Key developments on Sept. 26:
- Ukraine reportedly hits Russian command post in occupied Kherson Oblast
- Russian overnight attack damages infrastructure in Odesa Oblast
- UK Defense Ministry: Strikes on Black Sea Fleet hinder Russia's blockade capabilities
- Polish investigation concludes Ukrainian air defense missile fell on Polish soil last year
At least eight Russian officers of Russia's 70th Motorized Rifle Division were killed, and seven others were injured when a Ukrainian HIMARS missile hit a command post in the occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, Hromadske media outlet reported on Sept. 26, citing its intelligence sources.
The media hasn't specified the attack date on the Russian command post at the Russian-held east bank of the Dnipro River. The Kyiv Independent couldn't verify this claim.
Schemes, an investigative project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, later reported it had geolocated a Security Service (SBU) video of the strike in occupied Radensk, some 30 kilometers southeast of Kherson.
Another media outlet, Ukrainska Pravda, reported, citing its SBU source, that Ukrainian forces struck the command post on Sept. 18.
Ukrainian forces intensified attacks on Russian command posts in recent weeks, however the information provided by both sides remains scarce and often hard to verify.
Ukraine's military reported on Sept. 25 that the Russian Black Sea Fleet commander, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, was killed in a strike on the fleet's headquarters in occupied Sevastopol, southwestern Crimea.
The next day, the Russian Defense Ministry showed footage alleging that Sokolov, previously reported by Ukraine as killed, took part in a meeting with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu through a video call.
The Kyiv Independent couldn't immediately verify the date of the footage.
Ukraine's Special Operation Forces Command said on Sept. 26 that its sources confirmed Sokolov was killed, adding that the agency is still verifying the information.
Meanwhile, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 26 that Russia's Black Sea Fleet after Ukrainian strikes "likely has a degraded ability to defend its assets in port and to conduct routine maintenance."
In recent months, there were several high-profile strikes on Russian forces in the area, including one on Sept. 13 against the Russian repair facility using marine drones and missiles that damaged landing craft, and a submarine, both of which were undergoing repairs at the time of the strike.
Francis Farrell
Russian attacks
Russian forces conducted over 100 attacks throughout Ukraine over the past day, including an overnight attack that killed and injured civilians and damaged infrastructure, the authorities reported on Sept. 26.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its evening update on Sept. 26 that Russia launched 38 Iranian Shahed-136/131 loitering munitions, damaging the port infrastructure of Odesa Oblast.
The attack hit port infrastructure near Izmail, wounding two men, Governor Oleh Kiper reported on Sept. 26.
Ukrainian air defense intercepted 26 kamikaze drones. Six out of 26 drones were downed over southern Mykolaiv Oblast, neighboring Odesa Oblast, Vitalii Kim, the oblast governor, said in a Telegram post.
The official reported that drone debris fell on an agricultural enterprise in the Bereznehuvate community, some 80 kilometers northeast of Mykolaiv, causing a fire. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties.
Air defenses destroyed four more drones over Cherkasy Oblast, but an infrastructure facility in the region was hit, Governor Ihor Taburets reported. No casualties were reported.
Russian forces launched a total of seven missiles, conducted 73 air strikes, and shelled Ukrainian troops and settlements 37 times with multiple rocket launchers, the military said.
In Kherson, a 48-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man sustained minor injuries, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported on Sept. 26.
Roman Mrochko, the head of the Kherson city military administration, reported on Telegram that a separate attack around 3:10 p.m. local time injured two men aged 40 and 79, and a 52-year-old woman.
The regional capital is subjected to daily attacks.
Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said that six people were killed and 10 more were wounded by Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast on Sept. 25.
A Russian artillery strike on Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast also injured a 64-year-old man, the General Prosecutor's Office reported on Sept. 26.
Igor Kossov
Ukrainian air defense missile allegedly fell in Poland in 2022, Polish media reports
Polish experts had concluded that the projectile that caused the death of two people in Poland's Przewodow last year was a stray Ukrainian air defense missile launched to intercept a Russian strike, the Polish Rzeczpospolita newspaper reported on Sept. 26, citing its sources.
On Nov. 15, 2022, an explosion killed two civilians in a Polish grain facility near Ukraine's border. On that day, Russian forces carried out a massive attack against Ukraine, launching around 100 missiles against the country's energy infrastructure.
According to the report, the Polish Prosecutor's Office has "categorically" denied the possibility that Russia launched the missile. They have allegedly identified the projectile as an S-300 5-W-55 anti-air missile launched from Ukraine's territory.
Russia attempted to attack a thermal plant near Lviv. Two missiles were launched to intercept Russian missiles. According to the report, one of them hit the Russian missile, while the other accidentally flew into Poland's territory.
In November 2022, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that according to the ongoing investigation, the projectile was identified as a Ukrainian air defense missile. However, he added that Russia was ultimately to blame for the tragedy.
Dinara Khalilova
