ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 21, 2026

Key Takeaways from the ISW: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized Ukraine’s eagerness to establish an energy ceasefire with Russia and announced that he will meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The predictable September 18-20 State Duma election results continue the Kremlin’s efforts to militarize the Russian government, particularly the United Russia Party, and to portray public support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort in Ukraine and potential future aggression against NATO. Russia is expanding the production of key composite materials used in Geran-type strike drones and is constructing underground facilities at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to protect its drone production from Ukrainian strikes. European intelligence officials warned that Russia may take openly aggressive action against NATO in the next several months while Baltic State officials continue to emphasize that there are no signs of preparations for an imminent attack. Neither Ukrainian nor Russian forces advanced. Russia launched 172 drones against Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian forces continued their long-range strike campaign against Russian military assets on September 21. JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. See the original here.