Russia launches massive drone attack on Ukraine as Trump’s ceasefire ultimatum expires
On the day a ceasefire ultimatum set by U.S. President Donald Trump for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was due to expire, Russia launched a massive drone assault on Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the overnight attack on Friday, August 8, involved more than 100 aerial weapons, including 104 Shahed strike drones, various types of simulator drones, and 8 high-speed (jet-powered) drones.
The attacks reportedly were launched from Shatalovo in the Smolensk region, as well as from Kursk, Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in the Krasnodar Territory, and the annexed Crimea, according to Ukrainian military statements.
Ukrainian forces successfully intercepted or suppressed 82 of these Russian drones across the north, south, east, and center of the country, including three jet-powered and 79 Shahed and other simulator drones. " 26 UAV strikes were recorded in 10 locations, with debris fall noted in 8 locations," reported the Ukrainian military.
One of the targets of the Russian assault was civilian infrastructure in Bucha, Kyiv region. The town's mayor, Anatoliy Fedoruk, reported damage to a kindergarten and seven private homes. He praised the effective work of the air defense forces for taking down most of the attacking drones, and noted that some structures are in need of repair.
"The important thing is that everyone is alive," Fedoruk remarked. He revealed during a news telethon that Bucha was targeted by 10 strike drones.
Separately, the head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, Mykola Kalashnyk, reported that three individuals—a 16-year-old girl and two women aged 56 and 80—underwent severe stress reactions due to the Russian attack.
"In the Buchansk district, 21 private houses, outbuildings, garages, two unfinished apartment buildings, and 10 cars were damaged," he wrote on Telegram.
The Russian assault also caused destruction in the Sumy region. Non-residential buildings, a store, and a vehicle were hit in the Sumy community, with a 54-year-old man injured, according to regional head Oleg Grigorov.
In Shostka, strikes from three drones damaged several multi-story buildings, cars, and social infrastructure, Grigorov noted.
Russian drones also targeted Kharkiv, causing a fire at a civilian facility in the Saltivskyi district, the city’s mayor Ihor Terekhov reported.
Simultaneously, drones struck the Odessa region. A sewage pumping station in the Odesskiy district was damaged, stated regional head Oleg Kiper. Additionally, an explosion at a gas station wounded a security guard, leaving him with multiple lacerations on his arm, according to Kiper.