A locomotive damaged in a Russian drone attack is seen at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk station near Ukraine’s border with Poland on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Ukrzaliznytsia via AP)
Ukrainian Ukrzaliznytsia Railway Company Press Office
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,662.
Drone Strike Targets Passenger Train Near Polish Border
On Sunday, Sept. 13, a Russian drone struck the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing on Ukraine’s border with Poland. The assault occurred concurrently with the arrival of former CIA Director David Petraeus and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, alongside top European officials, who were traveling on a separate train at the station.
This crossing serves as a vital link between Ukraine and Poland, facilitating passenger travel, commercial traffic, and the influx of supplies. It remains a primary route for foreign officials and international delegations commuting to Kyiv. The incident has exacerbated Polish concerns regarding Russia’s targeting of infrastructure near NATO territory.
Sustained Russian Assaults on Ukraine
Odesa. A Russian drone strike on a residential building on Saturday, Sept. 12, killed two people and injured 26. An additional attack on Sunday morning wounded at least five individuals, according to local authorities.
The assaults caused extensive damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure throughout the city. Russian attacks on the Odesa region have increasingly targeted port infrastructure and transportation networks vital to Ukraine’s international trade. Earlier this month, strikes damaged port facilities and a border crossing with Romania.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia launched nearly 500 drones against Ukraine on Saturday, Sept. 12, targeting Odesa, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, and other regions. Regional authorities report that at least six civilians were killed and 43 injured in these nationwide attacks.
Ukraine Targets Russian Oil Facilities
While Russia focuses on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and residential zones, Ukraine is increasingly striking Russia’s oil-refining capacity and other assets that sustain its war effort.
Overnight Sunday, Ukrainian forces struck two major Russian oil facilities: the TANECO refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Republic of Tatarstan, over 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, and the Slavyansk-EKO refinery in the Krasnodar region.
These strikes reflect Ukraine’s ongoing strategy to diminish Russia’s oil refining capabilities and curtail the revenue financing the war. The operations highlight the increasingly reciprocal nature of the long-range campaign.
Yalta European Strategy Convenes in Kyiv Amid Attacks
Despite ongoing air raids and jet-powered drone attacks, Kyiv hosted the 22nd annual meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.
Held Sept. 11-12 under the theme “Peace Through Strength NOW!,” the conference gathered 700 participants from Ukraine and abroad, including 90 delegates from the United States.
The YES conference has emerged as one of Ukraine’s premier international political forums during the war, drawing political leaders, parliamentarians, diplomats, military commanders, intelligence officials, business leaders, economists, and civil-society representatives.
Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk originally established the forum in Yalta, Crimea, in 2004. Following Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014, the event relocated to Kyiv.
The forum once again convened international decision-makers in Ukraine while the nation continued to endure Russian missile and drone attacks.
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and administration envoy involved in diplomatic efforts, addressed the YES conference via video. Kushner noted that Washington had made progress in negotiations, but Ukraine and Russia still lacked a shared vision for a settlement, identifying territory as the central obstacle. He emphasized that Ukraine does not currently intend to make the territorial concessions demanded by Russia.
These remarks followed trips to Moscow and Kyiv by Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, as Washington seeks to restart negotiations and potentially facilitate trilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine.
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers at the YES conference in Kyiv affirmed that the United States must continue supporting Ukraine, even while acknowledging growing domestic fatigue and constraints on U.S. weapons production. “There is overwhelming bipartisan support from the American people. But there is a sense of fatigue,” Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., stated.
Ukraine Action Summit Commences in Washington
Hundreds of Ukraine supporters gathered in Washington for the 9th Ukraine Action Summit, taking place Sept. 12-16.
According to the Ukrainian World Congress, more than 700 supporters from across the United States are participating in the event. The summit features a two-day conference followed by advocacy days and meetings with members of Congress. Activists are pressing lawmakers for continued military assistance, sanctions against Russia, security guarantees for Ukraine, and long-term U.S. engagement. The objective is to transform Ukraine policy into a constituent issue for members of Congress, rather than leaving it solely to the administration and foreign-policy establishment.
Ukraine Prepares for Another Harsh Winter
These attacks coincide with Ukraine preparing for another winter under wartime conditions. Ukrainian officials report that Russian strikes have already caused billions of dollars in infrastructure damage this year.
The country’s southern ports and export infrastructure face particular pressure, threatening agricultural and industrial exports.
Ukraine’s government is also grappling with a widening budget deficit as defense spending rises and continued attacks damage the economy. Reuters reported that infrastructure damage from airstrikes has approached $10 billion in 2026.
Protecting the electricity grid, heating systems, transportation networks, and water infrastructure will be among Kyiv’s most pressing challenges in the coming months.