Ankara: Russian airstrikes reportedly killed eight people across various Ukrainian regions on Thursday, amid a backdrop of mutual accusations over overnight attacks between the two nations.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Dnipropetrovsk region suffered significant casualties, with Governor Oleksandr Hanzha confirming that a missile strike on the Novopillya community near Kryvyi Rih resulted in the deaths of six individuals and injuries to ten others. Additionally, drone strikes in the region's Nikopol district injured two more people.
The capital, Kyiv, was also targeted in the attacks. The Kyiv City Military Administration reported a missile strike, while the State Emergency Service (DSNS) revealed that one person was killed and two were injured in strikes on two districts within the city. In the central Poltava region, one fatality was reported after strikes hit warehouse facilities and a private postal terminal, as detailed by Governor Vitaliy Dyakivnych.
Brovary district in the Kyiv region also experienced the impact of the conflict, with acting regional governor Ruslan Oliinyk announcing five injuries. Meanwhile, Lviv Governor Maksym Kozytskyi confirmed 31 injuries in the city following a missile strike that damaged multi-story buildings and kindergartens.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the nation late Wednesday, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. After consultations with Air Force Commander Anatolii Kryvonozhko, Zelenskyy warned of a potential large-scale attack by Russia and urged international partners, particularly those with Patriot missiles, to enhance their support for Ukraine's air defenses.
The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that its air defenses successfully intercepted 265 out of 285 drones and 55 out of 74 missiles launched by Russia overnight. In contrast, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that its "massive" strike targeted military facilities, telecommunications, and logistics centers across Ukraine, asserting these sites were involved in producing and delivering missiles and drones.
In retaliation, Russia reported the downing of 258 Ukrainian drones across nine regions, as well as over the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and Crimea. Domestically, Russian online retailer Wildberries disclosed that its facilities in Penza and the Republic of Udmurtia were attacked, resulting in one injury and prompting evacuations.
The ongoing conflict has seen Ukrainian drone attacks striking multiple logistics centers in Russia, with Kyiv alleging these warehouses supply the Russian military-a claim Moscow denies. Meanwhile, an explosion in eastern Poland's Lublin Voivodeship has raised concerns, with Polish officials discovering a crater and debris from an "unidentified object" near the villages of Tarnawa Kolonia and Tokary, approximately 90 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The cause of the blast remains under investigation, amid claims of a Polish airspace violation.