Russia has escalated its attacks across Ukraine, resulting in dozens of casualties, with the central city of Dnipro bearing the brunt of the latest deadly assaults. Ukrainian officials confirm that at least 26 people were killed nationwide in recent Russian strikes, which coincide with intensified exchanges of drone attacks between Moscow and Kyiv.
The deadliest single incident occurred in Dnipro, where an early morning Russian missile attack tragically raised the death toll to 17 people killed by late Tuesday. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak reported that 279 people were wounded in the attack, including children, with extensive damage inflicted on dozens of buildings and infrastructure. In the nearby town of Samar, two additional fatalities and 14 injuries were reported from separate strikes.
These attacks follow a pattern of intensifying hostilities. Just the previous day, a “massive” missile and drone strike on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killed at least 10 people. This large-scale assault on Kyiv involved hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, targeting civilian infrastructure and resulting in significant destruction, including a ballistic missile hitting a nine-storey apartment building.
Beyond Dnipro and Kyiv, other regions have also suffered casualties. A Russian attack on a village in the Sumy region killed an eight-year-old boy and two adults, injuring three others. Local authorities also reported drone strikes wounding five people in Kharkiv and four others in the broader Dnipropetrovsk region.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strikes on Dnipro as a “rejection of peace,” highlighting the contrast with the ongoing NATO summit in The Hague. Sybiha stated Russia was sending a “message of terror” while world leaders gathered, and urged Kyiv’s allies to “step up pressure on Moscow.” NATO members are expected to agree on boosting military spending at the summit, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump to discuss support and ceasefire efforts. The Netherlands has already announced a new aid package including drone detection radars.
The intensified attacks come amidst stalled efforts by the United States to broker a ceasefire. Some observers suggest Russia appears eager to press its advantage while global attention is partly focused on the conflict between Israel and Iran. Despite diplomatic efforts, including past US-facilitated talks that yielded little progress, a comprehensive peace deal remains elusive. Ukraine has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging peace initiatives to prolong its offensive and seize more territory.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has also ramped up its use of drones targeting sites within Russia. Moscow reported that a Ukrainian drone struck a residential building in the capital overnight, causing a fire and injuring two people, including a pregnant woman. The governor of the Moscow region confirmed the incident in Krasnogorsk, west of the city, and the evacuation of about 100 residents. Russian authorities claimed their air defences destroyed a large number of Ukrainian drones across various regions overnight, including two over the Moscow region.
The conflict continues more than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, with Russia currently occupying approximately a fifth of Ukraine and claiming to have annexed four regions in addition to Crimea. The recent surge in deadly attacks underscores the ongoing human cost and the severe challenges facing any path toward de-escalation or peace.
