At least two dozen people injured in Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine
July 16 (UPI) -- At least 24 people were injured in Ukraine overnight as Russia maintained a weeks-long summer blitz, launching as many as 400 drones targeting regions in the east, center and southwest of the country.
The airborne assault was aimed primarily at the provinces of Odessa, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and Dnipropetrovsk, where 15 people were injured in one of the largest attacks of the war on Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown.
Calling it "the most massive attack... since the start of the war," Kryvyi Rih military administration head and former deputy prime minister Oleksandr Vilkul said the city had been attacked with 28 drones and a ballistic missile, setting parts of the city ablaze and causing power and water outages.
Industrial infrastructure was hit in Vinnytsia, southwest of Kyiv, with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski saying several people had been injured, including two with severe burns, after a factory owned by Polish flooring manufacturer Barlinek Group was struck with a three-pronged attack.
"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's criminal war is moving closer to our borders," said Sikorski.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the city, Ukraine's second-largest behind Kyiv, was hit 16 times in less than 15 minutes.
Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said a 54-year-old male resident of the city was injured.
The Ukrainian air force said 85% of the drones were shot down by air defenses or went the wrong way.
Zelensky said the rescue operation in the affected areas was still ongoing.
"Russia is not changing its strategy -- and to counter this terror effectively, we need to systematically strengthen our defenses: more air defense systems, more interceptors, and more determination," Zelensky wrote on social media.
The continuation of Russia's large-scale aerial offensive came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump set a 50-day deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign onto a deal to end the war or see secondary sanctions slapped on nations that opt to continue to purchase Russian oil and gas.
The largest attack of the current wave and the largest since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, came on the night of July 8.
Russian forces rained down more than 740 drones and missiles through the night on targets all across the country, including Kyiv and provinces in the far west, killing at least five people and injuring 39.
Zelensky said Sunday that in the previous seven days alone, Ukraine had been attacked with over 1,800 drones, 1,200 glide-bombs and 83 ballistic, cruise and other types of missiles.
The carnage prompted Trump to announce the very same day that the United States would supply Ukraine with more Patriot air defense systems, via NATO allies, to help protect its cities from Russian airborne attacks.
Under the plan, NATO member states in Europe will send their Patriot launcher batteries to Ukraine and place commercial orders for replacements from the U.S. manufacturer, Raytheon, via the Defense Department.
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