Drone and missile strikes kill 19 in Russia and Ukraine
Waves of drone and missile strikes killed 19 people across Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, as both sides escalate long-range attacks on civilian infrastructure while frontline fighting stalls and peace talks remain frozen.
Strikes killed 19 people in Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, authorities said, as both countries pummelled civilian infrastructure with drones and missiles far from the front line, where fighting has largely stalled and negotiations remain stalled. Civilian casualties have climbed to their highest levels since the war's opening months in 2022.
In Russia, a swarm of Ukrainian drones killed five people in a residential area of the southern Rostov region, according to regional governor Yuri Slusar. Three more people died in the Belgorod, Kursk and Moscow regions, and four others were killed in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov called it one of the most massive drone attacks in recent memory. Russia's defence ministry said it downed or intercepted 822 drones nationwide overnight.
Kyiv book market hit
In Ukraine, a Russian drone and missile barrage killed two people and wounded 14 at an ArcelorMittal steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown, forcing the plant to partially halt operations after core facilities were damaged. A separate evening strike on Kryvyi Rih killed one more person. Further strikes hit the Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Donetsk regions, adding to the toll. In Kyiv, the well-known Pochaina outdoor book market was struck, with bookseller Dmytro Semenukha losing all four of his stalls to fire. Zelensky said on social media that Russia deliberately targets civilian infrastructure wherever its ballistic missiles can reach, adding that over the past week Ukrainian cities had been hit by more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided bombs and 62 missiles.
Conflict spilling beyond Ukraine
Zelensky renewed his appeal for more air defence support from allies, citing the use of North Korean ballistic missiles. Romania's defence ministry said a Spanish F-18 fighter jet shot down a drone that had crossed into its airspace near the Ukrainian and Moldovan borders. NATO said Friday its jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace, the second such incident there within a week, Latvia's defence ministry confirmed. Ukraine, meanwhile, has kept striking warehouses belonging to Russian retailer Wildberries, alleging they supply parts for drone production, hitting around 20 related sites since mid-July. According to United Nations figures, 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine in July, the highest monthly toll since May 2022, while Russian authorities reported 79 civilian deaths on their side that month.
