Ukraine Faces Another Night of Russian Drone Attacks

On September 18, Ukraine came under another large-scale Russian attack. During the night, Russian forces launched 93 drones of various types. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed or neutralized 72 of them, but impacts were recorded at 13 locations. The attacks once again affected civilian areas, damaging residential buildings, businesses, educational and medical facilities, as well as transport and utility infrastructure.

In the Kyiv region, in Fastiv district, five people were injured in a Russian strike, including three children. One private house was destroyed and another was damaged. In the Sumy region, the city of Konotop and its civilian infrastructure came under attack, with residential buildings, a school, a kindergarten, medical facilities and railway infrastructure damaged. In the Odesa region, residential buildings, businesses, warehouses and other facilities were damaged, with several people injured.

Russian attacks continued during the day. In the Kharkiv region, a Russian drone struck a passenger train, killing one person and injuring seven others. In Sloviansk, Donetsk region, strikes damaged residential buildings, a shop, a delivery center, an administrative building and market facilities, with several people injured. In Zaporizhzhia, a Russian drone hit a shopping complex, causing a large fire. The consequences of the attacks therefore affected several regions of Ukraine and directly impacted the civilian population.

At the same time, Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory targeted a different range of facilities. At the Rostov-Central military airfield in Rostov-on-Don, an An-12 military transport aircraft, two An-26 aircraft and three helicopters were hit. A strike also targeted the Yaroslavl oil refinery, part of Russia’s strategic fuel infrastructure. Thus, during this period, Russian attacks once again resulted in civilian deaths and injuries and damage to facilities used by the civilian population, while the main targets of Ukrainian strikes included military aircraft, military infrastructure and strategic facilities supporting Russia’s war effort.