Ukraine launched a significant aerial offensive against Russia on Sunday using hundreds of drones. This wave of attacks resulted in the deaths of at least six people and is one of Kyiv’s largest drone operations of the war. Ukraine has been intensifying attacks on Russia this year, utilizing long-range missiles and drone swarms to target military and energy facilities.
Recently, Ukrainian forces have focused on striking large Wildberries depots, a significant Russian online retail enterprise. The damage to these facilities is valued in billions of dollars and has brought the reality of the war closer to Russian citizens, even as the conflict extends over four and a half years since Moscow began its extensive invasion.
Russia has responded with its own offensives. On Sunday, drone strikes in Ukraine resulted in the destruction of homes and the burning of Kyiv’s prominent book market.
“Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of 822 Ukrainian drones overnight. A substantial number of drones, approximately 600, targeted the Russian capital Moscow, with one-third of them destroyed within the Moscow region, as reported by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
In one incident, an 83-year-old man died when a Ukrainian drone struck a private residence in the Moscow region. Local Governor Andrey Vorobyov confirmed that Ukrainian drones also initiated a fire at a Wildberries warehouse in Podolsk.
The southwestern Rostov region of Russia also came under attack. Over 150 drones targeted three towns, resulting in the deaths of five people and causing damage to homes, a railway station, and sparking a forest fire, according to Governor Yury Slyusar.
Impact on Ukraine
Ukraine did not escape unscathed from these engagements. Russian missile attacks on Kryvyi Rih took the lives of two individuals and injured 14 others. One of Ukraine’s major steel producers, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, reported partial operational suspensions due to missile impacts.
Additional casualties were reported in Sumy and the Zaporizhzhia region, with several people killed, including a man and woman in their home.
Kyiv’s capital suffered from fires caused by Russian attacks, notably affecting one of its largest book markets near the Pochaina metro station. The resulting fires wounded six people, with firefighters working to contain the flames.
NATO Involvement in Drone Defense
Romania’s Ministry of National Defense reported that a Spanish Air and Space Force F-18 fighter jet intercepted and shot down a drone that had penetrated Romanian airspace. This interception took place about 24 kilometers north of Galati, close to the Moldova border. The interception was part of air policing duties to strengthen the Eastern Flank, following prior drone incidents.
The debris from the drone was later reported to have fallen into the Black Sea. The origin of the drone remains unspecified by officials.
Romania has reported numerous drone incidents since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These incidents include drones crashing on Romanian territory, prompting Romania and NATO to enhance aerial defenses.
In a statement, Acting Foreign Minister Oana Toiu noted the scaling up of the Spanish deployment in Romania to support its eastern defenses.