On Wednesday, Russia hit a border crossing near Ukraine’s border with Moldova. Also, in the last few days, Ukrainian drones have plunged into a gas-producing region 1,800 miles into Russia.
Two Civilians Killed in Odesa
A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) with the 1st Battalion, 181st Field Artillery Regiment fires toward a designated target at Yausubetsu Training Area, Hokkaido, Japan on Sept. 20, 2023. U.S. Army soldiers and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) members participated in showcasing their artillery prowess in front of VIPs and dignitaries. (Photo by U.S. Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Ryan S. Gay)
Ukraine Artillery Strike. Ukraine Armed Forces Photo.
There were two civilian fatalities, while three others were wounded after Russian drones hit the Starokozache checkpoint in the Odesa region.
This target was a mere half a mile from Moldovan territory, the region’s Governor Oleh Kiper said.
One Moldovan motorist was reportedly wounded.
The attack halted traffic at the crossing, which thousands of people and hundreds of vehicles pass through daily.
Ukraine’s border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko told the press that “most likely, Russia wants to disrupt logistics routes.”
Reuters reported that Russia hit five Ukrainian border crossings in recent weeks — four along the Moldovan frontier and one close to Romania, a NATO member state. These attacks come amid Moscow’s campaign to target Kyiv’s land routes amid disruption in the Black Sea.
Moldova Under Fire
Moldova, the small, neutral country to Ukraine’s southwest, is being pushed closer towards the bloody conflict. The country’s Prime Minister Vasile Tofan announced that 17 drones had hit its territory in August alone, more than in all of 2025.
Tofan complained that the attacks had “intensified so much,” and acknowledged the context as “an extremely worrying development.”
This most recent border attack came amid another day of Russian strikes across Ukraine. In Kyiv, authorities said that one person died and 12 were wounded after a drone struck a residential building.
A Russian drone attack also injured eight people after hitting a passenger train in Kharkiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged a firmer response from allies, stating: “Moscow must not go into the winter believing that it can get away with missile and drone terror without consequences.”
Ukraine Ramps Up Long-Range Attacks
Ukraine, however, is simultaneously pushing its own long-range strike capability deeper into Russia.
Russian officials claimed that a Ukrainian drone had reached Novy Urengoy in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug on Wednesday, some 2,800 kilometers from its border with Ukraine.
Governor Dmitry Artyukhov said drone debris sparked a blaze at an industrial site. No casualties were reported.
Artem Zhoga, President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to the Urals Federal District, said the intended target was a fuel and energy facility.
Meduza said this was the first-ever Ukrainian drone attack on the area.
The Associated Press said that around 80 percent of Russia’s natural gas is extracted in the Yamalo-Nenets region.
The facility struck has not yet been officially identified.
According to information shared on Ukrainian and Russian social-media sites, the target might have been the Gazprom-owned Novy Urengoy Gas Condensate Treatment Plant.
A major attack on Novorossiysk was launched by Ukraine. The Black Sea port is now a major Russian export hub and a base for its Black Sea Fleet. The fleet was previously based overwhelmingly in occupied Crimea, but repeated Ukrainian attacks forced it to move further east.
Zelenskyy claimed that Ukrainian forces hit an oil-loading terminal, military port facilities, a naval base and warships carrying missiles.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence later said its forces had hit the Project 11356 frigate Admiral Essen, a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, and that a fire broke out on the ship’s superstructure.
Russia’s Jet-Powered Drones
In the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, authorities said 4 people were killed, including a child. 29 others were wounded.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces had intercepted 596 Ukrainian drones from late Tuesday into Wednesday.
19FortyFive could not independently verify this figure.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, over half of the 166 Russian drones launched throughout the September 7-8 strike package were jet-powered.
ISW also reported that a Russian drone spent almost an hour in Moldovan and Romanian airspace on September 8 before crashing in Moldova.
The think tank said faster Geran variants could give neighboring states far less time to react to future incursions.
Zelenskyy: No Peace By Winter
The Russia-Ukraine war is set to continue into the approaching winter period, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy warned on Sunday.
Zelenskyy’s claim came after he met with top U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The talks marked the pair’s inaugural visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia began its full-scale invasion back in February 2022.
The pair had spent more than three hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the day prior.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
