UPDATED: Russia strikes Ukraine with missiles, drones

Aug 6 (Reuters) – Russia launched a multi-wave overnight attack on Ukraine, using 70 air-assault weapons, including cruise and hypersonic missiles and Iranian-made drones, Kyiv’s Air Force said on Sunday.

The Air Force – which is celebrated in a holiday on Sunday – said on the Telegram messaging channel that Ukraine’s air defence destroyed 30 out of 40 cruise missiles and all 27 of the Shahed drones that Russia launched overnight.

“In total, in several waves of attacks, from the evening of Aug. 5 to the morning of Aug. 6, 2023, the enemy used 70 means of air assault weapons,” the Air Force said.

It also said Russia launched three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, but would not disclose further information on them. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

There was no immediate comment from Russia. It was not immediately clear whether there was any damage from the overnight attack or what happened to the 10 cruise missiles that were not shot down.

Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told the national Ukrainian broadcaster that one of the key targets for Russia’s overnight attack was the Khmelnytskiy region.

“Now, it is the Starokostiantyniv airfield that haunts the enemy,” Ihnat said. Russia had earlier targeted the Starokostiantyniv military airfield in the Khmelnytskiy region at the end of July.

Russian bombs on Kupiansk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a Russian guided aerial bomb hit a blood transfusion center in the town of Kupiansk in eastern Kharkiv region late on Saturday.

“There are dead and wounded,” he said on his Telegram channel.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Kupiansk is a railway hub fewer than 10 miles from the front. Zelenskiy said rescue workers were extinguishing a fire at the scene and described the strike as a “war crime.” He did not say how many people were killed or wounded.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in a full-scale invasion that has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions and destroyed cities.

Flames engulfed a university building’s wooden roof in Donetsk following Ukrainian shelling on Saturday, said an emergency official in the Russia-controlled city in eastern Ukraine.

“As a result of the latest attack on Donetsk, the first building of the University of Economics and Trade is on fire,” Alexei Kulemzin, the Russia-installed mayor, said on Telegram.

“We are using 12 water tanks, three ladders and 100 fire fighters,” said Alexei Kostrubitsky, the Russia-installed emergency minister for the region that Moscow calls the Donetsk People’s Republic. “The whole roof is on fire.” Kostrubitsky said Ukrainian forces used cluster munitions in the shelling that caused the blaze.

Reuters could not independently verify the information. Both sides have used cluster munitions in the course of Russia’s 17-month invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine, which received supplies of U.S. cluster munitions last month, has vowed to use them only to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the alleged shelling. Both sides deny targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Kostrubitsky said there were no people inside the building during the shelling.

“The most difficult thing is that the roof is wooden, so the fire spreads fast.” Russia’s RIA state news agency cited Kostrubitsky and emergency services as saying the fire spread to an area of about 1,800 sq m (19,400 sq ft) before being contained early on Sunday.