Indian citizen among 12 killed in Russian overnight attack, says President Volodymyr Zelensky

An Indian national was among 12 people killed in overnight Russian missile and drone strikes across multiple Ukrainian regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday. The attacks, which involved jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles, targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure in cities such as Kyiv, Boryspil, Odesa, and several other regions.

Zelensky reported that seven people died in a strike on a railway depot in Kyiv, while four were killed and 13 injured in Boryspil after a five-story apartment building was damaged. A total of 50 people were evacuated from the damaged building. Further strikes hit Odesa and surrounding areas, leaving thousands without electricity and damaging a border checkpoint with Romania along with export infrastructure. The regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk also sustained damage.

The Ukrainian president attributed the high casualty toll to gaps in Ukraine’s air defense systems, stating that Russia’s precision strikes are designed to maximize civilian harm when defenses are insufficient. Zelensky called for increased deliveries of anti-ballistic missile systems to counter the attacks. He also expressed gratitude to countries supporting Ukraine through the PURL initiative and bilateral aid, urging allies to accelerate deliveries in the coming months.

The strikes follow a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. During the discussions, Modi emphasized the need to end the Ukraine war “for humanity’s sake” and reiterated India’s support for peace efforts. The leaders also addressed broader regional and global issues, including India-Russia bilateral ties.

This recent attack marks one of the deadliest in Ukraine this year, with an earlier strike on August 29 near Kyiv killing 38 people and injuring 52, according to the Associated Press. Zelensky also noted that approximately 1,500 drones were launched over four days, more than half of which were jet-powered.

Ukraine continues to face persistent aerial assaults, with emergency crews actively restoring power and responding to the aftermath in affected areas.

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