Russian forces launched another wave of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine on Wednesday, marking the seventh consecutive day of strikes that have disrupted daily life in Kyiv and caused damage in the southern port city of Odesa.
In the capital, drones struck central areas, wounding civilians and damaging residential and educational buildings. In Odesa, overnight attacks hit a multi-story apartment complex, injuring at least eight people, including a child, and causing power outages. Ukrainian officials reported that Russia used a mix of jet-powered drones, which are harder to intercept, along with ballistic and cruise missiles.
Ukrainian air defenses worked through the night to counter the assaults. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for additional air-defense systems, particularly interceptors for ballistic missiles, as stockpiles face sustained pressure.
The intensified air campaign comes as European leaders address a separate incident inside the European Union. On Tuesday, the German government formally attributed a foiled explosive drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August to Russia. An explosives-laden drone was discovered near Ukrainian cargo planes used to transport supplies. The device failed to detonate. German authorities said the operation fit the pattern of Russian hybrid activities.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking ahead of an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Ireland, described the Leipzig incident as having “all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism.” Several EU countries, including Germany, have summoned Russian ambassadors. Germany announced it will close Russia’s consulate in Bonn and end the lease of a Russian cultural center in Berlin.
Kallas said the EU is advancing work on a large package of additional sanctions targeting individuals and entities linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex, with roughly 1,600 listings under discussion. Ministers are also examining further pressure on Russia’s shadow oil fleet and other economic measures.
Moscow has denied involvement in the Leipzig incident, calling the accusations fabricated. Russian officials have also dismissed Ukrainian warnings about the risks of civilian aviation in contested airspace.
The dual developments — sustained strikes on Ukrainian cities and the attribution of a hybrid attack on EU territory — underscore the continuing escalation of the conflict more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion. European capitals are weighing how far to expand sanctions and defensive support while Ukraine continues to absorb daily aerial assaults.
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