On Friday, Russia launched one of the largest missile and drone barrages since the conflict began, striking targets across Ukraine. At least four people were killed, and buildings throughout the country suffered damage. Moscow indicated the strike was in retaliation for Ukraine’s recent drone attack on Russian strategic bomber bases.
Kyiv appeared to be a primary focus of the assault. Throughout the night, the sounds of anti-aircraft fire and intermittent machine gun bursts echoed across the Ukrainian capital. Military units defending the city worked to intercept missiles and attack drones targeting entire neighborhoods with ominous buzzing.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, over approximately five hours after midnight, Russia deployed 407 drones and decoys, nearly 40 cruise missiles, and six ballistic missiles launched from land, sea, and air against towns and cities nationwide. This marked the second-largest drone attack of the war, following a weekend assault involving almost 500 drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack on social media, stating, “Russia has not changed its tactics: another massive strike against cities and civilian life. They attacked nearly all of Ukraine.”
The Russian Defense Ministry described the operation as a response to “terrorist acts” by Ukraine, a likely reference to the recent strikes on Russian strategic bomber bases. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told then U.S. President Donald Trump that retaliatory measures would follow, further diminishing hopes for a ceasefire.
The Ukrainian drone assault involved infiltrating Russian territory and launching drones from semi-trailers, damaging or destroying at least a dozen aircraft, including several nuclear-capable strategic bombers.
Commenting on the Ukrainian strike, Trump said on Thursday, “They hit quite hard. They penetrated into Russia.”
Alongside a renewed ground offensive in eastern Ukraine, Friday’s attack formed part of an escalating Russian campaign to bombard Ukrainian cities with large volumes of drones and missiles, aiming to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses.
Ukrainian authorities report that Russia has launched over 1,000 drones weekly against military and civilian targets in recent months.
Trump likened Russia and Ukraine to quarreling children who must resolve their differences to end the conflict. “Sometimes it’s better to let them fight for a while and then separate them,” he remarked in the Oval Office, even as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged leveraging U.S. influence to end the war.
The Kremlin has repeatedly resisted calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
During Friday’s Russian assault, Ukrainian combat aircraft, missile defense troops, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems, and mobile fire groups intercepted 406 of 452 aerial attack vehicles, with attacks reported in 13 locations, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. These figures have not been independently verified.
Several fires broke out in Kyiv, including one in a 16-story apartment building. Another blaze near the city center covered an area exceeding 464 square meters.
Three rescuers who rushed to extinguish the fires died in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, also reported that 20 people were injured. Initially, Klitschko stated that four people had died, but later revised the figure to three.
Regions in western Ukraine, typically less targeted, were also attacked.
Local officials reported that the city of Ternopil, hundreds of kilometers from the front lines, was heavily shelled, resulting in at least 11 injuries, including six emergency workers.
In Lutsk, northwest Ukraine, Russian strikes hit a skyscraper and other sites, causing one death and injuring at least 27, according to emergency services.
The Russian military claimed to have targeted several military objectives during Friday’s attack; however, these claims could not be independently confirmed. Throughout the conflict, Russia has frequently struck urban areas, increasing the risk of civilian casualties. The Ukrainian military has not disclosed any losses or damage to its forces or facilities.
Since early this year, Ukraine’s president reported that the Russian military has carried out nearly 27,700 air bombings, deployed almost 11,200 Shahed drones, approximately 9,000 other attack drones, and more than 700 missiles, including ballistic types.
President Zelensky stated, “This is the pace of Russian attacks, deliberately set from the early days of the full-scale war. Russia has restructured its entire state, society, and economy to kill people on a large scale in other countries with impunity.”
Before Friday night’s bombing, on Thursday morning, Russia dropped high-explosive aerial bombs on the southern city of Kherson, partially destroying the Regional State Administration building and damaging several surrounding structures.
On Wednesday night, Russian forces attacked the northeastern city of Pryluky in the Chernihiv region, killing at least five people, including a one-year-old baby, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Ukraine has continued its campaign to halt bombings by targeting Russian military installations within Russia. The governor of the Saratov region reported a large fire on Thursday night after Ukrainian drones struck the Engels air base’s fuel depot.
“There are no casualties at this time,” he said.
A powerful explosion was also reported at an airfield in the Bryansk region, with the local governor stating that approximately 46 Ukrainian drones attacked the area. No casualties were reported.
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