Zelensky Condemns Massive Russian Drone Attacks Across Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday denounced Russia’s “absolute depravity” following a wave of large-scale drone strikes that hit multiple cities across Ukraine, killing several people and damaging key infrastructure, including a UNESCO-listed site in Lviv.
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched nearly 1,000 drones within 24 hours, including one of the largest daytime aerial assaults since the war began. The strikes targeted both civilian and strategic locations nationwide.
In the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, two people were killed and a maternity hospital damaged during a daytime attack. Another fatality was reported in the Vinnytsia region, where several others were injured.
Zelensky blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the escalation, describing the strikes on cities far from the frontline as deliberate acts of destruction. He vowed that Ukraine would respond to the attacks.
In Lviv, an AFP reporter witnessed flames rising near the historic St. Andrew’s Church and Bernardine Monastery after a drone struck a nearby residential building during evening rush hour. The attack damaged homes and left at least 13 people hospitalised, while emergency responders battled fires and evacuated residents.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia deployed 550 drones during the day and 392 overnight, marking an unprecedented scale for daytime strikes. Air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat described the assault as one of the largest of its kind.
Overnight strikes also hit several regions, including Poltava region, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, killing at least five people and injuring dozens. Critical infrastructure, including energy and transport networks, was also damaged.
The attacks disrupted a key power line linking neighbouring Moldova to Europe, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency. Another line supplying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was also cut, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The escalation comes as Ukraine faces growing concerns over dwindling supplies of U.S. air defence systems, amid shifting global attention to the Middle East crisis. Efforts to revive peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv have also stalled, despite recent diplomatic outreach.
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continues to occupy large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported that a Ukrainian strike in the Kursk region killed one person and injured 13 others.
