Russian drone strike on Kharkiv shopping mall injured four civilians

A Russian drone struck a shopping mall in Kharkiv’s Kyivskyi district on Sept. 26, injuring four people, local authorities reported.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, lies about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border and has been a constant target of airstrikes since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

According to the regional governor, the drone hit the roof of a furniture store inside the mall, wounding four civilians.

The city’s mayor confirmed the attack, saying the drone was preliminarily identified as a Russian-made “Molniya.” He noted that all four injured individuals are receiving medical treatment.

The mayor added that a municipal bus carrying passengers nearby was also damaged by the strike, though no one on board was hurt.

Russians are keeping 48 children from Donetsk Oblast in psychiatric hospitals

Russian authorities have placed 48 children under compulsory psychiatric treatment on charges of so-called "extremism" in the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk Oblast.

According to Mariia Krasnenko, an expert at the NGO Centre of Civic Education Almenda, all possible means of systematic persecution are being deployed in the occupied territories, with particular emphasis on children and youth. She noted that education and state youth policy are the main tools used in the fight against so-called extremism, and that this fully extends to the occupied areas. The occupiers, she explained, have established clear markers by which they identify "dissenters." Krasnenko added that according to the so-called "Donetsk People’s Republic," 161 minors have already been prosecuted, 48 of whom were placed under compulsory psychiatric treatment.

Russians spotted in Kupiansk centre as they continue infiltrating city

Russian forces are gradually increasing their presence in the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, according to Ukrainian military analysis group DeepState.

The analysts reported sightings of Russian troops in the city center and near the Yuvileinyi residential area. Their interactive map of hostilities also showed an expansion of the so-called grey zone.

DeepState noted that Ukrainian defenders had succeeded in preventing Russian forces from using the so-called pipe crossing, forcing them to revert to older methods of movement across the river and through forest belts. While this reduced the scale of infiltration, the analysts warned that Russian troops had nonetheless managed to gather enough manpower to conduct assault operations, infiltration, as well as reconnaissance and sabotage activities.

Russian infantry operations are reportedly being supported by drones and mortars targeting Ukrainian positions, particularly around the outskirts of Kupiansk.

The analysts added that Russian soldiers continue to disguise themselves in civilian clothing to infiltrate the city and conduct reconnaissance. This practice, they said, complicates defensive efforts, as enemy troops often attempt to blend in, observe, and assess the distribution of Ukrainian forces.