War in Ukraine – Many dead after Russian glide bomb attack

“There is nothing more brutal than bombing a city when you know that ordinary citizens will suffer,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. The front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces runs about 30 kilometers south of the city. Glide bombs are dropped by Russian fighter jets over Russian-controlled territory and then guided to the target. There is hardly any defense option for the cities or military positions under attack.

There had been mutual drone strikes the night before. Ukraine targeted a key military location in Russia, hundreds of miles from the border. The two neighboring Volga towns of Engels and Saratov were targeted by a “mass drone attack” on Wednesday evening, regional governor Roman Bussargin said. Bussargin wrote on Telegram that falling debris had hit an industrial plant in Engels. As a result of the drone attack, a fire broke out in the company.

Ukrainian attack on important oil depot
Bussargin later announced the declaration of a state of emergency in English. Two firefighters were killed while extinguishing the fires. Bussargin spoke of an industrial plant that was affected, without giving details. Ukraine said the target of the attack was an oil depot that supplies Russian nuclear bombers.

According to the UN, more than 12,300 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s war of aggression began almost three years ago. The number of casualties has risen in recent months, mainly due to the increased use of drones, longer-range missiles and glide bombs, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif said on Wednesday. She was referring to developments since September.