Multi-event analysis with citations
From September 17 to 25, Ukrainian drones attacked oil refineries in the Rostov, Perm, Samara and Yaroslavl regions and Bashkortostan. Some facilities suspended operations and fires broke out at several.
Iran's president is distancing himself from the Houthi escalation while Saudi Arabia and its partners respond to a new wave of attacks from Yemen. The Houthi offensive along the Red Sea coast has been accompanied by missile interceptions, urgent military talks and warnings about risks to shipping.
Rosneft's Kuibyshev refinery completely halted oil refining after a drone attack on September 22. Both primary processing units, AVT-4 and AVT-5, with a combined capacity of about 20,000 tons per day, were damaged. This happened amid a series of attacks on Russian refineries in September.
The Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting six ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Taif and Yanbu. This came amid the Houthis' seizure of the Red Sea coast and a counteroffensive by Yemeni government forces.
The far-right Alternative for Germany is winning a majority of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern after its victory in Saxony-Anhalt. Against this backdrop, thousands-strong protests took place in German cities, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz called his party's result a catastrophe.
Israeli forces again attacked towns in southern Lebanon, including Mansouri, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Kfar Tebnit. The strikes were carried out despite a ceasefire that came into force on 17 April and was extended several times. Lebanese sources report destruction and the use of phosphorus bombs.
Rosneft's Kuibyshev refinery in Samara fully halted oil processing after a drone attack on September 22. Both primary processing units, AVT-4 and AVT-5, were damaged. The attack was part of a series of strikes on Russian oil refining that also hit the Yaroslavl and Ufa refineries.
Houthis seized the Red Sea coast and the port of Mokha, reaching the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Yemeni government forces say they are carrying out retaliatory operations. Oil prices rose on fears of disruptions to global shipping.
A shipment of F-35 parts sent from Australia to the United States for repair was redirected to Hong Kong. The Pentagon confirmed that some components went missing, and a House committee opened an investigation. Australia's defense minister said the shipment contained no classified parts.
Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the US has five days to comply with Tehran’s conditions for opening the strait. The conditions were previously conveyed through Qatar and included lifting the naval blockade of Iranian ports. Attacks on ships occurred in the strait, and the US extended sanctions against Iran.
Shares of Chinese AI companies fell sharply on reports of investigations into DeepSeek and Moonshot AI. Accusations by the US and Anthropic of industrial distillation of American models have once again come into focus.
The Peace Council presented in New York a plan to rebuild Gaza consisting of 66 projects worth $2.4 billion for the first phase. During those same days, Palestinians continued to die in the Strip: at least 12 people were killed in three incidents from 13 to 23 September. Peace Council High Representative Nikolay Mladenov linked the implementation of the plan to Hamas's disarmament.
On Wednesday, Russian strikes killed at least six people in Kyiv and Donetsk region — hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump. A day earlier, overnight strikes in Dnipro killed three people and left almost 100,000 residents of Chernihiv region without power. The attacks continued despite discussions of a possible bilateral ceasefire on energy infrastructure.
The United States is simultaneously engaged in diplomatic contacts with Russia and Iran amid its military conflict with Tehran. The secretary of state announced an invitation for Putin to the G20 summit in Miami, and the Pentagon recorded 19 U.S. service members killed. Iran conveyed terms for ending the war, while its leaders received visas to attend the UN General Assembly.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. The meeting comes as the November 10 tariff truce is set to expire and amid discussions on resuming U.S. LNG deliveries. The U.S. is expected to delay new tariffs until the summit.
The Pentagon added another name to its public database, raising the official number of U.S. military personnel killed in the conflict with Iran to 19. In parallel, Iran conveyed to the United States through Qatari intermediaries its terms for ending the war, and Washington approved visas for Iran's president and foreign minister to attend the UN General Assembly.
In the early hours of Wednesday, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Izium, with deaths and injuries reported. Poland temporarily suspended operations at two airports in the east of the country. The strikes continued a series of attacks near the Ukrainian-Polish border.
On September 16, 2026, the Federal Reserve changed the target range for the federal funds rate, but sources describe the move differently: some report an increase to 3.75–4%, others a cut to the same level. The discussion focuses on the weak link between the Fed rate and mortgage rates, and on persistently high credit card rates.
Yemen's Houthi movement reported a series of Saudi airstrikes on areas under its control, reporting deaths and injuries. Riyadh has not yet commented on the accusations; in previous weeks the sides exchanged strikes.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the U.S. and Israel must recognize the region's freedom from their 'vile and criminal presence'. The statement came after a second vessel was struck by debris from an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. In parallel, Iran conveyed to the U.S. its conditions for ending the war through Qatari mediators.
In late September 2026, Russian strikes destroyed more than 13 million books in Ukraine, and Ukraine launched its largest drone strike on Moscow since the war began. Casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure and cultural sites were recorded on both sides. Archived reports from mimile.kz document continued escalation during September.
Ukraine carried out its largest drone strike on Moscow since the war began, hitting oil industry and logistics facilities. Russia said it destroyed more than 1600 drones across the country, 450 of which were heading for Moscow. The attack came on the third day of State Duma elections.
The Supreme Audit Chamber of Kazakhstan proposed reducing planned healthcare spending by 140.5 billion tenge for 2027–2029. At the same time, the Ministry of Health removed medicines cheaper than 4,325 tenge from price regulation, reducing the regulated list from 3,039 to 1,827 items.
According to exit polls, Alternative for Germany is winning about 37% in the state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, SPD 35.5%, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU 5.5%. Merz called the CDU result a 'catastrophe.' The success continues a series of victories by the far-right party in eastern states after Saxony-Anhalt.
The Kuwaiti field hospital in Khan Younis suspended all services except emergency care on September 20, citing a halt in fuel supplies. This comes amid a broader crisis: more than 70% of hospital generators in the Gaza Strip are not working, and only 12 of 34 oxygen stations are operational.
Tehran has conveyed six conditions for ending the war to Washington through Qatari mediators, while warning that it is prepared for a decisive war. New estimates of the conflict's economic burden on the U.S. and households were released at the same time.
Israeli forces carried out a series of strikes on southern Lebanon, wounding two people in Chaqra and clashing with Lebanese soldiers near Deir Mimas. In addition, troops set fire to the state hospital in Mays al-Jabal. Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported numerous shelling and airstrikes on several localities.
From September 18 to 20, Russia is holding three-day elections for all 450 State Duma deputies. These are the first parliamentary elections since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The ruling United Russia is expected to retain a dominant majority.
Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered Google to ensure its advertising technologies are interoperable with competitors and to share advertising data with customers. The ruling does not require a breakup of the advertising business: the judge called such a step “neither realistic nor necessary.” Google said it disagrees and intends to appeal.
In mid-September 2026, key macroeconomic data for Kazakhstan were released. International reserves rose by $7.25 billion in August to $70.57 billion, the budget deficit for January–August amounted to 2.683 trillion tenge, and GDP for the first half of the year grew by 4.1%.
