Russia kills eight people in Ukraine, attacks two vessels in Black Sea

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA firefighter works at the site of a shopping mall which was hit by a late evening Russian drone attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on September 17, 2026 [Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 19 Sep 202619 Sep 2026Russian forces have launched widespread missile, drone, and artillery attacks across Ukraine, causing civilian casualties while hitting regional infrastructure and commercial shipping in the Black Sea.Ukraine’s Air Force on Saturday reported facing a huge overnight barrage involving 174 drones from across Russia and Ukraine’s annexed Crimean Peninsula, alongside two Zircon antiship missiles launched from Russia’s Kursk region.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Can Trump ban CNN, news outlets he doesn’t like from the White House?list 2 of 3Turkiye revokes operating licence of Iran’s Bank Mellat in Istanbullist 3 of 3Could US pull one-third of troops from Europe? What that would meanend of listThe Air Force said in a statement on Telegram that air defences intercepted or jammed 141 incoming targets, with downings recorded in 15 locations and falling debris in nine others. “Enemy [Zircon antiship] missiles did not reach the targets,” it said.Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its forces used Geran-4 Seeker loitering drones to strike two commercial vessels in the Black Sea – a Ukrainian dry cargo ship en route to Odesa and a docked tanker in the port of Odesa – asserting that both ships were carrying military supplies.In the Kharkiv region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed Russian attacks spanning 14 settlements killed five people and injured 15 others, causing heavy destruction in towns like Balakliya and Lypkuvativka.In the Kherson region, shelling across 25 communities killed three people and injured five others, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. The bombardment also damaged high-rise apartments, private homes, a cell tower, and a gas pipeline, he said.The Dnipropetrovsk region came under heavy fire, enduring more than 10 separate Russian attacks across four areas using drones, artillery, and aerial bombs, head of the regional administration Oleksandr Ganzha said.“Two people were injured. The enemy attacked four areas more than 10 times with drones, artillery, and aerial bombs.”The attacks damaged local warehouses in Dnipro, an outpatient clinic in Pavlohrad, a shopping centre in Nikopol, and several homes across Kryvyi Rih and Synelnyky.Poland on high alertMeanwhile, Poland scrambled fighter jets and placed its air defence systems on high readiness as Russia launched a wide-scale aerial attack across neighbouring Ukraine.The Polish military’s Operational Command said in a statement on X on Saturday that it had launched military flights inside national airspace, citing heavy Russian drone activity nearby.“In connection with strikes carried out by the Russian Federation using jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles on the territory of Ukraine, military aviation operations have begun in Polish airspace,” the Polish Operational Command said.It further said it had “activated all necessary forces and resources at its disposal”, and that “ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness.”The brief operation concluded shortly after, with ground-based air defence and radar units returning to standard duty, the command said in a follow-up statement.Confirming that no airspace violations occurred, it said the armed forces remained on alert and continued to monitor the situation across the border to secure Polish airspace.The Russian Defence Ministry, meanwhile, also claimed its troops were accelerating their offensive across multiple sectors of the front line, citing territorial advances exceeding 5,300 square kilometres (2,046 square miles) this year, including 670sq km (259sq miles) captured in September alone.The ministry also noted steady progress towards Zaporizhzhia and said the most intense fighting was taking place on the approaches to the Kramatorsk-Slovyansk agglomeration.