Ukrainian drone attacks result in 3 deaths in Russia

Overnight drone attacks from Ukraine resulted in three fatalities, according to Russian officials on Saturday, as both nations continued exchanging airstrikes. The Russian Defense Ministry disclosed that air defenses had intercepted or neutralized 112 drones throughout eight Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
The Rostov region, near the border with Ukraine, suffered a drone assault that claimed one life, reported acting governor Yuri Slyusar. In the Penza region, located further from the frontline, a drone strike led to the death of a woman and injuries to two others, stated regional governor Oleg Melnichenko. Moreover, debris from a drone kindled a blaze in the Samara region, resulting in the death of an elderly person, as noted by regional Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev.
Various regional governors recounted damage to industrial sites, though specific facilities were not identified by Russian officials. Ukrainian authorities acknowledged later that they had targeted significant locations within Russia’s energy and defense sectors late on Friday, a reprisal for lethal Russian assaults on Ukrainian cities earlier in the week. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed striking the Ryazan and Novokuibyshevsk oil refineries, a fuel storage site in Voronezh, and a defense-associated electronics manufacturer in Penza.
Additionally, the Ukrainian air force reported that Russia dispatched 53 drones and decoys towards Ukraine between Friday night and Saturday. Air defense systems were successful in neutralizing 45 drones, as per their report.
In the Kharkiv region, eleven individuals sustained injuries due to an overnight drone strike, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov on Saturday.
These reciprocal drone strikes occurred following a day of mourning observed in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on Friday. During a Russian drone and missile attack, 31 individuals perished, including five children, with over 150 others wounded.
The continuation of these attacks coincides with U.S. President Donald Trump assigning an August 8 deadline for peace negotiations to advance, as part of diplomatic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Thursday, Trump announced that special envoy Steve Witkoff would be visiting Russia to negotiate a ceasefire in the conflict with Ukraine, with potential new economic sanctions looming if no progress ensues.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, protestors amassed in Vinnytsia, a city west-central to the nation, late on Friday. Their demands centered on the release of men detained by military enlistment offices, prompting them to break into a stadium where the detainees were being held.
The regional military recruitment center explained that a group of conscripts had been brought there for medical evaluations and other mobilization-related processes. “In the evening, a group of civilians gathered near the center and behaved aggressively. Attempts to illegally enter the temporary assembly point, damage property and disturb public order were recorded,” a statement from the center articulated.
The occurrence reflects ongoing public dissatisfaction with Ukraine’s mobilization efforts as the war with Russia enters its fourth year.