Russian and Ukrainian strikes kill 14, Romania downs drone near border

Moscow,UPDATED: Jul 25, 2026 19:50 IST

Fresh Russian and Ukrainian strikes have killed people on both sides, with Moscow-installed officials in the partly Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region saying Ukrainian attacks on holiday camps left 11 people dead, while authorities in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region said a Russian drone strike killed three people.

The latest attacks came a day after a major Russian strike near Kyiv killed at least 10 people and injured around 100 others, underlining the continuing cycle of attacks that has hurt hopes of a diplomatic end to Russia's more than four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed head of the Zaporizhzhia region, said four children were among the 11 people killed in the attack on the resorts. He said 16 others were injured. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the claim.

In Sumy, regional head Oleh Hryhorov said three people were killed after a large fire broke out when a Russian drone struck a "civilian facility". He said the victims were drivers working for the private Ukrainian postal and courier service Nova Poshta. Russia's defence ministry said it had attacked a "storage and launch site" for Ukrainian drones in the Sumy region.

Also in Zaporizhzhia, regional head Ivan Fedorov said a Russian drone attack late on Friday hit a shopping centre, starting a fire that spread across a 500-square-metre area and injuring several people. In his evening address on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said intelligence assessments showed Russia was preparing missiles for a major attack, with indications this could happen within the next 48 hours.

Ukraine also continued its long-range strikes inside Russia. Tyumen regional Governor Aleksandr Moor said a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire on the grounds of the Tyumen Oil Refinery in western Siberia. Writing on X on Saturday, Zelenskyy confirmed strikes on the Tyumen plant, a logistics facility in Yekaterinburg, and a fuel and lubricants warehouse in Rostov-on-Don. Ukraine's long-range drone capability has developed during the war, creating a challenge for Russia across its vast territory. Kyiv's forces have repeatedly targeted Russian oil facilities, causing fuel shortages and creating political embarrassment for President Vladimir Putin.

Romania's defence ministry said on Saturday that its forces had "safely shot down" a drone that entered its airspace in an "unpopulated area" near the Ukrainian border. President Nicusor Dan said on Facebook that the drone was "shot down by a Romanian pilot from an F-16 aircraft". The interception came a day after another drone was shot down near Padina, northeast of Bucharest.

Drone incursions linked to the war have affected Romania and other NATO members since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. In June, a Ukrainian maritime drone exploded at the Black Sea port of Constanta, while three other sea drones exploded outside the port, with no injuries reported. In May, a Russian drone involved in an attack on Ukraine went off course and hit an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people. The latest round of attacks and interceptions showed once again how the conflict continues to spread across different regions, with civilian sites, military targets and neighbouring airspace all being drawn in.

With PTI Inputs

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