As autumn deepens over a war now measured in years, Russia's drones and missiles continued to fall on Ukrainian markets, schools, and communications networks on Sunday, killing eight civilians and wounding many more. President Zelenskyy, speaking from the shadow of a concluded UN General Assembly, rejected Moscow's whispered assurances of de-escalation as a fiction contradicted by nearly 3,900 projectiles fired in a single week. The strikes illuminate a familiar and painful tension at the heart of this conflict: the gap between the language of diplomacy and the reality of deliberate civilian s
Zelenskyy accuses Russia of 'terrorism' as strikes kill eight across Ukraine
Eight people killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on Sunday, including two at a market in Sofiiska Borshchahivka near Kyiv; approximately 10 injured at the market and nine injured in Kyiv including a child.
Russia has no military objective whatsoever in doing this
Mark
So Zelenskyy is calling these strikes terrorism. Is that a meaningful distinction, or is he using the word strategically?
Mimi
Both, probably. Legally and by most definitions, targeting markets and schools without military objective does fit the term. But he's also using it to delegitimize Russian claims about de-escalation—to say: look at what they're actually doing while they're talking to Americans about winding down.
Luke
Right, but we should be careful here. The source says Russia fired 3,900 drones and missiles in one week. That's Zelenskyy's figure. We don't have independent confirmation of that number, and it's a pretty staggering claim.
Mimi
Fair point. What we do know is eight people were killed on Sunday, two at the market, nine injured in Kyiv including a child. Those are confirmed by local officials.
Mark
And the Kyivstar strike—that's infrastructure, not civilians. Is that part of his terrorism argument?
Mimi
Yes, he's saying the whole pattern shows no military logic, just an attempt to break people. The communications infrastructure fits that narrative—cripple the country's ability to function.
Luke
But hitting communications infrastructure is actually a recognized military tactic. It's not civilian targeting in the traditional sense. We should distinguish between what's clearly civilian—the market, the schools—and what's dual-use infrastructure.
Mark
What about the South Korea thing? That seems like a separate story entirely.
Mimi
It is, but it shows Ukraine dealing with complications on the diplomatic front while managing the war itself. Zelenskyy disclosed the prisoner transfer at the UN, and Seoul says he broke a confidentiality agreement.
Luke
And we don't have Ukraine's response yet. The embassy didn't comment. So we're reporting one side of a dispute.
Mark
Does that undermine Zelenskyy's credibility on the larger point about Russian deception?
Mimi
Not necessarily. Two things can be true: Russia can be using diplomatic cover while continuing strikes, and Ukraine can also have mishandled a confidential agreement. They're separate issues.
Luke
The key thing readers should know is that the eight deaths and the 3,900 figure are different categories of fact. One is confirmed, one is attributed to Zelenskyy. Both matter, but they carry different weight.
El Pulso
- Eight Ukrainians were killed Sunday as Russian strikes hit a market, kindergartens, schools, homes, and the headquarters of Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest mobile provider — a pattern Zelenskyy called terrorism, not warfare.
- Russia's claim to American negotiators that it is preparing to de-escalate collapsed against the evidence of 3,900 drones and missiles fired in the preceding week alone.
- The attack on Kyivstar's headquarters, though causing no casualties, deepened Russia's sustained assault on Ukraine's communications infrastructure — a strategic effort to sever connectivity and coordination.
- Zelenskyy pressed Western partners to fully implement the Lindsey Graham Act and activate new financial sanctions by October, warning that without real pressure, diplomatic signals will continue to serve as cover for prolonged war.
- A separate diplomatic friction emerged as South Korea demanded an explanation from Ukraine over the public disclosure of North Korean prisoner transfers, complicating Kyiv's careful management of its international relationships.
- In occupied Oleshky, once a city of 24,000, only 2,000 residents remain — a quiet measure of how thoroughly the war has hollowed out Ukrainian civilian life far beyond the headlines of any single day's strikes.
As autumn deepens over a war now measured in years, Russia's drones and missiles continued to fall on Ukrainian markets, schools, and communications networks on Sunday, killing eight civilians and wounding many more. President Zelenskyy, speaking from the shadow of a concluded UN General Assembly, rejected Moscow's whispered assurances of de-escalation as a fiction contradicted by nearly 3,900 projectiles fired in a single week. The strikes illuminate a familiar and painful tension at the heart of this conflict: the gap between the language of diplomacy and the reality of deliberate civilian suffering. Ukraine now looks to October sanctions and G7 resolve to close that gap before more time — and more lives — are consumed.
On Sunday, Russian drones and missiles struck across Ukraine, killing eight people in attacks President Zelenskyy described as deliberate terrorism designed to break civilian morale rather than serve any military purpose. A market on Kyiv's western outskirts was hit, killing two and wounding roughly ten. In the capital itself, nine people were injured, including a child. Kindergartens, schools, homes, and the headquarters of Kyivstar — Ukraine's largest mobile provider — were also struck, though the Kyivstar attack caused no casualties.
Zelenskyy used the moment to directly challenge Russian assurances to American negotiators that Moscow was preparing to de-escalate. In the previous week alone, he said, Russia had fired approximately 3,900 drones, aerial bombs, and missiles at Ukrainian territory. The targeting of civilian infrastructure, he argued, made the de-escalation narrative impossible to sustain. "If Russia were truly preparing for any real steps toward de-escalation," he wrote, "this wave of terror would not be happening."
He called on the United States to fully implement the Lindsey Graham Act and demanded that new sanctions targeting Russian financial networks and weapons supply chains take effect as early as October. Without such pressure, he warned, Russia would continue using diplomatic gestures as cover for prolonged warfare. His remarks came as the UN General Assembly concluded in New York, where Russia's foreign minister had dismissed German calls to step back from what Berlin called a dangerous escalatory path.
A separate tension surfaced when South Korea demanded an explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of publicly disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul — and then falsely denying that both sides had agreed to confidentiality. Zelenskyy had announced the transfer during his UN address. Seoul's presidential office expressed "strong regret" over what it called a unilateral breach.
In the occupied southern city of Oleshky, across the Dnipro from Kherson, the longer arc of the war's cost came into focus. Once home to 24,000 people, the city now holds only 2,000 — those who remain describing their lives as "a hell on earth." The war's toll accumulates not only in the dead counted on any given Sunday, but in the slow erasure of the places and communities that once made ordinary life possible.
On Sunday, Russian drones and missiles struck across Ukraine, killing eight people in attacks that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized as deliberate terrorism aimed at breaking civilian morale rather than achieving any military purpose. The strikes hit a market on Kyiv's western outskirts, kindergartens, schools, homes, and critical infrastructure—including the headquarters of Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest mobile service provider. Two people died at the market in Sofiiska Borshchahivka, with roughly ten others wounded. In the capital itself, nine people were injured, among them a child, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Zelenskyy's statement came as he rejected Russian assurances to American negotiators that Moscow was preparing to de-escalate. Over the previous week alone, he said, Russia had fired approximately 3,900 drones, aerial bombs, and other missiles at Ukrainian territory. The pattern of targeting—markets, schools, homes, communications networks—suggested no military calculation but rather a strategy of inflicting maximum suffering on the civilian population. "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," Zelenskyy said on X, formerly Twitter.
The attack on Kyivstar's headquarters underscored Russia's sustained campaign against Ukraine's communications infrastructure. The strike caused no casualties but represented another blow to the country's ability to maintain connectivity and coordinate response efforts. This bombardment of datacenters and communications facilities has been a consistent feature of Russian strategy throughout the war.
Zelenskyy used the moment to press for concrete action from Ukraine's Western partners. He called on the United States to fully implement the Lindsey Graham Act, which provides for sweeping sanctions against Russia designed to force it toward ending the war. More broadly, he demanded that new sanctions packages targeting Russian financial networks, supply chains, and companies involved in weapons production "must take effect as early as October." Without such pressure, he argued, Russia would continue to use diplomatic signals as cover for prolonging the conflict and accumulating more time for warfare.
The timing of Zelenskyy's statement coincided with the conclusion of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Russia's foreign minister had met with Germany's counterpart over the weekend. Russia's top diplomat dismissed Germany's calls to abandon what Berlin characterized as a dangerous escalatory path toward Europe. Zelenskyy signaled that Ukraine was banking on "effective decisions" from other countries and stronger pressure from the G7 and G20 to convince Russia that diplomatic manipulation would no longer buy it additional time for military operations.
Separately, South Korea demanded an explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul and then falsely denying that both sides had agreed to keep the arrangement confidential. Zelenskyy had announced the transfer during his address to the UN assembly. South Korea's presidential office expressed "strong regret" over what it called Ukraine's unilateral disclosure and subsequent false denial of a non-disclosure agreement. Ukraine's embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, reporting from the southern city of Oleshky, across the Dnipro River from Kherson, painted a picture of deteriorating conditions in occupied territory. Once home to 24,000 people, the city now holds only 2,000 residents, and those remaining describe their circumstances as "a hell on earth." The human toll of the war continues to accumulate not only in casualties but in displacement, infrastructure destruction, and the grinding erosion of normal life across Ukrainian territory.
Citas Notables
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.— President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
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, South Korea's senior presidential secretary for public relations
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