Russia launches a large-scale attack on Ukraine, killing 3 and wounding
dozens
[September 20, 2025]
By HANNA ARHIROVA
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone
attack targeting regions across Ukraine early Saturday, killing at least
three people and wounding dozens more, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said attacks took place across
nine regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv,
Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy and Kharkiv.
“The enemy’s target was our infrastructure, residential areas and
civilian enterprises,” he said, adding that a missile equipped with
cluster munitions struck a multi-story building in the city of Dnipro.
“Each such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy
by Russia to intimidate civilians and destroy our infrastructure,” he
said in a statement on his official Telegram.
Zelenskyy said he expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week. He also said
the first ladies of Ukraine and the United States would likely hold
separate talks focused on humanitarian issues involving children.
His comments, which he made on Friday, were embargoed until Saturday
morning.
At least 30 people were wounded in the attack in Ukraine's central
Dnipropetrovsk region, local governor Serhii Lysak said. Several
high-rise buildings and homes were damaged in the eastern city of Dnipro.
In the Kyiv region, local authorities said there were strikes in the
areas of Bucha, Boryspil and Obukhiv. A home and cars were damaged. In
the western region of Lviv, Gov. Maxim Kozytsky said two cruise missiles
were shot down.
Russia launched 619 drones and missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said in a
statement. In total, 579 drones, eight ballistic missiles and 32 cruise
missiles were detected. Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralized 552
drones, two ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles.
“During the air strike, tactical aviation, in particular F-16 fighters,
effectively worked on the enemy’s cruise missiles. Western weapons once
again prove their effectiveness on the battlefield," the Air Force said
in a statement.
Russia denies violating Estonia's airspace
Russia’s Defense Ministry denied its aircraft violated Estonia’s
airspace, after Tallinn reported three fighter jets crossed into its
territory on Friday without permission and remained there for 12
minutes.
The incident, described by Estonia's top diplomat as an “unprecedentedly
brazen” incursion, happened just over a week after NATO planes downed
Russian drones over Poland, heightening fears that Moscow's war on
Ukraine could spill over.
In an online statement published early Saturday, Moscow stressed its
fighter jets had kept to neutral Baltic Sea waters more than 3
kilometers (1.8 miles) from Estonia's Vaindloo Island in the Gulf of
Finland.
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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, a rescue worker puts out a fire of a
residential house damaged by a Russian strike on Dnipro, Ukraine.
(Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
“On September 19, three MiG-31 fighter jets completed a scheduled flight
from Karelia to an airfield in the Kaliningrad region,” it said,
referencing the Russian enclave sandwiched between Polish and Lithuanian
territory. Estonia, Poland and Lithuania belong to NATO.
“The flight was conducted in strict compliance with international
airspace regulations and did not violate the borders of other states, as
confirmed through objective monitoring,” the statement said without
providing details about the monitoring operation.
On Friday, Estonian officials said Tallinn had summoned a Russian
diplomat to protest, and also moved “to start consultations among the
allies” under NATO’s Article 4, which states that parties would confer
whenever the territorial integrity, political independence or security
is threatened.
Polish and allied aircraft scrambled
Poland's Operational Command on Saturday said Polish and allied aircraft
were deployed again overnight, due to Russian long-range airstrikes in
neighboring Ukraine. In a later post on X, the operational command
described the operation as “preventive," and “aimed at securing the
airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened zone.”
Polish jets have been deployed repeatedly in recent months to patrol the
country’s airspace in connection with Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Last week, fellow NATO member Romania said it deployed two F-16 jets to
intercept a drone that briefly entered its airspace.
Zelenskyy hopes to finalize security guarantees in New York meetings
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and its partners have laid the groundwork
for long-term security guarantees and that he hopes to gauge how close
they are to finalizing such commitments during next week’s meetings in
New York.
He said European nations are prepared to move forward with a framework
if the United States remains closely engaged. He noted that discussions
have taken place at multiple levels, including among military leadership
and general staffs from both Europe and the U.S.
“I would like to receive signals for myself on how close we are to
understanding that the security guarantees from all partners will be the
kind we need,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said sanctions against Russia must remain on the table if
peace efforts stall, and that he plans to press the issue in talks with
Trump.
“If the war continues and there is no movement toward peace, we expect
sanctions,” he said, adding that Trump is looking for strong steps from
Europe.
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