Russian drones blasted the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia late Sunday, wounding five people and striking apartment blocks, a university and a shopping mall, officials said Monday.
The bombardment, which also hit nine other Ukrainian regions, came a day after Ukraine launched over 1,000 drones at Russia during its parliamentary election.
Ukraine's air force reported shooting down or suppressing 148 Russian drones overnight, while Russia's Defense Ministry stated its air defenses downed 244 Ukrainian drones and that its forces targeted Ukrainian ports, logistics hubs and warehouses.
With no diplomatic progress after four years of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is escalating the conflict ahead of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where he expects to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, neighboring Moldova temporarily closed part of its northern airspace overnight after detecting an unidentified aerial object, amid growing drone incursions across Eastern Europe.