Ukrainian forces have intensified drone and missile attacks this year, focusing on military-industrial facilities, energy infrastructure and other sites linked to Russia’s war effort.
Russia’s ministry of defence said it had destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said around 600 drones were detected heading towards the Russian capital. The attack killed an 83-year-old man after a Ukrainian drone struck a private home in the Moscow region, regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said. In Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, five people were killed after more than 150 drones targeted three towns, regional governor Yury Slyusar said. A Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih killed two people and wounded 14 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Kyiv had used Flamingo missiles to attack a rocket research and production centre in Samara, about 900 kilometres (560 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said the drone was detected at 4:44 am, around 24 kilometres (14.9 miles) north of the eastern city of Galati, close to the border with Moldova. A Spanish Air and Space Force F-18, deployed for air-policing duties, established radar contact with the drone and received authorisation to engage. Debris from the drone was later reported in the Black Sea at around 10 am, approximately 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) from the coastal city of Constanta.
He also confirmed that another Ukrainian strike triggered a fire at a Wildberries warehouse in Podolsk, adding to a growing pattern of attacks on the Russian online retailer’s facilities. Several homes and a railway station were damaged, while a forest fire was also reported. Wildberries warehouses have repeatedly been targeted, with previous strikes destroying merchandise worth billions of dollars and bringing the consequences of the war closer to the civilian population nearly four and a half years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Romania has reported dozens of drone-related incidents, including cases in which drones crashed and exploded on Romanian soil.
Russian authorities said the country’s air defences intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones, including a large number heading towards Moscow. In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a man and a woman were killed after a Russian strike hit their home, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration. “Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had targeted a metallurgical plant in Kryvyi Rih and several military-industrial facilities in Kyiv, including a manufacturing facility for Ukraine’s domestically produced Flamingo missiles. “The drone was safely shot down by the F-18 aircraft at 05:01,” the ministry said. Acting Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said on X that Spain’s deployment had been expanded “at the request of Romania and NATO to bolster the Eastern Flank following prior drone incidents,” adding that it was Spain’s fourth such deployment.
Ukraine unleashed a barrage of drones towards Moscow and other parts of Russia early Sunday, one of its biggest aerial attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. The assault killed at least six people and damaged various infrastructure, including civilian residences and a Wildberries warehouse. The scale of the attack was captured in dramatic visuals from across the Moscow region, with explosions lighting up the night sky, plumes of smoke rising over the capital and fires breaking out at several locations. About a third of those were destroyed over the Moscow region itself. The latest barrage reflects Kyiv’s increasingly aggressive use of long-range weapons against targets deep inside Russia. Ukrainian forces have intensified drone and missile attacks this year, focusing on military-industrial facilities, energy infrastructure and other sites linked to Russia’s war effort. The attacks have also increasingly reached areas familiar to ordinary Russians. As Russia came under one of the largest Ukrainian aerial assaults of the war, Ukraine itself faced another wave of Russian strikes. One more person was killed in Sumy, he added. Russian attacks also caused fires across Kyiv, injuring six people. Among the most striking scenes was a major blaze at one of the capital’s largest book markets near the Pochaina metro station. Footage from the scene showed flames tearing through tightly packed market kiosks, with thick black smoke spreading across the city. Firefighters battled the blaze as parts of the market were reduced to rubble. The missiles have become an increasingly important component of Ukraine’s long-range strike capability. The escalation also spilled beyond the immediate battlefield, with Romania reporting that a drone had entered its airspace before being shot down by a Spanish fighter jet. Romanian officials did not identify the origin of the drone. The incident comes after a series of similar episodes along Romania’s border with Ukraine. Romanian pilots shot down three drones over three days in recent weeks as Russian attacks intensified in areas close to the NATO member’s territory. The latest attacks underline how the war is increasingly being fought beyond the front lines, with Ukrainian strikes reaching deep into Russia while Russian bombardments continue to hit Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. The entry of a drone into NATO airspace also highlights the growing risk of the conflict spilling beyond Ukraine’s borders. Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.