Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the war against Ukraine this week, firing more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles at cities and infrastructure across the country, according to Ukrainian officials.
The attacks struck Kyiv, Odesa, Rivne, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and areas near Ukraine’s western border with NATO states. Ukrainian authorities said at least seven people died and dozens suffered injuries during two days of strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 800 drones during Wednesday alone before continuing attacks into Thursday morning with missiles and another wave of drones.
“New drones continue entering our airspace,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. He described the operation as one of the longest and largest attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 753 drones between Wednesday morning and early evening after another 139 drones overnight. On Thursday, the military reported a further barrage involving 675 drones and 56 missiles. Air defence systems intercepted many of the targets, though officials confirmed strikes in at least 24 locations.
The overnight attack on Kyiv damaged apartment blocks, business centres, parking structures and railway infrastructure. Rescue workers searched through rubble in the Darnytsia district after part of a residential building collapsed.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said emergency crews rescued at least 11 people from damaged buildings. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said one person died and at least 16 others suffered injuries during the strikes.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said falling drone debris caused fires in several districts. In the Dniprovskyi district, debris struck a five-storey residential building. In Obolonskyi district, another apartment building caught fire after being hit by fragments from intercepted drones.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said Russia also targeted ports and railway infrastructure in the southern Odesa region. According to Reuters, Ukrainian officials reported at least 23 attacks on the railway network during Wednesday.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR warned earlier in the day that Russia appeared to be using large drone waves to overload Ukrainian air defences before launching missile strikes.
“The attack could last a long time,” HUR said on Telegram.
In western Ukraine, officials in Rivne region said three people died after a drone struck a residential building. Four others suffered injuries.
The attacks reached regions close to NATO territory. Russia struck Zakarpattia in western Ukraine near the Slovak border. Slovakia later announced the indefinite closure of one land crossing “for security reasons”, according to the BBC.
Ukraine also reported attacks in Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.
The latest attacks followed the expiry of a three-day ceasefire brokered by the United States. Both Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of repeated violations during the truce, though aerial attacks had temporarily decreased.
US President Donald Trump said this week he believed Russia and Ukraine would “soon reach a deal” to end the war. Speaking before departing for a summit in Beijing, Trump told reporters the conflict was “getting very close” to an end.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also said during the weekend that the war was “coming to an end”, though he gave no details.
Despite those statements, fighting continued across the front and along the Russian border.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces intercepted and destroyed 286 Ukrainian drones overnight across 14 regions and Crimea. The ministry said drones were shot down over Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Rostov and areas above the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.
In Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said one man died from injuries suffered during a Ukrainian drone strike. Russian officials also reported damage to industrial facilities in Krasnodar region and in the city of Yaroslavl northeast of Moscow.
Astrakhan Governor Igor Babushkin said falling drone debris caused a fire at a gas processing plant in the regional capital. He said there was no threat to air quality.
Ukraine has increased long-range drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure during recent months. Kyiv says the facilities support Russia’s military operations and remain legitimate targets.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia’s latest strikes showed Moscow intended to continue the war despite diplomatic pressure from Washington.
“There should be no illusions,” Sybiha wrote on X during Trump’s visit to China. “Only pressure on Moscow can force him to stop.”
HT