Russia intensifies air strikes as Ukraine captures 250 soldiers near Lyman

Aerial strikes across Ukrainian cities

Russian forces launched coordinated missile and drone barrages targeting Kyiv, Dnipro, and Odesa between 28 and 29 September 2026. The strikes struck residential buildings, office complexes, data centers, and the Dobrobut medical academy in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district, as well as a facility belonging to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Ukrainian emergency officials reported at least seven deaths and more than 80 injuries across the affected urban areas following the continuous bombardments. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that jet-propelled drones hit a hospital structure in the capital alongside strikes on a Dnipro commercial center and an Odesa apartment complex.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the destruction following the wave of strikes:

This is another Russian attack that exposes the absurdity of the war waged by Russia and, more broadly, the absurdity of the Russian state. Another rocket-propelled drone hit a hospital building in Kyiv. In Dnipro, a brutal strike targeted a business centre, and in Odesa, an ordinary residential building.

Front-line counteroffensives and pipeline manoeuvres

In eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian units near Lyman in the Donetsk region, capturing more than 250 Russian military personnel, including officers, pilots, and artillery specialists. Ukrainian military commanders identified the advance as the third phase of Operation Vivaldi, an offensive prepared to regain tactical initiative along the eastern front. Further north near Kupiansk, Ukraine's Khartiia National Guard Corps reported that Russian soldiers dressed in civilian clothing moved through the Ostrogozhsk-Shebelinka gas pipeline while using civilians, including children and elderly people, as human shields. The military unit stated that the Russian group traversed more than 10 kilometers through the pipeline network toward Holubivka to evade drone surveillance and reach Russian-controlled territory.

Strategic assessments and long-term planning

An assessment published by the Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to compel Ukraine to capitulate by spring 2027 through sustained aerial strikes. The strategy relies on depleting Ukraine's air defense stockpiles, including Patriot interceptors during the 2026–2027 winter, while deploying faster jet-powered Geran drones that bypass older interception networks. Russian statements delivered at the Saint Petersburg International Cultural Forum indicated that Moscow is deploying these high-speed drones in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Ukrainian officials also reported that Moscow is deploying an additional 10,000 North Korean soldiers to reinforce front-line positions as Russian ground forces face persistent difficulties.

NATO posture on European sabotage

In Brussels, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on member states to maintain composure in response to Russian sabotage attempts across Europe. The statement followed Estonia's formal accusation that Russian special services orchestrated an August arson attack against a domestic defense contractor. In Germany, authorities linked Moscow to an August incident involving an explosive device discovered on a drone at Leipzig airport targeting a Ukrainian cargo aircraft. General Frederik Vansina, chief of Belgium's armed forces, noted concerns among eastern allies that Moscow could attempt limited territorial incursions to test Article 5 collective defense commitments.

Mark Rutte addressed reporters alongside Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius:

Russia is continuing its reckless campaign of hostile actions against NATO allies. It is trying to weaken our resolve and stop our support for Ukraine. But Russia is failing. It is failing on the battlefield in Ukraine, and it is failing to undermine our unity and our support for Ukraine.