At least three people have been killed and more than 30 injured in a significant overnight Russian aerial attack on Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. He stated that regions across the country were targeted as part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate civilians and destroy infrastructure, with a direct missile hit reported on a residential building.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 619 drones and missiles. Russia’s defence ministry asserted that its “massive strike” utilized “precision weapons” and was directed at military-industrial facilities.
In a separate development, Russia reported that four people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Samara region. Kyiv claimed responsibility, stating that a major oil refinery in the area was targeted.
Ukraine also indicated that another Russian oil refinery was damaged in the adjacent Saratov region. President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In a social media update, President Zelensky mentioned that Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions experienced Russian attacks overnight. He specified that “residential areas and civilian facilities” were hit.
He further reported that in the central city of Dnipro, there was a “direct hit of a missile with cluster munitions on a high-rising residential building.” The BBC has verified footage of a missile in flight and its impact, along with images of a severely damaged building in Dnipro.
Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, the Governor of Samara, announced that four individuals died “as a result of an overnight attack by enemy drones,” with another person injured, though no further details were provided.
Ukraine’s military confirmed that its drones struck the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in the Samara region, and also targeted the Saratov oil refinery in the neighboring region overnight.
Drone raids across borders have become a notable aspect of the conflict. Last July, a prolonged Ukrainian drone assault led to the temporary closure of all Moscow airports. Kyiv has been consistently targeting Russian oil and other critical industrial facilities, which are vital to Russia’s ongoing war efforts in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Moscow has intensified its aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent weeks, while Kyiv and its Western allies, including the US, continue to advocate for a ceasefire.
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, was struck by what Ukraine described as a Russian Iskander cruise missile, hitting the main government building. President Zelensky stated on Saturday that he intended to meet with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next week.
Trump had previously hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, aiming to broker a peace deal. However, no such agreement was reached.
The latest Russian aerial attack occurred the day after Estonia requested urgent consultations with other NATO members, citing a violation of its airspace by Russian jets that remained for 12 minutes before being intercepted. Russia has denied these allegations.
Tensions have been rising recently, following reports from Poland and Romania, both NATO members, that Russian drones breached their airspace earlier this month.