At least 19 people were killed in Russian airstrikes targeting civilian infrastructure in southeastern Ukraine on Tuesday, including a direct hit on a prison in the Zaporizhzhia region that Ukrainian officials say was a deliberate attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the strike, stating that Russia was fully aware it was hitting a civilian facility. “The Russians knew it was a civilian facility. They could not have been unaware,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
A wounded prisoner sits at the site of the penal colony hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine July 29, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
The strike on the prison injured 43 people and destroyed the dining hall, according to Ukraine’s Justice Ministry, which revised the death toll from 17 to 16. Prisoners injured in the blast were seen bloodied and bandaged, wading through shattered concrete and broken glass.
“Some dead, some alive, some without legs – half of them burned,” said Yaroslav Samarskiy, a 54-year-old inmate.
In a separate missile strike on a hospital in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a 23-year-old pregnant woman and two others were killed. Zelenskiy said a total of 22 people died across the country in the past 24 hours due to Russian strikes.
A serviceman accompanies a prisoner at the site of the penal colony hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine July 29, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
The attacks come as Russia intensifies aerial bombardments across Ukrainian towns and cities far from the front line, even as it continues to slowly advance on the battlefield. Russian forces currently occupy about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Trump Threatens Sanctions
Amid escalating violence, U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a dramatic shift in Washington’s stance, shortening his deadline for Russian de-escalation from 50 to 10 or 12 days.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump said he had received no response from Moscow and would begin implementing punitive measures, including tariffs, within 10 days if no progress was made.
A view shows the penal colony hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine July 29, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
“The special military operation continues,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, acknowledging Trump’s remarks while reaffirming Russia’s war objectives.
In the Kharkiv region, another Russian strike on a humanitarian aid distribution point killed five people, according to Ukrainian police.
Zelenskiy urged increased global pressure, saying, “Each such Russian strike… confirms that pressure is necessary.”
