Deadly Russia-Ukraine Strikes Escalate As Kyiv Seeks More Weapons

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Overnight drone and missile strikes killed at least eight people and injured dozens more in Ukraine and Russia on Sunday as both sides stepped up strikes in the more than four-year-long war.

In Russia’s Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border, five people were killed and 25 injured in Ukrainian attacks, Russian authorities said. Two children were among those wounded.

Apartment buildings and other structures were damaged in Belgorod, a key logistics hub for Russian military operations across the border in Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted more than 150 Ukrainian drones overnight, while attacks were also reported around the Black Sea ports of Novorossiysk and Gelendzhik.

Across the border, Russian missile and drone attacks struck several Ukrainian regions, including the Black Sea port of Odesa and the eastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.

RUSSIA STRIKES ODESA AND KHARKIV

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia targeted port and oil infrastructure in the Odesa region, one of Ukraine’s most important agricultural export hubs. At least 12 people were injured in Odesa, local officials said.

Zelenskyy accused Moscow of continuing its “war on global food security” by attacking infrastructure linked to Ukrainian agricultural exports.

Russia said its forces had targeted fuel facilities supporting Ukraine’s military in the Odesa area.

In Kharkiv, three people were killed and 37 injured after a Russian attack hit a multistory residential building, Ukrainian authorities said.

Russia also claimed its forces had captured two villages in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, though the battlefield claims could not immediately be independently verified.

UKRAINE SEEKS LONG-RANGE WEAPONS

The escalating strikes came as Ukraine sought additional weapons to strengthen its forces against Russia’s invasion.

Turkey is seeking U.S. approval to transfer American-made weapons to Ukraine, including 70 M39 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles and 12 M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System launchers.

The proposed transfer also includes 2,524 M26 rockets and tens of thousands of artillery rounds, according to details disclosed through the U.S. congressional notification process.

The M39 ATACMS missiles have a range of about 165 kilometers (102 miles), shorter than more advanced versions of the weapon already used by Ukraine.

The U.S.-origin equipment held by Turkey has an original acquisition value of roughly $284 million, according to published details of the proposed transfer.

WAR NEARS FOUR-AND-A-HALF YEARS

The latest violence underscored the mounting civilian toll as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches the four-and-a-half-year mark on August 24.

Ukraine has increasingly used long-range drones to strike Russian military, logistics and energy facilities, while Moscow continues large-scale drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Both Moscow and Kyiv deny deliberately targeting civilians, but thousands have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday expressed alarm about mounting civilian casualties in Ukraine and Russia and appealed for an end to the violence.

“War only breeds more war and causes immense suffering,” the pontiff said. “It is time to stop the spiral of violence and make room for diplomacy and dialogue, paving the way for peace.”

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