Child killed in Russian Kinzhal attack aimed at airfield in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Russian forces launched four Kh-47 Kinzhal missiles against Ukraine in the morning of Aug. 11.

According to Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, Russian forces targeted an airfield in western Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and the young pilots who are scheduled to undergo training on the Western-made fighter jets.

Three missiles struck the area near the Kolomyia airfield, killing an eight-year-old child and damaging civilian infrastructure and houses, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, which borders Romania, is a rare target of Russian attacks, as it lies hundreds of kilometers away from the front lines.

Only one missile was downed over Kyiv Oblast on its way to the Kolomyia airfield, the Air Force said.

Missile debris fell in three locations in Kyiv’s Obolonskyi district, including on the territory of a children's hospital, according to Mayor Vitalii Klitschko.

No casualties were reported in Kyiv.

In addition, Russian forces attacked southern Kherson Oblast with artillery and drones, killing one civilian and injuring seven others, including two policemen, the authorities reported on Aug. 11.

A 53-year-old man died after suffering severe chest injuries when Russian forces hit an apartment building in the city of Kherson, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Kherson and other regional settlements on the Kyiv-controlled west bank of the Dnipro River have been continuously subjected to Russian shelling since Ukrainian forces liberated them in November 2022.

Russian forces were pushed to the river's east bank, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.

Also on Aug. 11, Russian shelling of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, injured a woman and damaged 15 houses and power lines, according to Governor Serhii Lysak.

The 71-year-old woman has been hospitalized in mild condition, according to the report.

Nikopol sits just across the Dnipro River from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which makes the city a regular target of heavy Russian shelling.

“Russia's disregard for human life knows no bounds,” U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink tweeted on Aug. 11 following the attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 11 that all the regional military enlistment offices chiefs across Ukraine would be dismissed following the nationwide checks that revealed multiple violations, including corruption, power abuse, and fraud.

They will be replaced with officers with combat experience after they undergo an inspection by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

“This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery in wartime is treason,” Zelensky said in a video address.

The decision was approved at an Aug. 11 meeting of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, assigning General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, responsible for its implementation.

Ukrainian authorities began the nationwide inspection of military recruitment offices in late June following journalists’ reports on regional enlistment office heads' alleged corruption and abuse of power.

A total of 112 criminal investigations have been launched against Ukrainian enlistment officials, with the charges against 33 people, Zelensky said.

He pledged that every enlistment officer would be held responsible if proven guilty.

“Officials who confused epaulets and benefits will definitely be brought to trial,” said Zelensky.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that Russian air defense downed a drone over Russia’s capital on the morning of Aug. 11.

The drone debris fell in western Moscow, according to the report.

Russian Telegram channels published footage showing a drone crushing and the smoke rising from the leafy area next to the river in Moscow.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Ukraine has tried to attack an unnamed facility and that the drone had been downed by electronic warfare.

No casualties or damage were reported in Moscow.

Ukraine hasn’t claimed responsibility for the attack.

Drone attacks against Moscow have intensified over recent weeks. Two drone strikes on the same target, the high-rise "Moscow City" building where several Russian ministries are housed, caused damage on July 30 and Aug. 1.

Meanwhile, Andrii Yusov, the military intelligence spokesperson, told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 11 that “the intensity of reported drone attacks in Moscow is increasing,” hinting there is a likelihood of continued attacks in Russia’s capital.