Russian double-tap attack injures 5, including emergency workers, in Nikopol

Russian drones struck a cargo truck in the city of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast overnight on July 17, injuring five people, including three emergency workers, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported.

Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones initially struck a cargo truck, causing a fire and injuring two civilians. Soon after, as emergency workers were working on site, another Russian drone targeted the scene, injuring three emergency workers, the State Emergency Service said.

Ukraine's Air Force reported that drone were approaching the city around 1:45 a.m. local time.

The attack hospitalized the emergency workers. No information was provided on the status of the other two injured victims, described as one man and one woman.

Russia has repeatedly employed double-tap attacks against civilian targets, often resulting in casualties among first responders.

Nikopol, located on the banks of the destroyed Kakhovka Reservoir, just across from Russian-occupied Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, is a near-daily target of artillery and drone strikes.

As Moscow continues to intensify its drone attacks against Ukrainian cities, Russian forces have attempted gain a foothold in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Russian troops have been tasked with establishing a buffer zone up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Bloomberg, published on July 11.

Despite Russia's claims that it had entered the region, Ukraine's military has repeatedly denied the reports.