At least six dead after Russian attacks across Ukraine
Regional officials say drone strikes on a bus in Kherson and buildings in Zaporizhzhia have left at least six people dead and twelve wounded. Here is what we know about the latest developments across the front line.
At least six people have been killed and twelve others injured across Ukraine following a series of Russian strikes, according to regional authorities. Let me walk you through what has taken place over the past twenty-four hours.
The deadliest incident occurred in the southern front-line city of Kherson on Wednesday morning. At around 8:50am local time, a Russian drone struck a public bus. Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin confirmed that at least four passengers died and four others were wounded. In an update shared on Telegram, he posted blurred photographs showing shattered windows and blood on the yellow vehicle's steps, adding that the injured had been taken to hospital.
Kherson was hit again in a separate drone strike in the centre of the city, where one person was killed and another injured. Russian forces held the city between March and November 2022 before being pushed back across the Dnipro River by a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The city, which was home to around 280,000 people before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, now faces regular drone attacks.
Ukrainian authorities maintain that these strikes deliberately target civilians. Earlier this month, Kyiv accused Russian forces of using a remotely piloted FPV drone to chase a man through a Kherson street market, describing the tactic as a "safari" against local residents.
Further to the southeast, another fatal strike took place in Zaporizhzhia. Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov reported that Russian drones struck the regional capital, killing one person and injuring seven others. The attack ignited a fire and damaged both residential and non-residential buildings.
Out at sea, Russia's Ministry of Defence reported via the Interfax news agency that its forces struck a cargo vessel in the Black Sea near the port of Odesa, claiming the ship was carrying military supplies. Moscow also stated that its troops had captured the settlement of Vodianske in the Donetsk region, though that claim has not been independently verified.
Meanwhile, Russian territory has also seen drone activity. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defence systems brought down 453 Ukrainian drones overnight across various regions. In the city of Ufa, an oil refining hub in the republic of Bashkortostan, regional head Radiy Khabirov reported on Telegram that a falling drone caused a small fire in an industrial district, while another struck an apartment block and several cars, injuring one person.
These attacks coincide with a sharp rise in civilian casualties as the four-and-a-half-year conflict grinds on. United Nations data reveals that 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine last month alone, making it the deadliest month for non-combatants since May 2022. Russian authorities separately reported that 79 civilians were killed in Ukrainian attacks during July, an increase on the previous month. At the same time, United States-backed talks aimed at ending the war remain completely stalled.
Against that backdrop of deadlock, the two countries did manage one limited diplomatic exchange. Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed that Moscow and Kyiv have exchanged 103 prisoners of war each, continuing a series of periodic swaps that have seen thousands of captives traded throughout the conflict.
I'll be following this one — check back for updates.
Sources
- aljazeera.com
- upi.com
