Ukraine has experienced one of the most extensive aerial attacks since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with a combined total of 451 drones and missiles launched overnight across multiple regions, including the capital, Kyiv.
Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, speaking on Ukrainian television, confirmed that Russia deployed 407 Shahed attack drones, 38 cruise missiles, and six ballistic missiles in the overnight barrage. Ukrainian air defences intercepted more than 200 drones and around 30 missiles, he said.
In Kyiv, at least four people were confirmed dead, including three emergency service personnel, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Twenty others sustained injuries in the attack, which officials described as the second-largest aerial assault since the war began. Only Sunday’s attack—when 472 drones and missiles were launched—surpasses it.
While the air raid alert has been lifted in the capital, warnings remain active in other regions.
In Lutsk, a city in northwestern Ukraine, officials reported that 15 drones and six missiles struck the area, injuring five people. Damage to infrastructure has been recorded in both Kyiv and Lutsk, though assessments are still ongoing.
The assault follows remarks made earlier this week by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin had assured him “very strongly” during a phone call that Russia would retaliate for Ukraine’s recent drone attacks on Russian airbases.
Ukrainian authorities have denounced the latest assault as a calculated escalation aimed at depleting Ukraine’s air defences and terrorising civilians.
Edited by Nzubechukwu Eze
