President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of "terrorising" Ukrainians after the latest attacks in which a market was set on fire and schools were targeted.
A guided Russian aerial bomb also left 15 injured, including children, after it struck an apartment building in Ukraine's second-biggest city, Kharkiv in the northeast, mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram early on Monday.
“Anywhere in the world, this choice of targets would be called by one word – terrorism. Russia has no military objective whatsoever in doing this – it is purely an attempt to break people and inflict as much harm as possible on our society,” Zelensky said.
“If Russia were truly preparing for any real steps toward de-escalation – as it claims, particularly to American negotiators – this wave of … terror would not be happening,” he said.
Meanwhile, Germany has urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to stop Russia’s “dangerous path of escalation” against it and other Nato countries and find a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine.
The German foreign minister Johann Wadephul met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, although Lavrov later said the talks led to no meaningful breakthrough.
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Key Points
- Putin has 'vanquished' two kindergartens and two schools
- Russia's top diplomat rejects German calls to stop ‘dangerous escalation’
- Germany says relations cannot improve with Russia unless Putin moves to end war
- Russian and Ukrainian strikes leave 10 dead despite Trump plea for peace deal
Russian bomb attack injures fifteen in Ukraine's Kharkiv, mayor says
04:27 , Namita SinghA guided Russian aerial bomb injured 15 people, including children, as it struck an apartment building in Ukraine's second-biggest city, Kharkiv in the northeast, mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram early on Monday.
Zelensky accuses Russia of terrorising Ukrainians
04:14 , Namita SinghPresident Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of terrorising Ukrainians after the latest attacks in which a market was set on fire and kindergartens and schools were targetted.
“Anywhere in the world, this choice of targets would be called by one word – terrorism. Russia has no military objective whatsoever in doing this – it is purely an attempt to break people and inflict as much harm as possible on our society,” Zelensky said.
“If Russia were truly preparing for any real steps toward de-escalation – as it claims, particularly to American negotiators – this wave of … terror would not be happening,” he said.
Voters in Switzerland decide on right-wing party's proposal to tighten neutrality rules
03:00 , Harriette BoucherVoters in Switzerland are deciding Sunday on a proposal to strengthen the country's vaunted neutrality. The referendum is supported by a right-wing populist party that insists the Swiss government has gravitated too close to the European Union and NATO, notably over Russia's war in Ukraine.
Backers of the plan championed by the Swiss People's Party want Switzerland to reinforce its commitment to neutrality that has been enshrined in the constitution since the mid-19th century and has faced years of debate over what that neutrality really means.
The party, which has the most seats in parliament and counts some members with pro-Russia leanings, has bristled over the Swiss federal government's decision to join EU sanctions against Russia over what the government calls Russia's “war of aggression” against Ukraine.
Read more here:
Voters in Switzerland decide on right-wing party's proposal to tighten neutrality rules
Zelensky slams Putin's 'lame excuses' for not ending war in Ukraine
02:00 , Harriette BoucherRussia inflicting 'wave of shahed terror', says Zelensky
01:00 , Harriette BoucherVladimir Putin’s “wave of ‘shahed’ terror” proves he is not truly preparing for any real steps toward de-escalation, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
He said Russia “knows how to send the kind of encouraging diplomatic signals that the world simply wants to hear...It knows how to send such signals in order to delay tough steps by the world in response to the war.”
The Ukrainian president added: “We are counting on effective decisions from the world and stronger pressure from our partners, so that Russia sees that manipulating diplomatic signals will not allow it to keep winning more and more time for war and terror.
“It is important that our other partners in the G7 and G20 also take a principled stance.”
Editorial: Don’t let Russia distract us from backing Ukraine to the hilt
Monday 28 September 2026 00:00 , Harriette Boucher
Don’t let Russian aggression distract us from backing Ukraine to the hilt
Russia has 'vanquished' two kindergartens and two schools
Sunday 27 September 2026 22:47 , Harriette BoucherRussian drones “vanquished” two kindergartens and two schools on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Local officials have said that drones also set ablaze a market outside the Ukrainian capital, killing two people, while three others died in strikes by Moscow's forces in different regions.
According to the Ukrainian president, a residential building, an auto repair shop, several warehouses, and communications facilities were also attacked.
He wrote on X: “Anywhere in the world, this choice of targets would be called by one word – terrorism. Russia has no military objective whatsoever in doing this – it is purely an attempt to break people and inflict as much harm as possible on our society.
“My condolences to their families and loved ones. Dozens of people were injured.”
South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over North Korean POW disclosure
Sunday 27 September 2026 21:55 , Harriette BoucherSouth Korea has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, saying Kyiv unilaterally disclosed the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea despite a prior agreement to keep the matter confidential.
The presidential office said Ukraine's subsequent denial that any confidentiality agreement existed was false and had damaged trust between the two governments.
German foreign minister says Lavrov meeting driven by Russia security concerns
Sunday 27 September 2026 20:10 , Alex RossGerman Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Sunday his decision to meet Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was driven by security concerns and to address a growing food-export crisis.
Lavrov and Wadephul met in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, marking the first such talks since before Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Wadephul said Russia's alleged deployment of armed drones at Leipzig airport had crossed a line and made it necessary to communicate directly that Germany was prepared to defend itself.
"Russia has to understand that we are ready to resist and to defend ourselves," Wadephul said in an interview with ARD.
The meeting also came amid diplomatic efforts to revive Russia and Ukraine's Black Sea grain and energy exports that have been sharply curtailed by attacks on vessels and port infrastructure.
"A number of colleagues, especially from the Global South, asked me to speak with Russia," Wadephul said, citing this as the second reason for the talks.
"There is a threat of famine there, and that is why I am advocating for a ceasefire in the Black Sea," he added.
Watch: 20 rescued after Kyiv residential building hit in Russian attack
Sunday 27 September 2026 18:00 , Daniel HaygarthZelenskyy says he urged Trump to enlist China's help in ending Russia's invasion
Sunday 27 September 2026 17:00 , Dan Haygarth
Ukraine's Zelenskyy says he urged Trump to enlist China's help in ending Russia's invasion
Early results show Swiss voters are on track to reject a push to tighten neutrality rules
Sunday 27 September 2026 16:00 , Dan HaygarthEarly projections on Sunday suggested voters in Switzerland were on track to reject a right-wing proposal aimed at the strict implementation of the country’s neutrality.
Backers of the plan, championed by the Swiss People’s Party that has members with pro-Russia leanings, insist the government has gravitated too close to the European Union and NATO, notably over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The proposal followed Switzerland’s decision to join EU sanctions against Russia. It aims to prohibit the Alpine country from joining punitive measures against hostile countries except United Nations sanctions.
Russia wields a veto on the UN Security Council as one of its five permanent members.
Switzerland has been committed to neutrality, enshrined in the constitution since the mid-19th century. Swiss neutrality has faced years of debate over what it really means.
Projections from the Swiss public broadcaster SRG, based partly on information from polling agency gfs bern and initial counts from the government, indicated that more than two-thirds of voters rejected the idea.
A final official count is expected later Sunday. Polls closed at noon local time; most voters cast ballots by mail.
Switzerland is not a member of any military alliance. However, if the proposal passed, it would bar the Swiss government from even cooperating with any alliance — as it has with NATO for three decades, including through joint exercises — except in cases of threat.
Supporters claim that the government has moved “dangerously close” to the EU and NATO in ways that threaten Switzerland's security and independence of action.
Opponents, including the federal government and parliament, say the constitution already gives the federal government the leeway it needs to protect national interests.
Russian strikes kill 2 in Ukraine after Moscow rejects German calls to de-escalate
Sunday 27 September 2026 15:00 , Dan HaygarthRussian strikes on Ukraine killed at least two people overnight into Sunday, officials said, hours after Moscow rejected German calls to ease off its escalation toward NATO.
Russia’s top diplomat on Saturday brushed off what’s believed to have been the first tête-à-tête with his German counterpart since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The meeting was held during the UN General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders, as an intensifying aerial war between Russia and Ukraine shows no sign of slowing.
Ties between Russia and Germany have soured in recent weeks, following an attempted drone attack last month at Leipzig airport that Berlin blamed on the Kremlin.
With front-line positions largely unchanged since last year, Moscow has hammered its neighbour with cruise and ballistic missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones in recent months. Meanwhile, Kyiv’s long-range drones have targeted Russian oil refineries and businesses.
In Kyiv, a man was found dead after a Russian drone hit a non-residential building overnight, according to Ukraine’s emergency service.
Another drone struck a single-story vehicle repair shop, leaving firefighters battling the blaze into early Sunday, the emergency service said.
Russian forces also struck Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, which surrounds the country’s main Black Sea port, multiple times overnight into Sunday, killing one person and injuring two others, according to the head of the local military administration, Oleh Kiper.
In Russian-occupied Ukraine, a strike by Kyiv's forces on Sunday killed a civilian woman in Enerhodar, the town housing Europe's largest nuclear plant, according to its Kremlin-installed mayor. Maxim Pukhov said the Ukrainian drones also injured two others.
Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly blamed each other for damaging power lines supplying Enerhodar's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Moscow captured early in the war. The plant is not in service, but needs power to keep cooling systems running and maintain safety.
Watch: Zelensky slams Putin's 'lame excuses' for not ending war in Ukraine
Sunday 27 September 2026 14:14 , Dan HaygarthTwo dead in Russian strikes on Kyiv and Odesa
Sunday 27 September 2026 12:45 , Adam WithnallRussian strikes on Ukraine killed at least two people overnight into Sunday, officials said.
In Kyiv, a man was found dead after a Russian drone hit a non-residential building overnight, according to Ukraine’s emergency service.
Another drone struck a single-story vehicle repair shop, leaving firefighters battling the blaze into early Sunday.
Russian forces also struck Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, which surrounds the country’s main Black Sea port, multiple times overnight into Sunday, killing one person and injuring two others, according to the head of the local military administration, Oleh Kiper.
Inside the real war games as Europe readies for an attack by Russia
Sunday 27 September 2026 12:01 , Adam WithnallSky’s docu-drama The Wargame has landed right in the middle of a time of real-world crisis. But the true danger is the potential for hysteria, fear and miscalculation to turn a shadow war into something much worse, as Owen Matthews explains:
Inside the real war games as Europe readies for an attack by Russia
Europe’s far-right turmoil is only the beginning – all the signs point to worse to come
Sunday 27 September 2026 11:00 , Adam WithnallJohn Kampfner writes about the terrifying surge of the far right across Europe, and why it’s only good news for Russia:
Europe’s far-right turmoil is only the start – all the signs point to worse to come
Russia says it struck military infrastructure and vessel in Ukraine
Sunday 27 September 2026 09:34 , Adam WithnallThe Russian defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had carried out overnight drone strikes on logistics centres, port and transport infrastructure, as well as communications centres and vessels that Moscow said were linked to the Ukrainian military.
The ministry said the strikes hit a data centre in Kyiv, logistic hubs in the Kyiv and Odesa regions, two drone storages in Mykolaiv, headquarters of a naval base as well as of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and four military storages in the Kiliya port, and a cargo ship carrying military and dual-use goods to the port of Odesa.
Russia uses UN address to criticise West and deny isolation
Sunday 27 September 2026 07:56 , Adam WithnallRussian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov used his speech yesterday at the UN General Assembly and a subsequent news conference to blame the West for undermining European security, despite Russia being the aggressor in its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lavrov claimed the West “aspires to inflict strategic defeat on Russia – but these aspirations will result in the war mongers being led into a strategic dead end.”
He also claimed the US specifically had "destroyed the European security system and created a Russophobic regime in Kyiv".
Moscow has repeatedly sought to stress that it maintains a strong position on the global stage despite its war on Ukraine and isolation from the West.
Writing on her personal Telegram channel, Maria Zakharova, chief spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, claimed that “tens of diplomats” had come to meet Lavrov to “shake his hand and thank Russia” at the UN.
An overwhelming majority of General Assembly member nations have repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Voters in Switzerland decide on right-wing party's proposal to tighten neutrality rules
Sunday 27 September 2026 06:43 , Adam WithnallVoters are taking part in a referendum in Switzerland today on a proposal to strengthen the country's neutrality rules.
The referendum is supported by a right-wing populist party that insists the Swiss government has gravitated too close to the European Union and Nato, notably over Russia's war in Ukraine.
Backers of the plan, championed by the Swiss People's Party, want Switzerland to reinforce its commitment to neutrality that has been enshrined in the constitution since the mid-19th century and has faced years of debate over what that neutrality really means.
The party, which has the most seats in parliament and counts some members with pro-Russia leanings, has bristled over the Swiss federal government's decision to denounce Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and join EU sanctions against Moscow.
The measure would prohibit the government from joining sanctions against any belligerent country except sanctions approved by the United Nations. Russia has been shielded from such measures because it wields a veto on the UN Security Council as one of its five permanent members.
Switzerland is not a member of any military alliance. Passage would also bar the Swiss government from cooperating with any alliance – as it has with Nato for three decades, including through joint exercises – except in cases where it faces a direct threat.
Germany says relations cannot improve with Russia unless Putin moves to end war
Sunday 27 September 2026 05:18 , Adam WithnallThe meeting between German and Russian foreign ministers on Saturday, at Germany's Johann Wadephul’s request, came just before Sergey Lavrov addressed world leaders, where he also criticised the militarisation of Japan.
He made clear that Russia will veto any attempt by Germany and Japan for permanent seats on the Security Council, the UN’s most powerful body. The two nations fought Russia, Britain and the United States in World War II.
A German delegation official said that during their meeting, Wadephul called on Russia to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” toward Germany, Europe and the Nato alliance. Ties between Russia and Germany have soured in recent weeks, following an attempted drone attack last month at Leipzig airport – Germany has blamed the incident on Russia – and tit-for-tat responses that followed.
Wadephul expressed openness to a better relationship but said it required a genuine willingness from Russia’s leadership to end the war in Ukraine, according to the official.
Russia's top diplomat rejects German calls to stop ‘dangerous escalation’
Sunday 27 September 2026 03:58 , Adam WithnallRussia’s top diplomat rejected German calls to ease off its “dangerous path of escalation” toward the country, instead accusing Germany of being Ukraine’s main sponsor and seeking to be a leading military power in Europe.
“Does Berlin understand what this could lead to?’ Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov asked in his speech at the UN General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders. “Didn’t they not learn the lessons of World War II?”
Lavrov was dismissive after the German and Russian foreign ministers met Saturday on the sidelines of the meeting, holding what’s believed to be the first such tête-à-tête since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“He simply reiterated his official public position condemning Russia,” Lavrov said. “You can judge for yourself whether that counts as dialogue or not.”
