KYIV, Ukraine (BN24) — Russian missiles and glide bombs killed at least 21 civilians and injured scores more in fresh overnight attacks across Ukraine, officials said Tuesday, even as the Kremlin dismissed President Donald Trump’s warning to end the war or face U.S. sanctions and tariffs within days.
In the deadliest assault, a Russian airstrike slammed into a prison facility in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, killing at least 17 inmates and wounding more than 80 others, according to Ukrainian officials. The strike, which used four guided aerial bombs, destroyed the prison dining hall and damaged administrative and quarantine buildings. Authorities said the perimeter remained intact and no escapes occurred, but dozens of people remain hospitalized with severe injuries.
“This is yet another blatant war crime targeting civilian infrastructure,” Ukrainian officials said, condemning the attack on the Bilenkivska Correctional Facility.
In a separate strike, missiles rained down on the Dnipro region, where authorities said four people were killed and at least eight others injured. Among the casualties was a 75-year-old woman in Velykomykhailivska and a pregnant woman critically wounded in Kamianske, where a maternity hospital and other medical facilities sustained heavy damage.
The strikes came just hours after President Trump issued a sharper ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that Russia has until Aug. 7–9 — just 10 to 12 days — to cease its attacks or face new U.S. penalties. Trump had originally given Moscow 50 days to stop the war but accelerated the deadline during a visit to Scotland, expressing dismay over continued civilian casualties.
“I’m disappointed in President Putin,” Trump said, reiterating his criticism of Moscow’s claims of pursuing peace while launching deadly barrages on Ukrainian towns and cities.
But the Kremlin responded defiantly. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council and former president, warned Trump against issuing ultimatums.
“Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran,” Medvedev wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war — not with Ukraine, but with his own country.”
Moscow continues to frame its war in Ukraine as a confrontation with the West, a narrative analysts say helps bolster domestic support for the conflict. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Monday that Kremlin officials are leveraging anti-Western rhetoric to justify aggression and prepare for potential clashes with NATO.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 37 Iranian-made Shahed drones, and decoys in the overnight assault. Ukrainian defenses intercepted 32 of the drones.
The attack on Kamianske destroyed a three-story building, damaged surrounding infrastructure, and left a city hospital ward and maternity center in shambles. In the Synelnykivskyi district, at least one person was killed and two others injured in strikes involving FPV drones and more aerial bombs, according to regional head Serhii Lysak.
As civilian death tolls rise and infrastructure crumbles under the weight of relentless Russian bombardments, international pressure mounts for a resolution to the nearly three-year-old conflict. However, with Moscow unmoved by Trump’s threats and continuing to escalate its offensive, the path to peace remains uncertain.
