Zelensky announces Ukraine's first deployment of new ballistic missile amid intensified fighting
President Zelensky said Ukraine has launched a new type of ballistic missile for the first time, as Russian forces continue heavy strikes on Kyiv and other cities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told one outlet that Ukraine's air force has shot down five ballistic missiles and that a newly-acquired ballistic missile was employed in combat for the first time. He highlighted a surge in Russian attacks targeting Kyiv's logistics centre, a data centre in Odessa and a nearby cargo vessel, as well as strikes on power facilities around the capital. Ukrainian officials said they intercepted 155 of 188 incoming combat drones and downed 29 of 29 Russian jet-powered drones.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called on allies to maintain aid, while Russian statements emphasized damage to industrial sites in Odessa and the Black Sea port of Tschornomorsk. The live updates also noted a fatal drone strike in the Russian border region of Bryansk and a suspected Russian-linked sabotage of Estonia's Milrem Robotics plant.
Why it matters
The first use of a new ballistic missile signals a shift in Ukraine's offensive capabilities amid ongoing Russian assaults.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 Russia multiplies jet-powered Shahed drone strikes fivefold in one month
- Sep 20 Zelensky said a major Russian oil refinery, a logistics structure and the Voronezh region were hit in the massive attack.
- Sep 20 Officials reported that 249 unmanned aircraft were intercepted in the latest wave of attacks.
- Sep 21 Election commission chair Ella Pamfilova said preliminary results will be announced Monday at 11 hours (10 hours in Paris).
- Sep 21 Russia's defence ministry said it will increase the frequency and precision of its strikes on Kyiv.
- Sep 21 Partial results show United Russia holding at least 338 of the 450 Duma seats.
- Sep 21 The Quai d’Orsay condemns holding the vote in the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, calling it a violation of international law and the UN Charter and stating Fran
- Sep 25 Ukrainian commanders announced further territorial gains around Lyman since the initial report.
- Sep 26 Russian attacks killed four civilians in Ukraine, while a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's Krasnodar region killed three people.
- Sep 27 Operators now use Discord to coordinate the robots with drones.
- Sep 27 German de‑escalation pleas were rejected and talks have stalled.
- Sep 28 Ukrainian forces announced the latest village recaptures as part of Operation Vivaldi’s third phase.
- Sep 28 Russian strikes this week damaged Kyiv data centres and set fire to the National Academy of Sciences.
- Sep 29 The latest 24‑hour wave of Russian attacks resulted in one death and 56 injuries nationwide.
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