Russian Airstrikes Claim Lives in Ukraine Amid U.S. Warning of Sanctions

In southeastern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, a series of Russian airstrikes have taken a tragic toll, with officials reporting 19 fatalities on Tuesday, July 29. The attacks included a bombing of a prison, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted was intentionally aimed at a civilian site, resulting in 16 deaths and 43 injuries. Zelenskyy emphasized that the Russian military must have known they were targeting a civilian establishment during his evening address, calling for continued international pressure on Russia to halt its aggression.

Additionally, a missile strike on a hospital in the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region claimed the lives of a 23-year-old pregnant woman along with two others. President Zelenskyy updated the total number of casualties over the past 24 hours to 22. In response to the attacks, Russia denied allegations of targeting civilian areas, even as it increases the frequency of strikes on Ukrainian cities and towns, while continuing to consolidate its hold over approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory in a conflict that has now extended into its fourth year.