Russian Drone Strikes Kill at Ukraine-Moldova Border, Hit Kyiv and Key Trade Routes
Overview of Recent Russian Drone Attacks and Their Impact
Drone Strikes on Border Crossings and Major Cities
KYIV, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the southern region of Odesa, killing two people, Ukrainian and Moldovan officials said on Wednesday, as Moscow targets trade and logistics routes to cause economic damage.
Two people were killed and 20 injured in a Russian drone strike on a shopping center in the northern city of Sumy, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said.
And one person died in new waves of Russian attacks on Kyiv, the city's military administration said. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 17 people were wounded.
Russian forces targeted the capital overnight and into Wednesday with jet-powered drones, causing multiple fires and disrupting business operations and schools, officials said.
Russian drones struck regional centers through the evening.
Drones hit five districts of the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's home town, triggering fires and injuring two people, local officials said.
In the western city of Khmelnytskyi, Russian drones hit a market, setting off a blaze and triggering repeated explosions. Emergency services said four rescue workers were hurt.
Two civilians were killed and three wounded in the attack on the Starokozache border crossing in southwest Ukraine, Odesa regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
The checkpoint, about 1 km (half a mile) from Moldovan territory, is used daily by thousands of people and hundreds of cars. Moldovan officials said passenger and vehicle traffic was halted by the attack.
"Most likely, Russia wants to disrupt logistics routes," Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian border guards, told national TV.
Increased Attacks on Border Crossings
INCREASED ATTACKS ON BORDER CROSSINGS
Russia has struck five border crossings in recent weeks, the Ukrainian border guards said — four on the border with Moldova and one on its border with Romania, a NATO member.
It is a worrying development for Kyiv, which has become more reliant on land routes for its exports as Russian attacks on its Black Sea ports have disrupted maritime exports. In turn, Ukraine has attacked Russian refineries, oil terminals and commercial warehouses with drones, often deep inside Russia.
Regional and International Responses
Moldovan President Maia Sandu pledged measures to protect national airspace and accused the country's pro-Russian opposition of endangering national security by downplaying the threat from Moscow.
"Denying the danger when Russian drones and missiles are spreading death and putting Moldova at risk, as well as criticising your country's efforts to strengthen its defences, means choosing betrayal over the safety of your own people," she said in a statement.
Ukrainian Counterattacks and Strategic Strikes
Ukrainian special forces said they had carried out attacks on two gas condensate facilities in western Siberia's Yamal-Nenets region — some 3,000 km (1,800 miles) from Ukraine in Russia's natural gas hinterland.
Regional Governor Dmitry Artyukhov said a plant in Novy Urengoy, Russia's unofficial gas capital, had caught fire. He did not identify the plant.
The special services said the strikes represented a foray into an area "considered an absolutely safe area away from the front for the aggressor."
Zelenskiy hailed the strikes for their effect on Russia's economy.
He also said Ukrainian forces had hit a naval base, an oil terminal, military port facilities and warships carrying missiles in Russia's Novorossiysk, and he reiterated his plea for more international pressure on Moscow.
"A response is needed – Moscow must not go into the winter believing that it can get away with missile and drone terror without consequences," Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
"The aggression must be stopped here and now, before it spreads any further."
Ongoing Air Attacks on Kyiv
Russia resumed its near-constant air attacks on Kyiv on Tuesday after a brief halt during the visit to Moscow and Kyiv of U.S. President Donald Trump's negotiators.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Olena Harmash in Kyiv, Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk, Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo, Alexander Tanas in Chisinau; Editing by Rod Nickel, Ron Popeski and Chris Reese)
