Russian Drone Assault on Zaporizhzhia Kills at Least Six; 148 of 172 Drones Intercepted

Sept. 21 (UPI) — Russian strikes on a high-rise residential building and a shopping center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, killed at least six people and wounded 38 on Monday, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 148 of 172 drones launched overnight, officials reported. Ukrainian units also shot down an S8000 Banderol, a hybrid cruise-missile-and-drone weapon that has been used in recent long-range attacks.

Among the casualties were a woman in Kharkiv Oblast; a 38-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man in Sumy Oblast; and three people in Donetsk Oblast. A 13-year-old boy sustained severe burns after a drone strike near the village of Lozova in Kharkiv.

Zaporizhzhia Regional Defense Council co-chair Ivan Fedorov reported the attacks on Telegram and described heavy damage across the region.

"The enemy attacked a high-rise building in Zaporizhzhia," Fedorov wrote.

Ukrinform said 55 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region were struck and that Ukrainian authorities recorded 928 strikes across the region over the past day, including shelling in Rizdvyanka, Kopany and Dolynka. Officials also reported 45 incidents of damage to civilian infrastructure and private property, including residential buildings and a shopping center.

Humanitarian And Military Impact

The strikes underscore the intensifying use of unmanned aerial systems and hybrid missile-drone weapons against population centers and infrastructure. Emergency services responded to multiple scenes, treating dozens of wounded civilians and working to secure damaged buildings while investigations and recovery efforts continue.

All casualty and damage figures are drawn from Ukrainian officials and Ukrinform reports; independent verification is pending.