Russia-Ukraine war widens beyond battlefield as drones cross borders, WHO warehouse destroyed in Dnipro
Representational image. (Image courtesy: Wikimedia)
New Delhi: The Russia-Ukraine war is increasingly creating security concerns beyond the battlefield, with drone incidents reported in Moldova and Bulgaria as Moscow and Kyiv continue to expand their use of long-range weapons. The latest attacks have also highlighted how the growing reliance on drones and missiles is putting pressure on civilian infrastructure and air-defence systems across the region.
A suspected combat drone caused a powerful explosion in Moldova’s southeastern village of Crocmaz, close to the Ukrainian border, according to media reports. The blast triggered a vegetation fire, while fragments believed to be from a drone were recovered from the site. No injuries were reported and Moldovan authorities have not yet established where the drone came from.
The incident came shortly after Bulgaria reported that a drone had entered its airspace and exploded near an international gas pipeline. Bulgarian authorities said the aircraft appeared similar to drones used by Ukrainian forces and described the incident as likely accidental.
Sofia summoned Ukraine’s ambassador over the episode, while Kyiv said it was investigating the incident and maintained that Bulgaria was not deliberately targeted. The two sides remained in contact to determine how the drone crossed into Bulgarian airspace.
The incidents have added to concerns among countries bordering the conflict that the expanding use of unmanned aircraft could increasingly affect their own airspace and critical infrastructure.
Inside Russia, Ukrainian drones continued to strike targets far from the frontline. Russian authorities said five people were killed and around two dozen injured in Belgorod, including a four-year-old boy, after overnight drone attacks. The strikes also damaged apartment buildings, private houses and administrative and commercial facilities.
The latest escalation comes as Russia continues to receive military support from North Korea, with Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning that up to 50,000 North Korean personnel could be sent to Russia, as reported by RNA Media.
Drone debris was also reported in Novorossiysk, where one person was injured and residential property was damaged. The city hosts a major fuel terminal linked to Kazakhstan’s oil exports and has previously come under Ukrainian attack.
Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 153 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. Moscow also claimed that its strikes targeted Ukrainian drone storage sites in the Kharkiv region and fuel and military supply facilities at the port of Odesa.
Russian missile pressure on Ukraine
While Ukrainian drones are reaching deeper into Russian territory, Russian forces continue to rely on missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Kharkiv suffered one of the latest strikes, with a missile hitting a high-rise residential building in the Saltivskyi district. Regional authorities said two people were killed and 13 injured.
Odesa was also targeted by what Ukrainian officials described as dozens of missiles and drones. Eight people were injured, while damage to the city’s energy infrastructure disrupted electricity supplies.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said restoration work was under way following the strike, describing the attack as a major assault on the energy sector. In Dnipro, a warehouse belonging to the World Health Organization was destroyed.
The scale and frequency of the attacks have renewed concerns over Ukraine’s ability to protect its cities. Kyiv has repeatedly appealed to western countries for additional Patriot air-defence systems, which remain its key capability for intercepting ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy has argued that the availability of Patriot systems has become more difficult as demand for air-defence equipment has increased following the Iran war. Ukraine has also explored producing Patriot ammunition domestically as it seeks to reduce its dependence on foreign supplies.
The Ukrainian president, has further sought approval from Elon Musk to use Starlink satellite communications for operations intended to help locate Russian missile launchers.
