War in Ukraine: three dead after Russian strikes, Moscow launches its assault on Vouhledar… an update on the situation

While traveling to the United States to participate in the United Nations General Assembly, the Ukrainian president called on his allies to help Ukraine “put an end to terror.” “There is a lot of talk now in the UN General Assembly about collective efforts for security and the future. But we simply need to end terror. To be safe. To have a future,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.

The building had already been bombed by Russia at the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram. “It was almost repaired, windows had been installed, it was insulated and ready for winter. The enemy hit him a second time.”

Russia shelled at least four neighborhoods in the afternoon, he added, including the most densely populated area of ​​the city. Regional Governor Oleh Synehubov added on Telegram that several apartment buildings had been damaged. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and the surrounding region are regularly targeted by Russian attacks. Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians.

Russian military begins assault on Vouhledar

The Russian military has begun assaulting the Ukrainian city of Vouhledar, which has been holding out since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, pro-Russian military bloggers and Russian state media report. “Russian units have entered Vouhledar, assault on city has begun”,wrote Yuri Podoliaka, a pro-Russian blogger of Ukrainian origin.

Several other pro-Russian military bloggers also reported on the attack. According to Russian state media, the city on a promontory in the Donetsk region, sometimes referred to as a fortress because of its long resistance to the Russian offensive, has been taken in a pincer movement by Russian forces and fighting is ongoing in its eastern districts.

Unauthenticated videos circulating on social media show a city under intense artillery shelling. The Russian military has made significant progress in eastern Ukraine since August, numerous open-source maps show. The Ukrainian General Staff said on Tuesday, September 24, without providing details that Russia had attempted to take several Ukrainian positions near Pavlivka and Vouhledar. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately comment.

Zelensky says Ukraine near end of war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country is “near the end of the war,”, excerpts from an interview with ABC News aired Monday, September 23, show. “I think we are closer to peace than we think”, he said.

Zelensky also called on the United States and other partners to continue their support for Ukraine. According to him, Kyiv cannot push Russian President Vladimir Putin to “end the war” than by having a “firm position”. Vladimir Putin has indicated that peace negotiations could only begin if Ukraine cedes parts of its territory in the east and south of the country and renounces joining NATO. Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied Ukrainian territories and the restoration of the post-Soviet borders of 1991.