Overnight Drone Attack in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine – Five individuals lost their lives and approximately 30 others were injured in a nighttime drone assault by Russian forces, according to Ukrainian officials on Saturday.
This incident coincided with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Istanbul for discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Zelensky is also set to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, a prominent figure in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In a statement, Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched a total of 286 drones, with 260 of them being intercepted during the night.
The casualties included three women and two men in the city of Nikopol, located in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Hanza, confirmed that 19 individuals, among them a 14-year-old girl, were also injured. The drone attack inflicted damage on market stalls and shops in the area.
According to the National Police, a separate strike in the city of Sumy, close to the Russian border, resulted in injuries to 11 people, including a 15-year-old boy. This strike hit residential areas, leading to damage to homes, vehicles, and public infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s state emergency service mentioned that a drone hit in Kyiv sparked a fire on the first level of a three-story office and warehouse building. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from this incident.
On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry stated that their military targeted unspecified “military-industrial and energy facilities utilized by the Ukrainian Armed Forces” with “long-range air- and ground-based precision weapons and attack drones.”
In another announcement, the ministry claimed that Russian defenses managed to down 85 Ukrainian drones overnight across nine Russian regions, including Crimea and the Black Sea.
In the Rostov region bordering Ukraine, one individual was reported dead and four others hurt due to what the region’s governor, Yuri Slyusar, described as an attack that ignited a fire in a warehouse belonging to an unnamed logistics firm, as well as on a foreign-flagged cargo ship several kilometers offshore.
Additionally, one person suffered injuries in the city of Tolyatchi, located in the Samara region. Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev reported damages to home roofs and broken windows in several apartments.
