On September 25, 2025, a drone detonated roughly 800 meters from Ukraine’s South Ukraine nuclear power plant, raising concerns from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Director General Rafael Grossi reported that 22 drones were spotted in the plant’s monitoring zone, some as close as 500 meters, with gunfire and explosions heard around 1 a.m. A 4-square-meter crater was found near Pivdennoukrainsk, Mykolaiv region, with shrapnel damaging nearby metal structures and vehicle windows, and a disconnected power line down. No casualties or plant damage occurred, but Grossi warned, “Next time we may not be so lucky.”
The Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant lost external power for over 48 hours, its 10th such outage in the conflict, relying on diesel generators to cool reactors and prevent a meltdown.
An OSCE report accused Russia of “widespread and systematic” violations of international law, including arbitrary killings, torture, and denial of fair trial rights for Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russia’s failure to recognize Ukrainian soldiers as PoWs allows their prosecution for fighting, with documented executions in detention and on battlefields.
At a UN G20 meeting, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed NATO and the EU are waging a “real war” through Ukraine, ignoring U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent support for Ukraine and calls to shoot down Russian jets violating NATO airspace. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper denounced Russia’s “unprovoked war” and dismissed Lavrov’s statements as “false fantasy world distortions” and propaganda.
The U.S. approved a $1.23 billion sale of 400 advanced air-to-air missiles to Germany to bolster its defense against threats, following Russian airspace violations over Poland, Romania, Denmark, and Norway, and drone sightings over German military and industrial sites.
Russian airstrikes cut power to at least 70,000 people in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, including 29,000 in the city and 43,000 in Nizhyn, and targeted energy facilities in Vinnytsia, causing fires and outages. Restoration efforts are ongoing.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed using €140 billion in frozen Russian assets for an interest-free EU loan to support Ukraine’s war effort, keeping assets frozen until Russia pays reparations, marking Germany’s first high-level support for such a move.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. companies like Amazon, Bank of America, and Westinghouse to expand drone exports and tech partnerships, highlighting Ukraine’s 300+ tech firms and plans to limit exports to trusted allies.
Zelenskyy vowed to step down after the war, addressing criticism over suspended elections, stating his focus is ending the conflict, not retaining power, and warning Russia of consequences if the invasion persists.
