and 18 facilities across four districts sustained damage. Bucha district suffered the worst, with 14 facilities damaged, including six private homes, an infrastructure facility, manufacturing/warehouse and admin premises, municipal enterprise grounds, and two cars.
Overnight and into the early morning of September 25, enemy attacks continued across Kyiv region, damaging at least 11 civilian infrastructure facilities. In Boryspil district, a woodworking enterprise caught fire; in Brovary district, storage facilities caught fire and a private home was damaged. Notably, Russian drones twice attacked a warehouse of a McDonald's logistics partner, burning the premises completely. In Obukhiv, Bucha, and Fastiv districts, the private residential sector suffered damage. In the evening, Russians struck Ivankiv Lyceum No. 2 in Vyshhorod district with a drone, causing a fire.
During the night attack on Kyiv region on September 26, six people were injured, including two children; two men were hospitalized. Across six districts of the region, 23 civilian facilities were damaged.
In Kyiv, as a result of overnight and morning attacks by enemy drones on September 21–22, fallen debris was recorded in several districts of the city. In Holosiivskyi district, fallen debris ignited fires in a park, storage premises, and ceramic tile pallets in an open area. In Darnytskyi district, debris fell on a parking lot area. The most severe destruction occurred in Dniprovskyi district, where a hit on a five-story building set a basement on fire, destroyed the first floor, and damaged the facade; emergency services evacuated 15 residents. In the same district, an enemy UAV hit a private property, damaging the facade and windows. In Obolonskyi district, hits occurred on fuel storage tanks and a non-residential building structure. Overall during the day, eight people were injured, three of whom were hospitalized.
From the morning of September 23, Russian jet UAVs attacked pharmaceutical facilities, gas stations, railway infrastructure, communications facilities, shopping centers, and transport infrastructure in the capital. In Holosiivskyi district, drones struck a gas station, a four-story business center, storage space, a non-residential building, and a transport infrastructure site. In Solomianskyi district, debris fell between residential buildings, a fire broke out at a transport enterprise, and hits were recorded on a nine-story non-residential building, a store, and an unused facility. Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia reported that a massive fire broke out in the former Railway Market building near the Central Railway Station. Built in 1973, this two-story structure is a prominent monument of Kyiv modernism.
«Among today's damaged sites is Kyiv's "Shayba," one of the most famous examples of Kyiv modernism. It was built in 1973 based on a project by architect Alla Anishchenko. In recent years, architects and activists fought for the preservation of this building. Today, it bears the marks of a Russian strike. And this is again about how Russia destroys not just buildings. It strikes infrastructure, cities, memory, everything that makes up our ordinary life», — shared photographer couple Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov regarding details of the bombardment.
Russia attacked major data centers supporting emergency warning systems for civilians, according to a statement published on the MFA website. Hromadske reported that in Solomianskyi district, the Diprozviaz institute building was damaged.
In Darnytskyi, Svyatoshynskyi, and Pecherskyi districts, enemy attacks damaged transport infrastructure, a warehouse, and a non-residential complex, while fires broke out at a gas station and two other buildings.
In Kyiv, as a result of a night attack by ballistic missiles and drones on September 24, two civilians were killed: a woman on her way to a shelter and a man in an underground passage; eight others were injured, including a police officer. In Podilskyi district, falling debris near a maternity hospital caused a fire in a parking lot, killing one person, destroying four cars, and damaging windows, the facade of the medical facility, and a neighboring clinical diagnostic center. In Solomianskyi district, warehouse buildings were destroyed with subsequent fires; in Dniprovskyi district, an admin building was damaged and a private home was partially destroyed. Non-residential buildings, a garage cooperative in Obolonskyi district, and over a dozen cars in Darnytskyi district also suffered damage and fires. SES bomb disposal experts recovered fragments of an Iskander-M missile found in one district after overnight shelling. A post office branch and a textile enterprise were also damaged in the night attack.
On September 25, Russian attacks in the capital killed seven people and injured 59, of whom 25 were hospitalized, including two children; one person is in critical condition. In Pecherskyi district, a hit on a multi-story building caused a fire and destruction, killing a 14-year-old Israeli citizen; emergency workers rescued seven people. In Solomianskyi district, hits were recorded on a 25-story residential building and an office building, near whose parking lot four people died amid raging fires. Under enemy target was Datagroup's data center, reports Ekonomichna Pravda. Later it was revealed that 29-year-old journalist Maria Yivzhenko was among those killed near the business center. A medical facility was damaged in the same district. Additionally, the enemy struck non-residential and office buildings in Solomianskyi, Podilskyi, and Shevchenkivskyi districts. A Russian UAV attacked the High Council of Justice building. Due to damage, CEC Parkovy temporarily suspended operations.
On September 26 in the capital, five people were injured. In Solomianskyi district, a strike caused a fire on lower floors of a five-story residential house; fires and heavy smoke were extinguished in office and non-residential buildings, while debris fell in an open space near a private sector. In Obolonskyi district, fires broke out at a preschool facility and a non-residential building. In Svyatoshynskyi district, crews extinguished a fire and damage at an Auchan store in Lavina Mall; in Darnytskyi, they extinguished a blaze near storage facilities. On the morning of September 26, Russian forces shelled the Darnitsa pharmaceutical plant for the second time in a week.
The Russian army began systematically shelling Ukrainian providers and data centers, forcing several TV channels, including Novyny.LIVE, to temporarily suspend broadcasting, reports Ekonomichna Pravda.
During an overnight UAV attack on September 27 in Kyiv, one person was killed and seven injured. In Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts, residential houses, a warehouse, and other non-residential sites were damaged, with fires igniting at service stations. In the morning in Shevchenkivskyi district, a woman and two 16-year-old children were injured. The jet-powered UAV attack on the capital continues.
Contributors to this report:
Topic researcher, author: Yana Yevmenova
Photo editor: Marusia Maruzhenko
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
