Russia strikes Ukraine-Moldova border checkpoint in overnight drone attack

Zelenskyy did not specify the consequences of the strike on the border checkpoint.

Moldova’s Defense Ministry reported that a Shahed-136 drone crossed into Moldovan airspace during the overnight attack and later returned to Ukraine.

Preliminary information indicated that the Shahed crossed Moldova’s border from Ukraine near Kotlovyna in the Reni district and flew toward the village of Etulia in the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia. The ministry said the drone left Moldovan airspace at 3:22 a.m., heading from Etulia back toward Ukraine.

Russian forces again carried out a large-scale overnight attack on southern Odesa Oblast, the Odesa Oblast Military Administration reported.

“The enemy targeted civilian infrastructure,” administration head Oleh Kiper said.

The attack disrupted power supplies in several communities. As of the morning, 13,000 families remained without electricity.

At another site, two truck trailers carrying food caught fire. The fires were fully extinguished, and no injuries were reported, the administration said.

“The Russians had been preparing for a long time and combined different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones to damage civilian infrastructure as much as possible,” Zelenskyy said.

Damage was reported in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, Odesa Oblast and Chernihiv Oblast.

“Unfortunately, while Moscow invests in ballistic weapons and escalation, the world does not always respond to such strikes as it should. And as long as Ukraine lacks sufficient ballistic missile defenses, Russia will not think seriously about peace. We are doing everything to ensure those defenses are in place, and work on the FREYJA program continues every day. But for now, there is no substitute for Patriot interceptors, and they are needed every day,” the Ukrainian president said.

Overnight on Aug. 20, Russia attacked Ukraine with dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, primarily targeting Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast. Russia used Oniks and Tsirkon missiles, cruise and ballistic Iskander missiles, Kalibr missiles, Kh-101 and Kh-59 missiles, and more than 160 drones.

In Kyiv, 12 people were reported killed and more than 30 wounded. A day of mourning has been declared in the capital and will be observed on Aug. 21. The Boryspil and Brovary districts in Kyiv Oblast also came under attack. One person was killed in the oblast.