Russia and Ukraine Trade Accusations Over Deadly Civilian Strikes as Zelenskyy Pushes Peace Plan at U.N.
Drone attacks escalate ahead of key diplomatic week in New York.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Monday, September 22, of carrying out drone strikes that killed civilians, intensifying tensions as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to press for peace talks during a critical week of diplomacy at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles and drones hit residential areas in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing at least three people and damaging homes and infrastructure.
Kyiv reported that Russia launched hundreds of attack drones and guided bombs in recent days, targeting both cities and energy facilities.
Moscow, however, blamed Ukraine for drone strikes on civilian areas in Crimea and Russia’s Belgorod region.
Officials said a Ukrainian drone hit a vacation resort in Crimea, killing and injuring several people, while others were intercepted by air defenses. Russia denied that military assets were present at the damaged sites.
The accusations came as President Zelenskyy began a week of high-level meetings on the sidelines of the U.N. summit.
He is seeking broader international support for a U.S.-backed peace plan that includes a ceasefire and a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While some governments have welcomed the initiative, Moscow has rejected parts of the proposal, and no concrete agreement is in sight.
Zelenskyy is expected to meet with nearly 20 world leaders in New York, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
He has urged allies to tighten sanctions on Moscow and provide stronger security guarantees for Ukraine.
The conflict, now in its fourth year, continues to spill beyond Ukraine’s borders. Poland reported that Russian drones crossed into its territory, while Estonia said its airspace had been violated by Russian fighter jets. Both incidents have heightened regional concerns that the war could widen further.
Despite the diplomatic momentum, fighting on the ground shows little sign of slowing. Civilian casualties continue to mount on both sides, with each government blaming the other for targeting non-military sites.
For many in Ukraine and Russia, hopes of peace remain overshadowed by the reality of daily drone and missile attacks that have become a defining feature of the war.
Source: AP News, Aljazeera
