Russia launched one of its largest drone assaults on Ukraine since the start of the war, firing more than 800 drones in a massive daytime attack on May 13 that killed at least six people and injured dozens across the country. The strikes came just days after a brief US-brokered ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow ended on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched waves of drones since midnight, deliberately targeting western Ukrainian regions near NATO borders. Ukrainian authorities said Moscow used at least 892 drones by Wednesday evening, with attacks continuing into the night.
The assault targeted critical infrastructure, including railway networks, energy facilities, government buildings, and defense industry sites. Ukraine’s railway infrastructure was reportedly hit 23 times, damaging trains, depots, and bridges, though rail traffic continued operating. State-owned energy company Naftogaz said two of its facilities in the Kharkiv and Zhytomyr regions were damaged.
Regional officials reported strikes across western Ukraine. Three people were killed in the Rivne region, while attacks in the western town of Zhovkva caused widespread power outages. Residential buildings in Ivano-Frankivsk were also struck. Officials in Zakarpattia described the barrage as the heaviest attack on the far-western region since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR said the operation appeared designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses before possible missile strikes. Defense adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said many drones flew close to the Belarus border before moving toward western Ukraine.
The strikes also triggered regional reactions. Poland scrambled fighter jets as a precaution due to the proximity of the attacks to NATO territory. Hungary condemned strikes on ethnic Hungarian areas in western Ukraine and summoned the Russian ambassador, while Slovakia temporarily closed border crossings with Ukraine for security reasons.
Meanwhile, Russia said it intercepted 286 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, Crimea, the Azov Sea, and the Black Sea.
Naman is a copy editor at Times Now, with over three years experience in covering US News, politics, global affairs, sports, and other domains. Apart...View More
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