In one of the largest aerial assaults since the war began in 2022, Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine using 741 aerial weapons, including 728 drones, seven Iskander-K cruise missiles, and six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, Ukrainian officials confirmed on Thursday.
The unprecedented scale of the assault—the second major strike this month—targeted multiple regions across the country, with Kyiv and Lutsk bearing the brunt. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) stated that 718 threats were neutralised through intense defensive operations involving interceptor drones and mobile fire units.
Despite Ukraine’s strong air defence efforts, the main impact was felt in Lutsk, where fires broke out at a garage cooperative and private enterprise. Widespread damage was also reported in Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Kropyvnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv.
At least two people were killed and over a dozen injured, according to local Kyiv authorities, with emergency services continuing to battle a fire spanning 8,000 square meters in the capital.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and renewed calls for stricter sanctions on Russian oil and secondary sanctions on nations and entities purchasing it. “Russia rejects every effort to stop the war. Everyone who wants peace must act,” the ministry urged in a post on X.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the assault as “growing terror” and called for immediate action from global partners, including:
- Reinforcement of Ukraine’s air defence systems
- Increased economic pressure on Moscow
- Swift passage of the U.S. Senate bill and the EU’s 18th sanctions package
“This brutal wave of drones and missiles, including ballistic types, caused civilian casualties and residential damage in Kyiv. Putin chooses war crimes over diplomacy. Act now to defund Russia’s war machine,” Sybiha added.
The attack came shortly after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled against Russia in four cases concerning military actions in Ukraine—including the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. The court found Russia guilty of systemic human rights violations, further tightening legal pressure on Moscow.
Earlier this month, Ukraine also reported a previous strike involving over 500 drones and 11 missiles, which left one dead and 23 injured in Kyiv.
As the war grinds on, Ukrainian officials stress that international inaction only emboldens Moscow, and are calling for immediate and decisive global response.
