Rescue workers try to put out a fire of a residential building burning after a Russian drone attack on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (AP photo)
Russia launched a massive overnight assault on Ukraine, firing 392 drones and 34 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said on Tuesday, in one of the largest barrages in recent months.At least five people were killed across the country, regional authorities said, as air raid sirens sounded through the night in nearly all regions. Two deaths were reported in the Poltava region, while Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia each recorded one fatality.In Kharkiv, a 61-year-old train passenger was killed instantly when a drone struck an electric train early in the morning, according to prosecutors. In Kherson, a civilian died in his home following a strike, local officials said.The attacks also targeted critical infrastructure, with strikes on Ukraine’s energy network severing a key electricity link between Moldova and Europe, said Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
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While alternative routes are being used, she warned the situation remains “fragile,” blaming Russia for the disruption.The assault came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that intelligence suggested Russia was preparing a large-scale attack.Several regions reported heavy damage and casualties. In Poltava, two people were killed and seven wounded, with images showing shattered homes and scorched buildings. Zaporizhzhia faced what officials described as a “massive combined missile-drone strike,” leaving one dead and five injured.Elsewhere, Russia struck the Dnipropetrovsk region more than 20 times using drones and artillery, injuring a 76-year-old woman. In Sumy, a drone strike wounded a minibus driver.Meanwhile, Russian authorities said security agencies, including the Federal Security Service, had been placed on heightened alert amid intelligence warnings of potential Ukrainian sabotage attacks. Moscow also claimed its air defences intercepted 55 Ukrainian drones overnight.The latest escalation underscores intensifying cross-border attacks as the conflict grinds on, with both sides reporting continued strikes deep into each other’s territory.
