Russian commander shot just days after being linked to strike on Kyiv children's hospital
A Russian military commander was shot by an unknown attacker near Engels in Russia’s Saratov Oblast on the morning of Sept. 3, Russian media reported, just days after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) linked him to a deadly 2024 strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
The attacker reportedly shot the commander twice before fleeing on a motorcycle. He was hospitalized in critical condition, according to Russian state media. Russian Telegram channels identified the officer as Maj. Gen. Nikolay Varpakhovich, commander of Russia’s 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division.
On August 31, the SBU announced that it had charged Varpakhovich in absentia over his alleged involvement in the July 8, 2024, Russian missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital.
The attack on Ukraine’s largest children’s medical center killed two adults and injured at least 34 people, including nine children. More than 600 patients were inside the hospital at the time. The SBU said the building suffered a direct missile strike, which damaged several sections, including oncology and surgical facilities.
According to Ukrainian investigators, Varpakhovich allegedly ordered the strike, which was carried out using a Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber. The allegations against him have not been independently verified.
Russians struck Coca-Cola plant in Kyiv Oblast
A fire broke out at a Coca-Cola plant in Kyiv Oblast following a Russian attack, according to sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda.
The incident reportedly occurred at the Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine plant in the village of Velyka Dymerka, in Brovary district. The sources said a drone struck warehouses containing finished products. Footage shared by local Telegram channels showed heavy smoke rising from the industrial facility.
There was no immediate official confirmation of the attack or the fire. Early reports indicated that there were no casualties.
A strike on another American company must be a clear signal to the United States.
Five teenagers were returned from Russian occupation
Five Ukrainian teenagers have been brought back from Russian-occupied territories, including several who had lived under Russian occupation and pressure since 2014, according to Bring Kids Back UA, a Ukrainian government-led initiative to return Ukrainian children.
The teenagers are now in Ukrainian-controlled territory and will begin studying at Ukrainian educational institutions. Two sisters, Natalia and Katia, left the occupied territory with their mother after their older brothers had already returned to Ukraine. The family obtained the necessary documents and crossed into Ukraine, allowing them to reunite.
Mariia, who had lived in occupied Luhansk Oblast since 2014, was only in her first year of school when Russian forces took control. She was subsequently forced to study under the Russian curriculum. She has now returned to Ukraine and plans to complete 11th grade.
Kyrylo, 18, had also lived under occupation since 2014. With his family's support, he enrolled remotely at a Ukrainian university before turning 18 and managed to leave the occupied territory just one week after his birthday.
Another 17-year-old Mariia lived in a city occupied by Russia in 2022. Russian authorities closed Ukrainian schools there, but she secretly continued studying online under the Ukrainian curriculum, eventually completing her secondary education and securing a place at a college. She and her parents also refused pressure to obtain Russian identity documents. After Russian soldiers visited their home, she and her grandmother eventually left the occupied territory. She is now in Chernivtsi and will begin college in September.
Russia hit logistics company warehouses in Dnipro, killing one and injuring five
A Russian strike on Dnipro on Sept. 3 killed one person and injured five others, according to Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration.
Hanzha initially reported a fire on the outskirts of the city but later said the strike had hit warehouses belonging to a logistics company, sparking the blaze. He did not disclose the company’s name or the extent of the damage.
One of the injured, a 20-year-old man, was hospitalized in serious condition, according to the latest update from the regional administration.
Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil partly fueled global energy shock- Bessent
Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure are contributing to higher energy prices worldwide, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News on September 2.
Bessent said Ukraine’s campaign of long-range strikes against Russian oil refineries, fuel depots and other energy assets was creating upward pressure on global prices. He added that the attacks, combined with disruptions caused by the U.S.-Iran war, were contributing to what he described as a global “energy shock.”
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russia’s oil infrastructure in an effort to reduce Moscow’s energy revenues and undermine its ability to finance the war. Bloomberg reported that Ukraine carried out at least 30 attacks on Russian refineries and oil tankers in July. Analysts cited by the outlet estimated that Russia’s crude processing rate fell to about 3.6 million barrels per day, its lowest level since May 2002.
The disruptions have contributed to fuel shortages and long lines at Russian gas stations, prompting Moscow to restrict fuel exports. The Russian fuel crisis comes as global energy prices have also surged amid the U.S.-Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for international oil shipments.
Bessent made the remarks days after meeting Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at a G20 gathering in the United States, where he pressed Moscow to end its war against Ukraine.