Russia launched another large overnight drone assault on Ukraine, sending about 200 strike and decoy unmanned aircraft toward Kyiv and other regions, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, September 15. Air defenses intercepted or suppressed most of the incoming targets, but several sites were hit. In the capital, drones struck petrol stations and other facilities, sparking fires and injuring several people. Officials also reported damage to energy and port infrastructure outside Kyiv, and at least two people were killed nationwide.
Air-raid sirens sounded across multiple cities as rescue crews moved in to put out fires, treat the wounded, and inspect damaged buildings. Authorities again urged residents to stay in shelters while drones remained in Ukrainian airspace. The attacks came as both sides continued to target energy-related sites, even after U.S. President Donald Trump said the two countries had agreed to halt such strikes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was still hitting energy, logistics, and critical infrastructure, and that Ukraine had struck a Russian refinery and drone-related facilities in response.
Alongside the confirmed raids, unverified claims spread on social media alleging that a Russian strike on a “secure location” had killed Zelenskyy and that Ukrainian media were covering the incident. No such confirmation has come from the Ukrainian government or major international news organizations. Zelenskyy continued to issue public statements after the overnight attacks, and similar death rumors have circulated before and been shown to be false.
Conflict reporting often produces a flood of rumor, recycled video, and fabricated posts. Until Ukrainian authorities or independent, established news outlets confirm an extraordinary claim, reports of the president’s death should be treated as unproven and not repeated as fact. The verified picture remains one of another night of drone strikes, civilian-site damage, emergency response, and a still-living Ukrainian leadership continuing to speak in public.
