At least 11 killed in Ukrainian and Russian strikes as holiday camp hit

A series of overnight strikes across Ukraine and Russian-held territories resulted in multiple civilian casualties on Friday and Saturday. In the Russian-controlled Zaporizhia region, a strike on holiday camps in the seaside village of Kyrylivka killed at least eight people, including two children, according to regional governor Yevgeny Balitsky. The same attack wounded 14 others, including three children. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately respond to accusations regarding the strike.

Simultaneously, Russian drone activity in Ukraine's Sumy region caused a large fire at a civilian facility, killing three employees of the private courier service Nova Poshta. The strikes occurred hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of an imminent large-scale Russian offensive.

Beyond Ukraine's borders, Romania's defence ministry reported that its forces intercepted a drone in an unpopulated area near the Ukrainian border on Saturday. Romanian President Nicusor Dan stated the drone was shot down by an F-16 pilot. This incident followed another suspected Russian drone interception near Bucharest the previous day.

Drone incursions from both sides have repeatedly affected NATO members since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. In June, Ukrainian maritime drones exploded at Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta, while a Russian drone destined for Ukraine struck an apartment building in eastern Romania in May, injuring two people.

Civilian casualties have increased during the summer months, though both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting non-combatants. Additional attacks included a drone strike on a shopping centre in Zaporizhzhia and a separate assault on a defence industry event near Kyiv that killed at least 10 people and wounded nearly 100.