London – Russia carried out “a mass strike” in Ukraine during the night, throwing 537 drones and 45 missiles, said the Ukraine Air Force on Saturday morning.
Ukraine air defense systems eliminated most projectiles, but five missiles and 24 drones still attacked seven locations, while the debris of demolished projectiles fell into 21 locations, according to the Air Force.
The southeast region of Zaporizhzhia was particularly affected, with at least one murdered person and another 24 wounds, including three children, according to the regional military administration of Zaporizhzhia. More than 40 houses and 14 apartments buildings were damaged as a result of the night attack, and about 25,000 homes were without energy on Saturday morning, authorities said.
Some houses, companies and infrastructure were also affected in the neighboring region of DNIPROPETROVSK, according to the Regional Military Administration of DNIPROPETROVSK.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reacted to the attack in an X position, saying that “the only way to reopen a window of opportunity for diplomacy is through difficult measures against all those who finance the Russian army and effective sanctions against Moscow: bank and energy sanctions.”
“It is absolutely clear that Moscow used the time destined to prepare a meeting at the level of leaders to organize new mass attacks,” he added. “This war will not stop alone with political statements; real steps are needed. We expect the action of the United States, Europe and the entire world.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine said on Saturday that his forces have reached two Russian oil refineries.
The objectives were the Krasnodar refinery in southwest Krasnodar Krai in Russia and the Syzran refinery in the Oblast de Samara, southeast of Moscow, according to the commander of Drones de Ukray, Major Robert “Magyar” Brovdi.
The general personnel of the Ukraine Armed Forces also confirmed the attack, adding that the results of the strikes are still clarifying.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems demolished 86 Ukrainian drones on Friday until early, including 11 about Krasnodar Krai, without specifying any attacks against oil refineries. The Ministry also did not mention the Oblast of Samara, but the head of the region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said the drones had attacked an industrial company in Syzran at dawn on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy asked for pressure on Russia, such as sanctions and rates, and said that Ukraine is “with strong steps.” He urged a response from nations such as China and Hungary, who have expressed sympathy with the position of Russia. “It is definitely time for new difficult sanctions against Russia for everything that is doing,” he added.
Local residents hug each other next to a damaged residential building after an air attack in Zaporizhzhia on August 30, 2025 in the middle of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A “massive” Russian attack during the night in the center and southeast of Ukraine killed at least one person, authorities said on August 30, 2025, with homes and businesses damaged in multiple cities.
Marina Moiseyenko/AFP through Getty Images
“All the deadlines have already been lost, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy have been spoiled. Russia must feel their responsibility for each strike, for every day of this war,” said Zelenskyy.
The last flood continued the night rhythm of Russian attacks, although the scale of attacks until August has been smaller so far than in July and June. In August until now, Russia launched a daily average of around 118 drones and four missiles in Ukraine, according to data from the Ukraine Air Force analyzed by ABC News.
The daily averages for July were around 201 drones and six missiles, and in June there were 181 drones and eight missiles.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, expressed his frustration this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin for strikes, who continue despite the efforts of the White House to negotiate a peace agreement.
The White House Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said Trump “was not happy with this news, but was not surprised either.”
“The president continues to observe this carefully. And this murder, unfortunately, will continue while the war continues, so the president wants him to end,” he said.
David Brennan and Oleskiy Pshemyskiy of ABC News contributed to this report.
