Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

Analysts say Russia’s alliance with Tehran – an act described as a “monumentally stupid error” – forced Israel to break neutrality and offer Kyiv a crucial air defense asset.

WASHINGTON DC – President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Saturday the operational status of a US-made Patriot air-defense system that originated in Israel - a transfer that was carefully orchestrated by Washington to circumvent political sensitivities in Jerusalem.

“The Israeli system has been operating in Ukraine for a month,” Zelensky told reporters. “We will receive [another] two Patriot systems in the fall, that’s all I’m going to say.”

Welcome to Summary of the Week - your quick guide to the top headlines for September 27, 2025.

Russian drone struck a car in Sumy region, killing a 59-year-old man and injuring another civilian, local authorities said.

In a village in Znob-Novhorodske community of Sumy region, a Russian drone struck a car, killing a 59-year-old man. Another civilian was injured.

This was reported on Telegram by Head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleh Hryhorov, according to Ukrinform.

Drones flew over Denmark’s biggest military base and near Norway’s F-35 base, which Copenhagen called a “hybrid attack,” hinting at Russian involvement.

Unidentified drones flew over Danish military sites including its biggest base overnight following a slew of earlier sightings that Copenhagen has termed a “hybrid attack”, hinting at possible Russian involvement.

Neighbouring Norway was also investigating “possible sightings of drones” early Saturday near its biggest military base, Orland, where its F-35 fighter jets are parked.

Ukraine’s Steel Border unit repelled a Russian assault in the Kursk sector, killing two enemy soldiers with an artillery strike as they tried to storm Ukrainian positions.

Ukrainian border guards said Sunday their forces repelled another failed Russian assault in the Kursk sector, killing two enemy soldiers with a precise artillery strike.

The State Border Guard Service reported on Telegram that fighters from its Steel Border unit opened fire as Russian troops attempted a small-arms attack to storm Ukrainian positions.

Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.

• Russia is almost certainly conducting an extensive interference campaign targeting the Moldovan parliamentary elections, due to take place on 28 September 2025, aiming to increase Russian influence in the country. Mis- and dis-information is being disseminated widely across multiple traditional and social media platforms and outlets, including BlueSky, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and X. This effort is almost certainly directed by the Russian state.
• Narratives include false allegations of corruption and abuse of power by the incumbent Moldovan government, false claims that the Moldovan government has compromised the integrity of the election, and false claims that Moldova’s European partners are undermining its security.
• Should the ruling party win a majority of seats in the election, Russian-backed information actors will almost certainly promote narratives undermining the integrity of the election.

The EU is weighing tariffs on Russian oil still flowing via the Druzhba pipeline, aiming to bypass member state vetoes and keep pressure on Moscow while funding its own energy transition.

When the European Commission presented the draft of the 19th sanctions package against Russia in mid-September, the most important news was not just the usual listing of new names on the blacklist but the proposal to impose tariffs on the remaining Russian oil flows.

At first glance, this is a technical issue of customs policy. In reality, however, it is an attempt to find a way out of the blockade that has prevented the European Union from pursuing a coherent energy policy towards Moscow for the past three and a half years.

What the Europea media are saying about Trump’s apparent change of tone towards Russia.

US President Donald Trump now believes it would be possible for Ukraine to recapture its territories which are currently occupied by Russia. With the support of Europe and Nato, a return to the original borders as they were at the start of the war is an option, he wrote on Truth Social. Until now, Trump had talked of ceding captured territory to Russia as the way to end the war. Commentators debate motives and consequences.

Dip in approval ratings is working wonders

On the eve of Moldova’s election, poverty dominates daily life as one-third live below the poverty line, pensions average €165, and many feel “tired of being tired.”

“We, in the villages, are left with our mud and our struggles,” said 75-year-old Margareta Pasla from northern Moldova. She gets by on a pension of €130 a month, just enough to cover heating and electricity if she still takes odd jobs in neighboring villages.

Her phrase quoted in Radio Free Europe has become a shorthand for how life feels for many across Moldova on the eve of the vote: tired, precarious and stripped of illusions that politics will make much difference.

The International Paralympic Committee lifted its partial suspension of Russia and Belarus, restoring full membership rights and opening the way for athletes to compete at Milan-Cortina 2026.

The International Paralympic Committee decided on Saturday to lift a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus imposed since Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This decision, taken at the IPC’s general assembly meeting in Seoul, opens the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics next year.

Russian forces launched 115 drones overnight on Sept. 27, hitting critical infrastructure in Vinnytsia

Russian forces launched a massive overnight drone attack on Sept. 27, striking a critical infrastructure facility in Vinnytsia region, regional and military officials said Saturday.

Natalia Zabolotna, the first deputy head of the Vinnytsia regional administration, wrote on Facebook that the region was “under attack by enemy UAVs,” confirming a hit on a critical infrastructure site.

Russian forces in Donetsk have forced 48 Ukrainian children into psychiatric treatment for alleged “extremism,” echoing Soviet-era abuse of psychiatry to silence dissent.

Russian occupation authorities have forcibly placed 48 Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied Donetsk region in psychiatric institutions under accusations of “extremism,” Ukrainian experts said Friday.

Maria Krasnenko, author of a report presented at the Ukraine Media Center and an expert with the NGO Almenda, said Russia is using systemic persecution on occupied territories with a particular focus on children and youth.

Zelensky said Russia has already lost over 3,000 troops in the Dobropillia counteroffensive, adding that Putin lies to leaders by claiming success.

Russian occupation forces have already suffered more than 3,000 losses in the Dobropillia counteroffensive operation alone, and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is lying to leaders who still talk to him when he claims that his forces are achieving their objectives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this in his nightly video address, Ukrinform reports.

Trump’s recent enthusiasm for Ukraine’s victory has been a great confidence boost, but ending the war will require sustained US commitment and strong international coordination.

US President Donald Trump has recently shifted his stance on the war in Ukraine, voicing strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and calling Russia a “paper tiger.” After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations, Trump stated that with the backing of NATO and the European Union, Ukraine could “fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form.”

Does this imply that we will soon see the end of the war in Ukraine?

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) lowers Ukraine’s economic growth forecast by 0.8 percentage points for 2025, citing war risks, energy damage and weaker exports.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) revised Ukraine’s economic forecast for Ukraine’s GDP growth in 2025 downward to 2.5% from its earlier estimate of3.3%, attributing the downgrade to uncertainty over the course of Russia’s full-scale war, pressure on energy infrastructure, and weak export performance.

Ukraine’s exports weakened due to declining harvest volumes as a result of 2025 April frosts and 2024 summer drought, while the European Union brought an end to tariff-free trade on 36 categories of Ukrainian goods within the Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM). On top of higher imports, caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion, it created a $7.5 billion higher trade deficit in the first seven months of 2025.