Ukrainian Drone Assaults Lead to Fatalities in Penza, Samara, and Rostov Regions of Russia

Ukrainian drone strikes overnight resulted in the deaths of three individuals and left two others injured in western Russia, according to statements from local governors on Saturday.

In Penza, a woman was killed and two others injured in an assault on a local business, as reported by Oleg Melnichenko, the region’s governor, on Telegram.

Meanwhile, in the Samara region, an elderly man lost his life when his house was engulfed in flames caused by debris from a downed drone, as shared by Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev on Telegram.

In the Rostov region, a security guard at an industrial site was killed following a drone attack that sparked a fire in one of the facility’s buildings, reported acting Governor Yuri Slyusar.

“The military successfully countered a significant aerial assault during the night, eliminating drones across seven districts,” noted Slyusar on Telegram.

Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that its air defense systems had destroyed 112 Ukrainian drones over its territory—34 in the Rostov region—during a nearly nine-hour timeframe from Friday evening to Saturday morning.

In the central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, Russian drone strikes wounded three people overnight, according to Governor Serhiy Lysak’s post on Telegram.

Numerous structures, homes, and vehicles sustained damage as a result, he added.

Russian forces have reported territorial gains in Dnipropetrovsk, claiming to have taken control of two villages there, which is part of Moscow’s accelerated campaign for land acquisition that began in July, based on an analysis by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Kyiv refutes any claims of Russian forces being present in the Dnipropetrovsk area.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has consistently dismissed calls for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict that has lasted over three years, stated on Friday that while he desires peace, his conditions for ceasing Moscow’s military operations remain «unchanged.»

These conditions include Ukraine relinquishing territory and abandoning its aspirations to join NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reiterated that only Putin has the power to bring an end to the war and has renewed his invitation for a meeting between the two leaders.

“The United States has suggested this, and Ukraine has expressed its support. What is essential now is Russia’s willingness to participate,” he posted on X.