Russia launched a massive attack on the Ukrainian capital and other cities across the country on Sunday, utilizing nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles. This hours-long assault tragically killed at least four people in Kyiv and wounded many more civilians.
“A massive Russian attack on Ukraine lasted for more than 12 hours,” stated President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. “Savage strikes, a deliberate, targeted terror against ordinary cities.”
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the attack commenced at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and persisted through Sunday morning. Nearly 600 drones and 48 missiles were deployed in the assault, with five missiles and 31 drones successfully evading air defenses.
Ukrainian officials anticipate that the number of casualties will likely rise as emergency crews continue their search for survivors.
Authorities confirmed that Kyiv was the primary target of Sunday’s attack, noting that a 12-year-old girl was among the deceased. Damage was reported at Ukraine’s Cardiology Institute, an industrial bakery, a tire manufacturing plant, as well as numerous homes and apartment buildings.
In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, at least 27 people sustained injuries from Russian rocket attacks that damaged no fewer than 14 apartment buildings, according to Ukrainian officials. Attacks were also reported in Sumy, Odessa, and other regions nationwide.
Since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Russia’s aerial bombardments have severely impacted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, military production sites, critical railway hubs, and other vital facilities. These attacks have also targeted residential areas, a tactic military analysts describe as an effort to diminish Ukraine’s resolve to fight.
Despite the Russian military’s recent inability to achieve significant front-line breakthroughs, Moscow has intensified its bombardments, aiming to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.
Russia has increasingly relied on attack drones in its operations, having substantially ramped up their production and manufacturing. Concurrently, Ukraine has escalated its own long-range strikes within Russian territory.
However, the increased availability of Russian drones, combined with new technologies and tactics, presents a considerable challenge for Ukraine, which initially held a strategic advantage in drone warfare but has seen it diminish over time.
This situation has spurred an urgent push for the development of countermeasures. General Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s top military commander, announced in Kyiv this week that a new branch of the Air Force dedicated to unmanned air-defense systems has been established to combat the evolving threat.
He further noted that Ukraine is outfitting helicopters with specialized equipment to engage drones and has explored the use of light aircraft fitted with machine-gun mounts.
Simultaneously, Ukraine remains dependent on its Western allies for advanced air-defense systems capable of protecting against Russia’s formidable ballistic missiles.
Mr. Zelensky confirmed on Saturday that Ukraine recently received a Patriot system from Israel, with two additional systems expected later in the fall. He did not specify the origin of these forthcoming systems.
The American-made Patriot system is recognized globally as one of the few reliable interceptors of ballistic missiles. Ukrainian officials attribute the saving of thousands of lives to this system.
On Sunday, Mr. Zelensky vowed retaliation for the latest strikes and appealed to Ukraine’s allies to maintain pressure on Russia for an immediate cease-fire.
“This vile attack came virtually as the close of U.N. General Assembly week, and this is exactly how Russia declares its true position,” he concluded.