Key events on day 1,299 of the Russia-Ukraine conflict:
Published On 15 Sep 2025
Situation report as of Sunday, September 14:
Combat
- Russian strikes killed two in Ukraine’s Kherson, including a 49-year-old woman found in the rubble of her home, following Russian attacks that killed six people across Ukraine the day before.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated troops advanced in Sumy’s border areas, with significant Russian losses reported in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions along the 620-mile front line.
- Ukrainian forces retook Filia village in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk and downed a Russian ballistic missile and 164 drones.
- Ukraine hit the Kirishi oil refinery in Russia’s Leningrad region, causing “explosions and a fire”, according to reports.
- Leningrad’s governor, Alexander Drozdenko, attributed a fire at the refinery to “falling drone debris” after shooting down three Ukrainian drones; no injuries were reported.
- Drozdenko also said two trains derailed in the region due to sabotage, resulting in one driver’s death.
- Oryol region’s railway explosion death toll rose to three, confirmed by Alexander Khinstein, governor of Kursk.
- A Ukrainian military source claimed the Oryol attack but denied involvement in the fatal Leningrad derailment.
- The Russian Ministry of Defence reported intercepting 361 Ukrainian drones and four aerial bombs and rockets within 24 hours.
- Five were injured in a Ukrainian attack on Horlivka, a city under Russian control in the Donetsk region.
Cyberattacks
- Russia’s Central Election Commission faced an “unprecedented attack” on digital systems during elections for regional officials, including governors.
Politics & Diplomacy
- U.S. President Donald Trump urged sanctions against Russia, calling on Europe to stop purchasing Russian oil and to strengthen its penalties on Russia.
- “Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don’t want that,” Trump stated, adding, “Their sanctions are too soft, and I’m willing to impose sanctions if they equally increase their sanctions.”
- Romania summoned Russia’s envoy to address a drone entering its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, citing the incident as a threat to regional security.
- UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock suggested UN peacekeepers could support a peace solution in Ukraine if a peace treaty is reached and must be secured as best as possible.
- Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson advocated for European troops to be deployed in Ukraine, suggesting an alternative if troops are not desired on Ukrainian soil.