Key facts
- Russian aerial attacks on Kyiv and Odesa regions wounded at least eight civilians.
- A 24-story residential building in Odesa was damaged, with apartments on several floors destroyed.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned foreign airlines about safety over Russia.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of state terrorism.
- Russia claims its air defenses destroyed 130 Ukrainian drones overnight.
- Ukraine claims its drone attacks killed two and wounded 16 in Russia's Belgorod region.
Russian aerial attacks struck apartment buildings in Ukraine’s Kyiv and Odesa regions overnight and Wednesday morning, wounding at least eight civilians, local officials reported. The Ukrainian air force stated that these two regions bore the brunt of the latest assaults.
The air war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified as the conflict continues. The front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine remain largely static, and U.S. efforts to negotiate a peace settlement have not yielded a path to peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy exchanged threats regarding their next steps. Zelenskyy warned foreign airlines that Russian airspace is unsafe due to Ukrainian long-range drone attacks, suggesting that "Russian airspace will effectively be closing" to compel Russia into peace negotiations. Putin, in turn, accused Zelenskyy of "state terrorism" and stated, "We don’t negotiate with terrorists."
Putin also addressed reports of Ukrainian military using British-made drones to strike targets inside Russia. He declined to rule out striking British military facilities if the U.K. continues to provide Ukraine with weaponry.
Germany has blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month. The latest Russian attack on Odesa involved 174 attack drones, two ballistic missiles, and two plane-launched missiles, according to the Ukrainian air force. The attack damaged a 24-story residential building, destroying apartments on several floors and wounding eight people, including a child. Office buildings and two educational facilities in Odesa were also damaged, causing a power outage that halted public transport.
In the Kyiv region, a man and a woman were wounded by shrapnel in morning attacks. This marks the seventh consecutive day Kyiv has been targeted, though the latest barrage was less intense than previous ones. The assault started a fire at a warehouse, and an educational facility and a medical practice were also damaged.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses destroyed 130 Ukrainian drones overnight over 11 Russian regions and Crimea. However, Ukraine claims its drone attacks killed two people and wounded 16 in Russia's Belgorod border region, which experienced 140 Ukrainian strikes over 24 hours. Ukraine's domestically developed long-range drones have targeted Russia's oil sector and warehouses.
Western analysts suggest that Russian advances on the front line have lost momentum, with gains being slow and limited compared to the previous year. The Institute for the Study of War noted that Russia's spring-summer offensive has not broken Ukraine's front-line defenses.