Russia strikes Kharkiv and Odessa, Ukraine strikes Belgorod

Russia attacked Kharkiv and Odessa, while Ukraine struck Belgorod.

**Belgorod**

On the night of August 9, Ukrainian drones attacked the city of Belgorod. According to the Belgorod regional operational headquarters, 29 apartment buildings, three administrative buildings, three social and six commercial buildings were damaged as a result of the attack.

Initially, the acting governor of the Belgorod region, Alexander Shuvayev, reported that three people had been killed and 25 others injured, including children aged four and nine. One of the children was hospitalized, and his condition was assessed as moderate. Later, the operational headquarters announced that another man’s body had been found during the clearing of the rubble of one of the apartment buildings. Another man, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition, also died, bringing the death toll to five.

The attack was the most serious in terms of destruction since December 30, 2023, when rocket attacks killed 25 people, injured more than 100, and damaged 30 apartment buildings.

On August 5, Governor Shuvayev, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noted that the territory under his control was suffering the most from the intensification of Ukrainian strikes across Russia.

**Kharkiv and Odessa**

On August 9, the Russian military struck Kharkiv in the early hours of August 10. According to local authorities, one of the missiles hit an apartment building in the Saltovka district, destroying the seventh to ninth floors. Another apartment building located next to the building was also hit. According to the latest reports, two people were killed and 37 were injured in the attack on Kharkiv.

In addition, Russia also attacked Odessa with missiles and drones. Several residential buildings in two districts of the city were damaged and partially destroyed. A total of 12 people were injured.

**Zelensky – about the “operation of influence” against Russia**

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed satisfaction with the results of the 40-day “operation of influence” against Russia, calling it “successful”. He announced this during a Ukrainian telethon.

According to Zelensky, after the Russian military intensified its attacks on Ukrainian logistics, Ukraine decided to “respond”. “The losses there are serious – a trillion rubles… This was a very successful operation by Ukrainian forces. Of course, I am pleased. We know how much they lost, how much they faced big problems,” Zelensky said, adding that the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Special Operations Forces, military intelligence and the Ukrainian Security Service were involved in the operation.

Zelensky warned Moscow that Ukraine was “aware of Russia’s vulnerabilities”:

“Logistics is a vulnerability not only for Ukrainians, but for everyone. Logistics is everyday life, habits. We have not had a normal life, such habits since the beginning of Russian aggression. People in Russia did not notice this. Of course, if products in Russia do not reach consumers due to logistics disruptions, people in Russia will definitely feel it too... I would not advise Russia to continue to strike Ukrainian logistics, because we have studied Russian logistics.”

He noted that Russia has “created three rings of air defense systems around Moscow to protect power grids and energy facilities.” He believes that people in Moscow know that Ukraine will respond appropriately to Russian attacks.

Zelensky announced a 40-day “operation of influence” against Russia in late June. He said the aim of the operation was to “induce the aggressor state to stop the war.”

During the “operation of influence,” Ukraine has struck at least 20 Wildberries storage facilities, at least 25 oil refineries and other oil and gas infrastructure facilities, and has carried out at least 200 attacks on tankers and cargo ships in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. In turn, Russia has stepped up its ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine. According to Ukrainian data, 381 missiles were launched in July, more than in any other month since the beginning of the war.