Russian drone strike on police headquarters in Zhytomyr kills 2, injures at least 40
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Russian forces struck the regional headquarters of Ukraine's National Police in Zhytomyr with Banderol drones on Aug. 19, killing two police officers and injuring at least 40 people, according to First Deputy Head of the National Police Maksym Tsutskiridze.
"Zhytomyr came under a cynical attack by Russian forces — the enemy struck with Banderol-type drones," Tsutskiridze said.
The attack hit the building of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Zhytomyr Oblast, causing a fire on the roof and fourth floor, according to Tsutskiridze.
Police officers, first responders, and other emergency services were working at the scene, assisting those injured and documenting the consequences of the attack.
Earlier, Governor Vitalii Bunechko said Russian forces had attacked Zhytomyr with jet-powered drones and confirmed a hit on the regional police headquarters.
The strike comes just over a week after Russia attacked Zhytomyr and the surrounding region with jet-powered drones overnight on Aug. 9. That attack injured three people and damaged civilian infrastructure, a private enterprise, and a house.
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 17 people and injured at least 54 over the past day, according to local authorities. Russia also launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 65 drones and other aerial targets overnight on Aug. 19, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Russia has increasingly deployed jet-powered weapons alongside conventional Shahed-type drones in attacks on Ukraine. The S8000 Banderol loitering munition travels significantly faster than propeller-driven Shaheds and further strains Ukrainian air defenses.
