Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine, hitting mainly the Odesa and Kyiv regions and damaging the international Orlivka ferry crossing on the border with Romania.
Orlivka crossing damaged
Russia attacked the international crossing point serving the Orlivka ferry on the Ukrainian-Romanian border overnight with Shahed-type drones.
According to Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, the attack hit buildings and the territory of the crossing, sparking fires that were later localized by rescuers.
The Romanian side was informed of the attack, while traffic is being redirected to other border crossings. The registration of citizens and vehicles at Orlivka has been temporarily suspended.
The Border Guard Service urged travelers to take the disruption into account when planning to cross the state border, noting that this is not the first Russian attack on the crossing.
The Orlivka crossing is located in the Odesa region’s Izmail district, near the village of Orlivka.
Odesa Regional Military Administration head Oleh Kiper said the region came under a massive combined attack overnight.
“The strikes damaged civilian infrastructure. One person was injured,” Kiper wrote.
Two residential buildings were damaged, and a fire broke out at a sewing workshop.
Rescuers targeted in Zaporizhzhia
Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration (OVA) head Ivan Fedorov reported that four rescuers were injured when a Russian drone targeted their vehicle as they were traveling to respond to a fire in the Zaporizhzhia district.
“In Kushuhum, an enemy drone hit a State Emergency Service (DSNS) vehicle that was heading to extinguish a fire. The vehicle was damaged, four rescuers were injured,” Fedorov wrote on Telegram.
The wounded rescuers are receiving medical care and remain under observation.
Fires reported in Chernihiv region and Kherson
Russian drones also struck Chernihiv region overnight, causing fires in two settlements in the Novhorod-Siverskyi district.
In one settlement, the roof of a disused cultural center caught fire. In another, two buildings on the territory of an infrastructure facility were damaged by fire.
There were no casualties reported in the region. Rescuers quickly extinguished the fires.
In Kherson, one person was killed when a Russian FPV drone struck a car, according to local authorities.
Air Force: 199 targets neutralized
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched a combined attack from 6 p.m. on Aug. 31 using Iskander-M/KN-23/S-400 ballistic missiles, Zircon anti-ship missiles, Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles and Kh-31P anti-radar missiles.
Russia also launched S8000 Banderol and 218 Shahed-type attack drones, around one-third of which were jet-powered, as well as Parody decoy drones.
The main directions of the attack were Odesa and Kyiv regions.
Ukraine’s air defenses, supported by aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, as well as mobile fire groups, repelled the attack.
As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, air defenses had shot down or suppressed 199 targets, including:
- five Iskander-M/KN-23/S-400 ballistic missiles;
- two S8000 Banderol drones;
- five Kalibr cruise missiles; and
- 187 drones of various types.
Russian missiles and attack drones were intercepted at 28 locations, while debris from downed targets fell at 10 locations.
The Air Force said some Russian missiles did not reach their intended targets and that information about their locations was still being clarified.
“Unfortunately, there are deaths and injuries as a result of the Russian attack. We express our condolences to the families and loved ones,” the Air Force said.
Kyiv and the surrounding region have faced a sustained wave of Russian missile and drone attacks in recent weeks. The latest barrage, which killed 12 people and injured at least 20 others, including children, marked the sixth consecutive day of Russian strikes on the area.
The latest attack came as Ukrainian children prepared to return to school after the summer holidays. Regional authorities had warned against holding large public events in areas considered at high risk of further Russian strikes.
This barrage followed a devastating Russian strike on an ammunition depot in the Kyiv-region village of Myla last week that killed 38 people.