Zelenskyy Warns Russia Wants to Widen War Beyond Ukraine
Russian drone strikes killed at least four people in Ukraine on the night of Sept. 26–27, Ukrainian officials said, with one death in Kyiv and three in the Zaporizhzhya region. In a nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Moscow appears intent on prolonging and expanding the war and cited intelligence suggesting increased Russian spending on jet-powered drones and munitions. US President Donald Trump declined to confirm a reported agreement to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles and urged Ukraine and Russia to “settle” the conflict.
Why It Matters
The strikes and Zelenskyy’s remarks highlight rising concerns about Russia’s expanding use of drone and loitering-munition capabilities and the potential for the conflict to spill beyond Ukraine, matters that intersect with international defense assistance and diplomatic efforts. US responses — including President Trump’s public stance on negotiation and Patriot missile production — affect allied coordination and Ukraine’s options for bolstering air defenses.
Key Facts
- Reported deaths from overnight strikes: At least 4 people killed (1 in Kyiv, 3 in Zaporizhzhya region)
- Kyiv incident: Man killed in Solomyansky district after drone struck a nonresidential building; fires at a car-repair facility and another building
- Zaporizhzhya casualties: One man killed in Komyshuvakha; two people killed when their car was hit in Novotavriyske; four wounded in Komyshuvakha
- Injuries in Shevchenkivsky district: Woman and two 16-year-olds hospitalized after a strike, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said
- Zelenskyy on Russian weapons spending: Cited intelligence that Russia plans to spend $12 billion next year on jet-powered drones and loitering munitions alone
Ukrainian officials reported that Russian drone strikes overnight into Sept. 27 killed at least four people and damaged civilian infrastructure across multiple regions. Kyiv’s State Emergency Service said a man was killed when a drone struck a nonresidential building in the Solomyansky district, where fires also broke out at a car-repair facility and another building. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko separately reported a strike in the Shevchenkivsky district that injured a woman and two 16-year-old children, all of whom were hospitalized. In the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, the regional military administration said three people were killed by strikes. A man died in the village of Komyshuvakha, where one house was destroyed and other homes were damaged; two more people — a man and a woman — were killed when a strike hit their vehicle in Novotavriyske. The administration also said four people were wounded in the Komyshuvakha attack. The State Emergency Service released images showing firefighters working at damaged sites. In his nightly address on Sept. 26, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued that Moscow shows no sign of preparing to stop the war and called on Western partners to remain united in pressuring Russia to negotiate. He cited intelligence suggesting Russia intends to spend about $12 billion next year on jet-powered drones and loitering munitions and said Ukrainian air defenses have been intercepting roughly 55% of jet-powered drones in recent overnight attacks. Zelenskyy urged collective defensive measures with allies including the United States, Europe, Canada and Japan. The diplomatic context remains uncertain after Zelenskyy said on Sept. 25 that US President Donald Trump had made a “final decision” to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air-defense missiles; Trump on Sept. 26 declined to confirm that, and told reporters he wanted Ukraine and Russia to “settle” their war. Zelenskyy also called on Washington to maintain pressure on Moscow — including through new sanctions — and asked for implementation of recently signed US legislation expanding authority to impose sanctions and tariffs on Russia. An AFP analysis of Armed Conflict Location and Event (ACLED) data cited by RFE/RL found a marked increase in strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure in recent months. ACLED recorded about 100 strikes or series of strikes on civilian storage facilities in the Kyiv region since mid-June, compared with roughly 50 such strikes from February 2022 through mid-June 2023, indicating a rise in attacks on warehouses and other infrastructure.