Russian Missile and Drone Strikes Kill at Least 13 People Across Ukraine

The scale of the overnight assault was immense. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russia launched more than 70 missiles and over 280 drones, targeting a wide array of regions including Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk. While Ukraine intercepted more than 260 of the drones, the ballistic missiles caused catastrophic damage to civilian centers.

Kryvyi Rih: A Family Home “Blown into Smithereens”

The heaviest casualties occurred in the Dnipropetrovsk region, specifically near the city of Kryvyi Rih. A Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile, launched from the Voronezh region, struck the home of a large family in the village of Radushne. The strike killed six people, including children aged 6, 11, and 17.

“It was an ordinary home, blown into smithereens by a ballistic missile…”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Oleksandr Vilkul, the city’s defence council head, described the event as a dark night, noting that two private homes were completely destroyed. While the parents of the children were also killed, officials reported that two other children were pulled alive from the rubble. Eight others were wounded in the attack, including an 84-year-old woman.

Casualties in Kyiv, Lviv, and Poltava

The violence extended deep into western Ukraine and the capital. In Kyiv, a 31-year-old man was killed and two others were injured. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that fires broke out in three non-residential buildings, while police noted damage to a market, a garage cooperative, and various storage facilities.

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In Lviv, the attack struck at approximately 4:45 a.m., damaging more than 20 residential buildings, a school, and two kindergartens. According to Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv regional military administration, the number of injured rose to 30 as rescue operations continued. Meanwhile, in the Poltava region, a drone strike on a private enterprise’s warehouses killed one person, and a separate attack on a Nova Poshta postal terminal was reported.

Patriot Missiles and the Polish Airspace Response

These strikes followed a high-profile visit by President Zelensky to Washington DC, where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump. Zelensky stated that Trump agreed to provide licenses for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, a capability the Ukrainian leader describes as crucial for national defense.

The proximity of the strikes to the border forced Poland, a NATO and EU member, to take preventive action. The Polish armed forces scrambled fighter jets and an early warning aircraft to secure its airspace.

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Ukrainian Retaliation Against Wildberries Warehouses

As Russia targeted Ukrainian infrastructure, Ukraine launched drone strikes against the logistics network of Wildberries, Russia’s top online retailer. These attacks have targeted nearly a dozen warehouses recently, resulting in the destruction of about 10 per cent of the company’s storage capacity.

• Penza: A warehouse caught fire, leading to the evacuation of 200 people and one injury, according to Governor Oleg Melnichenko.
• Sarapul (Udmurtia region): A facility was set ablaze, though the company reported that workers were safely evacuated.

The economic ripple effects are becoming evident. Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, has warned it may need to increase loan-loss provisions because these strikes impact the finances of tens of thousands of small businesses that rely on the Wildberries platform. Wildberries has since stated it has redirected its supply chains following the Penza attack.

Ukrainian Drone Strikes Hit Wildberries Warehouses Across Russia

Conflicting Accounts of Targets

There is a stark divide in how the day’s events are framed. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces targeted military telecommunications, logistics facilities, and air bases, as well as three cargo ships, including one in the Pivdennyi port. However, Ukrainian officials and on-the-ground reports describe the destruction of ordinary homes, civilian businesses and infrastructure facilities.

While both nations deny targeting civilians, the evidence from Kryvyi Rih and Lviv shows a heavy toll on residential apartment buildings and family homes. Zelensky noted that the critical shortage of air defense missiles from partners continues to leave Ukrainian lives vulnerable to these ballistic threats.