Russia continues to pound Kyiv, targeting previously safe western Ukrainian cities

Russia unleashed its fourth major attack on Ukraine this month, killing at least 13 civilians Saturday as it rained hundreds of drones and missiles down on Kyiv’s western cities — once considered safe from the onslaught.

The Kremlin launched 623 drones and 26 missiles on its neighbor, Ukraine’s air force said, including 319 Iranian-made Shahed drones. Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s military has leaned heavily on the so-called “kamikaze” drones as part of its new campaign in recent weeks.

Ukraine’s military managed to shoot down nearly half of the drones and most of its missiles — but the blistering barrage still left a trail of death and destruction across the war-torn country.

A 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man were killed by falling debris from a drone in Chernivitski, near the Romanian border, regional Gov. Ruslan Zaparaniuk said.

“The fear just went through my whole body, everything felt numb, and my head was foggy,” a Chernivtsi resident named Yeva told the Kyiv Independent. “I grabbed my baby — as he was naked, just in a diaper — and ran barefoot to the parking lot.”

Fires ripped through the western city, torching homes, administrative buildings, shops and cars — leaving behind collapsed structures, torched cars and piles of charred rubble.

In Lviv, near the Polish border, six people were injured, including an 11-year-old boy, Gov. Maksym Kozytsky said.

The Russian drones destroyed 46 residential homes, a university building, the city’s courts and about 20 commercial buildings, officials there reported.

“It’s truly terrifying,” added Anastasiia Yatsenko, another resident. “Your heart jumps out of your chest when you hear the sound of a Shahed drone, then gunfire, then an explosion.”

Russian troops were also effective in their continued attacks on areas along the border and occupied territories.

Three Ukrainians were killed in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where Russia captured a first village this week after a months-long incursion. In the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region — the site of a nuclear plant — two civilians were killed in the attacks, Gov. Ivan Fedorov said.

Four more people were also killed in the Sumy region by a Russian guided bomb and another four were slaughtered in Donetsk, local officials reported.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it targeted defense industry targets across several Ukrainian cities. The ministry said it also struck a military airfield.

That follows the deadliest month of the war on record, when 232 civilians were killed and 1,343 injured in June, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has ramped up its long-range attacks in recent weeks, including firing off more than 700 drones Tuesday during the most intense attack on Ukraine since the invasion began in 2022, and topping its record for the third time in two weeks.

Experts believe that the recent wave indicates a change in strategy by Putin.

“They’ve never had a technical problem reaching western Ukraine, whether Lviv or any other region,” Israel-based military analyst David Sharp told the Kyiv Independent.

“It has always been a question of priorities.”

Zelensky said Saturday that the pace of Russian strikes demands decisive action – and “can be curbed through sanctions right now.”

“Tough secondary sanctions are needed against everyone helping the Russians produce drones and profiteer from oil,” he posted to X.

“This war can only be stopped through strength. We expect not just signals from our partners, but actions that will save lives.”

President Trump meanwhile announced on Friday that he plans to make a “major statement” on Russia early next week — as the Senate considers legislation to force sanctions on Putin.

The president has openly flirted with stepping up sanctions on Moscow — as well as imposing penalties on customers of Russian oil, minerals and other goods.

The US has also resumed sending military aid to Ukraine earlier this week, after Trump reversed a decision by the Pentagon to stop shipments.