Putin accuses Ukraine of sabotaging Russia's parliamentary election as war strikes intensify
President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for interfering with Russia's parliamentary vote, while fresh Russian attacks injured civilians in Sumy and Odessa and a drone struck a Russian nuclear plant cooling tower.
President Vladimir Putin asserted that Ukraine was attempting to sabotage Russia's parliamentary election, simultaneously branding director Zvyagintsev an "foreign agent." Russian glide-bomb strikes on Sumy resulted in civilian deaths, while a separate attack on Odessa injured at least ten people and damaged a regional administration building, according to governor Oleh Kiper. A drone impact on the cooling tower of the Kursk nuclear power plant led IAEA chief Rafael Grossi to warn against attacks on nuclear facilities.
The United Nations called for impartial investigations into reported atrocities on both sides. In Poland, several Russian drones approached the Dorohusk-Jahodyn border area, triggering air-raid alerts and the deployment of F-16 fighters. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the coming autumn and winter could become the most critical phase of the conflict.
Why it matters
The accusations and escalating attacks raise the risk of wider regional instability and highlight the war's impact on civilian safety and nuclear security.
How this story developed
- Aug 30 India supplies nearly a million barrels of gasoline to Russia as Moscow faces refinery attacks
- Sep 4 A Russian drone hit central Kyiv, destroying the Zavertailo restaurant beside St. Sophia’s Cathedral and setting an adjacent building ablaze.
- Sep 6 Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine have killed civilians and injured dozens in several oblasts.
- Sep 8 The three‑day pause on attacks ended and Russian strikes on Kyiv resumed.
- Sep 8 Casualty toll rises to as many as three dead and sixteen injured.
- Sep 11 Russia has begun importing Jet A‑1 from South Korea and Egypt.
- Sep 14 Donald Trump, speaking on his return trip from Ireland to the United States, again urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop attacking Russian diesel refineries. He claimed that many diesel supplies originate from Russia and that Ukrainian strikes on those plants damage the global fuel market. Trump added that the ongoing shortage of gasoline and diesel is driven by the Russia-Ukraine war, not by events in the Middle East. Kyiv has defended the attacks, calling the refineries lawful military objectives that diminish Russia’s oil revenue and hamper its ability to fund the invasion. Recent Ukrainian raids have indeed lowered Russian fuel inventories, prompting concerns about broader energy security. The White House released a recording of the remarks, highlighting Trump’s continued involvement in the conflict’s diplomatic discourse.
- Sep 14 Trump posted on Truth Social that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to halt energy attacks.
- Sep 15 Ukrainian drones and missiles struck an Ozon warehouse in Taganrog and damaged an industrial facility in the Samara region.
- Sep 16 Lavrov announced Russia's readiness to resume US‑Ukraine‑Russia negotiations and a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the UN General Assembly.
- Sep 16 A new drone attack on a bus has increased the civilian death toll in the latest wave of strikes.
In this story
Related stories
13 in this thread