Russian air strikes across multiple regions of Ukraine killed civilians and injured dozens on Saturday, September 12, as Moscow intensified attacks on infrastructure, industrial facilities and port areas away from the front line.
Ukrainian officials reported casualties in several regions, including Kramatorsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih. In Kramatorsk, three people were killed after their civilian vehicles were targeted, while two people died at a grocery store in Zvyahel in the Zhytomyr region. Further deaths were reported in Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih. Reuters later updated its report to put the overall death toll at 10.
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Odesa was among the hardest-hit areas, with at least 37 people, reported The Moscow Times, including an infant, injured in overnight attacks that continued into Saturday. Strikes also damaged residential areas, power infrastructure, petrol stations and a foreign-invested enterprise in the Zhytomyr region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had launched nearly 500 drones since early morning. He accused Moscow of deliberately targeting economic and civilian infrastructure in an effort to weaken Ukraine's ability to sustain its resistance.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had struck major Ukrainian industrial sites, including the Zaporizhstal steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, the Interpipe Steel complex in Dnipro and the Northern Iron Ore Beneficiation Works in Kryvyi Rih. Moscow also claimed attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure and three cargo vessels, one in Odesa and two in Chornomorsk, alleging that the Odesa vessel was carrying military-related goods. The claims could not be independently verified.
Ukraine, meanwhile, carried out drone attacks inside Russia. Ukrainian officials said a strike caused a fire at the Tolyattikauchuk synthetic rubber plant in Togliatti, Samara region, which produces materials used in missile fuel, as per The Moscow Times.
Russian authorities reported one person injured and damage to residential buildings. The escalation also affected neighbouring Moldova, which briefly closed its airspace and seven border crossings after drone activity was detected near its border with Ukraine, according to Reuters.
The latest attacks underscore the widening battle over economic, industrial and transport infrastructure as fighting along the front remains largely stalled.
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