Russian drones target Volyn, Rivne oblasts in rare mass attack in western Ukraine
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Russian forces launched a mass drone attack on western Ukraine on Sept. 12, injuring at least five people in Volyn Oblast and causing power outages in neighboring Rivne Oblast, regional authorities said.
Both regions are located in Ukraine's northwest, far from the front lines, making them less frequent targets for Russian attacks.
The attack on Volyn Oblast lasted more than four hours, with more than 10 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles entering the region’s airspace, according to regional Governor Roman Romaniuk.
Most of the drones targeted the Kovel community, Romaniuk said. Five people were injured and received medical assistance. No deaths were reported.
Debris from one of the drones also struck a passenger train in Lutsk. Passengers had been evacuated before the impact, and no one aboard was injured, according to the governor.
In neighboring Rivne Oblast, Russian attacks caused power outages in parts of Dubno and in the Rivne district, according to regional Governor Oleksandr Koval. An unspecified enterprise in the Sarny district was also destroyed in the attack.
No casualties were reported, and energy crews were working to restore electricity, Koval said.
The attacks illustrate Russia's ability to strike deep into western Ukraine, far from the line of contact. Volyn borders Poland and Belarus, while Rivne lies immediately to its east.
Western Ukrainian regions have repeatedly come under long-range Russian drone and missile attacks targeting energy, transport, and other infrastructure. While these regions are targeted less frequently than Kyiv or Odesa — and far less frequently than front-line cities in Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts — they have increasingly been reached by Russian drones during large-scale nationwide attacks.
On Sept. 3, Russian drones hit several western regions during a nationwide attack that killed five people and injured dozens.
The attacks on Volyn and Rivne were part of a wider Russian drone assault across Ukraine on Sept. 12. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia launched nearly 500 strike drones at the country during the day.
"In essence, the Russians have expanded this war from the front lines, where they cannot achieve success, into the economic sphere, and their tactics are extremely primitive: to destroy every object that can help people endure the conditions of the war," Zelensky said.
