Ukraine Strikes Kill 16 Across Both Sides as Russian Attacks Hit Kherson and Zaporizhzhia
Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least 16 people and injured dozens over the past day, while Ukrainian forces conducted drone attacks deep inside Russia, including on a Siberian oil refinery. Ukraine strikes have intensified on both sides amid ongoing escalation, as reported in multiple regions.
Overview of Russian Strikes on Ukrainian Territory
Russian forces carried out widespread attacks across Ukrainian regions in the past 24 hours, resulting in at least 16 deaths overall from strikes by both sides. [2] These Russian strikes hit Kherson Oblast, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Sumy, Kharkiv and Kyiv, with specific casualty figures including two killed and 24 injured in Kherson Oblast, one killed and 12 injured in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, three killed in a Sumy facility attack, and one injured in Kharkiv. [1] [4] [2] [5] The overall toll encompasses deaths in Russian-occupied Ukraine, north-eastern Ukraine and Russian border villages. [2] Ukraine strikes form part of the mutual intensification, with the UN warning that civilians are dying in larger numbers recently in the almost 4.5-year war. [2] US-led talks on ending the fighting remain at a deadlock, with Washington focused on the Middle East and Moscow intent on seizing the whole of eastern Ukraine. [2]
Attacks on Kherson Oblast
Russian forces attacked Kherson and 35 other settlements of the oblast over the past 24 hours, killing two people and injuring 24. [1] The strikes involved air, drone and artillery attacks on locations including Antonivka, Zymivnyk, Komyshany, Pryozerne, Darivka, Mykilske, Poniativka, Tokarivka, Chaikyne, Stanislav, Oleksandrivka, Sofiivka, Shyroka Balka, Dniprovske, Kizomys, Beryslav, Novoberyslav, Rakivka, Urozhaine, Borozenske, Krasnosilske, Charivne, Novomykolaivka, Mylove, Nova Kamianka, Liubymivka, Zolota Balka, Chervone, Novoraisk, Zamozhne, Tiahynka, Burhunka, Vysoke, Mykolaivka, Olhivka and the city of Kherson. [1] Russian forces struck critical and social infrastructure as well as residential areas, damaging 18 apartment buildings and 17 houses along with a church, a petrol station, shops, gas pipelines, an outbuilding, garages and vehicles. [1] Two people were killed and 24 were injured as a result of this Russian aggression in Kherson Oblast. [1]
Russian strikes on Kherson and Zaporizhzhia killed at least 16 people across both sides of the conflict. — Source: dawn
Strikes in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv
Russian forces carried out 1,029 strikes on 50 settlements of Zaporizhzhia Oblast over the past 24 hours, killing one person and injuring 12. [4] In Kharkiv, one person was injured after a drone strike hit a vehicle in the Shevchenkivskyi district. [5] A Russian drone strike on a Nova Poshta facility in Sumy killed three drivers in a double-tap attack. [2] Russian strikes on Kyiv involved ballistic missiles on the night of 25-26 July, causing fires in the Desnianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi and Solomianskyi districts but resulting in no fatalities or injuries. [3] In Desnianskyi district a fire at a warehouse building covering 150 sq m plus 10 cars and one lorry was extinguished, while fires in Shevchenkivskyi and Solomianskyi districts also affected buildings and were put out. [3] These incidents add to the broader pattern of Russian strikes across Ukraine that contributed to the total of at least 16 deaths when combined with other regional reports. [2]
Ukrainian Drone Strikes Inside Russia
Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Tyumen region, causing a fire, and targeted a factory in Kirov for the second consecutive day. [2] The governor of the Tyumen region stated that a Ukrainian drone fell on the territory of an oil refinery, leading to the fire. [2] Ukraine strikes reached deep inside Russia, including on the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, as part of efforts to weaken Russia’s war effort. [2] Moscow reported that Ukraine had launched more than 300 drones into Russian territory, including on regions far from the border. [2] These Ukraine strikes have caused fuel shortages and disrupted ordinary life in Russia more than at any point during the 4.5-year war. [2] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the strike on the Kirov factory, which followed a deadly strike there the previous day. [2]
Russian strikes cause fires in three districts of Kyiv. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Reported Ukrainian Strike on Occupied Kyrylivka
Russian-installed authorities reported a Ukrainian strike on Kyrylivka in occupied Zaporizhzhia that killed eight people, including two children, and wounded 14. [2] Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-installed head of the Russian occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, said Kyiv had struck tourist camps in the seaside village of Kyrylivka. [2] The village was seized by Russia in the first days of its offensive. [2] Kyiv has not yet commented on the strike. [2] Ukraine has intensified attacks in the Azov Sea in recent weeks, targeting Russian ships there. [2] This incident forms part of the deaths reported in Russian-occupied Ukraine amid the total of at least 16 killed across strikes by both sides. [2]
Diplomatic Context
US-led talks on ending the fighting are at a deadlock, with Washington focused on the Middle East and Moscow intent on seizing the whole of eastern Ukraine. [2] The UN has warned of civilians dying in larger numbers recently in the almost 4.5-year war. [2] Kazakhstan’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told Russia’s Vladimir Putin that fighting in Ukraine should be stopped, calling for the conflict to be frozen. [2] Tokayev stated at a Russian-Kazakh summit in Siberia’s Omsk: “How to get out of this situation? Nobody knows, because there are the positions of both sides. But, on the other hand, there is such a moment and possibility to freeze all this. It is a shame, young people are dying… All this has to be stopped.” [2]
What to watch next: Further Ukraine strikes on Russian targets such as the Siberian oil refinery and Kirov factory may continue alongside Russian responses, while diplomatic efforts remain stalled with Kazakhstan urging a freeze on the conflict.
