Ukrainian drone strike kills four in Russia’s Voronezh, damages homes

A Ukrainian drone strike on Saturday killed four people and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, regional authorities said on Sunday, as attacks inside Russian territory intensified. Regional Governor Alexander Gusev said the death toll had risen after a young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit. “Unfortunately, the number of victims has increased to four,” Gusev said, adding that the woman was critically injured when drone debris fell on her house during the attack.

Gusev said seven multi-story apartment buildings and seven private houses were damaged, along with a high school. “Air defence forces detected and destroyed or suppressed 17 unmanned aerial vehicles over Voronezh,” he said, noting that falling debris caused damage across several residential areas. Residents reported hearing multiple explosions as air defence systems engaged the drones. Voronezh, home to just over 1 million people, lies about 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The strike followed a major Russian aerial assault on Ukraine a day earlier, when Moscow launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials. Russia also used its new hypersonic Oreshnik missile for only the second time in the nearly four-year war, striking western Ukraine in what was widely seen as a warning to Kyiv and NATO.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces launched 154 drones overnight into Sunday, of which 125 were shot down by Ukrainian air defences. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiations with the United States were continuing, stating that Ukrainian representatives “continue to communicate with the American side,” with chief negotiator Rustem Umerov in contact with US partners.

The Voronezh strike highlights Ukraine’s growing use of long-range drones to hit targets deeper inside Russia, while Moscow reports frequent interceptions amid sustained fighting and diplomatic efforts to shape the next phase of the conflict.