Ukrainian drone manufacturer Wild Hornets says its new STING-family interceptor drone has destroyed about ten Russian Geran-4 jet drones and several Geran-5s—technically also drones but ones whose jet engines make them functionally small cruise missiles—in limited deployment over recent days, according to an interview with a company representative published by NV on 22 September. The company says it plans to begin mass production within about a month after completing combat tests.

Russia has sharply increased its use of jet-powered Shahed-type drones this year. At least twenty firms were already racing to field interceptors by early September. Their higher speeds can cut the reaction time for Ukrainian mobile fire groups from about a minute to as little as six seconds. Two companies have completed combat tests, and 67 companies are working on interceptors, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

A new product, not an upgrade

Wild Hornets told NV it began work on jet interception in early 2026 and described the new interceptor as an entirely new product rather than an upgrade of the existing STING design. To handle the faster targets, the company developed a remote-control system called Hornet Vision Ctrl that lets experienced pilots operate interceptors across multiple sectors at once—the same system now used against jet-powered Gerans.

"We are working on that, but right now we are focused above all on creating a cheap, mass-producible, and simple-to-use means of countering jet Shaheds," the company told NV, answering a question about expectations that Russia could field mass jet missiles at 700–800 km/h by winter.

The company said it knows of no fully automatic interception system proven in combat and that its own AI integration is aimed at assisting the operator.

The jet-powered threat

Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said in August that the use of jet-powered drones had increased roughly fivefold in July compared with June. The Geran-5 can reach speeds of up to 600 km/h and carry a warhead of roughly 90 kg, according to specifications published on HUR's War & Sanctions website. The new jet Shaheds run on turbojets from a single Chinese company. Iran, which originally armed Russia with Shaheds, now wants the jet-powered Geran-5 remake back.

Earlier this month, a new interceptor successfully hit a jet-powered Shahed during testing, but "some aspects of controlling the interceptor still need to be refined," Zelenskyy said. Days later, he showed footage of a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) interceptor destroying a jet-powered Shahed during a military counterintelligence operation. The SBU said it was the first footage showing the destruction of a jet-powered Shahed.

Separately, footage published by Wild Hornets showed its STING interceptor striking a Geran-5—a jet-powered drone that functions as a small cruise missile—in flight:

Egypt is increasing wheat purchases from France as it diversifies away from Russia and Ukraine, Reuters reported on 20 September, citing remarks made that Sunday by the country's Supply Minister Sherif Farouk, as quoted by television host Ahmed Moussa and confirmed afterwards by a ministry spokesperson.

Russian and Ukrainian strikes on each other's shipping are disrupting Black Sea trade routes used by both major wheat exporters, pushing up shipping costs and forcing grain buyers to navigate longer and more expensive alternatives. For Ukraine, a disrupted sea route means fewer or more expensive grain exports, putting pressure on farmers' incomes and the country's export earnings.

Egypt is one of the world's biggest wheat importers, and the grain feeds a subsidized bread program that tens of millions of Egyptians rely on. The supply minister also said Cairo had a 50,000-metric-ton wheat shipment en route from France, with further shipments from the country continuing, and that Egypt has stepped up its engagement with Bulgaria and Romania. Its wheat reserves cover more than six months of strategic consumption, he said.

War-risk costs climb as the high-risk zone widens

Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on each other's commercial shipping, and London's marine insurers widened the area they treat as high risk to the whole Black Sea. The Joint War Committee, which sets that listing for the Lloyd's market, extended its reporting requirements to the entire sea, and its guidance shapes what underwriters charge. War-risk premiums have surged as dozens of ships have been attacked in the Black Sea, and are adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of every seven-day voyage.

Russia was continuing attempts to destroy Ukraine's transport infrastructure and block its exports through the Black Sea, Ukrzaliznytsia said on 30 July. More than 90% of Ukraine's agricultural exports were shipped from ports in Odesa Oblast through a maritime corridor.

Ukraine's export capacity falls after July strikes

Following Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports on 10–12 July, the deepwater terminals' monthly handling capacity fell by about 2.5 million tons, from up to seven million to four or five, Barva Invest's Bohdan Kostetskyi said at the time. Industry sources told Reuters that four of 13 major terminals had stopped buying grain.

By mid-August, Ukrainian attacks and the suspension of navigation in the Sea of Azov since July had taken more than 90% of Russia's grain export capacity in the Azov–Black Sea basin offline, agricultural consultancy SovEcon said. Three Novorossiysk terminals were suspended, while the Taman terminal had halted operations in late July.

The Danube detour takes longer and costs more

Two vessels sailing from Izmail to Egypt took 26 days and an estimated 32 to 33 days, and a third bound for Izmir 28 to 29 days, against about 12 days for the Egypt run before the delays, Avalon Shipping operations manager Kateryna Kononenko told Ukrainian Shipping Magazine.

US President Donald Trump repeatedly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries during a phone call on 20 September, Axios reported, citing a person familiar with the conversation. The two leaders are due to meet in New York today, 22 September, during the UN General Assembly.

For Ukraine, the strikes are a way to disrupt the fuel supply supporting Russia's military. Trump is now linking the attacks to global diesel prices. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said disruptions to Russia's refining system following intensified Ukrainian attacks have compounded diesel supply losses.

Trump backed the strikes two months ago

At a NATO summit on 8 July, speaking alongside Zelenskyy, Trump said Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries could help end the war. "It's an escalation, but it's also an escalation that can help lead to an end," he said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Ukraine's ability to strike deep into Russian territory was one of the changes in the war in recent months and said the escalation could create space for negotiations.

On 13 September, Trump called on Zelenskyy to stop the attacks.

"Mr. Zelenskyy has to do one thing: he has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia," Trump said. "There are plenty of other targets. Don't hit diesel fuel. That's hurting the world."

Trump added that the rise in prices was not caused by the Iran conflict. "This isn't done by the Middle East, this is done by what's happening with Russia and Ukraine," he said.

On 20 September, Trump raised the demand again in his call with Zelenskyy. "The word diesel came up many times" during the conversation, a person familiar with the call told Axios.

What is driving diesel prices

US diesel prices had reached $6.06 per gallon by 13 September, up from $3.71 a year earlier. The IEA said in June that global energy markets were contending with their largest supply disruption in history because of the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, though it also noted that a US-Iran agreement to reopen the strait had begun easing prices from their April peak. A Bipartisan Policy Center analysis attributed the diesel surge to the Iran conflict and did not address Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine's refinery campaign has also disrupted Russian fuel production. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on 4 July that attacks had disabled 42.7% of Russia's oil-refining capacity. Russia's gasoline production fell an estimated 25% year-on-year in the week of 15–21 June, while Moscow has extended its ban on diesel exports through at least September.

Zelenskyy confirms Tuesday meeting

After the call, Zelenskyy said it had been "an important conversation" and that today's meeting "could change a lot." He said there was "diplomatic momentum" and that Ukraine was ready "to take really serious steps." He also said the call covered ideas for de-escalation and fundamental security issues including energy and food security.

Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service and Kyiv's chief negotiator, told Axios that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had helped with the peace talks, where the number of stumbling blocks had fallen from "dozens to essentially one or two key issues." Umerov was rebutting a Kyiv Independent report that Kyiv was frustrated with Witkoff, which he called false.