Russian Drones Injure Five and Strike Passenger Train in Volyn Oblast During Mass Attack
Russian forces launched a mass drone attack across Ukraine on Sept. 12, sending nearly 500 strike drones and hitting western regions far from the front lines, including Volyn and Rivne oblasts where five people were injured, a passenger train was struck, an enterprise was destroyed, and power outages occurred.
Mass Russian Drone Attack Hits Western Ukraine
The attack on Volyn Oblast lasted more than four hours with more than 10 Russian drones entering its airspace. [1] Most of the drones targeted the Kovel community according to regional Governor Roman Romaniuk. [1] Five people were injured and received medical assistance with no deaths reported in the oblast. [1] Debris from one of the drones struck a passenger train in Lutsk. [1] Passengers had been evacuated before the impact and no one aboard was injured. [1] In neighboring Rivne Oblast Russian attacks caused power outages in parts of Dubno and in the Rivne district according to regional Governor Oleksandr Koval. [1] An unspecified enterprise in the Sarny district was also destroyed in the attack with no casualties reported. [3] Energy crews were working to restore electricity in the affected areas. [1] The strikes formed part of a wider nationwide Russian drone assault that also hit warehouses in Kyiv Oblast steel plants in Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih and other areas killing at least 11 people and injuring 96 across Ukraine. [5]
Damage in Kyiv Oblast and Broader Strikes
Warehouses are on fire in the Boryspil district of Kyiv Oblast following Russian attacks on the evening of 12 September. [2] In the Brovary district a warehouse building and a house have been damaged. [2] Firefighters are putting out the fire at the affected sites. [2] The attacks on the two steel plants were part of a broader wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine overnight on Sept. 12 that killed at least 11 people and injured 96 others. [5] Russian missile strikes hit two major Ukrainian metallurgical plants overnight on Sept. 12 killing two people and injuring six others. [5] In Zaporizhzhia four ballistic missiles struck the Zaporizhstal steel plant injuring four employees and causing what Metinvest described as critical damage. [5] The strike damaged equipment in the plant's blast furnace and open-hearth shops as well as its energy systems internal networks and logistics infrastructure. [5] Separately a Russian missile strike hit the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant which is in the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovks Oblast overnight killing two employees of contractor companies and injuring two plant workers. [5] Production and auxiliary facilities were damaged while rescue and search operations continued at the site. [5]
Warehouses burn in Kyiv Oblast after Russian drone strikes. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Zelensky's Assessment of Russian Tactics
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky Russia launched nearly 500 strike drones at the country during the day. [1] "In essence the Russians have expanded this war from the front lines where they cannot achieve success into the economic sphere and their tactics are extremely primitive: to destroy every object that can help people endure the conditions of the war" Zelensky said. [1] Zelensky stated Russia is expanding the war into the economic sphere by targeting infrastructure warehouses energy facilities and civilian enterprises to break Ukrainian resistance. [1] The president noted that Russia wants to kill Ukrainian economy to break resistance. [4] He added that 500 Shaheds in a day is exactly not the time when discussion about weakening sanctions should begin. [4]
Context of Attacks on Western Regions
Western Ukrainian regions have repeatedly come under long-range Russian drone and missile attacks targeting energy transport and other infrastructure. [1] While these regions are targeted less frequently than Kyiv or Odesa and far less frequently than front-line cities in Donetsk Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts they have increasingly been reached by Russian drones during large-scale nationwide attacks. [1] On Sept. 3 Russian drones hit several western regions during a nationwide attack that killed five people and injured dozens. [1] The attacks illustrate Russia's ability to strike deep into western Ukraine far from the line of contact. [1] Volyn borders Poland and Belarus while Rivne lies immediately to its east. [1]
Air Defense Results and Nationwide Impact
Ukrainian air force data showed that Russia launched 410 strike drones over Ukraine that day including 37 jet drones. [4] Forces intercepted or suppressed 336 drones including 23 jet drones with 21 hits confirmed. [4] The attacks on Volyn and Rivne were part of a wider Russian drone assault across Ukraine on Sept. 12. [1] Odesa Oblast was the main target of the overnight missile and drone attack while deadly strikes were also reported in Dnipropetrovsk Zaporizhzhia Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts among others. [5]
Ongoing Recovery Efforts
Emergency response teams addressed fires at the passenger train in Lutsk after it was struck by a Russian drone on Sept. 12. [1] Energy crews worked to restore electricity in parts of Dubno and the Rivne district following the outages. [1] Specialists at the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant continued assessing the extent of the damage and possible timelines for recovery. [5] Rescue and search operations continued at the site of the strike on the Kryvyi Rih plant. [5] At the Zaporizhstal plant one of the four injured workers received treatment at the plant and declined hospitalization while three others were taken to hospitals with moderate injuries. [5] The company said the scale of the destruction is increasing with every strike. [5]
