One Killed in Russian Airstrike on Ukraine, Reports Reuters

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine reported an overnight airstrike by Russia, resulting in at least one death and damage to essential infrastructure, as stated by Ukrainian officials on Thursday.

According to Kyiv’s military, Russian forces launched 78 attack drones and six missiles targeting various regions across the country during an extended attack. Air defense systems managed to intercept 66 drones and four missiles.

A missile strike in Odesa, located in southern Ukraine, resulted in the death of one woman, while a guided-bomb attack in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia injured eight others, as noted by interior minister Ihor Klymenko on social media.

Approximately a dozen drones were neutralized over the capital, Kyiv, where the attack caused damage to 20 vehicles and a residential gas line, reported Serhiy Popko, the head of the local military administration.

The western city of Ivano-Frankivsk experienced power outages due to a Russian strike on vital infrastructure, according to regional governor Svitlana Onyshchuk. Additionally, the national grid operator indicated power shortages in the central Poltava and northern Chernihiv regions, alongside other frontline areas.

Later in the morning, Kyiv’s air force noted the launch of multiple hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, although further details were not immediately provided.

Since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has frequently targeted towns and cities far from the front lines with drones and missiles. While Moscow has continually denied striking civilian targets in Ukraine, it maintains that the country’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate military objective.