Russia's massive attack on Ukraine: Hundreds of drones, dozens of missiles, 1 lakh without power

Russia fired more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine overnight, Kyiv's air force confirmed Tuesday, in one of the largest barrages of the war, killing at least nine people. Key figures from the attack:

• 656 drones launched by Russia's army overnight
• 73 missiles fired, including hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles
• 602 drones downed by Ukrainian air defences
• 40 missiles intercepted
• At least 9 people killed across targeted regions

Several others were wounded after Russian missile and drone attacks struck parts of Ukraine. Video shows buildings reduced to rubble, with smoke billowing out of the ruin as fire service personnel try to extinguish the flames.




The strikes follow the deployment of a nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile by Russia against the Kyiv region last weekend, raising fears of further escalation.

The attacks come days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a larger offensive. "We have intel indicating that Russia is preparing a new massive attack," he said in a social media post last Friday, urging civilians to heed air raid alerts and take precautions.


The overnight strikes
In the eastern city of Dnipro, four people were killed and 16 others wounded, several in critical condition, according to local governor Oleksandr Ganzha.

Kyiv was also targeted. As per AFP report, there were multiple explosions in the capital. City authorities confirmed Russia had deployed ballistic missiles in the attack. Fires broke out across several areas, 14 people were wounded, and power was cut in multiple districts.

"Explosions in the city. Air defence forces are working! Stay in shelters!" Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram.

Residents moved quickly to shelters, carrying bags and blankets, as reported by AFP. A large plume of smoke rose from the city centre. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's City Military Administration, confirmed that "the enemy is striking with ballistic missiles."

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, ten people were wounded, including a child, according to Mayor Igor Terekhov.

Separately, a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person in Russia's Kursk region, near the Ukrainian border, according to regional governor Alexander Khinshtein.

A widening conflict

Russia, which invaded Ukraine more than four years ago, has maintained near-daily bombardments. Kyiv has retaliated regularly. Peace negotiations to end what is Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II remain stalled.

Zelensky has repeatedly called on allies to supply and fund Patriot missile systems, capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. He wrote to US President Donald Trump and Congress last week making that request directly, citing the intensifying nature of Russian strikes.

"Please pay attention to air alerts, protect your lives. Our services are working efficiently and are prepared; the Air Force and other defenders of our skies will be on duty 24/7, as always," Zelensky said.

Ukraine has also escalated its own strikes on Russian-occupied territories and on Russia itself in response to the ongoing bombardments. US-led mediation efforts have made little progress. Washington's attention and resources have been increasingly redirected toward the conflict in the Middle East, leaving negotiations largely stalled.
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