Russian strikes kill 8 in Ukraine as UN debates ways to end war

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services, a body lies on the street following a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine killed at least eight civilians overnight, officials said Thursday, as the war continued despite renewed international calls for a settlement at the UN General Assembly.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, a Russian strike killed six agricultural workers and injured 12 others, Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi said.

Another attack on Kyiv killed a man and a woman, while officials in the southern port city of Odesa also reported heavy Russian bombardment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged countries in a speech to the UN General Assembly late Wednesday to cut Russia's revenues through sanctions and trade restrictions, saying Moscow needs money to continue the war.

Zelenskyy and other world leaders have repeatedly used UN gatherings to call for pressure on Russia to end its invasion.

However, years of diplomatic efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough. The war has disrupted global food and energy supplies and further strained relations between Russia and Western countries.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow's call for a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire after Ukraine renewed its demand for a complete and unconditional halt to the fighting.

“We believe it's necessary to seek peace, not a temporary truce,” Peskov told reporters Thursday.

Russia has demanded, among other things, that Ukraine give up territory — a condition Kyiv rejects.

Air attacks intensify
The aerial war has intensified in recent months. Russia has continued launching cruise and ballistic missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones at Ukraine.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has used long-range drones to target Russian oil refineries and other businesses important to the country's economy.

There have been few major changes along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line in eastern and southern Ukraine since last year. Large numbers of drones used by both sides have made troop movements difficult.

Russian strikes put civilians under pressure
The attack on Kyiv damaged more than 50 civilian sites, including apartment buildings, post offices, a maternity hospital and a textile factory, Vyhivskyi said.

Russian strikes have repeatedly hit civilian infrastructure, including trains, shopping centres, supermarkets and gas stations, keeping many Ukrainians on edge.

Valentyna Kolosenko, 49, a Kyiv resident, said a solid oak door protected her when three explosions occurred near her home.

She said she remained determined to cope with the situation despite the fear.

“Everything is paralyzed. Nothing works,” she told The Associated Press. “Getting to work is incredibly difficult and frightening.”

Liubov Paziuk, 74, a pensioner in Kyiv whose home windows were shattered, said she also intended to remain in the city.

“We don't get used to it, we adapt, because we have only one choice: to stay here, on our land, despite everything,” she said.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had targeted weapons factories, telecommunications facilities and logistics sites in Kyiv and the Odesa region overnight.

The United Nations said last week that more Ukrainian civilians had been killed and injured during the first eight months of 2026 than throughout all of 2025.

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Russian attacks killed at least 368 civilians and injured 2,314 others in August.

“Russia's escalation of terror demonstrates that active diplomacy must come hand in hand with devastating pressure on Putin's regime and unwavering support for the defense of Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.

With another winter approaching, Zelenskyy warned that conditions could become even more difficult but said Ukraine would continue resisting.

“Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia, too,” he said on social media.

He added that steps to reduce tensions were needed before winter.

Ukrainian drones hit western Russia
Russian officials reported Ukrainian drone attacks in western Russia on Thursday but provided few details.

In the Rostov region, fragments from a Ukrainian drone damaged an administrative building at an oil refinery, but no fire was reported, regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said.

In the Krasnodar region, drone fragments caused a brief fire at an industrial facility, emergency officials said.

Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the reports.

Drones enter Romanian, Moldovan airspace
Romania's Defense Ministry said Thursday that a drone entered Romanian airspace for about four minutes before crashing near a town in the country's north, close to the Ukrainian border.

Romania had earlier scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and two Spanish F-18s to monitor its airspace at two locations after several drones were detected in Ukraine near the border.

Authorities did not say who operated the drone.

Moldova's Defense Ministry also reported several airspace violations during Russia's attacks on neighbouring Ukraine.

The incidents prompted Moldovan authorities to close part of the country's northern airspace, the ministry said. -UNB