At least 12 people were killed and 90 others injured after Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile, drone, and guided-bomb assault across Ukraine on Wednesday. Ukrainian officials said the attacks struck several regions, including the southern port city of Odesa, where residential buildings and critical infrastructure were damaged. The latest wave of strikes marks another escalation in the ongoing war and continues to threaten civilian lives across the country.
Odesa suffered the heaviest casualties after a missile struck a multi-story apartment building, killing three people and injuring six. Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said the attacks also damaged industrial facilities, a gas pipeline, and port infrastructure. Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the strikes, stating they targeted facilities linked to fuel storage, military production, and logistics operations rather than civilian sites.
Read more: Russia strikes Kyiv, killing two
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched two cruise missiles and more than 120 drones, adding that air defenses intercepted or disabled over four-fifths of the drones. Elsewhere, two people were killed in Kharkiv, while guided bomb attacks claimed three lives in Sumy. Additional strikes in Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk left four more people dead and dozens injured.
Ukraine responded with its own military operation, claiming its drones struck 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight. The latest exchange of attacks came as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv to discuss deeper defense cooperation, Ukraine’s European Union membership ambitions, and support for the country ahead of winter. She announced a new EU-Ukraine Defence Industrial Partnership aimed at expanding joint defense production.
Read more: Ukraine intercepts five Russian missiles overnight
The renewed attacks reflect an intensifying phase of the conflict, with Russia increasing strikes on Ukrainian cities while Kyiv expands drone operations against Russian military and energy targets. According to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission, June recorded Ukraine’s highest civilian casualties since the early months of the full-scale invasion, with 293 people killed and nearly 2,000 injured, underscoring the continuing humanitarian toll of the war.