Russian forces conducted their fourth major aerial assault this month, launching a devastating barrage of 597 drones and 26 missiles across Ukraine in overnight attacks that killed civilians near the Romanian border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported the strikes targeted cities from Kharkiv in the northeast to Lviv and Chernivtsi in the west, leaving two dead, 20 wounded, and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. While Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 25 missiles and 319 Iranian-made Shahed drones, the scale of the attack overwhelmed defenses in several regions.
The western city of Chernivtsi, located just 40 km from the Romanian border, suffered direct hits that killed a 26-year-old woman and 43-year-old man while injuring 14 others. Regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk described multiple fires erupting across the city, with residential and government buildings sustaining heavy damage. In Lviv near the Polish border, the assault damaged 46 homes, a university, courthouses, and about 20 business premises, according to local officials.
This latest attack continues Russia’s intensified air campaign that began in June, which the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission confirms resulted in the highest monthly civilian casualties in three years – 232 killed and 1,343 injured across Ukraine. President Zelenskiy issued an urgent plea via Telegram for Western partners to implement tougher sanctions against Russia and expedite delivery of advanced air defense systems, emphasizing that “We expect not just signals…but actions that will save lives.”
The strikes mark a concerning escalation as Russian attacks increasingly target western Ukraine near NATO member states. In Lviv, 64-year-old resident Oleh Sidorov gave Reuters a harrowing account of the attack’s aftermath: “Windows and doors were blown out…The apartment is covered in glass shards. It is horrible.” His testimony underscores the growing humanitarian crisis as Russia’s air war creates thousands of newly displaced civilians each month while testing Ukraine’s increasingly strained air defenses.