Ukraine Says Russia Launched Missile, Drone Attack On Dnipro; 2 Killed In Kherson Shelling

Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 28 drones and three cruise missiles overnight, and 12 people were wounded by a drone attack in the central city of Dnipro.

In the southern city of Kherson, meanwhile, Russian shelling from across the Dnieper River left at least two people dead, officials said.

Though smaller in scale than other recent assaults, the January 7 aerial attack was the latest indication that Russia had no intention of stopping its targeting of Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, often far from the front lines.

In a post to Telegram, Ukraine’s air force claimed that air defenses destroyed 21 of the 28 drones, which mainly targeted locations in the south and east of Ukraine.

"The enemy is shifting the focus of attack to the frontline territories: the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions were attacked by drones," air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian TV.

Russia made no immediate comment on the attack.

In the central city of Dnipro, 12 people were injured by the drone attack there, regional authorities said in a post to Telegram, and several buildings including a school dormitory were damaged.

Over the past two weeks, Russia has fired nearly 300 missiles and more than 200 drones at targets in Ukraine, as part of an effort to terrorize the civilian population and undermine morale. On December 29, more than 120 Russian missiles were launched at cities across Ukraine, killing at least 44 people, including 30 in Kyiv alone.

Ukraine’s air defenses, meanwhile, have improved markedly since the months following Russia’s mass invasion in February 2022. At least five Western-supplied Patriot missile batteries, along with smaller systems like German-made Gepard and the French-manufactured SAMP/T, have also improved Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian drones and missiles.

Last week, U.S. officials said that Russia had begun using North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles as part of its aerial attacks on Ukrainian sites.

In the city of Kherson, which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in late 2022, residents there have struggled with continuing shelling and missile attacks from Russian forces who continue to control the opposite banks of the Dnieper River.

Shelling еаrly on January 7 killed two and wounded several others, Roman Mrochko, a city administrative head, said.

SEE ALSO: Bridgehead On The Dnieper: Russia Struggles To Contain A Ukrainian River Crossing

In the past few months, Ukrainian forces have moved across the Dnieper, setting up a small bridgehead in villages on the river's eastern banks, up river from Kherson. The effort to establish a larger foothold there, however, has faltered, with Russian troops pinning the Ukrainians down, and keeping them from moving heavier equipment over.

Speaking on January 7 to a conference in Sweden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the battlefield was currently stable, but he was confident Russia could be defeated.

"Even Russia can be brought back within the framework of international law. Its aggression can be defeated," he said via video link.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and Reuters