One person was killed and a total of 15 people were injured in a series of drone attacks on the territory of the Russian-controlled Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Information about the consequences of the strikes was announced by the Moscow-appointed head of the region, Denis Pushilin.
According to the official statement of the local authorities, quoted by world agencies, the fatal incident occurred after a Ukrainian drone directly hit a moving civilian car. The explosion killed the driver of the vehicle. In addition to this attack, a passenger bus near the coast of the Sea of Azov was also hit by drones, injuring at least nine of the civilians on board. The total number of casualties in the various strikes in the region over the past 24 hours has reached 15.
The incidents in the DPR coincide with a large-scale escalation of air battles across the entire front. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its air defense systems shot down a total of 178 Ukrainian drones over eight different Russian regions, as well as over the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, overnight.
For their part, the Ukrainian armed forces are continuing to increase pressure on Russian logistics and oil infrastructure. According to the General Staff of Ukraine and statements by the commander of the drone forces, Robert Brody, a total of 21 Russian fuel tankers in the Sea of Azov, as well as several auxiliary cargo ships, were hit in coordinated midnight attacks. Kiev declares that the aim of these offensives is to cut off supplies to the front lines and force the Russian army to sit at the negotiating table.
In parallel, the Russian army launched new strikes with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities, including Kiev, Sumy and Odessa, where civilians were also reported killed and injured.