In brief
Russia unleashed a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones targeting Ukrainian centres, killing eight civilians and injuring dozens. Kyiv’s mayor reported widespread damage, while President Zelensky called the assault one of the largest since the 2022 invasion. Ukrainian air defences intercepted 18 of 41 missiles and 108 drones, but the town of Kharkiv lost four residents, a Kyiv elderly woman died, and casualties appeared in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy. Ukraine has responded by striking Russian oil tankers, fuel depots and the online retailer Wildberries, targeting assets that finance Moscow’s war effort. The attacks intensify calls for increased ballistic missile interceptors from European allies.
Russia’s massive ballistic missile and drone campaign on Ukrainian cities
Russian forces launched a coordinated wave of missile and drone strikes across several Ukrainian cities, inflicting eight deaths and dozens of injuries according to Ukrainian officials. The attacks struck urban and industrial targets, including Kharkiv, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy.
In Kharkiv four men were killed at a postal terminal, while an elderly citizen died in Kyiv’s central district. Two other fatalities were reported in Zaporizhzhia and a single one in Sumy.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the raid on Kyiv as one of the most massive ballistic attacks Russia has conducted since the full‑scale invasion began in 2022. He emphasised that Ukraine’s forces struck Russian oil tankers, fuel depots in Stavropol, and the e‑commerce giant Wildberries to disrupt the financial underpinnings of the war.
Ukrainian air defence systems shot down 18 of 41 incoming missiles and intercepted 108 drones, despite the scale of the assault. The weapons used comprise Iskander and hypersonic Zircon missiles, alongside 125 drones dispatched by Russian forces.
An unrelated Russian‑owned grain ship in the Black Sea was hit by missiles, killing five civilians. Concurrently, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Wildberries warehouses in Tambov and Elektrostal, killing eight and injuring dozens.
The escalating counter‑attacks underline Ukraine’s push for more ballistic missile interceptors from European allies, with Zelensky declaring that protection against such threats is now a top priority.
