KYIV, Ukraine – Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight missile and drone strikes that killed at least seven people and injured many others, according to local authorities, as the war continued to produce casualties and security concerns beyond the two countries.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, Ukrainian drone strikes killed five people and injured about two dozen others, including a 4-year-old boy, the regional administration said. Authorities reported damage to 29 apartment buildings, five private houses, administrative buildings and commercial facilities.
In Ukraine, Russian missile strikes killed two people and injured 13 others after a high-rise apartment building in Kharkiv’s Saltivskyi district was hit, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said. Another eight people were injured after dozens of missiles and drones struck Odesa and the surrounding region, according to regional administration head Oleh Kiper.
The attacks underline the continuing threat to civilian areas as both sides maintain long-range strike campaigns against targets inside each other’s territory.
Ukraine seeks stronger air defenses
Ukraine has continued to press its international partners, particularly the United States, for additional Patriot air defense systems, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described as essential for protecting civilians from Russian missile attacks.
The Patriot is the only system in Ukraine’s air defense arsenal identified in the supplied material as capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Ukraine has faced tighter availability of the systems and their interceptors amid the wider regional security situation involving the war in Iran.
Zelenskyy has also sought alternatives, including permission to produce Patriot ammunition in Ukraine. He has separately sought approval from Elon Musk to use Starlink satellite communications to support strikes against Russian missile launchers.
Russia says it targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure
Ukraine has continued conducting long-range drone attacks against Russian energy infrastructure and other targets deep inside Russia, contributing to pressure on the country’s fuel system.
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Russia’s Defense Ministry said its overnight strikes targeted drone warehouses in the Kharkiv region and fuel depots and other military supplies at the port of Odesa. The ministry also said Russian forces had shot down 153 Ukrainian drones overnight over areas including Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.
In Novorossiysk, falling drone debris damaged two private houses and injured one person, regional authorities said. Mayor Andrey Kravchenko earlier reported that debris had fallen on two enterprises and a private residence.
Novorossiysk is home to a major fuel terminal connecting Kazakhstan’s oil fields with international markets and has previously been targeted by Ukrainian strikes.
Drone incidents spread beyond the battlefield
The latest fighting also generated security concerns in neighboring countries that are not parties to the war.
In Moldova, police reported a powerful explosion in the village of Crocmaz near the Ukrainian border. Authorities said they believed a combat drone was involved and found fragments at the scene. No injuries were reported, although the impact caused a vegetation fire.
Moldova has previously reported multiple drone incursions into its airspace since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Bulgaria investigates airspace incident
Bulgaria summoned Ukraine’s ambassador after a drone entered Bulgarian airspace and exploded near an international gas pipeline, according to the country’s public broadcaster BNT.
The drone crossed into Bulgaria from Romania before exploding Saturday. No casualties or damage were reported.
Bulgaria’s Defense Ministry said the drone appeared to be a type used by Ukrainian forces and that the incident was likely accidental. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said Ukraine was examining the incident and that the drone had not deliberately targeted Bulgaria.
The two governments remained in contact as they sought to clarify what happened.
The incidents in Moldova and Bulgaria demonstrate how the war’s expanding use of long-range drones can create security risks beyond the immediate combat zone, particularly for countries bordering Ukraine and those connected to critical regional infrastructure.
This report is based on reporting by The Associated Press.
