Russia Targets Naftogaz Gas Facilities With Iskander Missiles and 164 Drones — 5 Killed Including Rescuers Deliberately Struck

In an overnight attack on May 4-5, 2026, Russia fired 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 164 strike drones (including jet-powered Shahed variants) targeting Ukraine's Naftogaz natural gas production facilities in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 149 drones and 1 of the ballistic missiles; the remaining missiles and drones penetrated. The strikes killed at least 5 people: 3 Naftogaz employees killed in the initial blast and, in a tactic increasingly documented by Ukrainian authorities, 2 emergency rescuers were deliberately killed in a follow-up 'double tap' strike as first responders arrived at the scene — a practice considered a war crime under international humanitarian law. At least 37 people were wounded. Gas supply was cut to approximately 3,500 customers in the affected regions. The attack marked the 107th strike on Ukrainian Naftogaz infrastructure since January 2026, part of Russia's sustained winter-into-spring campaign to destroy Ukraine's energy sector. Ukraine's gas grid operator said emergency brigades worked through the night to restore supply.