Russian strikes kill 8 in Ukraine as the UN debates how to end the war

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine overnight killed at least eight civilians, officials said Thursday, as Moscow’s 4½-year-long invasion of its neighbor grinds on despite renewed appeals for a settlement at this week’s U.N. General Assembly.

A strike on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed six agricultural workers and wounded 12 others, Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi said. An attack on the capital Kyiv killed a man and a woman, he said, while officials in the southern port of Odesa also reported a major bombardment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed in a speech at the United Nations late Wednesday for countries to starve Russia of revenue through sanctions and trade bans, denying Moscow the money it needs to prolong the war. He and other leaders at previous U.N. general assemblies have sought to pressure Moscow into giving up its ambitions in Ukraine.

But despite years of diplomatic efforts there is no sign of a breakthrough in ending a war that has had repercussions for the global food and energy supply, as well as severely straining relations between Russia and Western countries.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow’s demand for a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary break in hostilities, following Ukraine’s call for a complete and unconditional ceasefire.

“We believe it’s necessary to seek peace, not a temporary truce,” Peskov told reporters Thursday. Russia's demands for Ukraine to surrender its territory, among other things, are unacceptable for Kyiv.

The aerial war has intensified in recent months. Russia keeps hammering Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones, while Ukraine’s long-range drones target oil refineries and businesses that are a vital part of the Russian economy.

There have been few significant changes since last year along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (800-mile) front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, where a huge number of drones on both sides limit movement.

The attack on Kyiv damaged more than 50 civilian sites, including apartment blocks, post offices, a maternity hospital and a textile plant, Vyhivskyi, the interior minister, said.

Russia has repeatedly hit Ukrainian trains, shopping malls, supermarkets and gas stations, among other sites, keeping civilians on edge.

Valentyna Kolosenko, a 49-year-old Kyiv resident, said a solid oak door she was standing behind saved her when three blasts occurred around her home. She said she would endure the hardship, even though she was scared.

“Everything is paralyzed. Nothing works,” she told The Associated Press. “Getting to work is incredibly difficult and frightening.”

Liubov Paziuk, a 74-year-old pensioner in the capital whose house windows were shattered, said she remained determined to resist the Russian onslaught. “We don’t get used to it, we adapt, because we have only one choice: to stay here, on our land, despite everything,” she said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the military overnight struck arms factories, telecommunications and logistical facilities in Kyiv and the Odesa region.

The United Nations said last week that more Ukrainian civilians were killed and wounded in the first eight months of 2026 than in the whole of last year. Russian attacks in August killed at least 368 civilians and wounded 2,314 others, according to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

“Russia’s escalation of terror demonstrates that active diplomacy must come hand in hand with devastating pressure on Putin’s regime and unwavering support for the defense of Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.

As another Ukrainian subzero winter approaches, Zelenskyy said things are likely to get worse. But he promised to keep fighting.

“Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia, too,” the Ukrainian leader said on social media. “And that’s exactly why we say that de-escalation steps are important are needed before winter.”

Officials in western Russia on Thursday reported Ukrainian long-range attacks but provided few details.

Ukrainian drone fragments damaged an administrative building of an oil refinery in the Rostov region but there was no fire, Gov. Yuri Slyusar said.

In the Krasnodar region, Ukrainian drone fragments sparked a brief fire on the premises of an industrial facility, regional emergency officials said.

Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.

Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that a drone violated its airspace for four minutes before crashing near a town in the north of the country, near the border with Ukraine.

The ministry had earlier scrambled two Romanian F-16s and two Spanish F-18s to monitor its airspace in two separate locations after a spate of drones were detected in Ukraine near the border.

Authorities did not specify who the drone belonged to.

Also, Moldova’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday that it recorded a spate of airspace incursions during Russia’s attacks on neighboring Ukraine. The incidents prompted authorities to close part of Moldova’s northern airspace, the ministry said.

Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press journalists Volodymr Yurchuk and Srdjan Nedeljkovic in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England contributed to this report.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

People walk in front of a house that was heavily damaged in a Russian strike on a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services, a rescue worker checks a car destroyed following a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

A woman walks in front of a house that was heavily damaged in a Russian strike on a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services, a body lies on the street following a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

A woman walks in front of a house destroyed in a Russian strike on a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Kimi Antonelli insists the Formula 1 title race is “not over” as he takes a vast 81-point lead into this week's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

It looks as good as over, but Baku has sprung surprises before and the 20-year-old Italian was beaten by teammate George Russell in both of Thursday's practice sessions.

A year ago, Baku was where Oscar Piastri's title shot began to fall apart. The Australian was leading the standings when he almost stalled on the grid, dropped to last and crashed, all in the space of about a minute on the opening lap.

That kicked off a run of six races without a podium finish for Piastri, who had to watch the title race become a fight between eventual champion Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

Antonelli — whose practice was hampered by car problems Thursday — is sounding cautious as he aims to become F1's youngest-ever champion.

“Until you cross that finish line, it’s not over. It’s like tennis, one point at a time, here one race at a time," he said. “The sooner it’s over, the better it is. Still a long way and it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be intense but I’m ready to give my best and to keep having fun.”

There are key differences this year. For one thing, Antonelli’s lead is more than double the biggest advantage Piastri had last year. He’s coming off back-to-back wins, not the team orders controversy which was dogging Piastri and Norris a year ago.

As for Piastri, he says it's “love-hate in some ways” as he returns to a venue where he won in 2024 and endured a nightmare 2025.

“I think probably my best race ever has been at this track and probably my worst race ever has been at this track, so always eventful,” Piastri said.

Antonelli’s teammate George Russell was dominant in both practice sessions Thursday, heading the first by 0.4 seconds and beating second-place Antonelli by 0.552 in the other.

Max Verstappen was best of the non-Mercedes drivers as he went second-fastest in the first session and third-fastest in the second, with the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton close behind in both.

Lando Norris' flagging title defense hit another obstacle as he said the McLaren car was “miles off” the pace after placing 14th and sixth in the two sessions.

“The car didn’t feel that bad, so it’s just a little knife in the heart when you see how far off you are,” he added.

Antonelli's day was disrupted by a hydraulic failure which left his car smoking at the side of the track in the first session. Arvid Lindblad hit a barrier in second practice, causing a red-flag stoppage.

The three British drivers behind Antonelli are all trying to recover from disappointing races at the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago.

Russell all but ruled himself out of the title race after an uncompetitive run to fifth in Madrid, while Norris was left ruing a badly-timed virtual safety car which cost him the win. Hamilton retired, making it five races off the podium for the Ferrari driver.

“I’m going to keep fighting every single race until it’s mathematically impossible, but it doesn’t change how I go about my job," Russell said Wednesday. "There’s obviously a huge deficit, but it’s not even really a consideration right now.”

Red Bull is backing Isack Hadjar's health and his potential in the hope the young French driver develops into one of F1's top talents.

It was a tough day for Hadjar as a car issue in first practice cost him valuable time to readjust to F1. After a fix for the problem, which Hadjar initially thought was the engine but turned out to be a gearbox failure, he went ninth-fastest in the second session.

Hadjar returns for Baku despite saying he still feels pain from the wrist fracture which ruled him out of the last three races. And he has a contract extension to partner Max Verstappen for 2027, too.

Wrist injuries can have long-term consequences. Lance Stroll rushed back from wrist fractures sustained in a preseason cycling crash in 2023 but ended up missing a race after all in 2025 when he needed a follow-up operation to deal with lingering pain.

It's an unusual race week in a very unusual F1 season, as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is held on a Saturday to make way for a national day of remembrance on Sunday. That means Thursday practice and Friday qualifying.

This starts a run of three races in three weeks because of the extra round next week in Malaysia, still carrying branding of the called-off Bahrain Grand Prix.

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

People watch from a balcony as Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad of Britain steers his car during the first free practice ahead of the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad of Britain walks away after hitting a wall during the second free practice ahead of the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

People watch from a balcony as Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad of Britain steers his car during the first free practice ahead of the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Williams driver Carlos Sainz of Spain steers his car during the first free practice ahead of the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy sits in his car during the first free practice ahead of the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia attends a news conference ahead of the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy talks to media ahead of the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy walks through the paddock ahead of the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)