Ukraine war latest: Russia imposes restrictions near Estonian border amid mobilization concerns

Key developments on Sept. 22:

• Russia imposes restrictions near Estonian border amid mobilization concerns
• Russian jet-powered drones strike Kyiv, injuring 8
• Ukraine confirms strikes on 2 Russian oil refineries in Ufa, Samara
• SBU says it foiled FSB-linked plot to assassinate K-1 kickboxing federation president in Kyiv
• Trump says he'll use Graham bill's Russia sanctions 'if necessary'
• Ukraine strikes Russian drone storage and launch site in Oryol Oblast, damages 5 launchers

Russia has imposed temporary restrictions in two districts bordering Estonia, limiting nighttime movement, access to parts of the Narva River, hunting, and the carrying of firearms in the border zone, Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR reported on Sept. 21.

The restrictions, introduced by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, are in force from Sept. 16 to Sept. 26 in the Kingisepp and Slantsy districts of Leningrad Oblast.

The move comes as security concerns grow in the Baltic region. NATO officials have warned about Russian drone incursions, airspace violations, sabotage, and other hybrid threats, while countries in the region have been strengthening air defenses.

Russia says the measures are aimed at strengthening border security and preventing violations of border and migration rules.

The restrictions also come amid discussions about a possible new wave of mobilization in Russia after the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary elections. If announced, it could prompt more Russian men to try to leave the country through remaining land borders, including Estonia.

Estonian authorities said they were monitoring the situation and did not see an immediate threat to the country, but could not rule out the restrictions were linked to a new wave of mobilzation in Russia.

Elsewhere along Russia’s northwestern border, Finland has kept its entire land border with Russia closed since December 2023. On Sept. 3, the Finnish government proposed extending its Border Security Act until the end of 2028, citing the continuing risk of such operations.

In September, Russia also carried out drone strikes close to Poland’s and Moldova`s borders with Ukraine.

In August, Lithuania said it has intelligence suggesting Russia could use Ukrainian-made drones to carry out false flag-style attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region.

Russian jet-powered drones strike Kyiv, injuring 8

Russian jet-powered drones struck Kyiv on the evening of Sept. 22, injuring at least eight people and hitting sites across several districts of the capital, local authorities said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three of the injured were hospitalized, while the others received medical assistance at the scene.

The attacks hit fuel storage tanks and a non-residential building in the Obolonskyi district, while two people were injured in the Pecherskyi district. In the Dniprovskyi district, drone debris fell on the grounds of a private residential property, according to city authorities.

The extent of the damage is still being assessed as emergency services work at the affected sites.

Russia has been sending waves of jet-powered strike drones against Kyiv in recent weeks, with gas stations emerging as a recent target in the capital. The first reported strike on a Kyiv gas station came on Sept. 10, after similar attacks had already become common in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

The latest attack came amid another day of widespread Russian strikes across Ukraine. Earlier on Sept. 22, Russian attacks killed at least eight people and injured dozens more nationwide, while a ballistic missile strike hit a major industrial facility in Dnipro.

Ukraine confirms strikes on 2 Russian oil refineries in Ufa, Samara

Ukrainian forces struck two major Russian oil refineries in Ufa and Samara on Sept. 21 and overnight into Sept. 22, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed.

The strikes hit the Bashneft-UNPZ Oil Refinery in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan, around 1,300 kilometers (808 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara Oblast, around 910 kilometers (565 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Fires were reported at both facilities, according to the General Staff.

The Bashneft-UNPZ Oil Refinery has an annual processing capacity of around 7.5 million metric tons of oil and produces gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, liquefied gases, sulfur, and other petroleum products.

The Kuibyshev refinery, part of the state-owned Rosneft oil company, has an annual processing capacity of around 7 million metric tons. The plant produces gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and more than 30 other petroleum products.

Products from both refineries are used to supply the Russian military, the General Staff said.

Eyewitness footage collected by Ukrainian monitoring channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+ showed a large fireball illuminating the sky near the Kuibyshev refinery. Videos filmed later appeared to show smoke and fires at the plant.

SBU says it foiled FSB-linked plot to assassinate K-1 kickboxing federation president in Kyiv

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said on Sept. 22 that it had foiled an alleged Russian Federal Security Service (FSB)-linked plot to assassinate a former Ukrainian serviceman who serves as president of Ukraine’s K-1 kickboxing federation.

The SBU did not publicly name the intended target, saying only that he had fought for Ukraine since 2022, first in Kyiv Oblast and later on the eastern front, and currently heads a nationwide civic organization while working as a kickboxing coach.

Ukrainska Pravda, citing law enforcement sources, identified him as Akhmad Akhmedov.

According to the SBU, the suspect planned to shoot Akhmedov with a handgun from an ambush near a Kyiv sports facility where he works as a coach.

"In this way, Russia sought to kill a Russian opposition figure who had fought for Ukraine since 2022," the SBU said.

Security officers detained the woman near the sports complex while she was allegedly conducting reconnaissance and looking for a suitable firing position, the agency said.

The suspect is a 30-year-old resident of Russian-occupied Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to the SBU. She entered Ukrainian-controlled territory through Belarus in August 2026.

The SBU said Russian intelligence recruited the woman in exchange for closing a criminal case related to illegal drug possession.

She subsequently underwent training at an FSB facility in Russian-occupied territory, where she was instructed in operational security, navigation, and firearms use, according to the agency.

After completing the training, she was sent through Belarus to Zhytomyr before traveling to Kyiv where she was later detained.

The woman is being held in custody without bail and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property if convicted.

The case adds to a growing number of investigations in Ukraine and across Europe into Russian-linked plots targeting Ukrainian officials, military personnel, activists, and public figures since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Trump says he'll use Graham bill's Russia sanctions 'if necessary'

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sept. 22 he would use tariff authorities granted to him by the new Russia sanctions bill if necessary to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

The legislation, spearheaded by the late Senator Lindsey Graham and signed by Trump last week, authorizes the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five countries buying Russian oil and gas, among other measures.

"Last week, in honor of Senator Lindsey Graham, I signed a powerful new law passed by Congress, providing me with enormous new tariff authorities," Trump said in his address at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

"And, if necessary, I will have to use them. It's time to stop the killing," he told the audience that included Russian and Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky.

While Trump's U.N. address covered a broad range of topics, from Gaza and the war in Iran to artificial intelligence, he briefly touched on peace efforts in Ukraine.

"We're working very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, and we will get that one done," the U.S. president said, suggesting that a deal will come "more quickly than people understand."

The comments come hours before Trump's expected meeting with Zelensky, where the two leaders are set to discuss the possibility of a Russia-Ukraine pause in strikes against energy facilities and targets on the Black Sea.

Recent weeks saw Washington start a fresh push to broker an end to the war, an effort that hit a deadlock earlier this year amid Moscow's territorial demands and the U.S.-Iran war.

Ukraine strikes Russian drone storage and launch site in Oryol Oblast, damages 5 launchers

Ukrainian forces struck a Russian site used to operate attack drones in Oryol Oblast on Sept. 21, damaging five launchers, Ukraine's General Staff said on Sept. 22.

The strike targeted a facility near the settlement of Tsymbulova in Oryol Oblast, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

At least three drone storage warehouses were hit and caught fire, a launch site used for jet-powered strike drones was damaged, and five launchers were also damaged, according to the General Staff.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the extent of the damage.

"Ukraine's Defense Forces systematically and as a priority target sites used to store, prepare, and launch attack drones in order to reduce Russia's ability to strike civilian targets in Ukraine," the General Staff said.