In brief
In the latest wave of conflict, Ukrainian forces have struck Russian territory, killing nine Russians and injuring 23, including a child, while Russian attacks have caused a similar toll in Ukraine, claiming at least seven lives. The night before a Ukrainian‑designated "largest‑scale" attack the day before, Russian bombing and drone strikes targeted Belgorod, Astrakhan, Sumy and Donetsk, and even hit a warehouse for the popular Russian online retailer Wildberries, disrupting logistics for the military. Meanwhile, Russian forces struck Ukrainian targets in Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Odesa and a famous Kyiv book market, raising concerns about civilian casualties. Amid the mounting toll, both sides accuse each other of targeting civilians, while the Ukrainian military continues to deploy large numbers of drones deep into Russian territory.
Nine Russian civilians were killed and 23 injured, including a child, according to local officials after Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory. Eight deaths were reported in the Belgorod region, while a woman was killed overnight in Astrakhan. Ukrainian drone attacks also took two lives in Sumy and two in Donetsk.
These strikes followed Ukraine’s largest‑scale attack of the year, which killed seven people. Russian raids on Ukraine on Saturday night likewise claimed seven dead and injured over 39.
Russia’s full‑scale invasion began in February 2022, and it now controls about one‑fifth of Ukrainian land.
The latest Ukrainian blow burned a building and damaged a car in Belgorod’s village of Koloskovo. The injured child was taken to hospital; two others received medical aid.
In the Astrakhan region, a woman died when a drone struck a home. Ukrainian reports say the strike targeted an industrial facility that emerged undamaged.
Russian strikes also hit Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk, where two died and 54 market stalls were set ablaze. In Sumy, a man and a woman were killed by a nighttime drone attack. An overnight raid on Odesa damaged a civilian vessel and injured four.
Russia has sought to deter foreign trade with Ukraine by targeting Ukraine’s ports and coastlines. Kyiv has increased deep‑field drone attacks over recent weeks.
During the night in question, Ukraine fired 822 drones toward Russia, 600 aimed for Moscow, marking one of the most massive attacks in recent memory for the Russian capital.
Russia hit a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, a major Russian online retailer, disabling seven of its ten largest logistics centres. Ukraine’s defence ministry says the company is often used to supply military hardware. Ukrainian officials claim they do not target civilians directly, noting some Russian casualties result from air defences downing incoming projectiles.
Meanwhile, Russian missile strikes intensified across Ukraine, with the energy company Naftogaz reporting 13 attacks in the past week. Russian attacks also struck private houses in the Zaporizhzhia region, killing a man and woman and wounding five others. The Russian side said it targeted a FirePoint facility in Kyiv producing parts for Ukrainian Flamingo missiles and a drone components factory.
