A Ukrainian drone strike targeted the Russian city of Kursk on Tuesday, resulting in the death of an elderly woman and injuries to nine others, as reported by local authorities. The strike occurred in the regional capital, situated approximately 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the Ukrainian border, just two days after a Russian ballistic missile attack in the Ukrainian city of Sumy that left at least 35 people dead.
Following the incident, Kursk Governor Alexander Khinsthein condemned the attack, describing it as a “crime of unprecedented cruelty,” and confirmed the death of an 85-year-old woman. Among the injured, six individuals were hospitalized due to shrapnel wounds, burns, and head injuries, according to regional officials.
The escalation of aerial assaults comes despite a call for a ceasefire made by U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at ending three years of conflict. In response to the drone activity, the Russian defense ministry reported that Ukraine had launched 115 drones overnight, with 109 purportedly intercepted over the Kursk region.
Strikes on border villages on either side of the Russia-Ukraine frontline have become a daily occurrence throughout the conflict. However, fatal incidents resulting from Ukrainian attacks on Russian cities and territories further from the frontline are relatively rare. Russian investigators asserted that the drones used in the strike were filled with metal shrapnel designed to inflict maximum damage on civilians and infrastructure.
The regional government shared images on social media depicting the damage sustained by an apartment block, alongside debris scattered across the area. A Ukrainian official hinted at the military significance of the strike, claiming that a Russian ammunition depot had been targeted. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the disinformation countering center, made this assertion on Telegram.
Currently, Russian forces have succeeded in pushing Ukrainian troops out of nearly all but 50 square kilometers of the Kursk region, as indicated by an analysis from the Institute for the Study of War. Meanwhile, Moscow’s military has intensified its offensive in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions this year, claiming several border villages, all while Ukraine’s army remains on alert for a potential renewed Russian offensive in those areas.
