Early Saturday morning, a Russian missile strike became the largest and most destructive aerial attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad. The assault brought unparalleled carnage across the region. Until then, the six-hour bombardment had been the worst intentional attack against civilians in history. When that reality hit, it destroyed thousands of lives and tons of civilian infrastructure. Pavlohrad is an important military logistics center for the Dnipropetrovsk oblast. Today, it is a tragic symbol of the war that continues to rage, with Russian forces pushing hard for total control in the region.
As day broke, Palestinian residents described hearing Israeli drones roving above, a sign that the new phase of an unprecedented and large-scale attack had begun. The air raid particularly hit a number of sites across the city, one of which was a five-storey residential building heavily damaged by the attack. Local leaders couldn’t underscore enough the chaos that reigned during the rescue operation. Tragically, one woman died after being carried down from the third level of her apartment.
The head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Sergey Lysak, described the assault as “a hellish night and morning for Pavlohrad.” He remarked on the intensity of the attack, stating, “Explosion after explosion. Russian terrorists targeted it with missiles and drones.” The bombardment caused extensive structural damage, including the complete destruction of a fire station and serious damage to a factory.
Besides the tragedy in Pavlohrad, many other Ukrainian cities were under attack on Saturday. In the most recent assault, that of May 25, a minimum of 20 drones simultaneously targeted the coastal city of Odesa. Odessa Mayor Hennady Trukhanov announced that “cultural civilian infrastructure has been destroyed because of the missile attack. A high-rise apartment block is on fire. We see firefighters pulling people out from the blaze. Tragically, at least one person has died and others have been injured in Odesa from these attacks.
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s recently appointed prime minister, called the actions by Moscow “a manifestation of war.” She described it as a “brutal attack” on Odesa and other cities. She emphasized the growing toll of such assaults: “One person killed, several more wounded, families destroyed. This is the cost of hesitation. Without a strong response, the blows will fall once more.
Just last week, Russia seized six of their villages to the north near Pavlohrad. This new wave of aggression comes on the heels of those shocking developments. The moving back Russian troops are now on the brink of capturing more land in a corner of Lugansk province, bordering Donetsk province. The situation remains precarious as local officials assess damage and coordinate rescue efforts amidst ongoing threats.