Russia unleashed multiple waves of missile and drone attacks across Ukrainian regions early on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of at least four people, according to Ukraine’s military reports. This barrage follows Russia’s most extensive aerial assault on Ukraine to date.
The attacks have caused significant destruction and casualties. In Kryvyi Rih, a central Ukrainian city, a hotel was “wiped out” in the assault, claiming the lives of two individuals. Additionally, two more people were killed in drone strikes on the city of Zaporizhzhia, situated east of Kryvyi Rih.
Kyiv’s air defense systems engaged
Kyiv’s air defense systems were heavily engaged overnight, with multiple deployments to counteract the incoming missiles and drones targeting the Ukrainian capital. Reports from Reuters confirmed at least three rounds of explosions in Kyiv during the night.
On Monday, Russia launched an unprecedented wave of over 200 missiles and drones, resulting in at least seven fatalities and extensive damage to energy infrastructure. U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the attack as “outrageous,” highlighting the scale and severity of the assault.
Moscow may struggle to sustain strikes
According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, Moscow may struggle to sustain such large-scale strikes consistently due to limitations in its defense-industrial capacity. Meanwhile, Russian military bloggers, including the pro-war collective Rybar, characterized the attacks as “retaliation” for Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russian territory—a rare occurrence since World War II.
The Kremlin has stated that a response to Ukraine’s actions in Kursk will be forthcoming. However, despite continued Russian bombardment, Kyiv claims to have made further advances in the area. Moscow maintains that it is persistently attacking Ukrainian troops but has yet to drive them out.
Full impact of attack being assessed
The full impact of Tuesday’s attacks is still being assessed. Ukraine’s air force reported several groups of drones being launched and noted the deployment of Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers and MiG-31 supersonic interceptor aircraft. These developments are under investigation, with Reuters unable to independently verify the details.
The Kremlin continues to deny targeting civilians in the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia’s defense ministry claimed that its Monday strikes successfully hit all designated targets, including critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
Air raid alerts in regions
In the wake of the recent attacks, Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv, and central and eastern Ukrainian regions were placed under air raid alerts for most of the night, beginning around 8:00 PM GMT on Monday.
Serhiy Lisak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, which includes Kryvyi Rih, reported that two civilians might still be trapped under the rubble of the hotel, with five others injured. Additionally, the attack caused damage to six shops, four high-rise buildings, and eight cars.
In Zaporizhzhia, the overnight drone assault resulted in two fatalities and four injuries, according to Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region. Fedorov described the destruction caused by the Iranian-made Shahed drones used in the attacks, underscoring the ongoing toll of the conflict on Ukrainian cities and civilians.
