Casualties and Damage from Russian Drone and Bomb Attacks
Thirteen people have been killed and at least 41 injured in a series of Russian drone and bomb attacks across Ukraine between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to officials.
The central Dnipropetrovsk region was the hardest hit, with eight fatalities and 11 injuries reported on Tuesday. Additionally, one casualty occurred in the eastern Donetsk region the same day.
Russian attacks persisted on Wednesday, resulting in three deaths in the western Rivne region and one death in Zaporizhzhia, located in the south.
Statements from Ukrainian Leadership
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia had launched 800 drones throughout the day and cautioned that missile launches might follow.
In Russia, officials reported that Ukrainian drones struck three industrial facilities overnight, though no casualties were reported.
Context of the Attacks
The recent attacks occurred shortly after a three-day US-brokered ceasefire expired late on Monday.
Both Russia and Ukraine reported multiple ceasefire violations, mostly along the extensive frontline, but no major aerial attacks were recorded during the truce.
Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Regional Reports of Attacks and Casualties
In a Telegram post on Wednesday morning, Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, reported over 30 Russian attacks on three districts throughout Tuesday.
"More than two dozen houses were damaged," Hanzha added.
He detailed that two people were killed in Kryvyi Rih, President Zelensky's hometown, and six others died in the Synelnykove district, situated just southeast of the regional capital Dnipro.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, five people were injured and several residential houses were damaged.
Russian drone strikes were also reported in the southern regions of Odesa, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, as well as in Poltava, located in central Ukraine.
Zelensky's Accusations and Air Force Reports
Writing on Telegram on Wednesday morning, Zelensky said that 14 Ukrainian regions were attacked throughout Tuesday, with additional attacks occurring overnight.
He accused Russia of "purposely" targeting Ukraine's railway infrastructure and other civilian facilities.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched 139 drones in the past 24 hours. Of these, 111 projectiles were shot down or intercepted, but 20 direct hits were recorded across 13 locations.
Warnings from Ukrainian Military Intelligence
Russian attacks continued on Wednesday, with Ukraine's Hur military intelligence service warning that such strikes could be "protracted."
In a statement, Hur indicated that in the initial wave of attacks, Russia was deploying a "significant number of strike drones to overload Ukraine's air defence system and strike civilian targets." The statement added that this could be followed by massive missile strikes.
Specific Incidents on Wednesday
On Wednesday, local officials reported that three people were killed and four injured when a residential house was hit in the Rivne region.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, an elderly man was killed when a Russian guided bomb exploded nearby.
In Kherson, nine people were wounded when a drone struck a passenger minibus.
Russian Claims of Ukrainian Drone Interceptions
The Russian defence ministry stated that 286 Ukrainian drones were intercepted since Tuesday evening over 14 Russian regions and Crimea, the southern peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Igor Babushkin, governor of the southern Astrakhan region, reported that falling drone debris overnight caused a fire at a gas processing plant in the regional capital.
"There is no threat of air pollution," he added.
Local officials also noted that two industrial facilities were damaged during Ukrainian overnight attacks in the southern Krasnodar region and in the city of Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow.
Context of Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Energy Facilities
In recent months, Ukraine's military has intensified strikes on key energy facilities across Russia.
Kyiv maintains that these are legitimate targets as they enable Russia to continue its war effort.
