Kyiv, Sept. 22 (SANA) Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia and several other regions, Ukrainian officials said Monday, a day after Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones toward targets in Russia in one of the largest aerial attacks of the war.
The strikes according to AP came as fighting continued despite diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, with world leaders gathering in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Russian strikes hit residential buildings, a university and a shopping mall in Zaporizhzhia late Sunday, wounding five people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
He added that Russian forces had also targeted nine other Ukrainian regions.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, a Russian drone struck a house on Monday, killing a 45-year-old woman and seriously injuring her 13-year-old son, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had targeted Ukrainian logistics hubs, warehouses, ports and other military-related facilities overnight.
The ministry said Russian air defenses shot down 244 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the Black Sea overnight. Ukraine’s air force, for its part, said it had shot down or suppressed 148 Russian drones.
The latest attacks followed a large-scale Ukrainian drone operation against Russia over the weekend. Russian authorities said more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones were launched, including hundreds toward Moscow.
The attacks also targeted Russian oil infrastructure. U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that several Russian diesel refineries had been damaged and were temporarily out of operation.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had put forward proposals aimed at ending the war and indicated that Kyiv could take reciprocal de-escalation steps if Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure and food exports ceased.
He also said the conflict and prospects for peace would be discussed during meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Moldova’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said part of the country’s northern airspace was temporarily closed overnight after surveillance systems detected an unidentified aerial object entering Moldovan territory.
Moldova and Romania have reported repeated drone incursions and discoveries of drone debris during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, raising concerns about the potential spillover of hostilities into neighboring countries.
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