KYIV, July 16 (Reuters) – Russia attacked cities across Ukraine overnight with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people, authorities said on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia – three cities in different parts of Ukraine.
The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X.
Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app.
The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile.
Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by U.S. President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences.
“Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response,” Zelenskiy wrote.
In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine’s interior ministry.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine.
“The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions… Putin’s criminal war is getting closer to our borders,” he added.
The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas.
A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul added.
In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there.
Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine’s war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale.
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