FPV drone kills priest in Kherson monastery, Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported one cleric killed and four wounded after an FPV drone hit a monastery near the Dnipro, amid wider strikes across Ukraine.
Ukraine's president said a Russian strike using an FPV drone hit a monastery in the Kherson region, killing one member of the clergy and wounding four others.
The attack struck a monastery and the nearby village of Chervonyi Maiak on the Dnipro river, which marks the frontline between Ukrainian and Russian positions, regional authorities reported.
Kyiv reports wider barrage and mounting drone attacks
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that the incident involved an FPV (first-person view) drone, a type of unmanned aircraft whose pilot views live video from the device. In his post he described a broader wave of strikes across Ukraine.
“Every day and every night, we defend ourselves against Russian strikes. Yesterday, in the Kherson region, the Russians struck a monastery with an FPV drone. Tragically, one member of the monastery clergy was killed and four others were wounded. My condolences to the family and loved ones. There were strikes on critical and civilian infrastructure in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Odesa regions. In the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions, residential buildings were hit. Since the evening, the Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy regions have also come under attack. This week alone, Russia has launched more than 2,000 attack drones against us, most of them jet-powered, as well as 1,700 aerial bombs and 19 missiles of various types.
“Ukraine is constantly looking for and finding ways to defend itself and respond to these attacks on life. It is important that our partners also look for and find ways to make Russia feel its war. Now is the right moment to take new sanctions steps against the aggressor and force peace through strength. The United States has the means to do this, Europe has them, and so does every G7 country. We are counting on new, strong steps. Thank you to everyone who is helping.” — Volodymyr Zelenskyy, X post dated September 20, 2026.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four and a half years ago. Kyiv officials say the use of FPV and other fast attack drones has increased in recent months, adding to strikes on civilian infrastructure and residential areas across several regions.
Photo: press material from the event
