Russia massively attacked neighboring Ukraine with drones and cruise missiles overnight and again on Friday morning. Ukrainian media reported that there was severe damage across the country.
The mayors of the affected cities confirm this: In Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, Mayor Ihor Terekhov spoke of a “massive attack” in which “at least six explosions” were heard. The Kharkiv regional military administration said Russia had carried out about 10 attacks on the city. The mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, said there were two attacks. Lviv is located in western Ukraine around 70 kilometers from the border with Poland and is comparatively rarely the target of attacks. No victims were initially reported from either city.
In Odessa in southern Ukraine, a high-rise building caught fire in “another enemy attack,” according to Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov. It was hit by debris from a downed drone.
During the night, Russia had attacked Ukraine from several directions with drones and missiles. Lviv was attacked by more than ten Shahed kamikaze drones, Mayor Andriy Sadowyj said on Telegram. There are said to have been several impacts. In the Sumy region, three people were injured and an apartment building and a workshop were damaged when a rocket hit the town of Konotop. More than ten rockets also fell in Kharkiv during the night. Initially there was no official information about injuries. The extent of the damage must be checked, it said.
The second wave of air strikes followed in the morning. Air alerts were raised across the country because of the attacks. The Ukrainians were asked to go to air raid shelters. The capital Kiev and the industrial city of Dnipro were also targeted by the Russians. Explosions were reported in both megacities. It was initially unclear whether these were impacts from Russian missiles or whether they were shot down by anti-aircraft defenses.
Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine more than 22 months ago and has repeatedly bombarded civilian targets far behind the front. Last winter, energy supply facilities in particular were the target of Russian attacks. Experts warn against a repeat of this tactic this winter. Moscow’s goal is to plunge Ukrainians into cold and darkness in order to increase war fatigue. Attacks on civilian objects are considered war crimes.
