On Friday morning, Ukraine announced that around 430 Russian attack drones and 18 ballistic missiles were sent towards the country. Four people were reportedly killed.
"So far we know that dozens of people have been injured, including children and a pregnant woman," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media.
Zelenskyy describes it as “specifically planned to cause as much damage as possible to people and civilian buildings.”
A large part of the attacks were directed at the capital Kiev. Mayor Vitali Klitschko describes it as a large-scale attack, where about ten high-rise buildings were reportedly hit and fires broke out in several parts of the city.
Killed at market
AFP reporters in Kiev saw streaks of light in the air as Ukrainian air defenses fired tracer munitions at drones. There were reports of limited power outages during the morning, as well as some disruption to morning traffic.
Attacks were also targeted in the cities of Kharkiv in the northeast and Odessa in the southwest. In Chornomorsk, just south of Odessa, a market was attacked in the morning, Odessa region governor Oleh Kiper said. Pictures circulating in Ukrainian media show widespread destruction among civilian vehicles at an intersection.
Two people were reported killed and several seriously injured. It is not clear whether these deaths are included in the four reported earlier this morning.
Russia has stepped up its drone and missile attacks in recent months. They often target infrastructure such as the power grid, knocking out power and heating for Ukrainian households, but also regularly hit residential areas and other civilian targets.
New attack on oil
Drones also struck Russia during the night, according to Russian data more than 200. Ukraine is reported to have attacked areas on the Black Sea, including an oil depot that was set on fire and a civilian ship where several crew members were injured.
Additionally, Ukraine appears to have attacked a Russian oil refinery in the city of Saratov near the border with Kazakhstan, The Kyiv Independent reports. If the information is correct, this is the fourth time that this particular refinery has been attacked by Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy announces that the military has fired Ukrainian-made Neptun cruise missiles against Russia for the first time.
Ukraine has escalated its attacks on Russia, reaching further into the country. They have primarily attacked the oil sector, which is a key source of income for the Russian war economy.
