Russia launches massive drone strikes across Ukraine

Russia launched a massive drone offensive against Ukraine, deploying 149 attack drones between September 9 and 10. Ukrainian air defenses reported intercepting 128 of these aircraft, approximately half of which were jet-powered drones. The strikes caused significant casualties and damage across multiple regions.

In Pavlohrad, a strike on a shopping center resulted in at least four deaths and over 60 injuries, including several minors. In Sumy, a drone hit a recreational center, killing three people and wounding 14. Additionally, an attack on a sunflower oil processing plant owned by the U.S. multinational Bunge in Dnipro killed two people and injured five. In Kyiv, a drone strike on a service station injured four individuals.

Simultaneously, Ukrainian forces conducted retaliatory strikes against Russian military and port infrastructure, including the energy and naval hub of Novorossiysk.

Regarding diplomatic movements, reports of a drone incident in Moldovan airspace affecting President Volodymyr Zelensky’s flight to Oslo were clarified. While the flight experienced delays after Moldova temporarily closed its airspace due to a drone crash near Chisinau, officials from both Kyiv and Chisinau downplayed claims that the aircraft was directly threatened, describing earlier reports of a near-miss as exaggerated.