Massive Russian Attacks on Ukraine: 16 Dead
Russia targeted Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske, and Kremenchuk with ballistic missiles and drones overnight and into the morning. Ukraine retaliated with strikes on the Moscow and Rostov regions.
Russia targeted Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske, and Kremenchuk with ballistic missiles and drones overnight and into the morning. Ukraine retaliated with strikes on the Moscow and Rostov regions.
Russian forces launched a massive attack with ballistic missiles and drones on several Ukrainian cities overnight from Saturday to Sunday, August 16, 2026. Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske, and Kremenchuk were hit. According to data published by Tagesschau, at least 16 people were killed in the mutual attacks. Ukraine and Russia have been escalating their mutual attacks for months, with more and more civilians being killed, more than four years after the start of the Russian invasion. Diplomatic efforts to end the war are at a standstill, and there are no major breakthroughs on the front line.
In the Ukrainian capital, fires broke out in two city districts, Obolon and Holosiiv. According to a report by Ukrainska Pravda, two people were injured in Kyiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to stay in shelters. In the capital, the book square was also hit. The Kyiv Book Fair was the hardest hit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on Telegram that six people were injured in Kyiv and the region. He emphasized that Russian forces are systematically targeting civilian infrastructure. "Wherever the Russians reach with their ballistic missiles, they target civilian infrastructure," the Ukrainian president wrote on Telegram.
One of the heaviest strikes was recorded in Kryvyi Rih, President Zelensky's hometown, where Russian missiles and drones hit the steel plant of the ArcelorMittal concern. Two people were killed in that attack, and 14 were injured. The plant partially suspended production. It is one of the largest steel plants in Ukraine, which also supplies the military industry. The plant, one of Ukraine's largest steel producers, announced that it had partially suspended operations.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian missiles killed two more people in the Zaporizhzhia region and one in the Sumy region. The Ukrainian Air Force reported attacks with missiles, glide bombs, and drones, including on the industrial city of Kremenchuk. The attacks were also directed at other regions. Two people were killed in Zaporizhzhia in the south and one in Sumy in the north.
At the same time, Ukrainian forces carried out drone attacks on Russian territory. Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov described this as one of the largest attacks on the region in recent times. According to Russian sources, five people were killed in the Rostov region when drones hit a residential area. Rostov Region Governor Yuri Slyusar announced on Telegram that in an attack by hundreds of Ukrainian drones, five people were killed in a residential area.
Three more people were killed in the Belgorod, Kursk, and Moscow regions. Three people were also killed in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said that 822 Ukrainian drones were shot down across the country. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that about 600 drones were flying toward the Moscow region, of which 201 were shot down.
Ukrainian drones also hit a warehouse of Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, in Podolsk. Employees were evacuated to safety. Ukraine accuses the company of participating in the transport and storage of weapons. Worker Beka (18) told AFP: "We were working peacefully. The evacuation started, so I left the warehouse. There was bombing. Many had nowhere to return to work."
Ukrainian President Zelensky released alarming statistics for the past week. According to him, Russian forces fired more than 1,550 strike drones, nearly 1,560 aerial bombs, and 62 missiles at Ukrainian cities and communities. Thirteen regions were hit.
Zelensky called on international partners to urgently deliver air defense systems, especially American Patriot systems, stressing that the Ukrainian military lacks interceptor missiles. "When North Korean ballistic missiles destroy infrastructure and take lives here in Europe, it must not be allowed for European interceptors to just sit in warehouses," the Ukrainian president said.
Note: Data on the course of the war, shelling, and casualties published by official bodies of the warring parties cannot be independently verified in the current situation.
