ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 22, 2026

Key Takeaways from the ISW: The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) falsely claimed that Russian forces have encircled Dobropillya — an intensification of the Kremlin’s cognitive warfare campaign alleging encirclements across various sectors of the frontline to falsely present Ukrainian defenses as collapsing. The Kremlin is likely intensifying its encirclement claims against the backdrop of the ongoing UN General Assembly (UNGA) session and recent Ukrainian successes on the northern flank of the Fortress Belt. Russian authorities are reportedly training some regional government officials for possible mobilization scenarios. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump expressed their willingness to end the war in Ukraine during a September 22 joint press conference on the sidelines of UNGA. Neither Ukrainian nor Russian forces advanced on September 22. Russia launched 212 drones and an unspecified number of missiles against Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian forces continued their long-range drone strike campaign against Russian oil refineries on September 21 and 22. JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. See the original here.