Ukrainian Drone Attacks Claim Lives in Multiple Russian Regions Amid Ongoing Conflict

Ukrainian drone strikes overnight resulted in the deaths of three individuals and left two others injured in western Russia, according to regional governors on Saturday.

In the Penza region, a woman was killed and two others were injured in an attack on a facility, as reported by regional governor Oleg Melnichenko via Telegram.

In the Samara region, an elderly man lost his life when a house caught fire due to debris from a downed drone, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev stated on Telegram.

Additionally, in the Rostov region, a security guard at an industrial site was killed as a result of a drone strike and the ensuing fire at one of the buildings, reported acting Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar.

“Our military successfully thwarted a large-scale aerial assault overnight, destroying drones across seven districts,” Slyusar shared on Telegram.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that its air defense systems had intercepted 112 Ukrainian drones within Russian airspace—34 of which were over the Rostov region—during a nearly nine-hour timeframe from Friday night to Saturday morning.

In Ukraine’s central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, overnight attacks by Russian drones resulted in three injuries, according to Governor Serhiy Lysak’s Telegram update.

He noted that multiple buildings, homes, and vehicles suffered damage due to the strikes.

Russian forces have reported progress in Dnipropetrovsk, recently claiming the capture of two villages there as part of their intensified territorial gains since July, as analyzed by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Kyiv, however, denies any Russian presence in Dnipropetrovsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, having consistently dismissed calls for a ceasefire during the protracted conflict, stated on Friday that he desires peace, but his conditions for halting Moscow’s military campaign remain “unchanged.”

These conditions include Ukraine relinquishing territory and abandoning its aspirations to join NATO.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that only Putin has the power to conclude the war and reiterated his request for a meeting between the two leaders.

“The United States has proposed this. Ukraine is in favor. What remains is Russia’s willingness,” he expressed on X.