Russia launched 597 attack drones and 26 cruise missiles against Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian authorities said, in a large-scale barrage that stretched from the country’s eastern border regions to cities in the west. At least two people were killed in Chernivtsi and about 20 others were injured, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said air defenses shot down 319 drones and 25 of the missiles. It reported that electronic warfare systems suppressed another 258 drones. Those figures indicated that most of the incoming weapons were either intercepted or disrupted, although the attack still caused deaths and damage across a wide geographic area. The supplied account did not specify the condition of those injured or provide a complete assessment of damage.
Zelenskyy said targets extended from the Kharkiv and Sumy regions in eastern Ukraine to Lviv in the west. The two reported deaths occurred in Chernivtsi, a southwestern city far from the eastern front line. He said the injured were receiving assistance and offered condolences to the families of those killed.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said western Ukraine bore the heaviest impact from the night’s drone attacks. The breadth of the operation underscored the reach of Russia’s long-range campaign, which had intensified during the preceding weeks and included several nights described by Ukrainian officials as record-setting barrages. Repeated nighttime strikes have forced Ukrainian cities to rely on a combination of interceptor systems and electronic countermeasures while alerts cover large portions of the country.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that it had conducted what it called a group strike using long-range precision weapons and drones. Moscow said it targeted defense-industry facilities in several cities as well as a military airfield. Ukraine, by contrast, described a campaign affecting civilian areas and reported casualties in Chernivtsi. The two governments’ descriptions reflected their differing accounts of the targets and consequences.
Zelenskyy used the attack to renew calls for international pressure on Moscow. He urged sanctions against states supporting Russian drone production and against buyers of Russian oil, while also asking Ukraine’s partners to provide additional air-defense systems. His appeal linked the scale and pace of the aerial campaign to decisions by allied governments on military support and economic measures.
The casualty figure remained preliminary in the immediate aftermath. With impacts reported across multiple regions, local authorities faced the task of assessing damaged infrastructure while emergency services assisted those injured and Ukraine’s military reviewed the performance of its layered defenses. The reported interception totals also showed how electronic warfare had become a central part of Ukraine’s response alongside conventional air-defense fire during mass drone attacks.
