Russia hits Ukraine across 11 regions, 13 dead
Photo: REUTERS
Russian air attacks claimed the lives of at least 13 people across Ukraine on Thursday, hitting targets as far west as Lviv and prompting Poland to scramble fighter jets to defend its borders.
These lethal strikes occurred just as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived home from the United States, where he secured an agreement from President Donald Trump for Patriot missile licenses.
In the capital city of Kyiv, a Reuters witness heard explosions as fires ignited at several non-residential locations, an event Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on the Telegram messaging app.
Emergency services confirmed that the strikes killed one person and injured two others in the capital, while another six people, including two children, lost their lives across the Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
A devastating strike occurred in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Zelenskyy, where a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile hit a large family’s residence. This specific attack killed six people, including two girls aged 5 and 12, and left eight others injured.
Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city’s defense council, described the event as “A dark night” on Telegram. He noted that the missile originated from Russia’s Voronezh region and cautioned that the death toll might rise as emergency workers continue to clear away the rubble.
Meanwhile, in Lviv, rescue teams worked frantically to reach individuals trapped under the wreckage of two damaged apartment buildings where 15 people sustained injuries.
Zelenskyy had previously alerted the nation to the high probability of a massive Russian assault, emphasizing that international support remains crucial for survival.
He wrote on Telegram, “It is important that our partners fully understand what is happening and that the protection of people’s lives depends directly on their willingness,” to underscore the need for anti-missile defense systems.
In response to the proximity of the strikes, the Polish armed forces deployed fighter jets and early warning aircraft to secure their airspace.
They announced on X that “Fighter aircraft and an early warning aircraft have begun operations, while ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of readiness,” characterizing the maneuvers as preventive steps.
Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Russian infrastructure, causing a major fire at a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s top online retailer, in the city of Penza.
Governor Oleg Melnichenko reported on Telegram that the attack forced the evacuation of approximately 200 people and resulted in one injury. This follows a similar evacuation at another Wildberries facility just a day prior.
The company stated on Telegram that it has already begun redirecting its supply chains to manage the disruption. These persistent attacks on energy facilities and refineries have exacerbated a fuel crisis within Russia and placed significant financial strain on ordinary citizens who rely on online sales for their main source of income.
The ongoing drone campaign has recently damaged nearly a dozen Wildberries warehouses, destroying approximately 10 percent of the company’s total storage capacity. Local authorities and the company report that tens of thousands of small businesses are suffering financial losses as a result.
Sberbank, Russia’s largest financial institution, warned that it may need to increase loan-loss provisions to compensate for the financial instability affecting suppliers and retailers. While Russia’s defense ministry claimed to have intercepted 258 drones overnight across its territory and occupied regions, the conflict continues to take a heavy toll.
Although both Russia and Ukraine have denied targeting civilians since the February 2022 invasion, the latest casualties highlight the growing human cost of the war.
Source: Reuters (adapted)
