LONDON — Russia carried out “a massive strike” on Ukraine overnight, launching 537 drones and 45 missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said Saturday morning.
Ukraine’s air defense systems took out most of the projectiles, but five missiles and 24 drones still struck seven locations, while the debris of shot down projectiles fell in 21 locations, according to the air force.
The southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia was particularly hard hit, with at least one person killed and 29 others injured, including three children, according to the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration. More than 40 houses and 14 apartment buildings were damaged as a result of the overnight attack, and some 25,000 households were without power Saturday morning, authorities said.
Some homes, businesses and infrastructure were also hit in the neighboring region of Dnipropetrovsk, according to the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the attack in a post on X, saying the “only way to reopen a window of opportunity for diplomacy is through tough measures against all those bankrolling the Russian army and effective sanctions against Moscow itself – banking and energy sanctions.”
“It is absolutely clear that Moscow used the time meant for preparing a leaders-level meeting to organize new massive attacks, he added. “This war won’t stop with political statements alone; real steps are needed. We expect action from the U.S., Europe, and the entire world.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine said early Saturday that its forces have struck two Russian oil refineries.
The targets were the Krasnodar Refinery in southwestern Russia’s Krasnodar Krai and the Syzran Refinery in the Samara Oblast, southeast of Moscow, according to Ukraine’s drone commander, Maj. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also confirmed the attack, adding that the results of the strikes are still being clarified.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems shot down 86 Ukrainian drones late Friday into early Saturday, including 11 over Krasnodar Krai, without specifying any attacks on oil refineries. The ministry also didn’t mention the Samara Oblast, but the head of the region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said drones had attacked an industrial enterprise in Syzran early Saturday.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy called for pressure on Russia, such as sanctions and tariffs, and said Ukraine is “counting on strong steps.” He urged a response from nations like China and Hungary, which have expressed sympathy with Russia’s position. “It is definitely time for new tough sanctions against Russia for everything it is doing,” he added.
Local residents embrace each other next to a damaged residential building following an air attack in Zaporizhzhia on August 30, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A ‘massive’ overnight Russian attack on central and southeastern Ukraine killed at least one person, authorities said on August 30, 2025, with homes and businesses damaged in multiple cities.
Marina Moiseyenko/AFP via Getty Images
“All deadlines have already been missed, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy have been spoiled. Russia must feel its responsibility for every strike, for every day of this war,” Zelenskyy said.
The latest barrage continued the nightly tempo of Russian strikes, though the scale of the attacks through August have so far been smaller than in July and June. In August so far, Russia has launched a daily average of around 118 drones and four missiles into Ukraine, according to Ukrainian air force data 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.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the strikes, which continue despite White House efforts to broker a peace deal.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was “not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised.”
“The president is continuing to watch this intently. And this killing, unfortunately, will continue as long as the war continues, which is why the president wants it to end,” she said.
ABC News’ David Brennan and Oleskiy Pshemyskiy contributed to this report.
