Russia fired hundreds of drones, artillery and a ballistic missile at cities across Ukraine overnight, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people, authorities said yesterday.
The latest bombardment in Russia’s escalating aerial campaign against civilian areas came ahead of a Sept. 2 deadline set by US President Donald Trump for the Kremlin to reach a peace deal in the three-year war, under the threat of possible severe Washington sanctions if it does not.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia — three cities in different parts of Ukraine.
Photo: Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP
The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X.
Power was cut for 80,000 families in Zelenskiy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK wrote on the Telegram app.
The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile.
Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles.
Trump this week citied the attacks as a reason for approving more weapons for Ukraine, including air defenses.
“Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defenses: More air defenses, more interceptors, more determination to make Russia feel our response,” Zelenskiy wrote.
A 17-year-old boy was among the injured in Kryvyi Rih, Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul wrote on Telegram.
“He was wounded in the abdominal cavity. He was immediately taken to the hospital, in serious condition. Now doctors are fighting for his life,” he wrote.
“This has never happened before. A ballistic missile and 28 Shaheds simultaneously,” he added, referring to Iranian-designed drones.
In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine.
“The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions... Putin’s criminal war is getting closer to our borders,” he added.
In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured.
Additional reporting by AP
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