At least five people were killed and 66 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday, September 3, as Moscow launched a large-scale wave of drone and other aerial attacks reaching even western regions of the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said overnight Russian strikes caused damage in 13 oblasts, while air raid alerts remained in effect for prolonged periods across numerous cities and communities amid warnings of incoming jet-powered drones.

“The enemy did not go on vacation – the Russians have found a new escalation and have no plans to slow it down,” Zelensky said, calling for a stronger international response and faster European production of air-defense systems capable of countering both missiles and drones.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 163 Shahed-type drones and other aerial targets overnight. Around half of the drones were reportedly jet-powered. The barrage also included S8000 Banderol munitions, Gerbera drones and decoy targets intended to complicate Ukrainian air-defense operations.

Ukrainian air defenses destroyed or neutralized 135 drones, while impacts were recorded at 15 locations and debris from intercepted targets fell at four additional sites, according to the Air Force.

The overnight attacks extended deep into western Ukraine, including Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia oblasts, demonstrating the wide geographic reach of the Russian drone campaign.

In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the State Emergency Service said Russian drones struck twice overnight. Debris from an intercepted drone fell onto an industrial facility in the city of Khmelnytskyi, setting a truck ablaze and damaging a warehouse. The truck driver suffered shrapnel wounds and was hospitalized.

A second strike triggered a fire at another industrial facility in the oblast.

In neighboring Vinnytsia Oblast, two women were injured after what local authorities described as the likely impact of drone debris in the regional capital. Residential buildings and nearby property sustained damage.

Odesa Oblast recorded the largest number of injuries, with at least 17 people, including three children, wounded in a Russian attack.

According to regional Governor Oleh Kiper, the strikes damaged 20 apartments on the 10th through 17th floors of a residential building, as well as 12 vehicles parked nearby.

The attack highlights the continuing danger posed by Russia's extensive drone campaign, which has increasingly targeted Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure far from the immediate front lines.

The deadliest attacks were reported in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where four people were killed and 13 others wounded.

Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said Russian forces attacked six districts using drones, artillery and a glide bomb. Educational facilities, apartment buildings, a food warehouse and vehicles were among the sites damaged.

In Kherson Oblast, one person was killed and 16 others were injured. Three apartment buildings, six private houses, an administrative facility, a humanitarian aid distribution center, agricultural machinery and vehicles were damaged.

In Sumy Oblast, Ukrainian authorities reported nearly 40 Russian attacks against 24 settlements, leaving eight civilians injured.

In Donetsk Oblast, six people were wounded after Russian forces carried out 37 attacks against settlements across the region. Five of the injured were in Kramatorsk and one in Sloviansk, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.

Two people were injured in Kharkiv Oblast, where Russian forces attacked 10 settlements using a missile, Molniya and FPV drones, as well as dozens of other unmanned aerial vehicles.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one person was injured in an attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia. Governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian forces carried out 957 strikes against 52 settlements across the oblast during the previous 24-hour period.

Meanwhile, in Kyiv Oblast, a man suffered shrapnel wounds in Boryspil district and was hospitalized. Warehouses, an administrative building, a shop and kiosks were damaged, while a private house caught fire and a vehicle was also damaged.

The latest barrage underscores the continuing intensity of Russia’s aerial campaign against Ukraine, with drones increasingly reaching regions far from the front line. Ukrainian officials continue to press European partners to accelerate deliveries and production of air-defense systems as Kyiv seeks to strengthen protection against Russia’s growing use of drones, missiles and other long-range weapons. (ILKHA)