Russian attacks on Ukraine killed six people, including a child, and wounded 29 on Saturday, while Ukrainian forces damaged more than two dozen Russian oil tankers and other vessels in the Sea of Azov, officials reported.
Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Russian Vessels
Ukraine's General Staff said 21 tankers used to transport oil and petroleum products were damaged overnight, in addition to four tugboats, two cargo ships and a dredging vessel. Russian officials acknowledged only four ships came under attack and reported one person killed in the Ukrainian drone strikes.
Ukraine’s drones have recently been hitting oil refineries and other infrastructure across Russia to undercut its war effort, triggering a widespread fuel crisis with gasoline shortages. Moscow has responded by intensifying its bombardment on Kyiv and other cities, exposing Ukraine’s vulnerability to ballistic missile strikes.
Casualties in Sumy, Kyiv, and Odesa
In Ukraine’s northeast Sumy region, four people were killed, including a child, and 17 were wounded when two aerial glide bombs hit a crowded area where civilians were present, said Sumy regional head Oleh Hryhorov.
Eleven people, including one child, were wounded in missile and drone attacks overnight on Kyiv, the State Emergency Service reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media: “Eleven people, including a child, have been injured in Kyiv during last night's Russian attack. Civilian infrastructure was hit even before the air raid alert was issued. Emergency crews are working at the sites of the strikes – apartment buildings, offices, and a theological…”
In the southern region of Odesa, two people were killed after a Russian missile struck a building, said regional head Oleh Kiper. Another man was wounded by shrapnel.
Russian Missile and Drone Barrage
Russia launched 12 missiles, including six ballistic missiles, along with 121 drones against Ukraine overnight, Zelensky said. He stated that most of the drones and some of the missiles were shot down, but the ballistic missiles reached their targets, reiterating Ukraine’s dire air defense gaps.
Ukrainian air defenses said they shot down or electronically suppressed two missiles and 111 drones. The air force reported direct hits at 11 locations. Explosions and fires were reported across Kyiv’s Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts, the emergency service said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces targeted drone production facilities in Kyiv, as well as the ports of Izmail and Chornomorsk in the Odesa region. The ministry also said Russian air defenses destroyed 178 Ukrainian drones overnight over eight Russian regions, as well as over the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and the Black and Azov seas.
