At least eleven dead in Ukraine and six in Russia in an intense day of cross-attacks

BarcelonaThe Ukrainian army intensified attacks inside Russia this Friday, far from its borders, and Vladimir Putin responded with a missile bombing against Kyiv in broad daylight. Today's is one of the deadliest days in recent times, with a provisional death toll of eleven in Ukraine and six in Russia. The attack on the Ukrainian capital caused at least six deaths and dozens of injuries, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also lamented five more deaths in Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine. In Russian territory, six people died and 26 more were injured in a Ukrainian bombing at a factory in the Kirov region, about 900 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

In Kyiv, the attack hit an arms exhibition, attended by members of the country's defense industry, according to the sector's employers' association. A presidential advisor told the newspaper The Kyiv Independent that the event was being held at a training ground on the outskirts of the city. Sirens were activated at half past eleven in the morning, and the Ukrainian air force reported that several Russian missiles were heading towards the city. The Russian army has recently intensified missile bombardments against the Ukrainian capital. On July 19, it launched 25 ballistic missiles in a single night over Kyiv, one of the highest figures since the beginning of the war.

In Sloviansk, two airstrikes killed five people and injured nine, and also damaged ten houses, a business, and the premises of the Latvian consulate in the city. Additionally, Russia attacked the port of Mykolaiv in the south of the country with drones this Friday, hitting two civilian ships, according to the regional governor, who stated that there were no deaths or injuries.

Friday's attacks have once again put European neighbors on alert. Romania's air force shot down a drone of unknown origin over its territory, which caused no damage or casualties as it was in an uninhabited area. A Romanian fighter jet was on a surveillance and tracking mission when it detected the drone that had entered the airspace of the country, which shares a border with Ukraine; it intercepted it with a missile and shot it down near the town of Padina, in southeastern Romania.

Ukraine attacks Russian digital commerce giant

On the other hand, Zelensky made it clear in the middle of the week that attacks within Russia would continue and intensify even further under the leadership of the new commander-in-chief of the army, Mikhailo Drapati. This Friday, the Ukrainian army has once again demonstrated its ability to penetrate Russian territory, with an attack over 1,300 kilometers from its border. Around six in the morning, a cruise missile impacted a military industry in the Kirov region. At least six people died and 26 more were injured, according to regional authorities. The Ukrainian president confirmed the attack on social networks and pointed out that the attacked company supplies parts for aviation and Russian missile systems. Several Telegram channels assure that the target was the Avitek company, which produces these types of components and has been subject to international sanctions since the start of the war in 2022.

In addition, Ukraine has bombed three logistics centers of the e-commerce giant Wildberries, the Russian Amazon. Eight of the company's warehouses, representing more than 10% of the company's logistics capacity, have been attacked since July 18, when the first attack killed eight workers. Tatyana Kim, founder of Wildberries and the richest woman in Russia, said that the latest attacks have targeted warehouses in St. Petersburg, in the surrounding Leningrad region, and in Simferopol, the main city of occupied Crimea. Zelensky described the targets as logistics centers involved in supplying drone components and other equipment to Russian forces, although the Kremlin denies that Wildberries manages military supplies.