Ukraine Launches Massive Wave of Nearly 900 Drones Against Russia in Major Escalation

Ukraine Launches Massive Wave of Nearly 900 Drones Against Russia in Major Escalation

Cross-border strikes leave casualties in Russia, while Russian missile barrages hit Kiev and multiple Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian forces launched one of their largest coordinated aerial strikes since the start of the war on Sunday, firing nearly 900 drones deep into Russian territory. The operation left at least six people dead, ignited fires at major commercial hubs, and targeted critical infrastructure. 

Simultaneously, fresh Russian missile and drone strikes hit several cities across Ukraine, including the capital, Kiev, causing further deaths and damage.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted 822 Ukrainian drones overnight. 

According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, approximately 600 drones were detected heading toward the capital, with roughly a third neutralized directly over the Moscow region.

Impact and Casualties in Russia

In the Moscow region, a drone strike hit a residential house, killing an 83-year-old man, confirmed regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov. The attack also sparked a massive fire at a Podolsk fulfillment center belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer.

In southwestern Russia, more than 150 drones targeted three cities in the Rostov region, killing five people, damaging several homes and a railway station, and igniting a forest fire, according to regional Governor Yury Slyusar.

Ukraine has increasingly deployed long-range missiles and drone swarms aimed at military-industrial sites, energy infrastructure, and key logistics nodes to disrupt Russian supply lines and bring the realities of the war closer to the Russian public.

Russian Strikes Target Ukrainian Cities

Concurrently, several Ukrainian cities came under heavy Russian missile attacks combined with a barrage of at least 100 drones.

Kryvyi Rih and Sumy: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that two people were killed and 14 injured in Kryvyi Rih, while another fatality was confirmed in Sumy.

 

Kiev: Capital city authorities issued multiple air raid alerts throughout the night. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions caused by incoming ballistic missiles and falling debris, which ignited fires in the northern Obolonskyi district and peripheral commercial areas. Authorities confirmed one death and seven injuries in the capital.

The surge in cross-border aerial attacks marks a sharp intensification of the conflict as it nears the four-and-a-half-year mark since Russia's full-scale invasion began.