What We Know About Russia’s September 27–28 Strikes on Ukraine

Russian strikes hit civilian areas across Ukraine on Sunday, September 27, and early Monday, September 28. The clearest reported toll from the Monday morning attack in Kharkiv was 22 people injured when a guided bomb struck an apartment building. On Sunday, two people were killed and about 10 injured when a drone set a market ablaze outside Kyiv. Casualty figures from other attacks were reported differently as updates emerged. 1730

What was reported about casualties

Reuters reported that two people were killed at a market in Sofiiska Borshchahivka, on Kyiv’s western outskirts, and that about 10 people were injured there. In Kyiv, the mayor reported nine people injured, including a child. The same Reuters account said three other people died in strikes in different regions, without specifying their locations. 17

Early Monday, a guided Russian aerial bomb struck an apartment building in Kharkiv. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 22 people were injured, including children. Authorities also said a Russian drone hit a petrol station in Kyiv, but the initial report provided no further details about damage or casualties. 30

The overall death toll was not uniform across reports: an Associated Press account said at least eight people had been killed in Ukraine and one person in Russia in the exchange of strikes overnight and on Sunday. That broader count should not be treated as a final tally for any single location. 1

Civilian buildings and communications infrastructure

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday’s attacks included kindergartens, schools, homes and communications facilities, and accused Russia of terrorising Ukrainians. These descriptions were attributed to the Ukrainian president. 7

Reuters reported that Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile provider, said its Kyiv headquarters had been hit. The company reported no casualties. Russia’s Defence Ministry also said it had hit a data centre belonging to Vodafone Ukraine; that was a claim by the Russian ministry. The available reporting does not establish the extent of any resulting mobile or internet outages. 40

Zelenskyy’s response and the diplomatic backdrop

Zelenskyy said the attacks showed no sign of de-escalation, despite assurances to the United States that Russia would do so. Separately, Moscow rejected German calls to ease its escalation toward NATO, according to the Associated Press. The two developments underscored the divide between diplomatic appeals and continuing attacks, without indicating a change in the fighting. 71

Ukraine’s reported gains in Donetsk

On Monday, Ukraine’s Third Army Corps said it had recaptured another 51 square kilometres in northern Donetsk. A senior commander said the operation was intended to complicate Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s eastern strongholds. The 51-square-kilometre figure is a Ukrainian military claim; it does not by itself establish a wider shift in the front line. 41

The reports together describe a day of attacks affecting residents, civilian buildings and communications infrastructure, alongside continued fighting in Donetsk. Casualty totals and details of damage remained subject to updates.