Russia and Ukraine fire drones, missiles and bombs as Zelenskyy seeks
help at UN
[September 23, 2025]
By ILLIA NOVIKOV
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia said that it shot down three dozen Ukrainian
drones heading toward Moscow while Ukraine said that Russian missiles,
drones and bombs killed at least two civilians, as Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy persevered with efforts to bolster international
support for his country at a U.N. gathering of world leaders on Tuesday.
With his troops under strain on the front line after more than three
years of fighting Russia’s bigger invading army, Zelensky was due to
begin meetings with leaders gathered in New York this week for the U.N.
General Assembly.
Peace efforts set in motion by U.S. President Donald Trump since he
returned to office in January appear to have stalled. Trump’s Alaska
summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a White House meeting
with Zelenskyy and key European leaders took place more than a month
ago, but the war has continued unabated.
Zelenskyy said that he met late Monday in New York with Keith Kellogg,
Trump’s special envoy. Kellogg and Zelenskyy discussed cooperation
agreements on the manufacturing of drones and Ukraine’s purchase of
American weaponry, the Ukrainian president said on Telegram.
European leaders have supported Zelenskyy’s diplomatic efforts, even as
the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is expected to take center stage at the
United Nations. Some European countries are alarmed by the possibility
that the war could spread beyond Ukraine amid what they have called
Russian provocations.
NATO allies will hold formal consultations at Estonia’s request on
Tuesday, after the Baltic country said that three Russian fighter jets
entered its airspace last week without authorization.
Meanwhile, the full-scale war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022, continues
to take a heavy toll on Ukrainian civilians.
The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said earlier
this month that Ukrainian civilian casualties increased by 40% in the
first eight months of this year compared to 2024, as Russia escalated
its long-range missile and localized drone strikes.
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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service,
firefighters put out the fire following a Russian missile attack in
Tatarbunary, Odesa region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.
(Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
Also, a U.N. Human Rights Office report released Tuesday described
the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained by Russia in
areas of Ukraine it has captured.
“Russian authorities have subjected Ukrainian civilian detainees in
occupied territory to torture and ill-treatment, including sexual
violence, in a widespread and systematic manner,” the report said.
Russian aircraft dropped five glide bombs on the southern Ukrainian
city of Zaporizhzhia during the night, killing a man, regional head
Ivan Fedorov said Tuesday.
In the Odesa region of southern Ukraine, Russian ballistic missiles
struck the town center of Tatarbunary, killing a woman, regional
head Oleh Kiper said Tuesday morning.
Overall, Russian forces launched three Iskander ballistic missiles
and 115 strike and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian
air force said. It said that 103 drones were intercepted or jammed,
but 12 drones and three missiles reached their targets at six
locations.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that more than 40 Ukrainian drones
flying toward the Russian capital were shot down between Monday
evening and midday Tuesday.
Flights were temporarily halted overnight in and out of Moscow’s
Sheremetyevo airport, causing delays and cancellations, because of
the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported Tuesday that it intercepted 69
Ukrainian drones over a number of Russian regions and the annexed
Crimean Peninsula.
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