Ukrainian forces carried out drone and missile strikes on the occupied cities of Donetsk and Makiivka, killing two people and injuring 16, according to Russian-installed authorities.
Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-backed head of Donetsk, said at least 20 drones were used in the assaults late on September 8. A nine-story residential building in Makiivka was damaged, while social media footage showed strikes near an industrial facility in Donetsk linked to former military production. Ukrainian officials have not commented.
Russian forces currently control about 75% of the Donetsk region and continue efforts to seize the remainder.
Meanwhile, in his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“We will continue to respond, but the main priority is ensuring the stability of the system,” Zelenskyy stressed.
Top aide Andriy Yermak held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and European security advisers, urging stronger sanctions and more air defense support.
“Putin understands only force,” Yermak wrote. “It is necessary to continue pressure on Russia.”
The strikes came as U.S. President Donald Trump and EU officials met in Washington to discuss coordinated new sanctions—the first since Trump returned to office. Trump, who pledged to end the war quickly, said he was ready for a “second phase” of measures against Moscow.
In Washington, Senator Thom Tillis (R–North Carolina) called for tougher action:
“He [Putin] is a liar and a murderer… America needs to lead on this issue.”
Tillis added that patience had run its course and that Putin must be placed “in a position where he is going to fail.”
