The skies over Ukraine lit up last night as Russian forces launched their largest drone attack since the war began, battering infrastructure and plunging cities into darkness.
The Russian Attack
Russia carried out its biggest aerial assault of the Ukraine war overnight Sunday. Unleashing more than 800 drones and striking a government building in Kyiv for the first time. Kyiv officials said drones struck residential buildings during 11 hours of air raids. At least two people, including an infant, were killed. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Moscow’s forces launched 810 drones, four ballistic missiles, and nine cruise missiles. Although most were intercepted, 54 drones and nine missiles managed to hit targets nationwide.
Damage and Casualties:
Ukrainian authorities reported that the attacks killed four people and injured 44 others. “Yet again, attacks impacted homes, a government building, a kindergarten and other civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Sumy region, Zaporizhzhia – leaving behind loss, destruction and grief,” said UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, in a post on social media.
Ukraine’s Response
Volodymyr Zelensky says overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv’s main government building are a “ruthless attack” and vows an “appropriate response. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post following the attacks that “such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war.”
Ukraine expects a strong response from its international partners, particularly the United States, in the wake of Russia’s latest record-breaking mass strike, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Sept. 7. “We are counting on a strong reaction from America. This is what is needed,” Zelensky said the following evening.
Zelensky called on leaders to back up their statements with “strong actions — sanctions against Russia, against individuals associated with Russia, and strong tariffs and other restrictions on trade with Russia.”
Zelensky also said increasing Ukraine’s long-range strike capability would mount pressure on Russia. He said the enemy must feel their losses.
International Reactions
President Donald Trump expressed frustration, stating he was “not happy with the whole situation”. Following the attacks, he indicated readiness to move to a “second phase” of sanctions against Russia, a step he had previously resisted.
U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg stated that the attack was not a signal for a diplomatic end to the war. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested imposing sanctions strong enough to trigger a “full collapse” of Russia’s economy.
The UN provided urgent support to Ukraine, with Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthew Schmale, condemning the attacks and emphasizing that “civilians are not a target”. General condemnation of violence: UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk denounced a worldwide “glorification of violence” and an attack on the rule of law, though without specifically naming Russia.
Russia’s largest drone attack since the war began has heavily damaged Ukraine’s infrastructure. The strikes also brought widespread suffering and civilian casualties. As the international community condemns the attack and pledges support, Ukrainians face a challenging winter. Time will reveal how this act impacts the trajectory of the conflict. But one thing is certain: the war has now reached a new and devastating phase.
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