The Ukrainian Interior Ministry confirmed that Russia’s latest attack killed at least one civilian and injured between 23 and 26 people, including several children.
The war in Ukraine continues to escalate, reaching levels of violence that, in some respects, exceed the scale previously witnessed over the last three years. Russia has recently launched what Ukrainian officials described as the largest aerial assault since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, eclipsing the other record-holder from within the past month. Russia targeted the city of Kyiv and surrounding regions; the attack featured an unprecedented volume of aerial threats, including 539 Shahed drones and 11 cruise and ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s Air Defenses Shot Down Hundreds of Russian Drones
Ukrainian air defense systems, comprised of Western-supplied Patriot and NASAMS systems, reportedly shot down as many as 270 to 478 drones and several missiles. However, debris from destroyed Russian drones that had snuck through the defensive lines still caused widespread destruction on the ground.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry confirmed that Russia’s attack killed at least one civilian and injured between 23 and 26 people, including several children. Fires were reported across multiple Kyiv districts as weapon fragments struck residential buildings, medical facilities, and transport infrastructure.
Ukraine has called the attack an act of “pure terrorism.” It has accused the Kremlin of deliberately targeting civilians—a claim that holds more water after each such aerial attack manages to find targets in residential neighborhoods. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to respond with intensive military and diplomatic actions, reiterating his calls for the United States to reverse its recent decision to pause weapons deliveries.
Ukraine’s Drone Counterattack Fell Inside Russia
Following Russia’s attack, Kyiv launched its own counterattack, consisting of long-range drone strikes deep within Russian territory. The drones were reported to have struck targets in Sergiev Posad, a city approximately 75 kilometers northeast of Moscow. Russian authorities confirmed that a power substation was damaged in the attack, causing local blackouts and one reported civilian injury.
In a separate attack, Ukraine launched drones against Russia’s Rostov region, which borders occupied Ukraine, causing the death of one civilian woman and prompting the evacuation of over 100 residents. The strikes were consistent with Ukraine’s ongoing asymmetric campaign to degrade Russia’s logistics and energy systems—especially as Russian forces intensified their efforts to seize more Ukrainian territory.
The Russian attacks came just hours after President Donald Trump spoke with both Putin and Zelenskyy. Allegedly, Trump urged an end to the war and criticized Putin’s refusal to de-escalate. He then spoke with Zelenskyy to reaffirm that Ukraine would continue to enjoy US support, including potential new joint weapons production projects in Ukraine. However, Trump did not promise the resumption of the weapons shipments that had been recently paused while the Pentagon conducted a stockpile audit.
Has Russia Used Chemical Weapons in Ukraine?
Concerningly, a new joint intelligence report from Dutch and German intelligence agencies has claimed that Russia is intensifying its use of restricted chemical agents such as chlorpicrin and CS gas in trench and urban warfare. Ukrainian soldiers have been reporting symptoms consistent with chemical exposure, including vomiting, respiratory issues, and temporary blindness.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has been asked to investigate Russia’s reported use of restricted chemical weapons, and European lawmakers are now pushing for expanded sanctions against Russia’s chemical manufacturing industries.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a Senior Defense and National Security Writer at The National Interest. Kass is an attorney and former political candidate who joined the US Air Force as a pilot trainee before being medically discharged. He focuses on military strategy, aerospace, and global security affairs. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global Journalism and International Relations from NYU.
Image: Shutterstock / Yakiv Liashenko.
