Russia launches massive wave of missile attacks on Ukraine

Russian missile attacks in Ukraine have killed at least eight people and caused extensive destruction. While Kiev waits for its allies to deliver vital air defense systems,

Moscow has increased its missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, often targeting civilian infrastructure such as energy facilities.

In the latest incidents, according to the governor of Donetsk region, Vadym Filashkin, there were fatalities on Saturday after attacks on the town of Selydove and three other villages.

Attacks on the city of Toretsk left two people dead and houses, an administrative building and an infrastructure facility damaged, he added.

In neighboring Kharkiv Oblast, where Russian troops launched an offensive last month, a Russian drone hit a postal vehicle in the town of Vovchansk, killing the driver, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.

There have also been Russian attacks on energy transmission systems in southern and western Ukraine, including a strike in Zaporizhia Oblast that left two workers injured, grid operator Ukrenergo wrote on social media.

Another Russian missile attack on an energy facility in Lviv Oblast sparked a fire that was extinguished by 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning with the help of 67 firefighters.

On Thursday, Russian drone strikes damaged energy infrastructure in the Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. Kyiv Independent reported.

Newsweek has asked the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

The Netherlands had previously announced that it would equip Kiev with a Patriot missile defense system. Kiev is currently demanding increased protection against the ongoing Russian missile attack.

On Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force said its air defenses had shot down all 13 Shahed combat drones and 12 of the 16 missiles fired by Russia overnight.

However, Kyiv is reportedly continuing its own attacks on Russian energy targets. Ukrainian drones struck three oil refineries in southern Russia on Thursday evening, adding to Kyiv’s previous successes in attacks on Moscow’s energy infrastructure for which Ukraine claims no direct responsibility.

An unnamed Ukrainian intelligence official (SBU) told the Associated Press that its drones had attacked oil refineries in Afipsky, Ilsky and Krasnodar in Russia, all of which supply fuel to the country’s Black Sea fleet.

Meanwhile, satellite images reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Saturday showed three burning fuel tanks that broke out after a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot in Russia’s Rostov region on June 18. The fire raged for three days.

Ukrainian drones also hit two oil depots in the Russian Republic of Adygea and Tambov Oblast on June 20, a Ukrainian defense source told Kyiv Independent.