Monday, September 22, 2025, witnessed a fresh wave of accusations between Russia and Ukraine regarding devastating drone attacks on civilian areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, anticipating a “very intense week” of diplomacy at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, planned for the Security Council to address the ongoing three-year conflict. Zelenskyy has been pushing for a U.S.-backed peace initiative, proposing a ceasefire and a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Moscow has expressed reservations about these proposals, indicating that a swift resolution to the conflict remains elusive.
Adding to the urgency, international fears are growing that the conflict could spill beyond Ukraine’s borders. European nations have strongly condemned Russia for a series of perceived provocations, including Russian drones found on Polish territory and fighter jets encroaching on Estonian airspace.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics voiced concerns on social media, suggesting Russia is actively testing NATO’s readiness, both politically and militarily. He believes Russia aims to diminish Western aid to Ukraine by forcing alliance members to reallocate resources to their own defense. Rinkevics acknowledged the difficulty in determining an appropriate response, noting that Russia is deliberately pushing boundaries without fully crossing any ‘red lines,’ yet warning that the situation could still dangerously escalate.
Estonian Airspace Tensions
In response, Russia’s Defence Ministry refuted claims of its aircraft violating Estonian airspace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday dismissed these accusations from Estonia and NATO as “void, ungrounded, and part of an unrestrained policy of incitement and confrontation.” Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy was scheduled to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly, where he intended to gather international backing for his efforts to halt Russia’s invasion.
Late Sunday, Zelenskyy shared on Telegram that his schedule included “nearly two dozen meetings with leaders from different countries, from all parts of the world,” underscoring the breadth of his diplomatic outreach.
He also revealed plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, whose post-inauguration push for a peace settlement has, to date, seen little advancement.
Zelenskyy emphasized the urgency of the moment: “It is vital that this week we strengthen the world’s resolve for robust action — for without strength, peace will not prevail.”
He detailed the intense Russian aggression over the past week, reporting over 1,500 strike drones, 1,280 glide bombs, and 50 various missiles launched at Ukraine. Furthermore, he highlighted that these weapons contained more than 132,000 foreign components sourced from numerous countries.
In response to these attacks, Ukraine has intensified its calls for stricter sanctions against Russia.
Devastating Attacks on Ukraine
In a separate incident, at least seven Russian aircraft conducted overnight bombardments on Zaporizhzhia, a city in southern Ukraine. Regional administration head Ivan Fedorov confirmed that these strikes tragically killed three people and injured two others. Fedorov reported that the attack, which began around 4:20 a.m. and lasted approximately 40 minutes, specifically targeted residential buildings, shopping malls, a parking lot, and “critical infrastructure.” He stressed that none of these locations had any military significance.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force announced its success in intercepting 132 out of 141 strike and decoy drones deployed by Russian forces during the same overnight period.
Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Russian Territory
Russia, in turn, reported its own casualties from Ukrainian drone attacks. Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed leader of Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula, stated that three people died and 16 were wounded late Sunday after Ukrainian drones targeted the popular vacation spot of Foros. The Russian Defence Ministry quickly asserted that no military facilities were present in the area struck.
Furthermore, in Russia’s Belgorod border region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that Sunday’s Ukrainian drone attacks resulted in three fatalities and ten injuries.
Early Monday, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have shot down 114 Ukrainian drones across various Russian regions.