Ukraine war latest: 9 killed, 49 injured in day of terror for Ukraine's south
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Key developments on April 7:
- Russian attacks on Nikopol, Kherson see 9 dead and 49 injured across southern Ukraine
- Ukraine confirms fresh strike on Russia’s Ust-Luga oil terminal as campaign to limit Russia's oil windfall continues
- SBU seizes 'shadow fleet' vessel in Odesa port tied to illegal exports from occupied Crimea
- Novorossiysk oil terminal stops exports after new Ukrainian drone strikes on April 5, Reuters reports
Two deadly attacks across the Dnipro River have brought death to southern Ukraine, as Russian forces targeted civilians in Nikopol and Kherson on April 7.
In Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson oblasts alone, a total nine civilians were killed and another 49 injured during the day's attacks.
At around 9 a.m., a Russian FPV drone, guided by a Russian operator, deliberately struck a passenger bus in central Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, killing four people and injuring 15 others.
Three of the wounded are in critical condition. Earlier, an 11-year-old boy was killed, and five people were injured in another attack in the oblast, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported.
Meanwhile, a Russian strike on a pharmacy in Kherson killed another four people
Later in the day, yet another strike on a bus in Nikopol wounded five more people.
Because of their location directly opposite Russian forces on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river, civilians in Kherson and Nikopol, along with smaller settlements are regularly target with artillery, glide bombs, and — most infamously — drones.
First perfected in Kherson over 2024 and 2025, Russia's "human safari" — the targeting of civilians with high precision small drone strikes, has since expanded across the Dnipro River, along with the rest of the front line and state border.
Ukraine confirms fresh strike on Russia’s Ust-Luga oil terminal, hitting key export infrastructure
Ukraine struck Russia's Ust-Luga oil terminal in Leningrad Oblast overnight on April 7, damaging key infrastructure used to export petroleum products, Ukraine's General Staff reported on April 7.
According to the statement, the attack targeted the terminal which is a major facility tied to Russia's state pipeline operator Transneft-Baltika. Preliminary information indicates that three storage tanks were hit.
The General Staff said the facility is a critical part of Russia's oil export infrastructure, revenues from which are used to finance its war against Ukraine. The full extent of the damage is still being clarified.
The attack is the latest in a string of Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russia's most important oil terminals on the Baltic and Black Sea coasts in recent weeks, as Kyiv looks to restrict the windfall gained by Russia from soaring world oil prices.
The latest attack comes just one week after Kyiv last launched a full-blown assault on oil terminals in the region, including the Ust-Luga port which was struck on at least five separate occasions between March 22 - 31.
Photos and videos posted to social media appear to show explosions ringing out in the area of the port beginning around 5 a.m. local time, according to resident accounts.
Regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko claimed that 22 Ukrainian drones had been downed amid the attack on the region, without specifying the target of the attack.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports nor claims made by Russian officials.
SBU seizes 'shadow fleet' vessel in Odesa port tied to illegal exports from occupied Crimea
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has detained a foreign cargo ship in Odesa that was part of Russia's shadow fleet, used to illegally transport goods from occupied territories and bypass international sanctions.
According to investigators, the vessel had been involved in exporting Ukrainian agricultural products from Russian-occupied Crimea. Its owner was under Ukrainian sanctions and allegedly attempted to evade restrictions by repeatedly changing the ship's name and nominal ownership through third countries.
The ship was detained in Odesa's commercial port after arriving under the flag of an African country, reportedly to load a shipment of steel pipes.
The SBU says the vessel had docked in Sevastopol at least seven times prior to Russia's full-scale invasion, exporting grain in violation of Ukrainian law. In one documented case in January 2021, it transported nearly 7,000 tons of grain from Crimea to North Africa.
At the time of the seizure, 17 crew members were on board, including the captain, all citizens of Middle Eastern countries.
Russia’s so-called shadow fleet refers to a network of vessels operating under constantly changing names, flags, and ownership structures to evade sanctions imposed over Moscow's war against Ukraine. These ships are widely used to transport sanctioned oil across global markets, helping sustain Russia's economy and fund its war effort.
Novorossiysk oil terminal stops exports after new Ukrainian drone strikes on April 5, Reuters reports
The Sheskharis oil terminal in the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossisyk halted crude oil exports after damage from fresh Ukrainian drone strikes, Reuters reported on April 7, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Explosions at the port were initially reported overnight on April 5, with local residents saying drones attacked an oil terminal and damaged a residential building.
The attack is the latest in a string of Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russia's most important oil terminals on the Baltic and Black Sea coasts in recent weeks, as Kyiv looks to restrict the windfall gained by Russia from soaring world oil prices.
The strike was later confirmed by Ukraine's General Staff and a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Six of the terminal's seven oil-loading stands, used to load and unload tankers, were damaged, the source told the Kyiv Independent. The attack also hit key ground infrastructure, including the pipeline control unit and the oil metering station.
Large fires broke out at the impact sites, and the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, the General Staff said.
During the same mass attack, Ukrainian drones attacked Russian frigate Admiral Makarov docked at port, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Magyar" Brovdi said on April 6.
Two successful hits on the frigate were confirmed on April 7 by the General Staff, though proper assessment of the damage was still being carried out.
