Russia attacks west Ukraine with drones and missiles, kills two

Russia launched a large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine, marking the fourth major attack this month, with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles striking cities across the country. At least two people were killed in Chernivtsi, near the Romanian border.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired 597 drones and 26 missiles, causing casualties and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure in regions stretching from the northeast to the west, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi. Ukraine’s air force reported shooting down 25 missiles and 319 Shahed drones, while another 258 drones were neutralised by electronic warfare systems.

Zelenskyy again urged Ukraine’s allies to impose stronger sanctions on Russia and provide more air defence support, saying, “This war can only be stopped through strength,” and stressing that action, not just promises, is needed to save lives.

The overnight barrage caused the most damage in Ukraine’s western cities. In Chernivtsi, regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk confirmed that a 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man were killed, with 14 others injured after drones and a missile struck the area, triggering multiple fires and damaging homes and public buildings.

Lviv’s mayor reported significant destruction, including damage to 46 homes, a university, court buildings, and around 20 business premises. Local resident Oleh Sidorov described the aftermath: “Windows and doors were blown out. Curtains fell, TV set was hurled. The apartment is covered in glass shards. It is horrible. I want to clean up, but I don’t know how I will sleep tonight, there’s no window.”

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission noted that June recorded the highest civilian casualties in Ukraine in three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 injured, reflecting the intensifying scale of Russia’s aerial campaign.

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