IRIA News

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Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight strikes on August 9, 2026, with attacks killing civilians and injuring dozens of people on both sides as the aerial campaign between the two countries continues to intensify.

Ukrainian officials said Russian missile and drone strikes hit several regions, including Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk. Russian authorities, meanwhile, reported Ukrainian drone attacks in the Belgorod region and other areas.

The latest exchange comes as both sides increasingly use long-range drones and missiles to target military positions, energy infrastructure, logistics facilities and other sites far from the front line.

Ukraine reported that at least 13 people were killed and around 90 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over 24 hours, according to Ukrainian officials cited by multiple news agencies.

In Kharkiv, a Russian missile struck a high-rise residential building in the Saltivskyi district. Regional authorities initially reported two people killed and more than a dozen injured, while later updates put the number of wounded at more than 20.

The strike damaged several floors of the building and prompted emergency crews to search through the rubble and evacuate residents.

Other casualties were reported in the Kherson, Sumy, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. In Pavlohrad, an attack near a shopping mall injured nine people, including four children, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A Russian artillery strike in the Kherson region also killed a woman, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The attacks extended to the Kyiv region, where Ukrainian officials said four people, including a child and the child’s grandparents, were killed in one strike. Another death was later reported in a separate attack on civilian infrastructure.

Odesa Port Hit in Overnight Attack

The southern port city of Odesa was also targeted by a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack. Ukrainian authorities said dozens of missiles and drones struck the city and surrounding areas. The attacks damaged residential buildings and port facilities and injured at least eight people.

Ukraine’s Air Force said the barrage included ballistic, anti-ship and anti-radar missiles as well as more than 200 Shahed drones. Missile and drone strikes were recorded at numerous locations, while debris from intercepted weapons fell at several other sites.

Ukraine’s energy ministry said Russian attacks also damaged power infrastructure in the Odesa region, leaving a significant number of residents without electricity. Power was later restored to about 90,000 consumers.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck fuel storage facilities and other military-related sites at the ports of Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said the attack on Odesa was particularly significant because of the city’s role in Ukraine’s agricultural exports.

🔥 A rare target destroyed.

Ukraine’s 15th “Black Forest” Brigade struck and burned down a command post of Russia’s S-300P/PM air defense system. pic.twitter.com/9CQxkfB7Wj

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 9, 2026

“This is, in particular, how Russia is systematically waging war against global food security,” Zelenskyy said. Odesa’s ports are a major route for Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products to international markets. Repeated attacks on the port area have raised concerns about the security of Ukraine’s export infrastructure.

Ukraine Continues Strikes Inside Russia

Ukraine also continued its long-range drone campaign against targets inside Russia. Authorities in Russia’s Belgorod region said Ukrainian drone attacks killed five people and wounded about two dozen others, including a four-year-old child.

The Ukrainian strikes damaged apartment buildings, private houses and administrative and commercial facilities in Russia.

Russian officials also reported drone debris falling on several sites in the city of Novorossiysk. One person was reportedly injured, while homes and an apartment building were damaged.

Novorossiysk is home to a major fuel terminal connected to international oil markets and has previously been targeted during the conflict. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 153 Ukrainian drones overnight, including drones over Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.

The ministry also said Russian forces struck Ukrainian drone storage facilities in the Kharkiv region and fuel and military supply facilities near Odesa. The claims from both sides could not be independently verified.

Pressure on Air Defenses

The latest attacks reflect a broader expansion of the aerial campaign between Russia and Ukraine. While fighting along the front line has remained relatively slow, both sides have increased their use of drones and long-range missiles against targets well beyond the immediate battlefield.

Analysts cited in recent reporting said offensive capabilities on both sides are increasingly challenging existing air-defense networks. Ukraine has been particularly dependent on Western-supplied air-defense systems, including the U.S.-made Patriot, to intercept ballistic missiles.

Ukraine has repeatedly requested additional Patriot systems and interceptor missiles from its allies. Zelenskyy has argued that additional air-defense capabilities are essential to protect Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure from Russia’s growing missile campaign.

The demand has become more difficult to meet as the United States has faced pressure on its stocks of some air-defense interceptors, including amid the wider conflict involving Iran.

Russia has also faced growing pressure from Ukraine’s expanding drone capabilities. Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted Russian oil refineries, energy infrastructure, military logistics facilities and other economic sites.

The campaign has included attacks on fuel infrastructure and warehouses inside Russia, with Ukrainian officials arguing that some of the targeted facilities support Russia’s military operations.

Civilian Casualties

The expanding aerial campaign has contributed to a sharp increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine. United Nations figures cited in recent reporting showed that at least 1,396 civilians were killed and 7,978 wounded in Ukraine during the first half of 2026. The figure represented a 37% increase compared with the same period in 2025.

June recorded the highest monthly number of civilian casualties in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began, according to the United Nations. Russia has also reported civilian casualties from Ukrainian strikes. Its Foreign Ministry said at least 797 Russian civilians had been killed during 2026, although international monitoring organizations and news agencies have not independently verified that figure.

The scale of Russia’s attacks remains significantly larger than Ukraine’s aerial campaign. One recent analysis found that Russia launched an average of 172 strikes against Ukraine each day last month, compared with an average of 28 Ukrainian strikes against Russia.

Russia has also increased the number of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles used during individual attack waves, a strategy aimed at placing additional pressure on Ukrainian air defenses.

Ballistic missiles remain among the most difficult weapons for Ukraine to intercept. Russia fired 139 ballistic missiles at Ukraine in July, the highest monthly figure recorded in 2026 at that point, according to analysis cited by CNN.

Drone Attacks Beyond the Battlefield

The expanding use of drones has also created security concerns in neighboring countries. Moldovan authorities reported a powerful explosion near the Ukrainian border in the village of Crocmaz. Police said the blast was believed to have been caused by a combat drone and that fragments were found at the site.

No injuries were reported, although the incident caused a vegetation fire. Bulgaria also summoned Ukraine’s ambassador after a drone entered Bulgarian airspace and exploded near an international gas pipeline after crossing from Romania.

Bulgaria’s Defense Ministry said the drone appeared to be of a type used by Ukrainian forces and described the incident as likely accidental. Ukraine said the incident was being investigated and denied that Bulgaria had been deliberately targeted. The incidents underline the wider regional risks created by the growing use of drones around the war zone.

No End to Aerial Escalation

The latest strikes show that the war is increasingly being fought through long-range attacks on cities, infrastructure, energy facilities and logistics networks rather than only through combat along the front line.

Ukraine is seeking additional air-defense systems to protect its population and infrastructure while expanding its own drone campaign to place pressure on Russian military and economic targets.

Russia continues to rely heavily on large missile and drone attack waves against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while claiming that its strikes are directed at military and logistical facilities.

The escalation has come as diplomatic efforts to end the war remain limited. Recent assessments cited by international analysts suggest that neither side currently sees sufficient incentives to significantly change its position.

The continuing attacks have instead increased pressure on both countries while adding to the civilian toll and raising concerns about the wider security impact of the conflict across the region.