Russian Drones Target Ukrainian Port of Izmail for Second Consecutive Day

Ukrainian officials say that Russian drones have targeted the southern port of Izmail in the Odessa region for the second consecutive day. On Thursday, August 4, the attacks destroyed an office building and injured at least two people. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used 38 drones in its recent attacks across various parts of Ukraine. The Ukrainian army reported that three Russian drones also entered neighboring Romania. Following the Russian drone attacks on Izmail, the Romanian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday, August 3, that it had increased security measures in its airspace, including the use of F-16 fighter jets for enhanced surveillance. On Thursday, the Ukrainian army stated that its air defense intercepted 25 out of 38 Russian drones in the Cherkasy, Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Sumy, and Zhytomyr regions. Alexander Prokudin, the governor of Kherson, said on the messaging app Telegram that at least one person was killed during the Russian drone attack. According to Vitaly Bontchuk, the governor of Zhytomyr, several houses and critical infrastructure were damaged in these drone attacks. Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv military administration, stated that a large number of drones attacked the capital from several directions, but air defense shot them all down. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that it had shot down 11 Ukrainian drones over Kursk, Belgorod, and the Crimean Peninsula, which is under its occupation. According to Russia, several people were injured in the Ukrainian drone attacks, and damages were inflicted on residential homes and office buildings.