Overnight strikes hit Belgorod, Kharkiv, and Odessa with casualties on both sides

Ukrainian drones strike Belgorod

Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian border city of Belgorod killed at least three to five people and injured 25, according to regional authorities. The death toll rose through the night: early reports from Governor Alexander Schuvayev on Telegram mentioned 13 injured with no fatalities, while later updates from the same source confirmed deaths. Schuvayev reported that four residential blocks, an administrative building, and shops were damaged. Images on social media showed several fires in the city, which sits about 30 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Russian authorities also reported Ukrainian drone strikes on Novorossiysk and Gelendzhik on the Black Sea. No information on military targets was provided. Belgorod serves as a logistics hub for Russian forces shelling Kharkiv and attacking in the Donbas, which is why it is repeatedly targeted by the Ukrainian army.

Russian attacks on Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia

A Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least one person and injured 37, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram. A multi-story residential building was struck, and the search for possible victims under the rubble was ongoing. Earlier reports from the local governor had put the toll at two killed and 23 injured. In the Zaporizhzhia region, a firefighter was killed during Russian shelling while searching for victims after a nighttime artillery barrage. The team came under a new attack during the rescue operation, Interior Minister Ivan Vychivskyi reported on Telegram.

Odessa under ballistic missile fire

Russia attacked the Black Sea port city of Odessa with 17 ballistic missiles, triggering an air raid alert lasting nearly three and a half hours. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported eight people injured and port facilities damaged. City chief Serhij Lysak had earlier reported at least six injured on Telegram. The attack hit public transport infrastructure and caused widespread power outages across the city. A football stadium in Odessa had been struck the previous day. ARD correspondent Thilko Gläßgen reported that none of the 17 ballistic missiles were intercepted, continuing a pattern of zero interception rates in recent nights.

Zelensky accused Russia of threatening global food supplies through the attacks on Odessa, whose port is the main route for Ukraine's agricultural exports.

With this, the Russians are waging war against global food security.

Russia's Defense Ministry also reported striking fuel storage at the port of Chornomorsk and two oil refineries in the Sumy region.

Air defense gaps and arms purchases

The Odessa attack exposed what ARD correspondent Gläßgen described as Ukraine's most pressing weakness: its inability to intercept ballistic missiles. Estimates cited by tagesschau indicate Ukraine needs at least 140 Patriot missiles per month, but US media report that the United States has few reserves remaining due to the Iran war. A new US delivery was expected but would not be sufficient, according to Zelensky. Separately, Ukraine is purchasing a package of US-produced artillery weapons through Turkey, including 70 ATACMS M39 missiles, as reported by the Ukrainian military portal "Militarnyj." The sale requires approval from Washington.

Russian strikes on rail and logistics

Russia's Defense Ministry reported drone strikes on the railway network around Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Sumy, with locomotives and wagons damaged, according to the state agency Tass. In the past week, Russian missiles had also struck logistics and distribution centres in Ukraine, including a warehouse in Kyiv used by the German lubricant manufacturer Liqui Moly. No one was injured in that strike, according to a company spokesperson cited by dpa.