KYIV, Ukraine — Overnight, at least eight individuals lost their lives as a result of Russian drone and missile attacks targeting various towns and cities in Ukraine, as reported by local officials on Saturday. At the same time, Russian troops continued a relentless offensive in the eastern part of the country.
A missile strike on an apartment building in Poltava led to the deaths of at least seven people and left 14 others injured, including three children, according to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry. Rescue operations were underway, with around 22 individuals safely extricated from the partially collapsed five-story structure. Volodymyr Kohut, the acting governor of the Poltava region, announced that three days of mourning would be observed for the victims. Emergency teams remain active on-site to assist further.
In the Kharkiv region, a 60-year-old woman was killed due to debris from a downed drone, as stated by local Governor Oleh Syniehubov via social media. The recent bombardments coincide with ongoing efforts by Russian forces, who have been waging a prolonged campaign to seize critical strongholds in Donetsk, including Pokrovsk and the nearby Chasiv Yar. The Russian military is reportedly advancing through farmlands and wooded areas, overrunning small rural communities.
On Saturday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced the capture of Krymske, a suburb situated north of the contested town of Toretsk in the Donetsk region. Russian forces have engaged in a continuous battle for this area throughout the winter of 2024. The Institute for the Study of War, based in Washington, indicated last week that it anticipated the Russians would gain complete control of Toretsk “within days.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his concerns on social media about the attacks, stating, “Last night, Russia launched an assault on our cities using various types of weapons: missiles, attack drones, and aerial bombs.” He emphasized the need for more substantial support to defend against what he termed Russian terror, asserting that “every air defense system, every interceptor missile, means a life saved.”
Odesa, a major city in southern Ukraine, faced attacks late Friday, with missiles targeting its historic center, a site recognized as a UNESCO world heritage area. This assault resulted in injuries to seven individuals, with debris falling close to the city’s elegant 19th-century opera house. Notably, Norwegian diplomatic representatives were present in the vicinity during the strike, according to local governor Oleh Kiper.
The ongoing full-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began nearly three years ago, has tragically resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 Ukrainian civilians, based on United Nations reports. Many residents have been evacuated from regions along the approximately 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, where Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold back the larger Russian army.
Civilians continue to suffer from the repercussions of Russian assaults on essential infrastructure, particularly the power grid, which has disrupted heating and water supplies. The missile attacks on Saturday compelled emergency power grid shutdowns across seven Ukrainian regions, including Poltava, according to the state energy provider, Ukrenergo.
In response, Ukrainian strikes also reached Russian territories, where air defenses reportedly intercepted nine drones within the Bryansk, Belgorod, and Saratov regions, as stated by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday morning.
