Kyiv, Ukraine – In one of the most intense assaults in recent weeks, Russia launched a massive air attack on Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens, Ukrainian officials reported. The overnight barrage involved a combination of missiles and drones, striking residential buildings and critical energy infrastructure across multiple regions.
The deadliest strike occurred in the central city of Poltava, where a Russian missile hit a residential building, killing seven people and wounding 14 others, including three children. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry shared distressing images of the building’s upper floors destroyed, with plumes of smoke rising as emergency crews worked tirelessly to rescue survivors from the rubble.
Kharkiv, a northeastern city frequently targeted in Russian offensives, also came under attack. A drone strike killed one person and wounded four others, according to the city’s mayor. In the nearby Sumy region, three police officers lost their lives while patrolling a village, bringing the total casualties from the attacks to 11.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the assault, calling it an act of “Russian terror” and urging for increased military aid to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses. “Each such terrorist attack proves that we need more support in defending ourselves against Russian terror. Every air defense system, every anti-missile weapon, saves lives,” he said on Telegram.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russian forces launched 123 drones and over 40 missiles overnight. Ukrainian air defense units intercepted 56 drones and redirected 61, but several missiles reached their targets, causing widespread destruction.
Beyond civilian casualties, the latest strikes intensified Russia’s ongoing campaign against Ukraine’s energy sector. In Poltava alone, 18 apartment buildings, a kindergarten, and power facilities sustained damage. Similar destruction was reported in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Khmelnytskyi.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed that Russia deployed six missiles and 17 Shahed drones to hit gas infrastructure and other key facilities. Moscow later admitted to targeting Ukraine’s energy sector, with Russia’s Defense Ministry claiming its forces had struck “gas and energy infrastructure.”
As the conflict nears its third anniversary, Russia continues to pressure Ukraine’s power grid, disrupting supply lines and causing blackouts. With Russian forces making slow but steady advances in eastern Ukraine, particularly near the strategic hub of Pokrovsk, both nations have escalated drone warfare to weaken each other’s infrastructure.
Saturday’s attacks followed a missile strike on Odesa’s historic center the previous evening, signaling a continued Russian push to cripple Ukraine’s urban centers and energy capacity.
