Zelenskyy Accuses Putin of Deceit Amid Drone Threats to His Plane
WHO:
CBS News Politics - President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Trump
CBS News World - Russia, foreign leaders
WHAT:
ABC News - A Russian drone strike on a passenger bus in southern Ukraine killed five people and injured at least seven.
ABC News - President Zelenskyy described the bus strike as an “atrocity” and stated it had “no military rationale.”
ABC News - A passenger train was also struck in the Mykolaiv region, damaging a railway station and a diesel locomotive, with nearly 170 passengers evacuated before the strike.
ABC News - Over 500 locomotives have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war in February 2022, with more than half of those strikes occurring this year.
ABC News - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attacks on the rail network as “systematic” and called for assistance in finding compatible locomotives.
CBS News World - Zelenskyy stated that Russia targeted his plane with drones.
CBS News Politics - Zelenskyy claimed that there are recent Russian plots to assassinate him.
CBS News Politics - Trump demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian energy targets to help gas prices in the U.S.
WHY:
CBS News World - Zelenskyy described the drone attacks as part of a campaign to intimidate him and other foreign leaders.
HOW:
ABC News - Zelenskyy stated that the possibility of an energy truce was discussed during a recent meeting in Kyiv with Trump’s representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
CBS News World - The method of intimidation involved the use of drones targeting Zelenskyy's plane.
(UPDATED September 16, 2026 13:07 UTC)
A Russian drone strike on a passenger bus in southern Ukraine has tragically killed five people and injured at least seven, with President Zelenskyy condemning the attack as an “atrocity” lacking any military rationale. In a related incident, a passenger train was also struck in the Mykolaiv region, damaging a railway station and a diesel locomotive, although nearly 170 passengers were evacuated just before the strike. Zelenskyy mentioned that discussions about a potential energy truce took place during a recent meeting in Kyiv with Trump’s representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 02:04 UTC)
President Zelenskyy has reported that Russia targeted his plane with drones, describing these attacks as part of a broader campaign to intimidate him and other foreign leaders. He also claimed there are recent Russian plots to assassinate him. In response, Trump has called for Ukraine to cease its attacks on Russian energy targets, arguing that this would help stabilize gas prices in the U.S.