A Russian missile strike hit Indian-origin billionaire Lakshmi Mittal’s ArcelorMittal steel complex in Kryvyi Rih, killing two workers and injuring 14 others, Ukrainian officials said. The attack forced a partial suspension of operations at Ukraine’s largest integrated steel plant after key energy and blast-furnace facilities were damaged.
The strike came after Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russia. Moscow said hundreds of drones targeted several regions overnight, killing at least six people and damaging homes, infrastructure and a major warehouse.
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih confirmed that one of its sites was struck during the Russian missile barrage. The company said production was partially halted after damage affected essential parts of its operations.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces targeted a metallurgical plant in Kryvyi Rih along with military-industrial facilities in Kyiv. Moscow also said one of the targets was a facility linked to the production of Ukraine’s domestically developed Flamingo missiles.
The strike on the steel complex was part of a wider Russian attack across Ukraine. One person was also killed in another strike on Kryvyi Rih, while casualties were reported in Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Donetsk.
Ukraine intensified strikes deep inside Russia to target military and energy infrastructure with drones and long-range weapons. Attacks on Russian logistics facilities have also increased.
Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russian territory in a major overnight assault. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had intercepted 822 drones. Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said an 83-year-old man died after a drone struck a private house. He also reported a fire at a Wildberries warehouse in Podolsk.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said around 600 drones were detected heading towards the capital. About one-third were destroyed over the Moscow region, he said. In the Rostov region, more than 150 drones targeted three towns. Governor Yury Slyusar said five people were killed, while homes and a railway station were damaged.
Russia has responded with heavier missile and drone strikes across Ukrainian cities. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian cities had faced more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided bombs and 62 missiles over the past week.
The escalation comes as fighting along the front has shown little movement and peace talks remain stalled. Both sides are increasingly relying on long-range attacks far from the main battlefield.
The latest attacks also caused concern beyond Ukraine and Russia. Romania’s Defence Ministry said a Spanish F-18 fighter shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace near the border with Moldova.
The drone was detected about 24 km north of Galati early on August 16. Romania has reported repeated drone incidents since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including cases where drones crashed or exploded on its territory.
The incidents reflect how the expanding use of long-range drones is widening the risks of the war beyond the two countries directly involved.
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