Overnight drone and missile strikes across Russia and Ukraine killed 12 people as both sides intensified long-range attacks behind the front lines. Russia reported seven civilian deaths, including five in Rostov, and said it intercepted 822 drones. Ukraine reported five civilian deaths, including two at the ArcelorMittal plant in Kryvyi Rih, and Zelensky renewed calls for more air-defence support. Neighbouring countries also reported spillover drone incidents, and the UN registered a sharp rise in civilian casualties in July.
Overnight Drone and Missile Strikes Kill 12 Across Russia and Ukraine; Air-Defence Systems Tested
Ukraine has increasingly targeted warehouses of Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries. (TATYANA MAKEYEVA)
Overnight waves of drones and missiles struck civilian targets across Russia and Ukraine, killing 12 people and damaging critical infrastructure on both sides, authorities said Sunday. The strikes — part of an intensifying pattern of long-range attacks — came as frontline fighting remains largely stalled and diplomatic talks are frozen.
Impact in Russia
Russian regional officials reported the heaviest losses on their territory. Yuri Slusar, governor of the southern Rostov region, said swarms of Ukrainian drones hit a residential district, killing five people. Two additional fatalities were recorded in the Belgorod and Moscow regions.
Moscow regional governor Andrey Vorobyov described the assault as "one of the most massive drone attacks in recent memory." Russia's defence ministry said its forces intercepted 822 drones across the country overnight.
Impact in Ukraine
Ukraine reported several deadly strikes as well. A barrage of Russian drones and missiles hit the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Kryvyi Rih — President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown — killing two workers and wounding 14. The plant, one of Ukraine's largest steel producers, said it had partially suspended operations after damage to core production facilities.
Other regions also suffered civilian casualties: two people were killed in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region and one in the border province of Sumy. In Kyiv, an outdoor book market at Pochaina — long known for rare and antiquarian volumes — was struck, destroying multiple stalls. Bookseller Dmytro Semenukha said all four of his kiosks burned down.
Official Reactions
President Zelensky said Russian forces "strike civilian infrastructure wherever their ballistic missiles can reach," and renewed his appeal to allies for more air-defence systems.
He added that, in the past week, Ukrainian cities faced what Kyiv described as "more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and 62 missiles." Kyiv has also asserted that Russia has increased missile imports and personnel from partners including North Korea.
Spillover And Strategic Targets
Neighbouring countries have reported spillover incidents amid the cross-border drone war. Romania's defence ministry said a Spanish F-18 shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace near the borders with Ukraine and Moldova after the overnight raid. NATO jets also shot down a drone over Latvia in a separate incident last week.
Ukraine has ramped up strikes on logistics and industrial sites it says support Russia's war effort. Kyiv has repeatedly targeted warehouses linked to the online retailer Wildberries, alleging the facilities supply components for combat drones. Another Wildberries warehouse near Moscow was set ablaze overnight; Ukrainian officials say about 20 such warehouses and related sites have been hit since mid-July.
Human Cost
The United Nations recorded 437 civilian deaths in Ukraine in July — the highest monthly toll since May 2022. Russian authorities separately reported 79 civilian deaths in Russia for July, an increase from the previous month.
Context: With both sides increasing long-range strikes deep behind front lines, civilian areas and industrial sites have become frequent targets, underscoring growing concerns about air-defence capacity and cross-border escalation.
Help us improve.
