KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired ballistic missiles and dozens of jet-powered drones at Kyiv, Ukraine’s air force said Tuesday, as Moscow seeks to make Ukraine buckle under the pressure of day-and-night bombardment of its capital and other cities.
The Russian onslaught has used new jet-powered drones that fly too fast and too high for Ukrainian ground-based air defenses to shoot down.
Ukraine is scrambling to keep pace by developing faster interceptor drones, in the latest example of how the war has driven military innovation, but making and deploying new weapons takes months.
Russia’s ballistic missiles have also got through as Ukraine is desperately short of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptor missiles, which are the only reliable way of stopping Moscow’s ballistic attacks.
Patriot stockpiles are low, largely because of the Iran war, and Ukraine has received only small numbers of them this year despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pleading. Ukraine said that its air defenses shot down two ballistic missiles overnight, which suggested that Kyiv had recently received some more Patriots.
Air defense needs are mounting with the approach of the bitter winter months, which in the years since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022 have brought an escalation of strikes on Ukraine’s power grid. That strategy denies Ukrainian civilians heating and running water, among other things.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces hit data processing centers in Kyiv that Moscow says are used by the Ukrainian military, which is increasingly deploying artificial intelligence on the battlefield.
Other Russian targets included facilities in the Ukrainian capital and the Kyiv region where drones and cruise missiles were stored, as well as an electrical substation, a drone manufacturing facility, and port infrastructure facilities in the southern Odesa region, the ministry said.
Ukrainian authorities said that the barrage hit apartment buildings, houses and public transportation in Kyiv, wounding one person.
In Odesa, the attack wounded eight people overnight and damaged residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, a school, an animal shelter and port infrastructure, local officials said.
Ukraine hasn’t sat back in the face of the Russian blitz. Its long-range drones have targeted Russian missile and drone manufacturing plants and launch sites. It also has hit Russian oil refineries, causing fuel shortages.
The two armies are largely deadlocked on the long front line in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy says that Moscow intends to increase recruitment for another battlefield push.
He said late Monday that another 10,000 North Korean troops are heading to Russia, adding to the 8,000 he said are already there.
Russia and North Korea have made no secret of their military cooperation.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
A woman reacts after a Russian drone strike on central Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A woman reacts after a Russian drone strike on central Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand 's government approved emergency funds Tuesday for flood victims amounting to $122 million following a deluge that had battered the country since mid-September, affecting more than 2.6 million people and killing at least 19.
The country's capital, Bangkok, was recovering after days of torrential rains and widespread flooding, but some disruptions remained. Thailand's main airport, which had been struck with flight cancellations, was struggling with a major baggage backlog.
According to government spokesperson Ekkapob Pianpises, the approved funds of 4.1 billion baht would be disseminated by the Interior Ministry to compensate people impacted by the floods nationwide.
Rain has largely stopped in Bangkok, but some neighborhoods, particularly in the east, are still inundated. The city's governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, said traffic should return to normal on most main roads within two days, although in some low-lying areas it could take up to seven days for roads to dry out.
While Bangkok was expected to stay dry, heavy rain was forecast elsewhere in Thailand for Tuesday, the Thailand Meteorological Department said.
Industry Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said the flooding had caused an estimated 22 million baht (about $655,000) in damage to businesses nationwide. Residents in 29 out of Thailand's 76 provinces remained impacted by the floods on Tuesday, officials said. Of the 19 deaths, four took place in Bangkok.
Thai Airways, one of the main airlines handling baggage at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, apologized to affected passengers for a massive luggage backlog, which the airline attributed in part to staff shortages caused by the flooding.
Hundreds of suitcases were seen lining up at the arrivals area on Tuesday. The Thai Air Force said it had sent personnel to the airport to assist with the luggage problem.
“I sincerely apologize to all passengers for the inconvenience caused. Thai Airways is making every effort to ensure that passengers are reunited with their baggage as soon as possible,” said Chai Eamsiri, the airline's CEO.
The airline also canceled more than 10 of its domestic and international flights on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Bang Kapi, one of Bangkok's hardest hit neighborhoods, residents waded through floodwater, and some used small boats to get around.
A makeshift market was set up on a raised walkway just outside a mall shortly after the flooding, and vendors from a nearby market, where the water remained knee-high, had moved there, selling meat, vegetables and herbs. Music blared from loudspeakers and vendors called out to customers who waded through floodwater or walked through the mall to get to them.
Lon Cheng, a Cambodian vendor who has lived in Thailand for over 20 years, cheerfully called to customers and danced along with the music behind his vegetable stall.
He said he had suffered huge losses in the floods.
“The first day ... I spent about 70,000 baht (about $2,100) and I could sell for only 20,000 baht (about $600),” he said. “It was a big loss, but with losses I still need to sell.”
Neighboring countries have also been battered by the floods. In Myanmar, at least 10 people were killed and dozens were missing after heavy rain triggered widespread flooding and landslides in the southern coastal region of Tanintharyi, local media reported.
Flash floods also struck at least 10 provinces in Cambodia, affecting 44,889 families and forcing nearly 4,000 people to evacuate, according to disaster management officials. At the centuries-old Angkor temple complex, workers were opening water gates and diversion systems to reduce the risk of flooding at the archeological site.
In this photo made from smartphone, rows of undelivered luggage are placed in the arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, after flooding affected operations. (AP Photo/Celine Rosario)
Rows of undelivered luggage are placed in the arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakan, Thailand, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, after heavy rain and floods in Bangkok prevent airport workers from getting to work. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A man wades through floodwaters after heavy rain in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
People wade through a flooded street after heavy rain in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A man paddles a rubber raft through a flooded street after heavy rain in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
People wade through a flooded street after heavy rain in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Streets are flooded after heavy rain in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
