Russian strikes kill nine across Ukraine as Moscow rejects ceasefire pause

Ballistic missile barrage hits Kyiv

On the morning of Thursday, 24 September 2026, Russian forces launched a series of ballistic missiles at Kyiv, triggering at least 20 explosions across the capital. Ukrainian air defense sirens sounded across the city of approximately three million residents before the impacts. According to municipal authorities and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the bombardment killed at least two people and wounded multiple others, leaving several civilians trapped beneath rubble. Targets struck during the morning assault included residential buildings, logistics hubs, energy infrastructure, and a maternity clinic.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko alerted residents through public channels as the strikes began.

“The capital is being attacked by ballistic missiles. Stay in shelters!”

Wave of strikes across multiple regions

The Thursday assault followed intense strikes on Wednesday, 23 September, which killed at least seven people across Ukraine. In Kyiv, two people died and 43 were injured on Wednesday when bombardments destroyed two petrol stations and damaged a commercial business centre alongside retail shops. Oleksandr Pertsovsky, director of the Ukrainian railway network, warned that rail lines around Kyiv were operating under fire and urged passengers at the central railway station to maintain extreme vigilance.

Further south in the Odessa region, a Russian missile struck a commercial cargo ship flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, killing its Ukrainian captain. The strike set fire to nearby warehouses storing food supplies and medical products. The Russian Ministry of Defence stated it targeted a bulk carrier transporting military supplies and a drone assembly warehouse. In the eastern Donetsk region, a strike on a residential apartment building in Oleksandrivka killed four civilians and wounded four others, according to Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

Diplomatic impasse and naval disruptions

The strikes occurred while President Zelensky met members of the United States Congress in Washington to request tighter economic sanctions on Moscow. Zelensky had previously proposed a reciprocal moratorium on attacks against energy infrastructure. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected any cessation of hostilities during an address to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.

“We are not going to take a pause in our special military operation.”

Lavrov stated that European nations sought a temporary pause solely to resupply Ukraine with military hardware. Meanwhile, Black Sea shipping routes remain severely disrupted. According to the Turkish maritime chamber Imeak, at least 226 commercial and civilian vessels have been hit in the Black Sea since February 2022. Of those incidents, 163 strikes (70%) took place during the first eight months of 2026. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described attacks on merchant vessels as unacceptable and submitted a draft memorandum to both governments to safeguard maritime traffic.

First 8 months of 2026163

Total since February 2022226

First 8 months of 2026

163 vessels

Total since February 2022

226 vessels

Data from the article text

Cross-border escalation

The escalation follows Ukrainian long-range drone attacks against Russian logistics and energy facilities. On Sunday, during the final day of Russian legislative elections, Ukrainian forces launched more than 1,600 drones and missiles across the border. Those strikes hit Russian oil refineries, fuel depots, cargo vessels operating in the Black Sea, and logistics distribution centres owned by e-commerce companies Wildberries and Ozon. Moscow had vowed to retaliate for the border strikes.