Sep 15, 2026, 04:00 AM UTC

Heavy combat persisted across eastern Ukraine, with the Ukrainian General Staff reporting over 250 daily clashes across active frontlines. Russian forces launched dozens of assaults targeting the Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka, and Lyman sectors, attempting repeatedly to break through defensive lines.

Concurrently, Ukrainian troops conducted infantry sweep operations north of Kupiansk along the Oskil River's right bank, leveraging electronic warfare systems to suppress enemy drone capabilities. Ukrainian military reports also indicated forces were consolidating control over additional territory in the Lyman sector.

Conflicting operational claims continued along secondary fronts. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported capturing several settlements on the approaches to Sumy, while Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov publicly denied Ukrainian progress in Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian officials maintained that enemy assaults across all these sectors were successfully repelled.

Sources: NV, Radio Svoboda, The Insider, Ukrainska Pravda.

Ukrainian drone strikes continue to target Russian commercial logistics and border areas, hitting facilities belonging to online retailer Ozon across six locations in three days, including a hub in Dagestan. The company saw its stock drop nearly 30 percent. A separate drone strike caused a fire at a Wildberries facility in Leningrad Oblast, injuring one person.

In Moscow Oblast, drone strikes killed five people and injured ten at a local warehouse site. On the Black Sea coast near Gelendzhik, seven people died when a drone crashed onto a beach. Meanwhile, Russian shelling in Kyiv resulted in nine fatalities and 33 injuries.

On the ground, Russian forces achieved a breakthrough near Artelne in Kharkiv Oblast, while Ukrainian forces progressed near Velyka Novosilka. Additionally, Belarus announced the formation of a new air assault brigade along its southern border.

Sources: Mediazona, Point, Радіо Свобода, The Guardian, The Insider.

European law enforcement agencies are monitoring heightened security risks linked to state-aligned intimidation tactics and physical violence across the continent.

In Eastern Europe, defense manufacturers in Lithuania and the Czech Republic recently faced targeted provocations, including funeral wreaths placed outside facility entrances following previous cyberattacks. Lithuanian law enforcement detained a suspect and opened a pre-trial investigation, while regional authorities reiterated warnings for defense contractors to bolster security against potential Russian hybrid threats and sabotage.

Concurrently, investigations highlight the historical trajectory of security forces loyal to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Originally formed as a presidential protection detail in the early 2000s, the unit evolved into a distinct paramilitary force linked to violent attacks and assassinations against exiled dissidents in Sweden, Austria, and Poland.

Officials continue to treat both hybrid intimidation against defense infrastructure and targeted violence against political critics as serious transnational security challenges.

Sources: 15min, LSM.

Ukrainian agricultural coordinator Viktor Hordienko has further detailed the severe operational challenges facing farmers working near active combat zones. Prior to Russia's full-scale invasion, Hordienko studied logistics in China and coordinated global grain exports through international trade hubs in Geneva and France.

Today, sustaining farming operations in frontline areas requires active physical defense against incoming Russian reconnaissance and strike drones using shotguns and personal firearms. Hordienko explained that local agricultural workers have effectively had to adopt combat roles to safeguard their land, equipment, and livestock. He emphasized that maintaining crop yields under constant aerial bombardment remains vital for securing domestic food supplies and sustaining regional economic stability amid ongoing hostilities.

Sources: LSM.

The United States and Iran have further escalated military operations in the Strait of Hormuz following a major American overnight mission. Utilizing air, naval, and space assets, US forces struck Iranian positions on Larak Island to escort millions of barrels of crude oil through the strategic waterway, marking the largest such transit since the conflict began six months ago.

In response, Iran deployed rocket-launched naval mines and declared that the passage "will not be opened" until Washington meets its demands. Tehran’s conditions, outlined in a recent memorandum, require the United States to lift oil sanctions, unfreeze Iranian assets, end port blockades, and cease all military threats. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, approximately 20 million barrels of crude oil passed through the strait daily.

Sources: Expresso, Expresso das Ilhas, RTP