Russia launched a new wave of attack drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, resulting in at least four deaths, according to authorities on Tuesday. This latest assault follows one of the largest aerial attacks by the Kremlin on Ukraine, which occurred the previous night and targeted energy infrastructure, causing multiple casualties.
Ukraine’s air force reported that it intercepted half of the 10 missiles and 60 of the 81 Iranian-designed drones that were fired from various regions of Russia and occupied Crimea. Despite these efforts, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that four people were killed and 16 were injured. He pledged a strong response, stating, “Crimes against humanity cannot be committed with impunity.”
In Kyiv, air raid sirens were heard throughout the night, accompanied by explosions, likely from air defense systems. Local authorities reported that two individuals were killed in the Zaporizhzhia region and another two in Kryvyi Rig after a missile hit a hotel. This hotel strike follows a recent incident in Kramatorsk, where a missile attack killed a safety advisor working for Reuters.
The recent Russian attacks have led to widespread blackouts and condemnation from Ukraine’s European and U.S. allies. Russia claimed the strikes were aimed at Ukrainian military infrastructure, while NATO member Poland reported a possible violation of its airspace by a drone during the barrage.
Ukraine’s power grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced that emergency blackouts would be implemented throughout the day to alleviate pressure on the grid, which has been damaged by the recent attacks. The operator urged citizens to conserve electricity as the power system recovers from nine major Russian assaults.
The bombardment coincides with a Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv has made significant territorial gains over the past three weeks. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Kursk, confirmed reports of Ukrainian attempts to breach the border, though he stated the situation remains controlled.
President Zelensky noted that the cross-border incursion into Kursk, launched on August 6, was partially intended to compensate for Ukraine’s limited ability to strike deeper into Russian territory. He has been advocating for the use of Western-supplied weapons to target Russian soil as part of efforts to counter further aerial attacks.
Despite Ukraine’s push in Kursk, which was hoped to divert Russian forces from the eastern front, Moscow has made steady advances. Zelensky acknowledged the difficulty of defending the logistics hub of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces have reportedly captured the village of Orlivka.
This week, AFP journalists observed civilians evacuating from Pokrovsk, once home to about 60,000 residents, carrying their belongings and pets as they fled the advancing conflict.
