Russia attacks Ukraine again with combat drones

Kyiv. Russia has once again attacked targets in Ukraine with dozens of combat drones. According to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin, in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, residential areas were also shelled and several buildings damaged. Eleven people were injured, Prokudin wrote on Telegram. A gas pipeline, a gas station, a car repair shop, and private vehicles were also damaged.

At least three people, including a 12-year-old boy, were injured in a drone strike in the eastern Ukrainian city of Chuhuiv, military governor Oleh Synyehubov announced on Telegram. Two people were also injured in the city of Kupiansk.

There were also repeated reports of anti-aircraft fire from the capital Kyiv in the evening and overnight. According to media reports, numerous people again sought refuge in subway tunnels and other shelters. Air raid sirens were issued repeatedly in large parts of the country, including the border region of Sumy in the north, Donetsk and Kharkiv in the east, and Dnipro and Zaporizhia in the southeast. There was initially no information on damage or casualties.

Ukraine, for its part, attacked targets in Russia. Official reports said enemy drones were intercepted in the Rostov region of southern Russia and the Smolensk region southwest of the capital Moscow. The statements from both sides could not be independently verified.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian war of aggression for more than three years and is increasingly pressing its Western allies to supply new air defense systems due to concentrated air strikes.

Smoke rises in the Ukrainian capital after attacks in Kyiv.

Source: IMAGO/Andreas Stroh

About two dozen people were injured in one of the worst Russian airstrikes against the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday night. In a "brutal and sleepless night," Russia used 550 drones, rockets, and cruise missiles in these "cynical attacks," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X.

Authorities also reported a dead person being pulled from the rubble. Zelenskyy again called on the West to help strengthen its air defenses. "Patriots and the missiles they support are true protectors of life," he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha spoke of one of the worst nights since the war began more than three years ago.

Ukraine claims to have successfully deployed interceptor drones in repelling the massive Russian attack on Kyiv. Dozens of Russian Shaheds were shot down by interceptor drones, Zelenskyy said in his daily video message. He ordered the production of more such interceptor drones and the training of the drone pilots required for their use.

At the end of June, at the NATO summit, Trump and Zelenskyy spoke to each other personally.

Source: Ukraine Presidency/Planet Pix vi

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of a partial halt to American arms deliveries, Zelenskyy spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump. "We discussed options for air defense and agreed that we will work on better airspace protection," the Ukrainian leader wrote on Telegram.

In addition, they discussed the capacities of the defense industry and joint production "in detail." Zelenskyy described the talks as "important and useful." He did not say whether the weapons that had been held back for several days would now be delivered.

A few days ago, the Pentagon withheld previously agreed arms deliveries to Ukraine, which was under attack by Russia, citing a review of its inventory. According to media reports, this also included Patriot missiles, which are crucial for Ukraine's air defense system.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has regained power after a temporary power outage. The outage lasted three and a half hours and underscores the precarious security situation, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi wrote on Platform X. The power plant management appointed by Russia and the Ukrainian grid operators had previously confirmed the repairs.

This was the ninth time during the Ukraine war and the first since the end of 2023. The nuclear power plant had temporarily relied on power from its emergency diesel generators. The cooling systems of the shut-down reactors require a stable power supply.

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear facility in Europe. Its six nuclear reactors have been shut down for some time. The Ukrainian side attributed the situation to Russian shelling.

Since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the IAEA has played a central role in protecting and monitoring the condition and safety of Ukraine's nuclear power plants. It regularly sends teams of experts to the active reactor sites in Rivne and Khmelnytskyi and, since September 2022, has been permanently present at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022.

RND/dpa