Moscow escalates strikes across multiple regions as Kyiv intensifies drone attacks on Russian oil refineries.
At least three people were killed and more than 30 injured in what Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a “massive” overnight Russian aerial assault. Regions across the country—including Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv—were targeted in what he called a “deliberate strategy” to intimidate civilians and cripple infrastructure.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Moscow launched 619 drones and missiles during the offensive. One missile with cluster munitions struck a residential high-rise in Dnipro, leaving widespread damage. The BBC has verified footage showing the missile’s flight and the destruction caused.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed its “massive strike” used precision weapons aimed at military-industrial facilities. Meanwhile, Russian authorities said four people were killed in the Samara region following a Ukrainian drone attack. Kyiv confirmed that its drones struck the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Samara and damaged another facility in neighboring Saratov.
Cross-border drone raids have become a defining feature of the war. In July, Ukrainian drones forced the temporary closure of all Moscow airports. Kyiv continues to target oil and industrial sites vital to Russia’s war effort, while Moscow has escalated its own aerial strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Tensions extend beyond Ukraine’s borders. Estonia recently accused Russian jets of violating its airspace for 12 minutes, prompting urgent consultations within NATO. Poland and Romania have also reported drone incursions this month, raising fears of a broader confrontation. Russia denies the allegations.
On the diplomatic front, Zelensky announced he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York. The talks follow Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month, which failed to produce a peace deal.
With no ceasefire in sight, the war—launched by Putin’s full-scale invasion in 2022—appears locked in a cycle of escalating strikes and counterstrikes, drawing in NATO concerns and keeping the conflict firmly on the global stage.