Deadly Russian Drone Strikes on Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Leave at Least Five Dead

A bus damaged in a Russian attack on Kherson, Ukraine, on September 26, 2025 highlights the mounting toll of ongoing aerial assaults. At least five people have been killed and 11 others injured in recent Russian attacks across Ukraine, according to local authorities.

A Russian drone attack targeting a bus in the front-line city of Kherson resulted in at least four deaths and four injuries on Wednesday, as reported by Kherson regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. The strike occurred at approximately 8:50 am local time (05:50 GMT), with all casualties being passengers aboard the vehicle. Sharing updates on the Telegram app, Prokudin stated that the wounded individuals were transported to the hospital and accompanied his message with blurred photographs of a yellow bus showing bloodied steps and shattered windows.

Russian forces frequently target Kherson using drones. The city was under Moscow’s control from March to November 2022 during the initial months of the conflict, and Ukrainian officials accuse Russia of deliberately targeting civilians. Earlier this month, allegations emerged that a man was pursued through a Kherson street market by a remotely piloted FPV drone in what was described as a civilian “safari.”

Before the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022, Kherson had a population of roughly 280,000. Although Ukrainian counteroffensives pushed Russian forces out of the city in late 2022, occupying troops remain stationed on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River. The United Nations has noted a steady increase in civilian casualties throughout the year, recording 437 civilian deaths in Ukraine last month—the highest monthly total since May 2022. Conversely, Russian authorities reported 79 civilian fatalities from Ukrainian attacks in July.

As the conflict continues past four and a half years, United States-backed negotiations aimed at a resolution remain stalled. In a separate incident, a Russian attack in southeastern Ukraine's city of Zaporizhzhia killed one person and injured seven others, according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. Russian drones struck the regional capital, damaging residential and nonresidential structures and igniting fires.

Additionally, Russian state media agency Interfax, referencing the Ministry of Defence, reported that Russian forces struck a cargo vessel carrying military cargo in the Black Sea close to the Ukrainian port of Odesa. The ministry also claimed that Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed 453 Ukrainian drones overnight across various regions. Meanwhile, in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, authorities worked to extinguish a minor fire after a drone impacted an industrial zone in Ufa, as reported by the republic's head Radiy Khabirov on Telegram. Khabirov noted that a drone also struck an apartment building and several vehicles in the oil-refining hub of Ufa, leaving one person injured.