KOSTIANTYNIVKA, UKRAINE – SEPTEMBER 4: Ukrainian emergency service workers evacuate civilians from Kostiantynivka, where russian attacks have intensified over the past week, in Kostiatnynivka, Ukraine on September 4, 2025. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,289.
Russia’s Attack on Ukraine
On September 3, Ukraine reported at least one person killed and five others wounded after an overnight air strike involving 526 projectiles. Ukraine’s Air Force intercepted and jammed 430 drones along with 21 of 24 missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attack as “demonstrative,” describing it as designed to display Russian impunity. “Every Russian strike must be met with a real response,” he posted on X. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valerii Syrskyi declared that Ukraine would build a layered defense system necessary to protect its people from Russian drones.
Between September 1 and September 4, Russian strikes killed at least 21 civilians and wounded more than 70 others across Ukraine. Eastern Donetsk region, the hardest hit, suffered 14 civilians killed and 39 wounded. In the south, Kherson province recorded three fatalities and 19 wounded. Northeastern Kharkiv province posted three deaths and 10 wounded; in neighboring central Dnipropetrovsk region, one person was killed and at least three others were wounded.
Putin Invites Zelenskyy to Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 3 that he is willing to meet Zelenskyy face-to-face in Moscow. Speaking at a press conference following the Victory Day parade in Beijing, Putin said that a visit by Zelenskyy to the Russian capital is possible, adding that he has “never excluded the possibility of meeting with him.”
Ukraine, however, rejected the proposal outright. “If you want no meeting to happen — then invite me to Moscow,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on September 4. Zelenskyy added that while Russia’s talk of a meeting is “already a good sign,” Kyiv sees no real Russian intentions to end the war. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also dismissed the idea of talks in Moscow. He pointed to “serious proposals” from seven alternative host countries and accused Putin of “making knowingly unacceptable proposals.”
Putin arrived in China on August 31 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which included more than 20 countries. He then attended an immense military parade in Beijing, marking the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II. The parade took place at Tiananmen Square, where Chinese authorities brutally suppressed student-led, pro-democracy protests in 1989.
For both China and Russia, the visit had strategic implications. Putin gained additional legitimacy in the wake of his recent meeting in Alaska with U.S. President Donald Trump. Russia also secured China’s approval for the long-awaited “Power of Siberia 2” pipeline, which will traverse Mongolia, with plans to supply 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually over 30 years. For China, the summit served as a vivid demonstration of its growing economic and military power.
The close ties between the two authoritarian leaders were further underscored by a circulated dialogue between Putin and Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, in which they discussed extending human longevity through bio-technologies, a possible indication of Putin’s intent to retain power in the Kremlin as long as possible.
Ukraine Cripples Russian Refineries While India Profits
For weeks, Ukrainian drones have been targeting Russian oil refineries. Some of these strikes have yielded a measurable effect, knocking out as much as 20% of Russia’s refining capacity. That loss represents some one million barrels a day, mostly gasoline and diesel. The result has been lines at gas stations across Russia, with reports of shortages from occupied Crimea to Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East.
Moreover, wholesale gas prices have skyrocketed 54% since January to a record high. To protect the domestic supply, the government has been forced to ban gasoline exports; in some regions, fuel rationing is already in place. The strain is also visible in Moscow’s finances: Russia’s budget deficit for the first seven months of 2025 hit $61.4 billion, the annual target.
At the forefront of Ukraine’s campaign is “kamikaze” drone development. First presented in May, these models are already rolling off the lines at 100 drones per day. Each costs some $55,000 but can fly up to 1,000 miles into Russia with a warhead carrying approximately 130 to 265 pounds of explosives. These characteristics make the drone cheap enough to use on a large scale and advanced enough to slip through Russian defense systems.
While Russia grapples with domestic fuel woes, its oil exports benefit foreign buyers. India’s imports of Russian crude oil have saved its refiners at least $12.6 billion since April, 2022. Discounts were steep at that time, helping India take advantage of Russian barrels priced well below other suppliers. By the 2024-25 fiscal year, however, the savings had narrowed to $1.45 billion, as discounts shrank while shipping and insurance costs rose due to Western restrictions.
In addition to the direct savings, the real benefits for India might be even higher. Its purchases helped keep global crude prices in check, preventing a spike in the country’s import bill. For a nation that relies on imports for roughly 88% of its oil, the indirect effect of stabilizing global markets likely outweighs the reduced discounts.
Buying Russian oil boosted India’s exports. India has emerged as a leading supplier of diesel to Ukraine this year, providing some 10% of total diesel deliveries. Just a year earlier, it accounted for barely 1% of the country’s imports. Between January and August, Ukraine imported 451,000 tons of diesel from India, worth approximately $333 million.
The timing for the increase has been crucial. In 2025, India reopened Red Sea shipping routes previously blocked by Yemen’s Houthis. This move has allowed Indian diesel to reach Ukraine more efficiently and compete with other sellers.
The surge, however, might not last long. Major Ukrainian fuel distributors such as WOG and OKKO have refused to import Indian diesel, citing concerns that much of it is made from Russian crude. “We clearly understand that diesel from India is produced from Russian oil, and this is unacceptable for us,” WOG told Forbes Ukraine on September 3. European sanctions could further complicate matters: the EU’s 18th package of sanctions, taking effect next January, bans imports of petroleum products made from Russian oil in third countries.
By Danylo Nosov, Alan Sacks