Russia unleashes drones, bombards southern Ukraine overnight
Russian forces have launched drone attacks and shelled front-line towns and villages in southern Ukraine over the past day and night, leaving at least one civilian injured, local authorities reported on the morning of July 15.
Russia unleashed Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 drones at Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts overnight, the Ukrainian military's Southern Operational Command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk said on television. Ukraine's air defense shot down all three Shaheds in Mykolaiv Oblast, but there's been a hit in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, she added, without disclosing what was hit.
Russian forces attacked the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia city twice, and a 62-year-old man was wounded, according to Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Yuriy Malashko. Neither the local authorities nor the military reported what the drones or their shot-down parts hit in the region.
The Air Force reported shooting down six Shahed drones flying from the south overnight. It did not mention how many drones were unleashed in total.
In addition to the drone attacks, Russia continued its routine shelling of southern Ukraine. Malashko said that Russian forces shelled front-line towns and villages in Zaporizhzhia Oblast 45 times, targeting areas like Huliaipole, Orikhiv, and the liberated villages of Novodarivka.
According to the official, 27 residential and social infrastructure facilities in 15 towns and villages suffered damages.
Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on July 15 that Russian forces shelled the liberated areas of his region – including Kherson city – 70 times over the past day, using mortars, artillery, tanks, Grad rockets, aviation, and drones. He did not report any casualties.
More than half a year after Ukraine liberated the western bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, the area continues to suffer from daily Russian shelling.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast is one of the axes of the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, but Russian shelling has long targeted areas near the southeastern front line since the early days of the full-scale war.
Oleg Sukhov
