Just days after Ukraine successfully targeted more than a third of Russia’s nuclear-capable bombers, Moscow has launched one of its most extensive assaults since the war began. According to Ukrainian officials, Russia fired over 400 drones and 40 missiles in a sweeping overnight attack that impacted at least nine regions, including Kyiv, Lviv, Lutsk, Sumy, and Chernihiv.
The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed the strikes were in response to what it called Kyiv’s “terrorist acts,” referring to Ukraine’s earlier strikes on key military assets inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the scale of the retaliation, calling it “one of the largest attacks since the beginning of the war.” He reported that 80 people were injured and that the attacks were widespread across the country, from western regions like Lviv to northeastern territories such as Sumy.
Tragically, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service reported multiple casualties from the barrage, including three firefighters killed in Kyiv, two civilians in Lutsk, and one person in Chernihiv.
The intense escalation follows Ukraine’s successful strike against Russian airfields, which reportedly damaged or destroyed a significant number of nuclear-capable strategic bombers—a critical part of Moscow’s long-range strike capability. Many in Ukraine saw the strike as a symbolic victory, though they were braced for inevitable retaliation.
Following Friday’s assault, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, warned that Russia would be “forced to respond” to Kyiv’s aggressive operations. While it is unclear if this latest assault constitutes the full scope of Russia’s retaliation, concerns are growing that Putin could escalate the conflict even further.
Despite the scale and devastation of the attacks, Ukrainian morale remains high. In the capital Kyiv, residents expressed continued faith in their military. “It didn’t break us at all. The morale is as high as it was. We strongly believe in our armed forces,” said Olha, a 39-year-old resident of Kyiv.
The strikes mark a new phase in the war, with both sides increasingly targeting strategic and symbolic assets in an intensifying cycle of escalation. The international community is now watching closely to see whether diplomatic channels will reopen—or whether the conflict is on the verge of further intensification.
