Ukraine-Russia war latest: General decorated by Putin for false victory claim killed in Ukrainian drone strike

Zelensky says Ukraine will support energy ceasefire as 'first step' to end warUkraine says its drone forces have killed a Russian general in eastern Ukraine just weeks after he was decorated as a "war hero" by Vladimir Putin. Major General Anton Grunis was given the "Hero of Russia" medal after it was claimed he led the capture of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine, despite independent military analysts confirming the city remained contested and that the claim of victory was Russian propaganda.Ukrainian drone commander Robert Brovdi said Grunis had been killed in a nighttime strike in the Donetsk region."General Grunis was eliminated on 12 September," Brovdi wrote in a Telegram post on Wednesday.In Moscow, his death was confirmed by commander Apti Alaudinov, but Russian officials otherwise did not share further details.Meanwhile, overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv and the port city of Odesa have left at least 18 injured as the Ukrainian military warned of incoming jet-powered Russian drones in several Ukrainian cities.A child was among the three injured as Russia hit a 19-storey apartment building in Odesa, authorities there said on Telegram.UK armed forces member killed in Ukraine road traffic accident named by MoDA 40-year-old intelligence officer has died in a road collision in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.Major Paul Wilks was killed in a traffic accident away from the front lines on Saturday 12 September.Having commissioned from Sandhurst in 2012, he spent his entire military career serving in the Intelligence Corps.His Commanding Officer described him as a "man of great intellect", who frequently spoke of his deep love for his wife and two sons.Arpan Rai17 September 2026 04:59US House passes sanctions and tariff bill to raise economic pressure on RussiaThe US House of Representatives passed a sweeping sanctions and tariff bill intended to increase economic pressure on Russia for its war on Ukraine.The bill was cleared almost one and a half years after the late US Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, introduced it with dozens of other senators.The Republican-majority ‌House ​voted 262 ‌to ⁠159 in ⁠favour of the bill.Arpan Rai17 September 2026 04:2613 injured in overnight Russian strikes on KyivRussian air strikes injured 13 and damaged buildings ⁠in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and in the Black Sea port city ⁠of ​Odesa in ⁠the early hours today, officials said.City authorities said 10 people were wounded in Kyiv, with mayor Vitali Klitschko adding that apart from apartment and inhabited buildings, debris also fell on warehouse facilities and near a petrol station, now a frequent target of attacks.Explosions were heard in Kyiv, a Reuters ‌witness said.A child was among the three injured as Russia hit a 19-storey apartment building in Odesa, authorities there said on Telegram. Arpan Rai17 September 2026 03:57Russian general killed in drone attack days after being lauded for 'victory'Ukrainian drone forces killed a Russian general in eastern Ukraine, a little over two weeks after he received a Hero of Russia award for his wartime service, Ukrainian drone commander Robert Brovdi said.Major General Anton Grunis had won praise from president Vladimir Putin earlier this year after helping capture Kostiantynivka, territory disputed by Kyiv and independent military analysts.Brovdi, who commands Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said Grunis had been killed in a nighttime strike in the Donetsk region."General Grunis was eliminated on 12 September," Brovdi wrote in a Telegram post on Wednesday.The Independent could not independently verify Brovdi's assertions.Russian commander Apti Alaudinov, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said Grunis had died, without giving further details.Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov awards General Anton Grunis the Gold Star medal and the title of Hero of Russia for courage displayed in carrying out tasks during Russia's military campaign against Ukraine, at a ceremony in Moscow, Russia, in this still image from video released August 28, 2026. (Reuters)Arpan Rai17 September 2026 03:52Ukraine tests new anti-drone weapon during latest barrage of Russian attacksVolodymyr Zelensky has announced that Ukraine successfully tested a new domestically developed weapon to intercept Iranian-designed Shahed drones.Ukrainian forces downed 187 airborne targets overnight, with Ukraine's president reporting a 93 per cent interception rate for Russian drones.Zelensky stated that the new weapon destroyed a target, but noted that further technical refinements are required before full deployment.Tensions widened as Denmark accused a Russian warship of firing flares within metres of a Danish military helicopter without prior warning.Russia rejected the accusations, claiming Danish military helicopters conducted dangerous manoeuvres in the Baltic Sea and issuing a formal note to Copenhagen.Maira Butt17 September 2026 03:00Ukrainian drone commander says his forces killed decorated Russian generalUkrainian drone forces killed a Russian general in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, a little over two weeks after he received a Hero of Russia award for his wartime service, Ukrainian drone commander Robert Brovdi said.Major General Anton Grunis had won praise from President Vladimir Putin earlier this year after helping capture Kostiantynivka, territory disputed by Kyiv and independent military analysts.Brovdi, who commands Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said Grunis had been killed in a nighttime strike in the Donetsk region."General Grunis was eliminated on September 12," Brovdi wrote in a Telegram post on Wednesday, adding that the general was the seventh Russian The Independent could not independently verify Brovdi's assertions.Russian commander Apti Alaudinov, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said Grunis had died, without giving further details.Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov awards General Anton Grunis the Gold Star medal and the title of Hero of Russia for courage displayed in carrying out tasks during Russia's military campaign against Ukraine, at a ceremony in Moscow, Russia, in this still image from video released August 28, 2026. (Reuters)Maira Butt17 September 2026 02:00A personal account of daily life in Kyiv amid intensified Russian attacks, in photosThis was my fourth trip to Ukraine as a photojournalist. During my previous visit, I found confidence and hope that the war might soon end. This time, I saw greater exhaustion, resignation and little hope of an immediate end to the fighting.I spent a month in Kyiv and the surrounding areas as Russian drone and missile attacks on the capital intensified. Air raid alerts sounded day and night, and thousands of residents slept in metro stations when major attacks were expected. Firefighters and emergency workers responded repeatedly to strikes across the city.Read the full story belowMaira Butt17 September 2026 01:00Watch: Canada seeks 'unique alliance' with EU amid trade tensions with USCanada seeks 'unique alliance' with EU amid trade tensions with USMaira Butt17 September 2026 00:01Five killed in Russian drone attack on bus and train in southern UkraineRussian drones struck a passenger bus and a train in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing five people, Ukrainian officials said.Moscow has been ramping up its strikes on transport links and infrastructure.A photo posted on Telegram by a regional governor showed a white vehicle with blown-out windows and a line of what appeared to be blood streaming down its side. Reuters has not verified the image."There is no military logic to this, just another act of brutality," Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media, urging the US and Europe to toughen sanctions against Russia.Moscow and Ukraine have traded strikes in recent months on logistics and other economic targets, aimed at hampering each other's war effort and damaging morale.With Ukraine's airspace closed since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, buses and trains have become a vital transport link for Ukrainians and businesses.The drone attack on the passenger bus near the frontline city of Nikopol killed four men and a woman early on Wednesday, police said.Seven people were wounded in the attack, said the governor of the surrounding Dnipropetrovsk region, Oleksandr Hanzha, who posted the photo.Alex Croft16 September 2026 23:14In pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone strike in KyivA person passes by the site of a Russian drone strike as smoke rises in the background, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 16, 2026. (Reuters)A woman and children stand near a site of a Russian drone strike as smoke rises from there, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 16, 2026. (Reuters)A firetruck drives by the site of a Russian drone strike as smoke rises in the background, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 16, 2026. (Reuters)Maira Butt16 September 2026 23:00