Ukrainian officials reported Monday that Russian drone attacks had killed at least seven people and wounded more than 80 others. The attacks targeted various locations, including apartment buildings, offices, gas stations, and a cultural landmark in downtown Kyiv. Firefighters worked to extinguish a fire at the Dobrobut medical center following a Russian aerial attack.
The Russian attacks focused on wearing down Ukraine's resistance and crippling its economy. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the Russian actions as a campaign of "pure terror" against the civilian population. The attacks followed a week of diplomatic efforts at the United Nations to negotiate an end to Moscow's invasion, which began 4½ years ago.
Russian forces struck several locations in Kyiv, including the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, a pharmaceutical company, and gas stations. A drone attack on an office center in central Dnipro killed three people and wounded at least 18. In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, a Russian strike on a nine-story apartment building wounded 43 people, including 11 children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that long-range Ukrainian strikes had targeted two defense plants in the Tula and Voronezh regions and oil facilities in the Krasnodar region of Russia. Ukrainian drone attacks had repeatedly targeted Russian fuel depots and industrial plants, which are crucial to Moscow's economy and war effort.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that its forces had struck two data centers in Kyiv, as well as gas stations in the Ukrainian capital. The ministry also reported that Russian troops had captured the villages of Novovodiane in the Donetsk region and Ulanove in the northern Sumy region. Ukraine's Third Army Corps reported recapturing 51 square kilometers from Russian forces.
The Ukrainian army launched a recent offensive, code-named Operation Vivaldi, on part of the 1,250-kilometer front line. The operation utilized kamikaze vehicles converted from Soviet-era BTR-60 armored personnel carriers and ground robots to attack Russian positions. The claimed breakthroughs occurred in the Donetsk region, which Russian forces have been trying to conquer.
Russian aerial attacks regularly hit civilian areas, while Moscow claims to target only military-related sites. The strikes aim to curb Ukraine's grain exports, potentially creating food shortages in countries reliant on Ukrainian imports.
Key points
- At least 7 killed and over 80 wounded in Russian drone attacks on Ukraine
- Ukrainian forces launch counteroffensive, recapture territory from Russian forces
- Russia's Defense Ministry reports capturing villages in Donetsk and Sumy regions
