Russia’s Deadly Overnight Attack Kills 3, Shuts Key Ukraine-Moldova Border Crossing

The international checkpoint Vinohradivka-Vulcanesti on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border has been temporarily closed after a Russian drone attack damaged its infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities said. According to Ukraine’s State Customs Service, traffic through the checkpoint has been suspended and customs procedures halted. Authorities have not yet announced when the crossing will reopen.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Citizens and carriers were urged to consider the closure when planning trips and use other operational checkpoints along the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. The State Customs Service said it would announce the resumption of operations at Vinohradivka-Vulcanesti later. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russian drones had hit a checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border in the Odesa region during a massive overnight attack on Aug. 20. Moreover, in the early morning of Aug. 21, Russian forces launched a drone assault on the region, targeting the Bolhrad and Izmail districts. The attacks damaged infrastructure at the Tabaki checkpoint on the border with Moldova, temporarily forcing it to suspend operations. Russian assault hit 4 Ukrainian cities Russian forces launched another overnight assault on Ukraine on Aug. 25, targeting Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro, with residential buildings damaged and fires reported in several locations. In Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, debris from a Russian drone damaged a 16-story residential building, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported. Sections of the walls were destroyed and windows were blown out on the 14th floor. No fire was reported. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Strikes Russian Rocket Propellant Plant in Rostov Region Ukrainian forces struck a Russian plant producing rocket propellant for Uragan, Smerch and Tornado-S systems overnight Aug. 23-24. One woman was injured and received medical treatment at the scene. She did not require hospitalization. In Kharkiv, a Russian missile hit the Osnovianskyi district, killing one person, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported. Earlier, a Molniya drone attack was recorded in the city’s Kyivskyi district, although no further details were immediately available. In Zaporizhzhia, Russian drones hit the city shortly before midnight, causing a fire in non-residential buildings. At around 5 a.m., Russian forces launched another attack using guided aerial bombs (KAB). “A Russian guided aerial bomb hit the regional center. According to preliminary information, two people died,” Zaporizhzhia region Governor Ivan Fedorov wrote on Telegram. Fedorov later said the KAB strike damaged a road and caused a fire in an open area. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian forces hit a shopping and entertainment center in Slobozhanske, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS). The attack caused fires both inside the building and nearby. DSNS crews extinguished both fires. A truck and parts of the shopping center’s interior were damaged, but no casualties were reported. Attacks reported across Ukrainian regions Russian forces also attacked the Odesa region, where two metal structures covering an area of around 100 square meters caught fire following an attack, according to the DSNS. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, and no casualties were reported. In the Chernihiv region, Russian forces hit an enterprise in Koriukivka district, triggering a fire covering more than 3,000 square meters. Fires were also reported at road and forestry facilities and private enterprises. No casualties were reported, and rescuers extinguished all the fires. Air Force reports 150 drones According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, a Kh-31P guided aircraft missile, and 150 Shahed-type attack drones, including jet-powered drones, as well as Gerbera and Parody decoy drones, from 6 p.m. on Aug. 24. Ukraine’s air defenses, aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups took part in repelling the attack. As of 9 a.m., Ukrainian air defenses had neutralized 124 Russian drones across northern, southern and eastern Ukraine. “Enemy air attack vehicles were hit at 17 locations, as well as the fall of downed (debris) at 7 locations,” the Air Force said. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.