Listed here are the important thing occasions on day 1,303 of Russia’s conflict on Ukraine.
Printed On 19 Sep 2025
Right here is how issues stand on Friday, September 19 :
Combating
- Ukrainian drones hit a key oil-processing and petrochemical advanced in Russia’s Bashkortostan area, in addition to an oil refinery within the Volgograd area, as Ukraine escalates its campaign in opposition to Russia’s intensive oil and fuel sector.
- Russian navy models declare to have breached Ukraine’s western village of Yampol and secured new positions close to 5 residential areas in the identical space, in response to Russia’s state TASS information company.
- Russia’s Chief of the Basic Employees Valery Gerasimov has claimed Russia is gaining floor in “nearly all instructions” alongside the entrance strains with Ukraine.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted that Russian losses have mounted within the jap metropolis of Pokrovsk amid Ukraine’s “heroic defence” of the realm.
- Latvian authorities recognized particles from a Russian drone discovered on the Baltic coast, close to the nation’s port metropolis of Ventspils. Latvia’s Defence Minister Andris Spruds wrote on X that the thing was the tail finish of a “decoy” Gerbera drone and confirmed it was not explosive.
Regional safety
- America Division of State has authorised the sale of Javelin missile methods to Poland for an estimated $780m. The deal would “assist the international coverage and nationwide safety of the US by bettering the safety of a NATO ally”, the US Protection Safety Cooperation Company stated.
- Ukraine has agreed to train Polish troopers and engineers in drone warfare defence. The announcement got here per week after Polish and NATO forces shot down greater than 20 drones violating the nation’s airspace throughout a Russian aerial assault on neighbouring Ukraine.
- The European Fee’s Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius stated he plans to convene talks with defence ministers subsequent week on making a “drone wall” alongside the European Union’s jap border, an idea that was already below dialogue earlier than the latest incidents of Russian drone incursions in EU airspace.
- Ukrainian anti-drone expertise, battle-tested in opposition to Russia, was on show at a Taiwanese defence expo this week.
Peace course of
- US President Donald Trump stated in a Fox Information interview that he was “very disillusioned” with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his failure to safe a peace deal in Ukraine.
- “The one I assumed was going to be best [to settle] was going to be Russia-Ukraine, due to my relationship with President Putin. So I’m disillusioned,” Trump stated.
- In the identical interview, Trump proclaimed the US would play a job in post-war peace-building in Ukraine. “After the conflict is settled, we might assist safe the peace. And I believe finally that’ll occur,” he stated.
- Trump stated in one other joint information convention, after assembly with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, that President Putin “has actually let me down”.
- Throughout the assembly, Trump and Starmer mentioned methods to extend defence assist for Ukraine and “decisively” put stress on Putin to conform to a peace deal, Starmer stated.
- Russia’s Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov took a swipe at Trump in response, in response to TASS: “When President Trump says he’s disillusioned, it appears to me – I can’t say that I do know him very properly, after all, however I’ve spoken with him a number of occasions, and I’ve shaped a sure impression – that that is partly as a result of he desires fast options”.
Politics and diplomacy
- President Zelenskyy stated he had spoken with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and thanked him on X for “help in returning Ukrainian youngsters kidnapped by Russia”. In one other publish, he thanked the UK’s King Charles for “steadfast assist” after the king referenced Ukraine throughout a dinner with Trump on Wednesday.
I spoke with the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani @TamimBinHamad.
I thanked him for his help in returning Ukrainian youngsters kidnapped by Russia. We significantly worth this solidarity and such honest consideration to our youngsters.
I invited Qatar to participate within the…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 18, 2025
Financial system and vitality
- Russia’s Ministry of Finance introduced a brand new measure to assist shield the state finances from oil worth fluctuations and Western sanctions as Russian oil and fuel gross sales for September are anticipated to see a 23 % discount in contrast with final yr, the Reuters information company studies.
- Putin urged he was keen to lift taxes on the rich, resembling imposing a luxurious tax or increased taxes on inventory dividends, to spice up Russia’s wartime financial system.
Sanctions
- The European Fee is slated to current its nineteenth bundle of sanctions in opposition to Russia to member states on Friday, which features a proposal to ban Russian liquefied pure fuel, an official stated.
- Australia introduced new sanctions in opposition to 95 “shadow fleet” Russian vessels, that are oil tankers used to evade Western sanctions. The federal government additionally lowered the value cap for Russian oil to $47.60 per barrel, down from $60 a barrel, following an analogous transfer by the EU, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Japan.

