Kyiv, Ukraine – Web Desk: Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine on Tuesday, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at multiple cities, including Kyiv and Dnipro, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 100, Ukrainian officials said.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian forces launched 73 missiles and more than 600 drones during the overnight attacks. The strikes marked the third major assault on Kyiv in less than a month and caused widespread destruction across the capital.
Officials said Kyiv was the primary target, with at least nine residential high-rise buildings, a school, a medical clinic, office facilities and administrative structures damaged in the attacks. Ukraine’s national power provider reported that approximately 140,000 residents temporarily lost electricity due to the strikes.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched a total of 656 drones and 73 missiles, including 33 ballistic missiles and eight Zircon hypersonic missiles. Military analysts described the reported use of Zircon missiles as potentially the largest deployment of the weapon system since the start of the war.
Ukraine said its air defenses intercepted or neutralized 602 drones and 40 missiles. However, officials did not specify whether any of the Zircon hypersonic missiles had been successfully intercepted.
President Zelensky again urged the United States and its allies to provide additional Patriot air defense systems, citing growing pressure on Ukraine’s missile defense capabilities amid escalating Russian attacks.
The latest assault comes as the Russia-Ukraine war continues to intensify, raising concerns over civilian casualties, infrastructure damage, and regional security.
