At least seven people have been killed and a landmark building is on fire in Kyiv after a fresh round of Russian strikes on Ukraine.
Apartment buildings, offices and data centres were hit on Monday, and a building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the capital was pictured alight.
A woman was killed in the strike, the Kyiv city military administration confirmed.
Russian forces also hit a pharmaceutical company and gas stations in Kyiv, and another drone struck an office in central Dnipro, killing three people and wounding at least 12.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov added a Russian strike on a nine-story apartment building in the northeastern city of Kharkiv wounded 43 people, including 11 children.
Volodymyr Zelensky earlier accused Russia of "terrorising" Ukrainians after the latest attacks in which a market was set on fire and schools were targeted.
“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,” the Ukrainian president said.
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Key Points
- Fresh round of strikes in Kyiv leaves National Academy of Sciences on fire
- Over 258,000 Putin’s soldiers killed in action identified
- Zelensky accuses Russia of terrorising Ukrainians
- South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over North Korean POW disclosure
- Zelensky slams Putin's 'lame excuses' for not ending war in Ukraine
Germany says Russia still unwilling to negotiate end to Ukraine war after Lavrov talks
17:00 , Shweta SharmaBerlin said on Monday that its first direct talks with Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine showed the two sides remain "miles apart" and that Russia is still unwilling to engage in serious negotiations to end the war.
"Our positions were, of course, miles apart, a fact that has once again become apparent," a foreign ministry spokesperson said, two days after a meeting between German foreign minister Johann Wadephul and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The spokesperson added that the talks had reinforced Berlin's conclusion that Moscow remains `unwilling to negotiate either `a ceasefire or an end to the war in Ukraine.
South Korea summons Ukraine envoy over disclosure of North Korean prisoner transfer, says Yonhap
16:00 , Shweta SharmaSouth Korea's foreign ministry summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador on Monday to protest the disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners to South Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The ministry raised objections to Ukraine's unilateral disclosure of the prisoners' request to go to South Korea during the meeting, Yonhap said.
Fresh round of strikes in Kyiv leave landmark building on fire
15:29 , Sian ElvinOfficials have said a fresh round of Russian bombardment of targets in Ukraine killed at least seven people and wounded more than 50 others on Monday.
Apartment buildings, offices and data centres were hit, and a building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in downtown Kyiv was pictured on fire.
A woman was killed in the strike, the Kyiv city military administration confirmed.
Russian forces also hit a pharmaceutical company and gas stations in Kyiv.
One drone struck an office centre in central Dnipro during working hours on Monday, killing three people and wounding at least 12.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a Russian strike on a nine-story apartment building in the northeastern city of Kharkiv wounded 43 people, including 11 children.
South Korea demands apology from Ukraine after Zelensky discloses transfer of North Korean POWs
15:00 , Shweta SharmaSouth Korea has demanded an apology from Ukraine for breaching the confidentiality agreement on the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war from Kyiv to Seoul.
A diplomatic row erupted after Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed at the UN General Assembly last week that Ukraine had sent two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia to South Korea.
Seoul criticised Mr Zelensky for the disclosure, made while demanding greater support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, accusing him of breaking confidentiality and risking the lives of the prisoners.
South Korea demands apology after Zelensky discloses transfer of North Korean POWs
EU imposes sanctions over deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia
14:30 , Shweta SharmaEU countries on Monday imposed sanctions against 10 individuals and 17 entities for their involvement in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
The list includes Moscow's City Tourism Committee, children's camps and sports camps in Russia and the Songdowon International Children's Camp in North Korea, where the European Council said Ukrainian children are brought to promote pro-Russian narratives.
Pope Leo urges concessions for peace as Ukraine war drags on
14:00 , Shweta SharmaPope Leo said on Monday that negotiators seeking to end war in Europe must be willing to sacrifice some positions to achieve peace.
The first US pope, speaking in Metz, hometown of Robert Schuman, a founding father of the European Union, lamented that "war has returned, even to Europe: a new senseless slaughter, claiming countless civilian lives every day".
Offering his clearest political vision yet for Europe, Leo also praised integration and multiculturalism at a time when the far right is gaining strength across the region.
Speaking in French, he urged Europeans to recall the founding values that underpin the EU, including the rule of law and the equality of all people without distinction of race, colour, class or profession.
Leo began his four-day visit on Friday with a warning that the United Nations and other multilateral bodies were in crisis and that international dialogue risked becoming a "charade".
On Monday in Metz, he turned his attention to the war in Ukraine - without mentioning it directly.
"We need ... to show courage in negotiation and to be willing to give up some positions for the greater good of peace," he urged, invoking a similar 1917 appeal from Pope Benedict XV amid the carnage of the First World War.
Leo also reiterated his opposition to rising European military spending, which grew last year by the highest amount since the end of the Cold War amid pressure from US President Donald Trump and Russian assertiveness.
"We must also guard against the illusion that rearmament is the answer," he said.
"Today we must ask whether we are truly making creative efforts to advance world peace, or whether we are simply seeking to 'stem the tide of war' and better prepare ourselves for wars that we assume are still to come."
Swiss voters reject proposal to strengthen country’s neutrality
13:20 , Shweta SharmaSwiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal championed by a populist party to strengthen the country’s vaunted neutrality.
Official figures published by the government showed 70 per cent of voters, as well as majorities across all 26 of the country’s regions, turned down the measure.
Supporters of the measure, spearheaded by the Swiss People’s Party, claimed the European country had drawn dangerously close to Nato and the EU, particularly concerning the conflict in Ukraine.
Swiss voters reject proposal to strengthen country’s neutrality
What comes next for North Korea soldiers transferred from Ukraine to South Korea?
12:20 , Shweta SharmaTwo North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia against Ukraine are now in South Korea, raising questions over how they will be investigated, protected and resettled, and the legal basis for their transfer.
The soldiers are expected to undergo questioning and security screening before the South Korean authorities decide whether to grant them protection and begin the resettlement process.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said on Monday their cases would be reviewed under relevant laws and past practices, suggesting that the North Korean Defectors Protection and Settlement Support Act would apply.
The investigation and temporary protection may last up to 90 days, with a possible extension in unavoidable circumstances.
The soldiers’ military backgrounds and firsthand knowledge of North Korea’s deployment to Russia could result in more extensive debriefing.
Those granted protection usually receive resettlement training before entering South Korean society.
The unification minister normally determines whether a North Korean arrival qualifies for protection, although the NIS director can make the decision on national security grounds.
Yu told Reuters the sensitivity of the case could also keep them out of public view longer than other North Korean arrivals.
Their physical and psychological condition is also likely to be assessed.
Russian attack on business centre in Ukraine's Dnipro kills three, governor says
11:40 , Shweta SharmaA Russian drone attack on a business centre in Ukraine's southeastern city of Dnipro killed three people and injured at least 12 more, the regional governor said on Monday.
Russia planning more acts of sabotage in Europe, EU diplomat says
11:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeIntelligence reports show Russia is planning more acts of sabotage in Europe, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.
"We need to be vigilant because we see in the intelligence that Russia is planning more sabotage acts and attacks against our democracy – to divide our society, to intimidate our societies (into) refraining to help Ukraine," Kallas said before a meeting of EU defence ministers in Brussels.
Kallas has also called on European countries to provide Ukraine with interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems, APA reported.
Inside Ukraine’s fortress cities – and the ex-convicts keeping them from Putin
11:20 , Shweta SharmaEven as Ukraine and Russia intensify mass aerial attacks against each other, the unrelenting slaughter on the battlefields below continues, particularly in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which Vladimir Putin has been obsessed with seizing since he launched his invasion.
Two large cities, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, and a number of smaller towns in the region remain in Ukrainian hands and have become known as the “fortress belt”. The area is key to Ukraine’s overall security.
Putin has vowed every year since 2022 to take the Donetsk region in its entirety. And each year that has not happened, Putin has felt more humiliated and again ordered his commanders to capture the region that year. Despite marginal advances with suicidal frontal attacks – at tremendous cost in Russian lives – Moscow has failed in its mission.
Inside Ukraine’s fortress cities – and the ex-convicts keeping them from Putin
Ukrainian drones target railway infrastructure in Russian border region
11:00 , Rituparna ChatterjeeUkrainian drones have attacked railway infrastructure in the Russian border region of Bryansk in three separate strikes which damaged a railway bridge and derailed nearly 30 carriages and wagons, Bryansk's acting governor said on Monday.
Egor Kovalchuk, the official, said in a statement on Telegram that nobody had been hurt in the attacks, which he said had caused part of a bridge to collapse and had damaged railway tracks in one area.
Reuters could not immediately verify his assertion and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces advance in key eastern battlefield, senior commander says
10:38 , Rituparna ChatterjeeUkraine's military has recaptured more territory from Russian forces in the north of the Donetsk region, a senior military commander said on Monday, in an operation aimed at complicating
Moscow's assault on Ukraine's key eastern strongholds. Ukraine's Third Army Corps recaptured an area of 51sqkm, said Brigadier-General Andrii Biletskyi, who has commanded operations in the area since last month.
In total, the operation called "Vivaldi" has recaptured 176sqkm in the north of Donetsk, has freed three more villages and has restored Ukrainian control over two more villages, Biletskyi said.
More work needs to be done in Poland on civil preparedness
09:17 , Namita SinghWhile the Polish government's warnings are stark on fears of hybrid attack from Russia, even communities closest to Ukraine are still catching up on civil defence preparedness.
"We are at the beginning of the process of building civil resilience and the resilience of the state to threats," said Miroslaw Sokal, head of resident safety for the city of Lublin, 90 km west of Dorohusk.
"We have to remember that over the past 40 years we thought we would be living in peace."
He said, given the lack of more solid infrastructure, Poles should respect one minimal rule when there's an air threat: get inside and put two walls between them and any window.
Sawa, the Dorohusk mayor, said villagers typically live in individual homes with basements and that is the obvious place to hide in case of air threats. "If I don't have a basement myself, my neighbor likely does," he said.
But people on the streets of Dorohusk seemed more confused about their options in case of a real attack.
"For now, I sleep well at night, so I don't really hear it," said Irena Popek, a woman in her 80s. If planes are coming, she said, her basement was not an option as it was flooded.
"I simply have nowhere to hide, and that's it."
Renata Pastuszo, a local shop employee, said she continued working through the recent siren alarm because it's better to keep a positive spirit in front of the Russian threat.
Krzysztof Rulka, another resident, complained that alerts were now coming too often, leaving people confused about their meaning.
"If someone told me that a drone was going to explode in the center of Dorohusk, then I would know what to do," he said.
"But this kind of confusion — there's an air attack somewhere in Ukraine — well, what am I supposed to do now? Run to Germany?"
Schools preparing Polish children on how to safely during Russian attack
08:17 , Namita SinghSchools in Poland now discuss with students"practically every day" how to stay safe, said Jaroslaw Wójcicki, the Dorohusk school's director.
The school had to be evacuated once so far and Wójcicki showed the two rooms in the basement of the school building where the kids took cover. Windows had been boarded up to avoid glass shards hurting anyone in case of an explosion.
"The older children had no problem at all, without showing any particular emotion," the director said. "You could see a little fear among the younger children, but they were well looked after by their teachers."
Wójcicki is responsible for the safety of hundreds of children who travel from nearby villages to attend school in Dorohusk, and his voice wavered as he described the enormity of the task.
Poland's defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz visited the Dorohusk-Yahodyn border crossing on 22 September and announced new air defence elements were being brought to the border region. He added that Patriot batteries were deployed in the two Polish regions bordering Ukraine, including the one where Dorohusk is located.
Over 258,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified - report
08:14 , Shweta SharmaThe identities of 258,989 Russian military personnel killed in the war have been confirmed by Russian independent media outlet Mediazona.
More than 10,000 names were added in less than two weeks, roughly twice the usual rate, an investigation by Mediazona as well as the BBC’s Russian service, has confirmed.
The surge was largely driven by a leaked list of bodies exchanged between Russia and Ukraine, with names added only after journalists independently verified the identities through official registries.
The figure is likely a significant underestimate of Russia’s actual military deaths. Mediazona said its tally is based on publicly available information, including obituaries, posts by relatives, regional media reports and statements from local authorities.
As of 21 September, the database included 7,692 officers from the Russian military and other security agencies, as well as about 20,500 mobilised soldiers.
Mediazona said the latter figure is also a substantial underestimate, as recent obituaries increasingly omit details about how soldiers were recruited.
Ukraine's General Staff estimated on Sunday that Russia had suffered 1,528,970 personnel losses since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Russia is seen to be planning more sabotage acts, EU's top diplomat says
08:07 , Namita SinghIntelligence reports show Russia is planning more acts of sabotage in Europe, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.
"We need to be vigilant because we see in the intelligence that Russia is planning more sabotage acts and attacks against our democracy - to divide our society, to intimidate our societies (into) refraining to help Ukraine," Kallas said before a meeting of EU defence ministers in Brussels.
On Poland's border with Ukraine, residents brace for a possible Russian hybrid attack
07:17 , Namita SinghThree times in one day, phones lit up across this Polish border community with a warning: A drone or a missile could cross from Ukraine, and residents should stay vigilant in case they might need to take cover.
Above the village of Dorohusk in eastern Poland, vapor trails cut across the pale blue sky and military helicopters rumbled overhead. Just 2km (1.24 miles) away, traffic at the border crossing into Ukraine was suspended three times, and staff were even evacuated once.
They reflected a new reality along Poland's eastern frontier, where the war in Ukraine — now four and a half years old — has felt increasingly close.
The anxiety intensified after two Russian drones exploded on the Ukrainian side of the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing in the early hours of 13 September. The explosions could clearly be heard in Dorohusk.
"There is new restlessness and fear because you could hear those explosions very well on that night in our village," said Wojciech Sawa, the Dorohusk mayor. "We had never had something like that before. This was the first time the sirens wailed."
Pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone attack in Odesa
07:00 , Namita Singh
Russian forces hit cargo vessel headed for Odesa port, Interfax reports
06:50 , Namita SinghThe Russian defence ministry said on Monday its forces had struck a cargo ship carrying military goods to the port of Odesa in an overnight attack, which also hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure, data and logistic centres, as well as a military airport.
Ukrainian data centres under attack
06:49 , Namita SinghKyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a drone had struck a high-rise apartment building, triggering a fire in an eastern suburb and wounding one person. Emergency crews extinguished the blaze.
Drones hit areas near a kindergarten and a playground in two districts, Klitschko said on Telegram, and other areas in the city also suffered damage, though no casualties were reported.
Drone debris had triggered a fire in another Kyiv district, he said.
Ukraine's largest mobile service provider told the Interfax Ukraine news agency that Russian forces had hit its headquarters in continued strikes on Ukrainian data centres and communications infrastructure. There were no casualties.
Russia's defence ministry issued statements saying its forces had struck two data centres in Kyiv, a logistics hub in Odesa, as well as two cargo vessels headed for Odesa.
Both sides in the more than 4-1/2-year-old war deny targeting civilians.
Russian bomb attack injures 22 in Ukraine's Kharkiv, mayor says
06:20 , Namita SinghA guided Russian aerial bomb injured 22 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.
In the capital, Kyiv, a Russian drone hit a petrol station, authorities in the city said on Telegram, without providing additional details.
Russian drones kill two in market outside Kyiv, three others in different regions, officials say
05:44 , Namita SinghRussian drones set ablaze a market outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, killing two people, while three others died in strikes by Moscow's forces in different regions and Kyiv itself also came under attack, local officials said.
Ukrainian prosecutors said the drone attack hit a market in Sofiiska Borshchahivka on the western outskirts of Kyiv, killing 2 people and injuring about 10.
Pictures posted online showed installations and vehicles on fire, with debris strewn on the ground.
In the capital, mayor Vitali Klitschko said nine people were injured, including a child. Six of the injured were being treated in hospital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decried the latest attacks, saying the civilian targets made the acts unquestionably "terrorism".
"Russia has no military objective whatsoever in doing this," Zelensky wrote in a post on X. "It is purely an attempt to break people and inflict as much harm as possible on our society."
South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over disclosure of North Korean PoW transfer
05:20 , Namita SinghSouth Korea's presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and then falsely denying that the two sides had agreed to keep the move confidential.
"The presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine's unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement," Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a statement released on Sunday.
He said the government was reviewing additional measures over the issue if necessary.
Seong said Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the prisoners' transfer with Seoul through various channels and had requested secrecy, arguing that public disclosure could trigger domestic criticism that Kyiv had given up an opportunity to exchange the soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners.
South Korea agreed to keep the transfer confidential given security, diplomatic and humanitarian concerns, including the safety of the prisoners and their families, he said.
According to the statement, Ukraine later disclosed the transfer in president Volodymyr Zelensky's address to the United Nations General Assembly without sufficient prior consultation and subsequently denied the existence of any confidentiality agreement.
Seong said the denial had seriously damaged trust between the two governments and could harm bilateral relations.
Ukraine's embassy in Seoul did not immediately issue a statement on the matter.
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.
