At least 19 people have been killed in a fresh wave of Russian and Ukrainian drone and missile strikes targeting civilian and industrial sites as fighting continues to intensify behind the front lines.
The attacks came as the war’s ground front remains largely stalled and peace talks have made little progress, with both sides increasingly relying on long-range strikes.
In Russia, Ukrainian drones killed five people in a residential area of the southern Rostov region, according to Governor Yuri Slyusar.
Three others were killed in the Belgorod, Kursk and Moscow regions, while another four people died in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia.
Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov described the incident as one of the largest drone attacks in recent memory. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 822 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight.
Steel plant hit in Ukraine
In Ukraine, Russian drones and missiles killed two people and injured 14 others at the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The company said it partially suspended operations after the attack damaged key production facilities.
Another strike on Kryvyi Rih later on Sunday killed one person.
Further attacks killed two people in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, one in Sumy and another in Donetsk.
A popular outdoor book market in Kyiv was also hit. Bookseller Dmytro Semenukha said fire destroyed all four of his stalls.
“There used to be a store. And books, and flags of all the countries, all the countries. Tons of everything. And that’s it,” the 45-year-old told AFP.
Zelensky seeks more air defence
Zelensky said Russian forces launched more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided bombs and 62 missiles against Ukrainian cities over the past week.
He renewed his appeal to Western allies to provide additional air-defence systems.
Russia has repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks across Ukraine since its full-scale invasion in 2022, while Kyiv says Moscow has increasingly deployed ballistic missiles that are more difficult to intercept.
The conflict has also raised security concerns in neighbouring European countries.
Romania’s Defence Ministry said a Spanish F-18 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace near the borders with Ukraine and Moldova.
NATO also said its fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace, marking the second such incident in Latvia within a week.
Ukraine targets Russia’s war economy
Ukraine has also stepped up attacks inside Russia, including strikes on warehouses linked to online retailer Wildberries, which Kyiv accuses of supplying components used in Russian drones.
Zelensky said attacks on Russian facilities, including oil refineries, were aimed at weakening Moscow’s war economy.
The escalation has coincided with a sharp rise in civilian casualties.
The United Nations said 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine in July, the highest monthly figure since May 2022.
Russian authorities, meanwhile, reported 79 civilian deaths in July, up from the previous month.
