Russia Kills 4 in Massive Overnight Drone and Missile Assault on Ukraine

At least four people were killed and dozens injured as Russia unleashed a massive drone and missile assault on Ukraine overnight and into Saturday morning, continuing its escalated bombing campaign in a conflict now stretching into its fourth year. AP News reported that in the Chernivtsi region of southwestern Ukraine, two people were killed and 14 injured in the Bukovina area after Russian forces attacked with four drones and one missile, according to regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk. The victims reportedly died after debris from a downed drone struck them. Elsewhere, nine people were wo

At least four people were killed and dozens injured as Russia unleashed a massive drone and missile assault on Ukraine overnight and into Saturday morning, continuing its escalated bombing campaign in a conflict now stretching into its fourth year. AP News reported that in the Chernivtsi region of southwestern Ukraine, two people were killed and 14 injured in the Bukovina area after Russian forces attacked with four drones and one missile, according to regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk. The victims reportedly died after debris from a downed drone struck them. Elsewhere, nine people were wounded in Ukraine’s western Lviv region during a separate drone attack, regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi said. In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, three people were injured after eight drones and two missiles hit the city, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia had fired a staggering 597 drones and decoys, along with 26 cruise missiles, into Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian defenses managed to shoot down 319 drones and 25 cruise missiles, while 258 decoy drones were likely neutralized through electronic jamming. The attacks continued into Saturday morning when two more people were killed in a missile strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region, regional governor Serhii Lysak confirmed. These strikes are part of an intensifying Russian campaign of long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. Earlier this week, Russia launched over 700 drones in a single night, marking the third time in two weeks it has broken records for overnight aerial assaults. The latest barrage targeted areas near Lutsk, a crucial hub for Western military aid close to the Polish border. In response to the overnight bombardment, Poland scrambled fighter jets in regions bordering Ukraine, Polish officials reported. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it had shot down 33 Ukrainian drones overnight. Russian forces are also mounting intense ground offensives along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukrainian troops face mounting pressure.