At least 16 people were killed in Russia and Ukraine on Sunday as both sides launched waves of drones and missiles against civilian and industrial infrastructure.
With fighting along the front largely stalled and peace talks frozen, Russia and Ukraine have increased long-range attacks far behind the battlefield. The escalation has contributed to the highest civilian death toll in the conflict since its early months in 2022.
In Russia, Ukrainian drone strikes killed five people in a residential area of the southern Rostov region, according to regional authorities. Three others were killed in the Belgorod, Kursk and Moscow regions, while another three died in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
Moscow regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov called the assault one of the largest drone attacks in recent memory. Russiaâs Defence Ministry claimed its forces had intercepted 822 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight.
In Ukraine, Russian missile and drone strikes killed two people and injured 14 at the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The major steel producer said it had partially suspended operations after key production facilities were damaged.
Other strikes killed two people in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region and one in Sumy. A popular outdoor book market in Kyiv was also hit, destroying several stalls belonging to bookseller Dmytro Semenukha.
Zelensky said Russian forces had launched more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided bombs and 62 missiles against Ukrainian cities over the past week. He again urged Western allies to provide additional air-defence systems.
Attacks spill into neighbouring countries
Russia has continued near-daily missile and drone attacks on Ukraine since its full-scale invasion in 2022, with recent strikes increasingly involving ballistic missiles that are difficult to intercept. Ukraine has faced additional pressure on its air defences following the diversion of some supplies during the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
The fighting has also increasingly affected countries bordering the conflict. Romania said a Spanish F-18 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered its airspace near the Ukrainian and Moldovan borders. NATO also reported that its aircraft had shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace, marking the second such incident there within a week.
Ukraine has meanwhile expanded attacks on Russian economic targets, including warehouses associated with Wildberries, Russiaâs largest online retailer. Kyiv says the company supplies components used in Russian drone production.
A Wildberries warehouse near Moscow was set ablaze in another overnight drone attack. Ukrainian forces have targeted around 20 warehouses and related facilities belonging to the company since mid-July.
Zelensky has said such attacks, along with strikes on Russian oil refineries, are intended to weaken Moscowâs war economy. According to UN figures, 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine in July, the countryâs highest monthly civilian death toll since May 2022. Russian authorities reported 79 civilian deaths in Russia during the same month.
