Russian Attacks Across Dnipropetrovsk Wound Civilians, Damage Infrastructure

Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, hitting multiple districts with Shahed-type drones and multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), wounding at least five civilians and damaging critical infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.

According to the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko, several communities came under fire overnight on Dec. 14-15 as Russian forces combined drone attacks with MLRS artillery.

Drone and rocket attacks wound civilians across the Dnipropetrovsk region

In the Synelnykove district, south-east of Dnipro, Russian attack drones targeted the Mykolaivka community. Two men, aged 29 and 42, were wounded in the strike. Explosions sparked fires and damaged civilian infrastructure.

Russian drones were also directed at the cities of Pavlohrad and Pyatykhatky, where fires broke out and infrastructure was damaged, including a transportation business. Emergency services are still assessing the full extent of the destruction.

Separately, Russian forces shelled the Nikopol district using Grad multiple-launch rocket systems, assaulting the Marhanets community, which is located in the south of the Dnipropetrovsk region, close to the Dnipro river. Three civilians were injured in the daytime attack – a 19-year-old man, a 51-year-old woman, and a 55-year-old man. All are receiving outpatient treatment.

Despite the scale of the assault, Ukrainian air defenses reported significant interceptions. From evening through morning, air defense units shot down 22 Russian drones over the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

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Intensified air campaign targets energy and civilian sites

The latest attack came as part of a wider escalation in Russian aerial strikes. On the night of Dec. 13, Russian forces launched more than 450 attack drones and around 30 missiles of various types, targeting electricity generation, distribution and transmission facilities across multiple Ukrainian regions, officials said. The attacks left consumers without power in the Odesa, Chernihiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, and Mykolaiv regions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the mass attacks underscored Russia’s intent to continue targeting civilians, arguing that the strikes demonstrated Moscow was not seeking an end to the war.

“Every step in their terror, every attack, shows this is not about ending the war,” Zelensky said, accusing Russia of seeking to “destroy our state and inflict as much pain as possible.” He said that Ukraine, therefore, needs increased support, including stronger air defenses, greater long-range capabilities, and sustained pressure on Moscow “to protect lives and end this war.”