Zelenskyy calls for ‘strong sanctions’ on Russia ahead of UN General Assembly

Russia and Ukraine swapped accusations of deadly drone strikes on civilian areas of their countries on Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy anticipated “a very intense week” of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly in New York, where the Security Council was expected to discuss the more than three-year war.

At least seven Russian aircraft bombarded the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, killing three people and wounding two others, according to regional administration head Ivan Fedorov.

The attack started around 4:20 a.m. local time and lasted about 40 minutes, Fedorov said. Residential buildings, shopping malls, a parking lot and “critical infrastructure” were targeted, he said.

“None of the sites had anything to do with military infrastructure,” Fedorov said.

The Ukrainian air force said it stopped 132 out of 141 strike and decoy drones launched by Russian forces overnight.

In a social media post detailing the overnight attacks and the response from Ukrainian emergency services, Zelenskyy said “strong sanctions” and political pressure must be brought to bear on Russia, as world leaders prepare to meet in New York City.

“Action must be taken so that murder and war do not become routine,” said Zelenskyy. “Real, powerful pressure on Russia is needed; new joint steps from everyone in the world who believes that international law must work again. Europe, the United States, the G7 and the G20 countries — all who have real influence on Russia.”

Zelenskyy has tried to give momentum to a peace effort, offering a ceasefire and a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow has taken issue with some of the proposals, however, and an end to the bloodshed appears no closer.

Zelenskyy is due to attend the annual high-level gathering at the UN General Assembly, where he planned to recruit support for efforts to stop Russia’s invasion.

“The schedule already includes nearly two dozen meetings with leaders from different countries, from all parts of the world,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram late Sunday.

He said he also planned to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, whose drive for a peace deal after taking office in January has yielded no progress, even after hosting Putin at an Aug. 15 summit in Alaska. 

“It is vital that this week strengthen the world’s resolve for robust action — for without strength, peace will not prevail,” Zelenskyy said.

He said that over the past week, Russia fired more than 1,500 strike drones, 1,280 glide bombs and 50 missiles of various types at Ukraine. More than 132,000 foreign components were found in those weapons from dozens of countries, he said.

Russia denies Estonia airspace claim

Russia made similar claims. The Moscow-appointed head of Ukraine’s Russia-occupied Crimea peninsula, Sergei Aksyonov, said three people were killed and 16 others were wounded late Sunday by Ukrainian drones that struck the popular vacation resort of Foros.

The Russian Defence Ministry said there are no military facilities there.

In Russia’s Belgorod border region, three people were killed and another 10 were wounded by Ukrainian drone attacks on Sunday, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The Defence Ministry said 114 Ukrainian drones were downed early Monday over several Russian regions.

Additionally, international concerns have mounted recently that the fighting could spread beyond Ukraine’s borders as European countries rebuked Russia for what they said were provocations. The incidents have included Russian drones landing on Polish soil and Russian fighter aircraft entering Estonian airspace.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said on social media that Russia was testing NATO’s political and military response and aiming to reduce Western support for Ukraine by compelling countries to redirect resources toward the defence of alliance countries.

Calibrating how to respond to Russia was not easy, Rinkevics said Sunday. Russia was doing just enough not to cross a red line, but things could still spiral, he added.

Russia’s Defence Ministry denied any Estonian airspace violation by its planes, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday dismissed Estonia and NATO’s claims as “void, ungrounded and continuing an unbridled policy of inciting tensions and provoking confrontation.”