Russia Launches Massive Missile and Drone Strikes Across Ukraine

Ukrainian officials say missiles and drones targeted 15 regions

On Monday, Russia launched one of its heaviest missile and drone barrages across Ukraine in an attack seen as retaliation for the Ukrainian invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

According to Ukrainian officials, over 100 Russian missiles and drones were fired at 15 Ukrainian regions, an area that makes up more than half of the country. The Russian Defense Ministry said it was targeting energy infrastructure that supported the Ukrainian military.

“This morning, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a massive strike by airborne and sea-launched long-range precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles at critical energy infrastructure of the Ukrainian military-industrial sector. All the designated targets were destroyed,” the ministry said in a statement, according to TASS.

Four people were reported killed in the attacks, and more than a dozen were injured. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called the Russians “terrorists” and urged Kyiv’s Western backers to allow the use of long-range NATO missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia.

“In order to stop the barbaric shelling of Ukrainian cities, it is necessary to destroy the place from which the Russian missiles are launched,” Shmyhal said. “We count on the support of our allies and will definitely make Russia pay.”

Also on Monday, Ukraine launched drone attacks against seven Russian regions. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 20 Ukrainian drones. “On-duty air defenses intercepted and destroyed 20 fixed-wing drones. Nine of them were shot down over the Saratov Region, two over each of the Belgorod, Bryansk and Tula Regions, as well as one over each over the Oryol and Ryazan Regions,” the ministry said.

The governor of Saratov said drone debris hit residential buildings, wounding at least four people. Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks inside Russia as it’s pushing hard for the US and NATO to lift restrictions on the use of Western missiles.

Ukraine has been using US-provided weapons in its attack on Kursk, which marks a significant escalation of the proxy war. The US says it won’t allow long-range strikes with US missiles, but Ukrainian officials believe that policy could change.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.