Russian forces late on Tuesday launched huge drone attacks on eastern Ukraine, triggering fires and injuring no fewer than 22 people.
In the Donetsk region – the focal point of the 1,000-km front line in the more than three-year-old war – a residential area came under attack in the city of Kramatorsk and local officials said three people, including a child, were injured.
The Ukrainian air force said that it repelled 32 out of 55 drones launched by Russia overnight, stating that another eight did not reach their targets, most likely because of electronic countermeasures.
It did not specify what happened to the remaining 15 drones.
Governor Serhiy Lysak of Dnipropetrovsk region said on Telegram that the attack on Dnipro in southeastern Ukraine sparked a fire, damaged houses and cars and injured 15 people.
Lysak said that half of the injured were in hospital and one woman was in serious condition, adding that the attack damaged four high-rise residential buildings and 15 private residences, in addition to an administrative building and infrastructure.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv – hit by drone attacks nearly every evening over the past week – Mayor Ihor Terekhov said there had been more than 20 strikes.
“This is our enemy’s new tactic to frighten the civilians. This (the attacked objects) is civilian infrastructure of the city, these are production enterprises, these are Kharkiv’s businessmen. Of course, they are scared,” Terekhov said.
