At least six people were killed and dozens injured as Russia launched a massive overnight barrage of drones and missiles across Ukraine, continuing its intensified aerial campaign amid stalled diplomatic efforts to end the war, reports AP. In the southwestern Chernivtsi region, two people were killed and 14 wounded in the Bukovina area after a Russian missile and four drones struck the area, according to regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk.
The deaths were reportedly caused by falling drone debris.
In Ukraine’s western Lviv region, 12 people were wounded in a drone attack, regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi said. Meanwhile, in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, eight drones and two missiles hit the city, injuring three people, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported.
Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces launched 597 drones and decoys, along with 26 cruise missiles, in the latest wave of attacks. Air defenses shot down 319 drones and 25 missiles, and 258 decoy drones were likely neutralized through electronic jamming, officials said.
In a separate attack on Saturday morning, two people were killed by a missile strike in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, according to governor Serhii Lysak. Two others were killed in the Sumy region after a Russian guided bomb hit the area, local officials said.
Russia has recently ramped up long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities, targeting infrastructure and military logistics hubs. Earlier this week, Russia fired more than 700 drones and decoys in one night, marking a new high in recent attacks.
In response to the latest barrage, Poland scrambled fighter jets near its border with Ukraine, officials said.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed it shot down 33 Ukrainian drones overnight.