Russia Targets Dnipro in Hours-Long Missile and Drone Attack, Civilians Dead

Russian forces executed a large-scale combined drone and missile strike against Ukrainian critical infrastructure and civilian areas, on April 25. The assault involved a total of 666 aerial targets, with the city of Dnipro sustaining the heaviest bombardment during a continuous attack that lasted over ten hours.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian military deployed 47 missiles of various types and 619 unmanned aerial vehicles, including Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas models.

Ukrainian air defense systems, supported by aviation, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups, successfully intercepted 610 targets.

This included 30 intercepted missiles and 580 drones. The Air Force warned the public during the morning that the threat remained active, stating, “The attack continues! Several new groups of attack drones have entered the airspace of Ukraine. Do not ignore the alarm.”

The primary focus of the Russian offensive was the Dnipropetrovsk region. According to Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration head Oleksandr Hanzha, four people were killed and 27 injured as a result of the overnight attack on Dnipro, including two children.

Later, Hanzha reported an additional fatality following a renewed strike on the same residential area. “One person was killed during another enemy attack on Dnipro. A multi-story residential building was severely damaged. Russian forces struck the same residential area that had already been targeted overnight,” Hanzha said.

The strikes caused widespread damage across multiple Ukrainian regions. In Kharkiv, local authorities reported hits near residential buildings, destroying a public transport stop and damaging a gas pipeline.

A one-and-a-half-year-old boy suffered an acute stress reaction due to a drone strike. In the Odesa region, debris damaged homes and vehicles, injuring two people. Furthermore, Russian forces attacked a Panama-flagged civilian vessel departing from an Odesa port.

The crew successfully extinguished the resulting fire, and the ship continued its route without casualties. Additional damage to infrastructure and power networks was recorded in the Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, and Kyiv regions.

The aerial assault also impacted neighboring Romania. The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that radars detected drones approaching their airspace, prompting the deployment of two British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the Fetești airbase.

Debris from intercepted drones fell in Tulcea county and the city of Galați, damaging an outbuilding and an electrical pole. Condemning the airspace violation, the Romanian Ministry of Defense stated,

“Similar incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation’s disrespect for international law and endanger not only the safety of Romanian citizens, but also the collective security of NATO.”

Earlier, according to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, a civilian bulk carrier flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis was struck by two Russian drones while transiting the Ukrainian maritime corridor toward a port in the Odesa region on April 22. The attack caused a fire on board, which the crew extinguished. No casualties were reported, and damage to the vessel is being assessed.

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