Moscow : The Russia-Ukraine war continued to see heavy strikes on both sides, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing Russia of targeting civilian sites in Kyiv and calling for tougher international sanctions against Moscow. 

Zelenskyy said Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital killed people, injured dozens and damaged civilian infrastructure, including two kindergartens, two schools, a residential building, an auto repair shop, warehouses and communications facilities. 

Local authorities separately reported that at least three people were killed and more than 10 injured in the wider Kyiv region.

In a post on X on Sunday, Zelenskyy said, "Anywhere in the world, this choice of targets would be called by one word -- terrorism." He added that Russia had "no military objective whatsoever" in carrying out the attacks and said they were intended to cause widespread harm to Ukrainian society.

Zelenskyy said Russia had launched 277 attack drones of various types since the previous day, including 155 jet-powered drones. A building used as the residence of the Saudi Arabian ambassador was among the sites damaged. A sports school in the Dnipro region and a regional children's home in the Sumy region were also hit, he said.

Zelenskyy also questioned Moscow's claims that it was preparing for steps towards de-escalation.

"If Russia were truly preparing for any real steps toward de-escalation, as it claims, particularly to American negotiators -- this wave of ‘shahed’ terror would not be happening," he said.

He accused Russia of using diplomatic signals to delay stronger international action, saying Moscow knew how to send messages that the world wanted to hear while continuing its military campaign.

Zelenskyy called for the implementation of US sanctions legislation and urged international partners to increase pressure on Russia.

"This law needs to be implemented - and everyone in the world can see that there is EVERY REASON to apply it and A CLEAR PURPOSE for doing so," he said, referring to the sanctions legislation associated with US Senator Lindsey Graham.

He also said Ukraine was preparing new sanctions targeting Russian financial networks, supply chains providing components and equipment for weapons production, and companies and individuals involved in manufacturing Russian ballistic missiles.

According to Zelenskyy, the new measures should come into force as early as October.

Russia, meanwhile, reported attacks by Ukrainian forces.

Russian state news agency TASS, citing the department responsible for documenting alleged Ukrainian war crimes at the office of the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, reported that Ukrainian forces had shelled residential areas in the DPR 11 times during the previous 24 hours.

The Russian side said there were no civilian casualties, but two residential buildings and two civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged.

The Russian Defence Ministry also said its air-defence forces had intercepted and destroyed 43 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions, Crimea and the Black Sea during the day.

Moscow further claimed that its forces had struck an Omega Telecom data centre in Kyiv, a Novaya Pochta logistics centre in Odesa and a cargo ship carrying military equipment and dual-use goods to the port of Odesa.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the Omega Telecom facility was being used to support the Ukrainian armed forces and that the Odesa logistics centre was used to store military cargo. The claims could not be independently verified.

Trump calls for an end to the war
The latest escalation comes as diplomatic efforts continue. Following his recent meeting with Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump said he wanted Russia and Ukraine to reach a settlement.

Speaking to Fox News on September 26, Trump said, "I want him to settle with Putin, and I want Putin to settle with him." He also cited figures of 25,000 deaths in the previous month and 32,000 the month before, saying most of those killed were soldiers.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy used his September 23 UN General Assembly address to call on India and 46 other countries to prevent their citizens from being drawn into the war through what he described as "deception and tricks", alleging that Russia was using foreign nationals in the conflict.

With strikes continuing and both Moscow and Kyiv reporting attacks, the latest developments underline the gap between diplomatic calls for de-escalation and the ongoing military action on the ground.