Russia has intensified its aerial assault on Ukraine, launching its largest airstrike since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian officials reported that overnight, Russia fired a staggering 537 aerial weapons, which included 477 drones and decoys, along with 60 missiles. The Ukrainian air force managed to shoot down 249 of these threats, but 226 were lost, likely due to electronic jamming.
The attack targeted multiple regions across Ukraine, reaching areas far from the front lines, including western Ukraine. This escalation in violence has raised concerns about the ongoing war, which has now lasted over three years, and has dimmed hopes for peace talks.
In response to the threat, Poland and its allies scrambled aircraft to protect Polish airspace. Tragically, the drone strikes resulted in casualties, with one person killed in the Kherson region and another in Kharkiv. Additionally, six people were injured in Cherkasy, including a child. A drone attack in the Lviv region caused a significant fire at an industrial site and disrupted electricity in parts of Drohobych.
The Ukrainian air force also reported the loss of one of its F-16 warplanes, which crashed after being damaged while intercepting enemy targets. The pilot did not survive. Throughout the day, the attacks persisted, with a drone striking a car in Dnipropetrovsk, killing a 72-year-old man.
In a separate development, Russia claimed to have taken control of the village of Novoukrainka in the Donetsk region. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone attacks reportedly injured two people in the Russian city of Bryansk, where additional drones were shot down.
The situation remains tense, with Russian forces making incremental advances along the extensive front line, despite suffering heavy casualties. On the diplomatic front, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently expressed a willingness to engage in new peace talks in Istanbul, although previous discussions have yielded little progress.
In a related move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which bans antipersonnel land mines. This decision reflects the harsh realities of the ongoing conflict, as Ukraine aims to protect its military and civilians from the threats posed by land mines, which Russia continues to deploy.