Key developments on Sept. 4:
- Casualties reported in Lviv, Kryvyi Rih as Russia launches another mass attack on Ukraine
- Ukrainian military uses 'dragon drones' against Russia, Defense Ministry says
- Germany orders 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine, Scholz says
- Ukraine, Ireland sign agreement on cooperation, support
- Russia executed 3 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast, prosecutors say
At least seven civilians were killed and 64 injured in Lviv in the early hours of Sept. 4 amid Russia's attack against Ukraine, regional authorities reported. Children were among the casualties.
Several explosions were heard in the city amid a nationwide air raid alert as Russia launched drones and missiles against the country. Multiple casualties were reported also in Kryvyi Rih.
Explosions were heard in other cities overnight, including Kyiv, Sumy, Lutsk, and Rivne.
Initial reports said that three children were among the killed, but the latest updates confirmed a single 7-year-old girl among the fatalities. The girl, Emilia Bazylevych, was killed in her home along with her 43-year-old mother, Yevhenia, and two sisters, 21-year-old Yaryna and 18-year-old Daryna.
Only their father, Yaroslav, survived the attack, according to Mayor Andrii Sadovyi.
"I don’t know what words to use to support the father of the family, Yaroslav. We are all with you today. Sincere condolences," Sadovyi said on Telegram.
The other killed victims included a 52-year-old woman and two men aged 54 and 55.
There are eight children among the wounded, including a 10-year-old boy. Some 47 people have been hospitalized as a result of the attack, of whom seven are in critical condition, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported earlier during the day.
The State Emergency Service reported at around 12:50 p.m. that the search and rescue operations had concluded.
Several buildings near the central railway station caught fire following the strike. Some 50 buildings were damaged overall by the attack. This included three schools and an arts center, which were hit only a few days after the new school year began in Ukraine.
The attack damaged buildings in the historical center in an area recognized as a UNESCO buffer zone. At least seven architectural sites of local importance were damaged, according to Governor Kozytskyi.
Lviv, located approximately 540 kilometers (about 335 miles) west of Kyiv with a population of over 700,000, has been targeted several times by Russian drones and missiles during the war. The city is about 70 kilometers (approximately 43 miles) east of the Polish border.
"Everyone who convinces our partners to give Ukraine greater range to respond to this terror is helping to prevent Russian terrorist attacks on Ukrainian cities," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Russia also launched a missile attack against the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast the same morning, injuring at least five civilians, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. The victims include women aged 62, 83, and 84, a 70-year-old man, and a 10-year-old girl.
Later during the day, city administration head Oleksandr Vilkul reported on a sixth victim – a 58-year-old woman who was hospitalized with a fracture.
A hotel, 57 apartment buildings, four educational institutions, and four cars were damaged in the attack, according to local authorities.
Kryvyi Rih, with a population of around 660,000, is the second most populous city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, lying over 60 kilometers (under 40 miles) north of Russian-occupied territories in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Overnight on Sept. 4, Russia reportedly fired 42 drones and missiles against Ukraine, including two Kh-47 Kinzhal missiles launched from MiG-31K aircraft, two Kh-22 cruise missiles launched from Tu-22M3 bomber planes, six Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from Tu-95MS bomber planes, three Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 29 Shahed-type "kamikaze" drones.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 22 drones, four Kh-101 missiles, and three Iskander-K missiles, the Air Force said. Six drones were lost, likely as a result of electronic warfare means, and one flew to Belarus, according to the statement.
Martin Fornusek
Ukrainian military uses 'dragon drones' against Russia, Defense Ministry says
Ukrainian soldiers are using so-called "dragon drones" against Russia, that rain fire down on the battlefield, Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed on Sept. 4.
The ministry published new footage resembling a video shared by Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels just a few days prior. The video showed what appeared to be a drone raining down fiery, white-hot metal on unseen soldiers hidden in a tree line.
The Ukrainian military-focused media outlet Defense Express wrote that the drone had been deployed by Ukraine's 108th Territorial Defense Brigade, adding that the video was taken near the village of Ukrainske, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
The video shared by Ukraine's ministry on Sept. 4 was filmed by the Perun unit of Ukraine's 42nd Mechanized Brigade. The "dragon drone" in the video is operating in the Kharkiv sector, according to the Defense Ministry.
Another video showing the alleged use of such a drone at night was posted by Ukraine's 60th Separate Ingulets Brigade on Sept. 4.
"Strike drones are our wings of revenge, carrying fire straight from the sky. They are becoming a real threat to the enemy, burning their positions with an accuracy that no other weapon can achieve," the military said in a Facebook post.
A number of reports suggests that the drones are equipped with thermite munitions that are dropped on Russian positions.
Thermite weapons disperse thousands of tiny pieces of molten metal burning at temperatures that exceed 2,000 degrees Celsius, which means that it can melt through some armored vehicles.
Ukrainian drones that drop a continuous stream of the molten metal in such a manner appear to be another military innovation.
Russia has deployed similar incendiary weapons, such as the banned white phosphorus bombs, from very early on in the full-scale war.
Thermite and other incendiary weapons can cause devastating injuries.
Human Rights Watch writes that being exposed to such munitions can lead to "extensive and excruciating burns that require painful treatment" that include "respiratory damage from inflamed airways and toxic fumes, infection, extreme dehydration, and organ failure."
Chris York
Germany orders 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine, Scholz says
Berlin ordered an additional 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sept. 4, Bloomberg reported.
The new 17 units will be sent to Ukraine on top of the seven other systems that have already been delivered. Ukraine can expect to receive four more IRIS-T systems of different ranges by the end of 2024, government spokesperson Wolfgang Buchner said in August.
By 2026, Ukraine should receive 24 IRIS-T systems from Germany — 12 of medium-range versions and 12 short-range — an unnamed German government official told Bloomberg.
"This shows that German support for Ukraine is not letting up," Scholz said at an air force base near the city of Kiel.
According to the chancellor, Berlin had planned and secured the financing and deals in advance "so that Ukraine can continue to fully rely on" Berlin in the future.
Martin Fornusek
Ukraine, Ireland sign agreement on cooperation, support
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris signed a bilateral cooperation agreement during the latter's visit to Kyiv on Sept. 4.
As of today, Kyiv has signed 26 bilateral agreements with foreign partners based on the declaration made by the G7 during a summit in Vilnius in July 2023.
The Agreement on Support for Ukraine and Cooperation between the two countries outlines Dublin's humanitarian aid, support for Ukraine's recovery, EU integration efforts, and holding Russia accountable for war damages, among other items.
As part of the 10-year agreement, Ireland has pledged an additional 128 million euros ($140 million) in non-lethal military support and at least 40 million euros ($44 million) in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine this year.
Ireland said it would supply mine clearance systems and explosive ordnance disposal equipment, support the training of Ukrainian soldiers through an EU mission, and explore other pathways for aid within the Ramstein group, such as the IT coalition.
"I want to express my special gratitude to Ireland for the joint efforts in demining our land – this is truly saving countless lives," Zelensky wrote on X after the agreement was signed.
Harris arrived in Kyiv earlier on Sept. 4, visiting settlements in Kyiv Oblast damaged by Russian forces in 2022, namely Hostomel.
During the visit, Ireland announced a new package of support worth 36 million euros ($40 million) for "Ukraine and its neighbors" to provide "essential humanitarian assistance, support rehabilitation and eventual reconstruction, and contribute to Ukraine's longer-term goals, including peace, stability, and political aspirations."
Chris York
Russia executed 3 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast, prosecutors say
Russia executed three Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) near Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said on Sept. 3.
The Prosecutor General's Office said it is launching an investigation into the incident.
Earlier, a video circulated on Telegram that showed three Ukrainian soldiers coming out of a basement with their hands up. The Ukrainians were then apprehended by Russian soldiers, placed face down on the ground and summarily shot.
As of March 2024, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office collected pretrial information on over 128,000 victims of war crimes. The prosecutors said at the they are investigating cases of at least 54 Ukrainian POWs being executed by Russia. More cases have likely appeared since then.
In a similar circumstance as the more recent alleged Russian war crimes, a widely circulated video taken in May showed four Ukrainian soldiers being executed face down on the ground after surrendering.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
