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Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 20 over past day

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Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 20 over past day
The aftermath of an overnight Russian drone attack on Poltava Oblast, Ukraine, on May 23, 2025. (Volodymyr Kohut/Telegram)

Editor's note: The story was updated with additional information reported by Ukraine's Air Force.

Russian attacks against Ukraine killed seven people and injured 20 others over the past day, regional authorities said on May 23.

Ukrainian forces downed 91 out of the 175 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, and an Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported.

Fifty-nine drones disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement. Drones that disappear from radars before reaching their targets are usually decoys. Russia launches them alongside real drones to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense.

A Russian mass drone strike in Poltava Oblast destroyed the building of a business enterprise near Kremenchuk, injuring one person, Governor Volodymyr Kohut said. The attack also damaged power lines, leaving around 2,000 customers without power.

Two people were injured as a result of the Russian drone attack in Odesa Oblast, Governor Oleh Kiper reported.

Three people were killed in Kostiantynivka, Pokrovsk and Raihorodok in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Four more people were injured in the region over the past day.

A Russian guided bomb attack on Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast injured two 60-year-old employees of a local utility company, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. One of the men later died in hospital from injuries.

Another 66-year-old man suffered injuries in the village of Pechenihy, Syniehubov said.

Two men and a woman were injured near Vasylivka and Polohy in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov. Russian shelling of an agricultural enterprise near Huliaipole also injured a woman and a man, aged 52 and 63, on the morning of May 23.

In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 43 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson. Three people were killed, and six others were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

Editorial: Russia just said it doesn’t want peace. This is what you need to do
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Kateryna Denisova

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Kateryna Denisova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, covering Ukrainian domestic politics and social issues. She joined the newsroom in 2024 as a news editor following four years at the NV media outlet. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She was also a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

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By infiltrating Ukrainian positions in small infantry groups, Russia has accumulated around 200 troops within Pokrovsk, the General Staff reported. These personnel are engaging in "intense" small arms and drone clashes with Ukrainian troops in the city.

While Ukraine also lacks Western-supplied weapons, soldiers and commanders say shortages of basics — cars, drones and people — make holding back Russia extremely difficult. Even as Kyiv seeks U.S. approval for Tomahawks, they say critical, rudimentary gear is the more pressing need.

Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

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