Three people were killed and 37 wounded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv when a multi-storey apartment block was struck by Russian missiles. In Russia’s Belgorod region, authorities reported five deaths and 25 injured after a Ukrainian drone attack hit the area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of targeting global food security by attacking Odesa’s seaport.
Local officials in Odesa said dozens of drones and missiles struck the southern port city, injuring a dozen people, according to The Business Standard. Zelenskiy stated that Russia’s actions were aimed at disrupting global food supplies, as Odesa serves as a key export route for Ukraine’s agricultural products. He also said Russia had targeted nine other Ukrainian regions on Sunday.
Russia has been bombarding Odesa in an effort to sever Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea and cut off its export routes. A local resident named Ihor said that most of the city’s damage had come from attacks near the port area. Ukraine has responded by targeting Russian oil tankers and cargo ships in the Black Sea, claiming three such strikes on Sunday.
Both sides have launched broader campaigns against each other’s logistics infrastructure, including e-commerce warehouses and petrol stations. Ukraine’s energy ministry reported that Russian strikes had damaged power facilities in the Odesa region, leaving many residents without electricity overnight. The ministry said that power had been restored to about 90,000 consumers.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it hit fuel storage areas in Odesa and Chornomorsk ports, which are used by the Ukrainian military. In Belgorod, a fire broke out overnight following a reported Ukrainian drone strike, with photos showing damage to residential buildings, according to a report from kyivindependent.com. Social media posts showed flames in the city, although it was unclear exactly what had been targeted.
According to OSINT analysis, a regional FSB headquarters was located between three of the damaged buildings. The Kyiv Independent could not confirm these reports or verify claims made by Russian officials. Belgorod has often been a target of Ukrainian attacks due to its proximity to the front line.
In recent weeks, Russian forces have intensified missile strikes against Ukrainian cities, amid Ukraine’s shortage of air defenses. On August 8, Russia launched an attack on Kyiv and its surroundings, killing four people including a three-year-old child and injuring eight others. In the Russian city of Novorossiysk, debris from Ukrainian drones damaged two private homes and a window in an apartment block, The Associated Press reported.
The city is home to a major fuel terminal that connects Kazakhstan’s oil fields to global markets and has previously been targeted by Ukraine. A powerful explosion in Moldova near the Ukrainian border was believed to be from a combat drone, according to local police. No injuries were reported, but vegetation fire occurred and fragments of the drone were found at the scene.
Multiple drones have entered Moldovan airspace since Russia began its war in Ukraine. Another drone exploded near an international gas pipeline shortly after entering Bulgarian airspace from Romania. No damage or casualties were reported in that incident.
Bulgaria’s defense ministry said the drone was likely of Ukrainian origin and that the event was probably accidental. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said the incident was under investigation but not a deliberate act against Bulgaria. Both countries are in close contact to clarify what happened.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued long-range drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure and major retailers like Wildberries inside Russia, contributing to a fuel crisis. Russia’s military said it had shot down 153 Ukrainian drones during the night, including over occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. Pope Leo renewed his calls for peace in the war, which has now lasted more than four years.
He said that tragic incidents are multiplying and causing growing numbers of civilian victims, including children.