Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had reached what he described as an "energy ceasefire," though he provided no supporting details. Ukrainian authorities documented fresh strikes on power infrastructure attributed to Russian forces in the hours that followed.
A brief post on social media conveyed Trump's announcement that the ceasefire had taken effect immediately, along with a directive against breaking it. No statement from Moscow had been issued by that point.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Trump's announcement as welcome news for all parties, while noting that drone and glide bomb attacks on energy infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv had continued throughout that same day. Russian-launched Shahed drones had been active over Ukrainian airspace from morning into the evening hours.
The presidential office confirmed that a power plant in Kharkiv had been struck that evening, with the incident occurring after Trump published the ceasefire post.
Zelensky expressed openness to halting Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure in exchange for equivalent restraint from Moscow. Throughout the conflict, Russian forces have repeatedly targeted the power, heating, and water systems serving Ukrainian civilians. Kyiv's officials have characterised the approach as one that turns cold weather into a tool of pressure.
Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine had put forward numerous proposals aimed at reducing tensions, only to receive a rejection from Russian President Vladimir Putin each time. He noted that Kyiv has kept communication open with the United States and extended gratitude to Americans for their backing. In a post on X, he disclosed that conversations about the development had taken place with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
In a television interview aired that Sunday morning, Zelensky put forward a conditional offer — Kyiv would halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries provided Moscow stopped targeting Ukraine's power infrastructure — and called on Trump to communicate that position to the Kremlin. Zelensky stated that a signal from the US president urging restraint on energy facilities was what his side was seeking.
A post to social media on September 14 carried Trump's assertion that the two nations had reached a mutual understanding to spare each other's energy infrastructure from attack, though no supporting details accompanied the statement. Zelensky had indicated Ukraine's readiness to comply on condition that Russia did the same, yet the proposal ultimately went nowhere.
Trump called for Ukraine to install new leadership, arguing that Zelensky had fallen short in pursuing an end to the conflict and attributing elevated diesel costs in the United States to him. Zelensky countered that elections could take place provided Russia agreed to a 60-day pause in hostilities, framing the condition as a request for two months free from fighting.
Zelensky put forward a proposal for a full halt to hostilities lasting 60 days, followed by the organisation of elections. He noted that Ukraine stood prepared to honour whatever outcome its population arrived at, adding that the choice of one leader over another belonged to Ukrainian society rather than to any outside figure, regardless of the respect owed to President Trump.
Zelensky further noted that conducting a vote while the conflict continues would run counter to the law, and that security guarantees would first need to be in place to make voting feasible. Martial law has governed Ukraine continuously since a full-scale military offensive began in February 2022, and the country's constitution prohibits holding elections for as long as that status remains active.
Holding a nationwide ballot poses well-documented logistical obstacles, given that approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory remains under Russian occupation, large numbers of citizens have been displaced to other countries, and serving military personnel are stationed along active front lines. Any such vote would also face the threat of Russian interference. Zelensky's mandate as president lapsed in May 2024, yet the constitutional framework permits him to hold the office until a successor takes the oath of office.
A Yandex data centre in Vladimir, a city east of Moscow, sustained damage from a drone strike on Sunday, part of a broader pattern of Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure. Across a span of four days, the company's facilities came under attack for the third time.
An independent Russian news outlet reported that the drone strike on the Yandex data centre in Vladimir knocked out the company's taxi-booking and banking platforms for users across dozens of cities, with the disruption extending to residents in Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia, and that the facility had ceased operations entirely. The Yandex Cloud Telegram channel reported that nobody had been hurt in the incident.
Pavel Belyavskiy, a Yandex Taxi driver, noted that trip requests were not arriving reliably and that he had abandoned several fares after extended waits when passengers proved unreachable, adding that tapping the in-app call function produced no response. Igor Mann, attempting to view his order history on Yandex Market, found the platform unresponsive, and a VPN connection did nothing to restore access.
A Yandex data centre in the Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow, was put out of service by a drone strike on Thursday. Drone strikes attributed to Ukraine knocked out portions of a data centre the company operates in the Kaluga region, an area lying to the southwest of Moscow, on the following day. Among the digital services Yandex operates, its search platform holds the leading position in the country, while the company also plays a notable part in advancing Russia's artificial intelligence landscape.
Following an aerial attack on Zaporizhzhia, a southern city, emergency response units stood down — a development confirmed by Ivan Fedorov, who previously headed the region and now holds a co-chair role on its defence council. A statement from Zelensky put the death toll from the strike at 23, among them four children. Fedorov indicated that the number of people injured exceeded 30, with eight remaining under hospital care.
One person died and two others sustained injuries after a drone attributed to Ukraine struck Russia's Bryansk border region, according to local officials. A separate statement from Malyavko described power disruptions as carrying real consequences for healthcare and other essential services, extending well beyond everyday convenience.
