Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles amid drone attack, injuring one; drone strikes injure women in Kharkiv and Kherson

This morning, Russia targeted Kyiv with ballistic and cruise missiles for the first time in two months, amid a routine everyday drone attack. Drones targeted multiple regions, while the Russian ground troops continued targeting the frontline oblasts.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, from 15:00 on 12 November to the morning of 13 November, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with a range of missiles, guided aerial bombs, and drones. Ukrainian air defenses detected 96 aerial threats, including:

• 2 S-300 missiles from Russia’s Kursk Oblast targeting Sumy Oblast
• 2 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched by Tu-95MS bombers from the Caspian Sea
• 2 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from Voronezh Oblast
• 90 Shahed-type and other unidentified drones from Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Oryol areas in Russia.

The Air Force doesn’t report statistics on the guided bomb attacks because the Ukrainian air defenses are uncapable of shooting down the aerial bombs.

Ukrainian defenses reportedly  intercepted two Kh-101 cruise missiles, two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, and 37 drones across Kyiv, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, and Kirovohrad Oblasts. Another 47 drones were reported to have crashed across various regions of Ukraine, while two drones exited Ukraine’s airspace toward Belarus and Russia.

At the time of the Air Force reporting, two drones remained in the Ukrainian airspace.

The provided figures imply that at least two drones might have reached their targets.

Kyiv attack

Meanwhile, on the morning of 13 November 2024, Russian forces launched a combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv for the first time in 73 days, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. The attack reportedly involved cruise missiles, ballistic missiles of the KN-23/KN-24/Iskander-M type, and Shahed-type drones.

Air raid alerts sounded at 06:30 in Kyiv, warning of approaching drones and missiles. As cruise missiles neared Kyiv Oblast, Russian forces initiated a ballistic strike. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted several of these threats, destroying multiple cruise and ballistic missiles as well as up to ten drones. No damage was reported within Kyiv city.

In Kyiv Oblast, a Russian missile strike injured one person, and destroyed a building in Brovary district, causing a fire that was later extinguished by firefighters, Ukraine’s Emergency Service reported.

Kharkiv

In Kharkiv, Russian UAV strikes targeted the Saltivskyi district, causing minor damage to buildings and parked vehicles, but no casualties, according to mayor Ihor Terekhov and oblast chief Oleh Syniehubov.

The Kharkiv Oblast Administration says on the previous day, a Russian UAV Molniya-1 struck Saltivskyi district, injuring a 70-year-old woman. Also another drone targeted the city’s Slobidskyi district, injuring two more women, 55 and 50.

Kherson Oblast

This morning, Russian forces deployed UAVs to drop explosives on civilians in Antonivka, near Kherson, injuring two people – a civilian man and woman – who were subsequently hospitalized, according to local authorities. A separate Russian drone attack on Beryslav injured two more civilians – a 61-year-old woman and a 43-year-old woman, both currently receiving medical care.

Chernihiv Oblast

Russian forces reportedly shelled two border communities, Semenivka and Snovsk, on 12 November, with a total of 17 explosions recorded. Various types of artillery, mortars, FPV drones, and UAVs were used in attacks near five villages in the region.

Sumy

According to local authorities, the night and morning hours of 13 November saw 16 Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast, resulting in 33 explosions. Targeted communities included Khotin, Yunakivka, Krasnopillia, Shostka, and Seredyna-Buda. Damage to critical infrastructure, trade facilities, and buildings was reported, with fires breaking out in two commercial structures. The Shostka community was reportedly targeted by five Shahed drones.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast’s Nikopol

Russian forces attacked the Nikopol district three times between the evening of 12 November and the morning of 13 November. The Marhanets community was hit by a kamikaze drone, while Nikopol itself was shelled with Grad MLRS and artillery. Several enterprises were damaged, though local authorities reported no casualties.

Zaporizhzhia

Overnight on 12-13 November, Russian forces struck infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia city, causing damage to infastructure but no injuries, as per the oblast chief. During the previous day, 12 November, Russian military attacks hit 16 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast with 510 strikes, including artillery and UAV assaults, leaving one person injured and damaging residential and infrastructure facilities in several districts.

Donetsk Oblast

On 12 November, Russian attacks injured one civilian in Dachne, and widespread damage was reported across several districts in Donetsk Oblast, according to the oblast authorities. In Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and nearby areas, both multi-story and single-family homes sustained damage. The Bakhmut and Kramatorsk districts also experienced property damage from shelling, including residential buildings and infrastructure.

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