Russia launched a sweeping overnight assault on Ukraine early Saturday, deploying hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in what marks the fourth large-scale aerial attack this month. The strikes targeted western regions, claiming the lives of two civilians in Chernivtsi, near the Romanian border.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russian forces fired 597 drones and 26 missiles, resulting in two deaths, injuring at least 20 others, and causing extensive damage to civilian infrastructure stretching from Kharkiv and Sumy in the northeast to Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi in the west.
Ukraine’s air defence systems successfully intercepted 25 missiles and 319 Shahed drones, while electronic warfare units jammed an additional 258 drones, according to the Ukrainian air force.
“The frequency of Russia’s aerial attacks requires decisive action — sanctions can reduce these strikes now,” Zelensky urged on social media, once again appealing for tougher international measures against Moscow and additional air defence systems to shield Ukrainian cities.
“This war can be halted only through strength. We need not just supportive words from our allies, but concrete actions that save lives,” he added.
This attack comes amid a broader escalation of Russian aerial bombardments since June. The UN Human Rights monitoring mission has noted that June recorded the highest civilian casualty toll in three years, with 232 people killed and over 1,300 wounded.
Western Ukrainian cities including Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi bore the brunt of the latest assault. In Chernivtsi, approximately 40 kilometers from the Romanian border, a 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man were killed, and 14 others were injured when Russian drones and a missile struck residential areas, according to the regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk.
Multiple fires erupted throughout the city, damaging private homes and administrative buildings.
In Lviv, near the Polish border, local officials reported that 46 residential houses, a university building, court facilities, and around 20 small and medium-sized business premises were damaged in the barrage.
Describing the aftermath, resident Oleh Sidorov, 64, shared: “The blast shattered windows and doors. Curtains were ripped off, and the TV was thrown across the room. Glass shards cover everything. It’s terrifying. I want to clean up, but I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight without a window.”
