(WASHINGTON, DC) – The US Congress has approved a bipartisan bill imposing significant sanctions on Russia, including potential 100% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy, as Ukraine’s Security Service struck a military airfield in Rostov, destroying aircraft and helicopters.
The Graham-Blumenthal bill passed the House of Representatives by 262 votes to 159 on 16th September 2026, following Senate approval in August. Voting in favour were 203 Republicans, 56 Democrats and one independent. Against were seven Republicans and 152 Democrats.
The legislation codifies sanctions previously imposed only through executive orders, making them harder to overturn. Companies worldwide supplying Russia with machinery, electronics or technology supporting its military would face mandatory US sanctions. The bill targets the shadow fleet, extending measures to ship owners, managers, insurers, captains and ports. Foreign companies assisting Russian oil, gas, LNG, coal, uranium or petrochemical projects could also be sanctioned, as could foreign banks conducting significant business with Russian state-owned banks.
The most significant provision grants the US president power to impose secondary tariffs of up to 100% on countries continuing to purchase large volumes of Russian oil or gas. Sources suggest President Trump is minded to sign the bill.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, the Democrat who co-authored the legislation, said: “To Vladimir Putin, we have your number. Your economy is reeling. We’re going to throttle your war machine.” He warned that failure to stop the Russian dictator would see aggression against Poland, Moldova, Estonia, Finland and Sweden, requiring American troops to defend NATO allies.
Republican Congressman Michael McCaul said: “This bill will cripple Russia’s war machine and finally bring Putin to the negotiating table.” He noted the bill was the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s greatest legislative achievement.
Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur said: “Just like in World War II, we stand with liberty first, now and always. Freedom means never surrender.”
The bill passed its first procedural vote narrowly by 214 to 211 after two Democrats crossed the aisle. Concerns centred on the power it grants President Trump to sanction not only China and India but potentially US allies including Turkey, Japan, Slovakia and Hungary. Ambassador Daniel Fried, former State Department coordinator for sanctions policy, noted the bill includes flexibility allowing tariff rates to be adjusted if countries reduce Russian energy imports.
The nonprofit Razom for Ukraine called the passage “nothing short of momentous”, describing it as the first standalone pro-Ukraine legislation to pass Congress in two years.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed the bill would make a Ukraine peace deal harder. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed its passage, calling it “an extremely powerful tool to bring Russia to the point where it has to make peace.”
The US International Development Finance Corporation announced an investment of 85 million euros into Ukraine’s largest private energy company to support battery storage projects ahead of winter.
In a separate development, FBI Director Kash Patel was questioned by Senator Blumenthal over reports that a Russian oligarch with direct ties to Vladimir Putin bankrolled the wedding of Donald Trump Jr with hundreds of thousands of dollars. The oligarch has reportedly been involved in the re-education of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian forces. Patel said he was unaware of the public reporting.
Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks across Ukraine on the night of the sanctions vote, damaging energy infrastructure in Sumy and Odesa. Residential buildings were hit in Kyiv and Odesa, with more than 18 people injured, including children. A Russian drone attacked a Tanzanian-flagged vessel travelling towards a Ukrainian port in the Black Sea, killing the ship’s captain and injuring three crew members. Medusa reported that a drone strike on Kyiv destroyed a warehouse containing props from President Zelenskyy’s former comedy studio, accumulated over 20 years.
Ukraine’s Security Service carried out a precision strike on a military airfield in Rostov, Russia, destroying six aircraft including two AN-26s and three helicopters. A fire broke out at the Yasoslav oil refinery following reports of a drone attack. Footage published overnight purportedly shows a Ukrainian interceptor drone’s camera capturing the moment a Ukrainian fighter jet shoots down a Russian Shahed drone.
Poland suspended flights at two airports after Russian jet-powered drone strikes near the border with Ukraine. Military jets scrambled and alerts sounded in Lublin and Subcarpathia, with residents warned to find safe places. Polish fighter jets scrambled again as Russian drones struck approximately one kilometre from the Polish border. Poland will hold a security meeting on 18th September with the defence minister, president and chief of staff.
Germany announced it will deploy four Eurofighter jets to Latvia and several dozen personnel to reinforce NATO airspace ahead of Latvia’s 3rd October parliamentary election. Germany will also send five Eurofighter jets and around 120 troops to Estonia from December through to March for NATO air policing rotation.
Andriy Sibiha, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, claimed Putin’s Black Sea blockade is part of a wider plan to weaponise migration and destabilise Europe. Attacks on Black Sea ports have choked Ukraine’s grain exports, affecting Africa, the Middle East and Asia through higher food prices and shortages. A London School of Economics report stated that global hunger poses a direct threat to Britain’s national security. Marine Le Pen, the right-wing front runner for the French election, said France should scale back economic support for Ukraine.
In the ground war, Ukrainian troops continue to press momentum near Lyman, reportedly crossing into Luhansk Oblast, though this remains unverified. The Institute for the Study of War noted continued lack of clarity regarding the extent of Ukrainian advances. A Russian source claimed General Valery Gerasimov may have dismissed the 20th CAA commander due to failure to repel Ukrainian counterattacks. Concerns exist that North Korean forces may replace Russian forces along portions of the front line, allowing Russian redeployment to Lyman. The ISW could not confirm any movement.
Russia has begun early voting in parliamentary elections in occupied Donetsk Oblast, with armed soldiers accompanying election officials as residents cast ballots in portable boxes outside their homes. The SBU warned Ukrainian residents not to participate, stating that organising or promoting the elections could be a criminal offence under Ukrainian law.
The Moscow Times reported that Russian authorities plan to build a large-scale prison in occupied Kherson Oblast, combining pre-trial detention centres and penal colonies with more than 20,000 places, including 5,000 for pre-trial detainees. The Kyiv Independent found that two pre-trial detention sectors in occupied Crimea became part of a system used to unlawfully detain Ukrainian civilians. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman estimates Russia currently holds around 16,000 Ukrainian civilians unlawfully.
Footage of the Rostov airfield strike was released by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). The engagement occurred in Rostov Oblast, Russia. Footage of the Polish airspace incursions was shared by Poland’s Operational Command on X and Poland’s Government Centre for Security.
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