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Donald Trump has warned that Russia has “unfortunately lost control” of its oil industry after again urging Ukraine to halt long-range strike on refineries.
“A large number of their diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,” the US President wrote on Truth Social, following a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky.
“This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended. The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month. What a shame! President DJT.”
A senior White House official familiar with the conversation between the two leaders said Trump was worried that the Ukrainian attacks are exacerbating a global diesel shortage and pushing up prices, the FT reported.
The two presidents will meet later this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Responding to Trump’s post on Truth Social, Zelensky said that stopping attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure and food exports could lead to “matching de-escalation steps on our part.”
Three year old boy killed in Russian attack on Mykolaiv
A three-year-old boy has been killed in a Russian attack on the Mykolaiv region, the head of the region’s local military administration has said.
“Today, during an enemy airstrike, a three-year-old boy who was outside sustained a fatal injury in the Voznesensk district,” Heorhii Reshetilov said on Telegram, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
“Sadly, despite the efforts of medics, the boy could not be saved.”
Alex Croft21 September 2026 19:10
Watch: Kyiv downs jet-powered Shaheds with new interceptor dronesKyiv downs jet-powered Shaheds with new interceptor drones
Alex Croft21 September 2026 18:35
‘No progress’ in negotiations, Putin spokesperson says
Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, has confirmed there has been “no progress so far in the negotiation process regarding Ukraine”.
His statement to the Tass state news agency comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said he will travel to New York to meet with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
(Reuters)
Alex Croft21 September 2026 18:09
Decoy drones and jet-powered UAVs used in mixed-swarm Russian attack
Ukrainian forces shot down 148 long-range Shahed, Gerbera and Parodiya decoy drones, as well as a low-cost Benderol cruise missile, overnight.
Russia deploys the UAVs in mixed-swarm drone attacks to overwhelm and and exhaust Ukrainian air defences.
Some newer variants of Shahed drones are jet-powered to fly much faster. At least 64 of the ones used overnight were jet-powered.
Most were launched from border regions including Kursk and Belgorod, as well as occupied Donetsk and annexed Crimea.
“Enemy air assets were recorded striking 14 locations, while debris from shot-down targets fell at four other locations,” the Ukrainian army said in an early morning update on Telegram
Alex Croft21 September 2026 17:55
Pro-peace Russian candidate says she’s home after going missing
A pro-peace candidate in Russia’s State Duma has finally spoken out after disappearing for three days.
Yulia Kuznetsova and her husband went missing on the eve of the parliamentary elections and stopped responding to messages and calls.
In a video released on Telegram the following day, she said she had needed psychological support and medical help after a “difficult conversation,” but shared not further details.
“I am back home, and my husband and I are fine. I was also able to vote at my polling station. Thank you all for your support,” read a message posted to Kuznetsova’s channel, along with a photo of her at a polling station.
Her team have still not explained why the couple went missing.
“They are free, and that’s what matters,” her support team said.
Gergana.Krasteva21 September 2026 16:30
Russia doubles down on ‘transnational repression of critics’
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Russian Federal Customs Service Valery Pikalev in Moscow, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026 (AP)
Russia has escalated surveillance, intimidation and reprisals against critics overseas since the start of the war, a UN expert has warned.
The Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that Russia had become one of the most prolific perpetrators of “transnational repression”, through attempted assassinations, assaults and poisonings.
In a new report based on over 400 cases, Mariana Latzarova said such incidents tripled from 29 during 2014-2021 to 89 between 2022-2024.
“It is the continuation, beyond Russia’s borders, of the same structural, state-sponsored system of repression I have documented at home,” she said in a statement.
“Leaving Russia does not mean leaving Russian repression behind.”
Sone 650,000-900,000 people have left the country since 2022, the report added.
Gergana.Krasteva21 September 2026 16:00
Russia attributes AfD victory in Germany due to lack of cheap gas
German Chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader, Friedrich Merz attends a press conference, after the state elections, in Berlin (Reuters)
Russia has claimed that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place in a state election because of lack of cheap gas.
The win delivered the worst result for the mainstream conservative party since 1949, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling it a “disaster”.
“The decline in the competitiveness of the German economy is largely due to the country’s decision to stop buying cheap Russian gas,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
“Instead [Germany] purchases much more expensive gas from other countries, primarily the United States, at times paying several times more on the spot market.”
Reuters earlier reported that AfD and a Russian envoy are preparing to meet next year to discuss restarting gas supplies, even though the AfD is not in power nationally.
“Naturally, Germans, or at least some of them, are looking for an alternative to the current authorities in order to improve their situation. That is a natural process,” Peskov said.
Gergana.Krasteva21 September 2026 15:30
Zelensky: ‘It will no longer be the case that only the country under attack suffers’
Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Donald Trump’s Truth Social post about Russia “ losing control of its diesel oil industry”, warning that the “aggressor will suffer as well”.
The Ukrainian President stressed that Ukraine has sought peace from from the start of the full-scale invasion, having made “dozens” of diplomatic proposals on how to end it.
“Right now, there is a dialogue with President Trump and America,” he said.
“There are also ideas on the table for bringing peace closer, starting with strong de-escalation steps.
“Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part.
“Solutions are possible. We are ready to work on this, and we will discuss it with our partners on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York”
Gergana.Krasteva21 September 2026 15:00
Kremlin criticises Trump’s sanctions on Russia
The Kremlin has warned that the sweeping Russia sanctions bill would not help restore the battered US-Russia ties or advance a peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine.
Donald Trump signed the bill on Friday, taking aim at the country’s economy by punishing major purchasers of its oil and gas.
Additionally, it includes sanctions against Vladimir Putin, senior figures within the Russian government as well as banks and other financial institutions.
Gergana.Krasteva21 September 2026 14:30
In pictures: Aftermath of mixed-swarm Russian attack on Ukraine
Rescuers work in front of an apartment building which was damaged by an overnight Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine September 21, 2026 (Reuters)
A resident removes debris on a balcony of his apartment building in Zaporizhzhia (Reuters)
A man removes debris while a rescuer inspects an interior of a residential building in Zaporizhzhia (Reuters)
A rescuer inspects an interior of a residential building in Zaporizhzhia (Reuters)
Gergana.Krasteva21 September 2026 14:00