Massive Russian Aerial Assault Claims Lives in Ukraine

Tue Oct 21 2025 03:38:07 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A significant aerial attack by Russia on various regions in Ukraine has led to fatalities and injuries, instigating widespread fears of escalated conflict.

In a major overnight assault, three people have died and over 30 have been injured in Ukraine due to a Russian aerial attack. President Zelensky described it as a 'massive' strike targeting civilian infrastructures across multiple regions, while Russia acknowledges its own casualties from a Ukrainian drone strike.

At least three people have been killed and more than 30 injured in a massive overnight Russian aerial attack on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky says.

He states that regions across the country were targeted as part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate civilians and destroy our infrastructure, with reports of a missile hitting a residential building directly.

Ukraine's air force indicated that Russia launched a total of 619 drones and missiles. The Russian defense ministry claimed its strike was massive and aimed precision weapons at military-industrial facilities.

Separately, Russia reported that four people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on its Samara region, with Kyiv stating it targeted a major oil refinery there.

In addition, Ukraine said another Russian oil refinery was damaged in the neighboring Saratov region.

On social media, President Zelensky mentioned that multiple regions including Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv faced attacks overnight.

In Dnipro, a high-rise residential building suffered a direct missile hit using cluster munitions, according to Zelensky.

Footage verified by the BBC showed a missile in flight and the impact on a Dnipro building.

In response to the drone strikes, Samara regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev disclosed that four individuals died due to an overnight attack attributed to enemy drones, with one injury reported.

Ukraine's military confirmed strikes on both the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Samara and the Saratov oil facility overnight.

As the war continues, cross-border drone raids have intensified. Earlier this month, a sustained Ukrainian drone attack halted operations at all of Moscow's airports.

Kyiv has been systematically targeting critical Russian oil and industrial facilities contributing to its war efforts. Meanwhile, Moscow has escalated its aerial attacks on Ukraine.

In a separate context, tensions heightened following violations of airspace by Russian jets into NATO member states, leading to urgent consultations requested by Estonia.