Russia and Ukraine engaged in another wave of drone strikes overnight, as reported on Thursday, with casualties on both sides. These attacks have continued as Moscow has executed nightly drone and missile barrages on Ukraine since the invasion commenced in February 2022. In response, Ukraine has conducted increasingly long-range strikes within Russian territory and launched attacks on border regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed calls for a ceasefire and has escalated military operations, countering U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge of additional weapons for Ukraine and imposing severe sanctions should a peace agreement not be achieved promptly. Russia’s defense ministry reported that its air defenses shot down 122 drones overnight, primarily in border regions.
In the Belgorod border region of Russia, a tragic incident occurred where a woman was killed after an explosive device dropped from a drone struck her private residence, as noted by Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram. He further mentioned that three civilians had lost their lives a day earlier.
Additionally, in the Voronezh region, also bordering Ukraine, three teenagers sustained injuries from debris falling from a drone that hit a building, as reported by regional governor Alexander Gusev on Telegram.
From the Ukrainian front, Russia’s strikes resulted in one fatality in the central city of Dnipro, according to Governor Sergiy Lysak. The Russian forces launched a total of 64 drones targeting the central Dnipropetrovsk region, which encompasses Dnipro; the Ukrainian air force indicated it had successfully shot down or disabled 41 of these drones. This number represents a decrease compared to recent nights, which had seen hundreds of self-exploding attack drones directed at Ukraine.
Furthermore, Ukraine reported that three individuals were killed and at least 27 others were injured due to a Russian airstrike on the frontline town of Dobropillia the day prior to these events.
