[71237] Widespread series of mutual strikes: Russia and Ukraine report casualties and damage to infrastructure

Escalation in fighting: Massive mutual strikes between Russia and Ukraine

Last night (May 22, 2026) was marked by a significant escalation in fighting. The Russian Ministry of Defense, as reported by the Solovyov channel, announced that air defense systems intercepted 217 Ukrainian drones that penetrated Russian airspace, including over Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other regions. Conversely, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces attacked oil refineries in Russia, with an emphasis on the Slavneft-YANOS plant in Yaroslavl, as part of a policy to move the war into Russian territory.

A grave incident occurred in the city of Starobilsk in the Luhansk region, which has been under Russian control since 2022. According to reports from Readovka, Ukrainian drones hit a residential building and a pedagogical college where dozens of teenagers were staying. Officials from the Russian-appointed authorities reported four deaths and dozens of injuries, with rescue operations temporarily halted due to the threat of further attacks. The TASS news agency quoted officials who called the incident "terrorism against children."

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries in Russia have caused the shutdown or significant reduction of production capacity at strategic facilities. Journalist Anatoly Shariy noted that this is a planned effort designed to damage the "fuel and logistics axis" of the Russian war machine.

In Ukraine, BBC News Russian reported that a Russian bombing in the city of Dnipro destroyed a warehouse belonging to the UN Refugee Agency containing humanitarian aid worth one million dollars, killing two civilians. Simultaneously, Russian forces continue fighting in the Vovchansk area and on other fronts in the Donbas, while the Russian Ministry of Defense emphasizes its successes in "thwarting terrorist attacks" by destroying infrastructure used to produce drones and unmanned maritime vessels.

Reports from both sides paint a picture of an intensive war of attrition, in which civilian and economic infrastructure are becoming central targets, amid mutual accusations of committing "war crimes" and using unconventional weaponry.