At least 25 people were killed and dozens injured as Russian forces launched devastating airstrikes across Ukraine, targeting a prison, a hospital, and civilians awaiting humanitarian aid.
In the deadliest attack, four Russian glide bombs struck the Bilenke Penitentiary in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region late Monday night, according to the Ministry of Justice. The strike destroyed the prison’s dining hall, administrative offices, and quarantine center, killing 16 inmates and injuring over 50 others. Of the injured, 44 required hospitalization.
The Justice Ministry initially reported 17 deaths, but later revised the figure to 16. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner condemned the attack, calling it a “gross violation of international humanitarian law,” emphasizing that prisoners retain their right to life and protection even during wartime.
Multiple Civilian Casualties in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk
In the northeast Kharkiv region, a Russian rocket strike killed five people in the village of Novoplatonivka. The victims had gathered outside a local shop to receive humanitarian aid, regional police chief Petro Tokar told Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne.
Ukraine later released graphic images of the aftermath, showing bodies lying near the wreckage of the shop.
Another Russian missile hit a hospital in Kamianske, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing three people, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman named Diana.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a statement, condemned the attacks and called for the international community to enforce “tough sanctions” to compel Russia to end its aggression.
“Russia must be forced to stop the killings and make peace,” Zelensky said, adding that these continued strikes show that “a ceasefire could have long been in place.”
Trump Issues Ceasefire Ultimatum
Reacting to the violence, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Moscow to agree to a ceasefire within 10 to 12 days or face “sweeping sanctions.” Speaking during a visit to Scotland on Monday, Trump said he would announce penalties “probably tonight or tomorrow,” asserting, “There’s no reason to wait, if you know what the answer is.”
President Zelensky welcomed Trump’s remarks, calling them “very important words” and stating that Russia is “wasting the world’s time.”
Earlier in July, Trump had issued a 50-day ultimatum for Moscow to agree to peace, but the continued escalation suggests the warning has so far gone unheeded.
Russia Pushes Forward While Ukraine Hits Back
Russia claimed that its forces had seized the village of Maliivka in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region over the weekend, marking its second such claim of territorial gain in recent weeks. However, Ukrainian authorities have rejected Moscow’s assertions.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Russia’s southern Rostov and Belgorod regions overnight. In Salsk, Rostov, a man was killed in his car, and a freight train caught fire. Another man died in Belgorod after his car was hit, and his wife was injured.
The war, now in its third year, continues to inflict heavy civilian casualties as diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire remain stalled.
