Russia Launches Large-Scale Strikes on Ukrainian Military Infrastructure
By Staff, Agencies
Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Kiev and several other Ukrainian cities early Thursday, with the Russian Defense Ministry describing the operation as a response to what it called terrorist attacks carried out by the government of Vladimir Zelensky.
The first explosions were reported in Kiev at around 2 a.m. local time, followed by additional waves of strikes until about 4 a.m. Mayor Vitaly Klitschko urged residents to take shelter as Ukrainian air defenses responded to the incoming missiles and drones.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the operation employed high-precision, long-range weapons to strike military-industrial facilities, fuel and energy infrastructure in Kiev and the surrounding region, as well as military airfields and other military infrastructure in the Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy and Chernigov regions.
The ministry later released a list of the reported targets, which included a facility producing guidance systems for Ukrainian drones and missiles, a factory manufacturing long-range drones and loitering munitions, a plant involved in upgrading armored vehicles and producing military optics, an electronic warfare equipment manufacturer, a drone components depot, a fuel storage facility and several gas infrastructure sites that Russia said supplied energy for Ukraine's weapons production.
Videos circulating on social media showed multiple explosions and large fires across and around the Ukrainian capital.
Ukrainian authorities reported damage at at least 28 locations, claiming that most of the affected sites were residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
Timur Tkachenko, head of Kiev's military administration, initially reported that two people had been killed and 16 others injured. Mayor Klitschko later said the death toll had risen to 13.
The exact nature of the sites struck remains difficult to independently verify, as Ukrainian authorities restrict the publication of information about strike locations and prohibit the dissemination of footage from impact sites unless civilian infrastructure is involved.
Moscow has pledged to carry out what it describes as systematic and sustained strikes against Ukraine's military facilities, drone production sites, command centers and decision-making hubs in retaliation for what it calls deadly terrorist attacks by Kiev.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks deep inside Russian territory, with Russian officials saying residential buildings and civilian infrastructure have frequently been targeted.
According to Russian authorities, a six-month-old baby was killed on Tuesday in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region. Last week, 12 people were injured after a strike hit a Second World War museum in the Rostov region.
Last month, Ukraine also carried out one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow, reportedly striking an oil refinery and injuring 17 people, including two children.
Russia maintains that its military operations target only military and dual-use facilities in response to what it describes as Ukraine's indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
While Kiev has repeatedly accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, Moscow argues that Ukrainian forces routinely use civilian facilities—including warehouses, public buildings and industrial sites—for military purposes.
Ukrainian media recently reported that a drone production facility operating from a film studio had been struck by Russian forces. Throughout the conflict, Kiev has increasingly decentralized its weapons production by establishing smaller assembly sites that manufacture FPV and long-range drones using components supplied from abroad.
