Additional Coverage:
- 7 killed, 26 injured overnight as civilians caught up in escalating attacks by Russia, Ukraine (upi.com)
Kyiv and Moscow Exchange Blows; At Least Seven Dead, Dozens Injured
Overnight attacks between Kyiv and Moscow have left at least seven people dead and 26 injured, according to authorities from both countries. Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow for the second night in a row, causing all four of the capital’s main airports to temporarily shut down for several hours.
Simultaneously, Russian forces launched attacks across Ukraine. Guided bombs and artillery fire struck the eastern Sumy region, resulting in three deaths and seven injuries. An attack on the Black Sea port of Odessa claimed one life.
In Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported four injuries after the city was bombarded by at least 20 Russian drones over a two-hour period. The drone strikes ravaged a market in the east of the city and caused damage in three other neighborhoods. Additional attacks, involving artillery and laser-guided bombs, hit Kupiansk, Izyumsky, and three other districts in the Kharkiv province, injuring seven more and damaging homes and businesses.
Further south, in Dnipropetrovsk province, a man was seriously injured in Ilarionove after guided bombs, drone strikes, and artillery fire hit infrastructure, businesses, and residential buildings.
Meanwhile, in Russia’s Kursk region, three people were killed and seven injured in Ukrainian drone strikes. Governor Alexander Khinshtein stated these attacks were part of a larger overnight assault.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have downed numerous drones across multiple regions, including some approaching Moscow. While no injuries were reported from these interceptions, nine regional airports and all of Moscow’s airports were temporarily closed.
Reports also emerged of Ukrainian ground forces attacking a power substation in Rylsk, injuring two and causing a power outage.
These attacks come just two days before a planned three-day ceasefire in Russia for Victory Day celebrations, commemorating the country’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. This anniversary holds significance in Ukraine as well, particularly for the eastern regions where much of the fighting during the war took place.