Casualties in Ukraine as Russia launches series of missiles attacks

On Monday morning, Russia launched a series of intense drone and missile strikes against Ukraine, targeting Kiev, Sumy, and Kharkiv, according to officials.

In Kiev, two people sustained injuries and various neighborhoods experienced damage, as reported by Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram. The attacks led to several fires in western Kiev, causing damage to homes and vehicles. Although windows in a metro station were shattered, the metro system remains operational.

The Kiev military administration revealed that Russian forces fired cruise missiles and drones at the city, with the missiles being launched from Saratov in Russia’s Volga region. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted approximately 10 of these cruise missiles and drones over Kiev.

Nationally, the Ukrainian military estimates that a total of nine ballistic missiles, 13 cruise missiles, and 20 drones were downed.

In Sumy, which lies on the border with Russia, the damage was more severe than in Kiev. Officials reported 18 injuries from Russian missile attacks, including six children. The strikes destroyed five residential towers and an educational institution, according to police.

Sumy faces increased attacks likely due to its proximity to the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukrainian forces made advances in early August during a counteroffensive.

Kharkiv, also near the border, experienced further shelling. Governor Oleh Synegubov reported that a woman was injured in a drone strike during the night. Additionally, the city’s industrial district was targeted in the early hours, resulting in the destruction of a residential building and three other structures in a garden area.