Russia, Ukraine trade accusations as overnight strikes leave several wounded

Burc Eruygur

Several people were injured Thursday as Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over overnight airstrikes targeting facilities in both countries, according to officials and company statements.

In Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram that three people were injured after Russian strikes damaged an enterprise and an industrial facility, with the latter located in Kryvyi Rih.

Local authorities also reported three injuries in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, while industrial enterprises and energy facilities were hit in the central Poltava region.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said that the area surrounding the Ukrainian capital was also attacked overnight with Russian drones and ballistic missiles, noting two people were injured.

“In the Boryspil district, a warehouse fire broke out as a result of the attack,” Tkachenko said, adding that warehouses in the Fastiv district were also damaged.

Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said a 16-story residential building, two educational institutions and a private home were damaged during a “massive” combined Russian attack.

Kiper said infrastructure facilities were also hit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on US social media company X that European allies have made “important decisions” this week to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses.

“It is important that these are also supplemented by additional ballistic missile defense packages, first and foremost through PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List),” he said.

“Everything that strengthens the protection of our skies effectively saves the lives of Ukrainians every day,” Zelenskyy added.

Ukraine’s Air Force claimed its air defenses shot down 222 of 258 drones and eight missiles launched by Russia overnight.

The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said it launched strikes on facilities belonging to Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, metallurgy and oil refining industries, as well as logistics centers in several cities.

The ministry said the targets included facilities in Kyiv, Boryspil, Zaporizhzhia, Kremenchuk and Kryvyi Rih.

It also claimed strikes on infrastructure at the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Reni that it said was used to deliver and store military cargo and fuel for Ukrainian forces.

– Strikes in Russia

Russia’s Defense Ministry also claimed air defenses shot down 267 Ukrainian drones across 13 regions, as well as over the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, and Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

Russian e-commerce company Ozon said its logistics facilities in the cities of Orenburg and Ufa were targeted during overnight strikes, with preliminary reports indicating no injuries.

“The Orenburg facility has already resumed operations, but has limited the acceptance of FBS (fulfillment by seller) shipments for one day,” Ozon said.

The company said its Ufa logistics complex sustained minor damage and was not accepting shipments from local vendors.

Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russian logistics facilities in a campaign that began in mid-July and has spread across several Russian regions.

Since July 18, Ukrainian drones have targeted Wildberries logistics centers in Moscow, Tambov, Leningrad, Krasnodar, Volgograd and Stavropol regions, as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Ukrainian strikes have also targeted facilities belonging to Ozon since last week.

Kyiv has accused Ozon and Wildberries of playing a role in Moscow’s military supply chain, while Moscow maintains that the facilities are purely civilian.