Zelenskyy says overnight Russian strikes killed 1, injured 8

In a statement on US social media platform X, Zelenskyy accused Russia of “sending many signals that it is ready to expand the war.”

He stressed that Moscow’s “vicious, deliberate” attack on Zaporizhzhia last night injured five people and damaged nine-story residential buildings, a university facility, a shopping mall and a boiler house, prompting some residents to evacuate.

In the Kharkiv region, a woman was killed in a drone strike and three others were injured.

“Russia is not backing down from its escalation and is sending many signals that it is ready to expand the war,” he said. “All of this is happening as the stability of the world has already been shattered by this war.”

He said Ukraine will discuss joint peace efforts during the UN General Assembly high-level week in New York, emphasizing “this is the main task that all leaders should be working on.”

“We must continue pressuring the aggressor to bring this war to an end. Every response and every long-range sanction is part of the pressure that is actually working, and the world can feel it. But diplomacy must work in parallel,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces launched drone strikes against Ukrainian logistics centers, warehouses and ports, as well as vessels allegedly utilized to support its troops in the Kyiv and Odesa regions.

The ministry added that its air defense forces intersepted and destroyed 244 drones over Russian territory and Black Sea overnight.

Independent verification of the claims remains difficult due to the ongoing war.