Two Killed, 14 Injured as Zelenskyy Presses Trump and EU to Tighten Economic Pressure on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for stronger international sanctions against Russia after overnight attacks across Ukraine left two people dead and 14 others injured, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Zelenskyy said residential areas were struck in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia as well as the Odesa, Sumy and Kharkiv regions during the night of September 25–26. Civilian and energy infrastructure was also reported damaged across several parts of the country.

Two People Killed in Zaporizhzhia

Zelenskyy said two people were killed in Zaporizhzhia during the overnight attacks and offered condolences to their relatives and loved ones.

Across the affected regions, Ukrainian authorities reported a total of 14 people injured.

The Ukrainian president said numerous strikes affected residential buildings in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and the Odesa, Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

Kindergarten and University Among Damaged Buildings

The damage extended beyond residential properties, according to Zelenskyy’s account.

A kindergarten was damaged in Kyiv, while a lyceum in the wider Kyiv region was also affected. In Kharkiv, a university sustained damage.

Energy infrastructure was meanwhile reported hit in the Poltava, Mykolaiv and Vinnytsia regions.

The latest damage comes amid continuing Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure as the war stretches beyond four years.

Zelenskyy Accuses Russia of Escalating Attacks

Zelenskyy used the aftermath of the overnight strikes to argue that Ukraine’s international partners should increase pressure on Moscow.

The Ukrainian president said Russia was escalating its attacks on a daily basis and argued that a stronger international response was necessary to prevent the conflict from spreading further.

“If the Russians have chosen to make their strikes even more brutal, the world must choose stronger responses to keep the war from spreading further,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump Asked to Implement Lindsey Graham Sanctions Measure

Zelenskyy specifically appealed to US President Donald Trump to implement the sanctions initiative associated with US Senator Lindsey Graham.

The Ukrainian leader said the measures should target Russia as well as those providing financial support for Moscow’s war effort.

The appeal represents another attempt by Kyiv to increase economic pressure on Russia while simultaneously seeking continued military and diplomatic support from Washington.

Zelenskyy Calls for Additional European Sanctions

The Ukrainian president also directed his appeal toward European leaders.

Zelenskyy called on European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to introduce additional sanctions against Russia.

He also urged international leaders not to remove Russian oligarchs from existing sanctions lists.

According to Zelenskyy, restrictions on trade with Russia should continue until Moscow ends the war.

Kyiv Pushes Economic Pressure Alongside Military Defence

The Ukrainian government’s latest appeal underscores its strategy of combining battlefield resistance with efforts to restrict Russia’s access to international finance and trade.

Kyiv has repeatedly argued that sanctions targeting Russian businesses, individuals and economic sectors can reduce Moscow’s ability to sustain its military campaign.

Russia, meanwhile, has repeatedly criticised Western sanctions and has sought to redirect trade toward countries that have not joined the restrictions.

Zelenskyy’s latest comments suggest Ukraine wants its partners not only to preserve existing measures but to expand them as Russian attacks continue.

Overnight Attacks Follow Days of Strikes on Ukrainian Cities

The September 26 casualties come amid another period of intense attacks across Ukraine.

Just days earlier, Russian drones struck several areas of the Kyiv region, killing civilians, including children, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Zaporizhzhia has also faced repeated attacks. Earlier in the week, Russian drones struck the city, damaging apartment buildings, a university and a shopping centre and injuring several people, according to Ukrainian officials.

The latest overnight assault therefore adds to a series of attacks affecting Ukrainian residential areas and civilian infrastructure during September.

Zelenskyy Says Coordinated International Pressure Can Move War Toward Peace

For Zelenskyy, the latest casualties have become another argument for coordinated pressure from Washington and European capitals.

His appeal focused on three measures: additional sanctions, maintaining restrictions already imposed on Russian oligarchs and further limiting trade connected to Russia’s war economy.

The Ukrainian president argued that such pressure must be sustained rather than imposed only in response to individual attacks.

He said continued joint action by Ukraine’s international partners was necessary to bring peace closer as the fighting continues.

The reported death toll and damage from the September 25–26 attacks are based primarily on statements from Zelenskyy and Ukrainian authorities. The specific circumstances surrounding all of the strikes and individual targets could not be independently established from the available reporting.