Russia launches massive drone and missile barrage across Ukraine, killing two
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian forces fired 597 Shahed drones and 26 missiles, targeting regions from the northeast including Kharkiv and Sumy to the western cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi, near the borders with Poland and Romania.
Russia unleashed a fresh wave of aerial strikes across Ukraine on Saturday, launching nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles in one of the most extensive attacks this month.
The assault left at least two civilians dead in the western city of Chernivtsi and injured more than 20 others, Ukrainian officials confirmed.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian forces fired 597 Shahed drones and 26 missiles, targeting regions from the northeast including Kharkiv and Sumy to the western cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi, near the borders with Poland and Romania.
Ukraine’s air force said its defense systems shot down 25 missiles and 319 drones, while 258 additional drones were disrupted using electronic warfare systems. Despite the interceptions, widespread damage was reported.
“The scale and frequency of these attacks demand urgent action,” President Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “Only decisive sanctions and stronger air defenses can stop this terror. We don’t need signals we need action that saves lives.”
Saturday’s assault is part of a broader escalation that has seen Russia intensify its drone and missile campaigns since June. The UN’s human rights monitoring mission recently reported that June marked the highest civilian death toll in Ukraine in nearly three years, with 232 killed and over 1,340 injured.
In Chernivtsi, a city just 40 kilometers from the Romanian border, officials said a 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man were killed when a missile and drone barrage hit civilian areas. Fourteen others were wounded in the city, where fires erupted and administrative buildings were damaged.
Further west in Lviv, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported significant destruction, with 46 homes, a university building, the city’s courthouse, and about 20 small businesses sustaining damage.
“The apartment is covered in shards of glass. Curtains torn, windows gone. It’s horrifying,” said Oleh Sidorov, a 64-year-old resident in Lviv. “I don’t even know how I’ll sleep tonight.”
The latest round of strikes has reignited calls from Kyiv for increased Western support. Ukrainian officials continue to urge allies to tighten sanctions on Moscow and expedite delivery of modern air defense systems, warning that without stronger international intervention, the civilian toll will only rise.
